I just got my Dragon Tunisian Tiger kit. Couple questions .... The decal sheet has the turret numbers in white out line, black, and red. It looks like red is for 7th Pz.Regt. Does the color imply a certain time period? (started with outline then, on X date changed to bkack?) Also, I read somewhere that the 88 barrel on the initial batch were still grey primer. Yes? No? Maybe? Out of shear curiosity, this is the kit of a thousand mantles. Other than noticing one had a rain guard over the gunner's optics they all look the same. What gives?

The numbers were outlined at first, but with Tiger 724 they had a dark fill. Some say it was red, some say it was black. You'll have to look at photos and make up your own mind.

The gun barrels were painted in the tank colour just like in all other units. I don't recall noticing any grey replacement barrels.

The mantlets are there because Dragon reuse sprues from other kits.

David

Yes, listen to Mr Byrden. If not, you proceed at your own risk.

I back tracked. I think what got me confused was a piece I saw about Tiger 112 having been damaged and the repairs touched up with RAL 8020 and the barrel looking to be a primer grey replacement Herr Byrden, I believe you are the source of this. I seem to remember reading that the storage bins on the initial Tigers were not flush with the turret. (photo in the piece about 112 show this.) How big a gap was it? Also, how fast would the RAL 8000 paint fade. I have Vallejo's RAL 8000 , used it on a PaK 38 and it looks awful dark. Fade it with a littlle white?

Oh yes, these Tigers had some items and touchups painted in RAL 8020. Tiger 112 / 724 was particularly obvious there.

Certainly the bins were not flush, they did not fit. Only "Das Reich" solved the problem. See Tiger turret bins.

Fading? It's more the case that the lower half of these Tigers got dusty.

David

David, has there been any recent discoveries on the chassis # for Tiger 132? Also, in your review of the Dragon kit you commented on no tools on the glacis, what about on top of the hull?

Chassis number information is very rare for Tigers of all sorts. All that I can say about "132" is that it must have been one of the first 17 or so Tigers, because it had the original tow cables.

It would have had the standard tool layout of the time. That did not include a glacis tool.

David

Danke sehr.

Was looking at photos of Tiger 132. The exhaust covers look lighter. RAL 8020 or just the lighting? How about the turret tool bin? Mention was made of them looking lighter. Was that for all 501's Tigers?

Getting close on my Tiger 132. In the words of the immortal Peter Falk , "Ah. Just one more question ... " Were the headlight mounts moved to the fenders in Germany or Africa? Would the brackets have been painted 8000 or 8020?