The dreaded Extra antenna tube on the Tiger I.

[MrChef]

Sooooooo, I've been doing more research for my next project and came across something interesting that I'm not sure how many others may know about.

Take a gander at this pic of this very early possibly one of the first Befehelstigers ever built, and I am not claiming to know this just sharing the information I got from a chat with David Byrden on a Tiger group on FB=



So heres the info:

Tiger I, 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich. Part of Army Group South during 'Battle of Kursk' early July 1943.

So that's all interesting. But take a gander at the tube running horizontal on the top of the engine deck on the drivers side. You can see a similar shape on the opposite side a 'mirror image'. You can also notice the extra slanted vertical aerial tube on the rear vertical plate left of the exhaust stack. So as shared by David while confirming there were 2 tubes present on the top of either side of the engine deck and not an optical illusion, this extra tube was presumably for the Fu7 antenna.

Sooooo I guess we don't always have to chisel these things off, especially if we're going to do at least an example of this unit or other early command Tiger I.

Just thought I'd share this interesting at least to me bit of Tiger I information. Big thanks to David Byrden for entertaining my observation and sharing the information.



Maybe Heng Long was making command Tigers all along...

[Panzermechaniker]

For my mid Tiger command tank I have the 3 antennas and was going to leave the LHS tube on as I had seen that image before although it's an early. But I sawed it off as I didn't want to be explaining why I hadn't removed it and managed to match the paint job figuring they could probably get the 2 shorter antenna in the tube on the rear

[ColemanCollector]

Sooooooo, I've been doing more research for my next project and came across something interesting that I'm not sure how many others may know about.

Take a gander at this pic of this very early possibly one of the first Befehelstigers ever built, and I am not claiming to know this just sharing the information I got from a chat with David Byrden on a Tiger group on FB=



...
Maybe Heng Long was making command Tigers all along...

Kinda like their KV-2 with turret lift hooks at the front, and the separate one you add at the back from the parts sprue. Guess they looked at the Moscow KV-2 and figured that was the norm--which it isn't by a longshot.

It would be interesting to see HLs design process and how they decide what makes the final mold.

And then there's the guy holding up the puppy figure in their Stug offering...

Mike.

[cmryanuk]

Well it's pretty obvious that the first batch of Das Reich Tigers were supplied by Heng Long. What other explanation could there be?

[ColemanCollector]

If you read the battle memoires of Michael Wittman, he said the super-spin capability was what lost them the war. That and all of their pantigers were sitting roadside with busted final drives.

Mike.

[jarndice]

The command tigers cetainly did have aerial support tubes on both flanks and I would still cut them off simply because they are totally inaccurate, The real thing stood 2/4mm clear of the tank body not flush as Heng Long would have you do,
The Turret would carry the "Star" shaped aerial as a standard fitting (This is available from ABER).

[MrChef]

If you read the battle memoires of Michael Wittman, he said the super-spin capability was what lost them the war. That and all of their pantigers were sitting roadside with busted final drives.

Mike.

I've heard of the 'Super Spin' conspiracy but I thought the pantiger thing was just rumors.