Brand New Tiger Tanks

Well, as the tracks and the drive-train has to come from somewhere, I suppose you'll find plenty ex-Soviet tank parts in that Tiger replica, and that would explain the weight.

I wouldn't mind betting that there is a crap load of old Soviet armour laying about somewhere.

My dad was in France after D Day. After VE day he mentioned there were untold French farmers fields filled with various German vehicles of all types, some scrap, much of it in good running order. He reckons someone somewhere made a lot of money out of those vehicles. I reckon he is right.
 
You can bet that, I have traded metals plenty of times, I would be very torn in such an instance, beatiful pieces of machinery, versus living in a post war economy... Kinda why finding any surving German Vehicles from the war is extremly difficult...

Let alone a heavy piece like a Tiger I...

Like I said , the enginuity of these Russian guys is really impressive, I mean, who else can say they built a Scale Replica of one the most famous and terryfing pieces of Amoured History in their back yard?

I'd just be content with a painted model... :tank:
 
What's the most efficient way to build a replica of a WW II tank?

You need a sturdy support for the tracks and the drivetrain.
You need a stabile base for attaching the plates that makes up the proper silouhette.
You need a solid foundation for the engine.

The best answer is to get a "tub" from some old/decommisioned tank and use that.
My guess is that in the bottom of these tank-replica's you will find the tub from a T55 or some tracked APC's in most cases.
 
What's the most efficient way to build a replica of a WW II tank?

You need a sturdy support for the tracks and the drivetrain.
You need a stabile base for attaching the plates that makes up the proper silouhette.
You need a solid foundation for the engine.

The best answer is to get a "tub" from some old/decommisioned tank and use that.
My guess is that in the bottom of these tank-replica's you will find the tub from a T55 or some tracked APC's in most cases.


Just like building a high performance sports car, nowa days carbon fiber tubs are used to support the engine in the chasis.

Makes sense.
 
I think this explains the missing weight...
turret.jpg


I have my doubts whether that is even 10mm when you compare it to the tubing next to it.
 
It would be a beatiful sight to see a true functional re built tiger...

Until then, like these guys in Russia, we can only dream...

But even so, these guys did a remarkable job!

Bovingdon tank museum here in the UK, have an original Tiger I in full running order.
It was captured in Tunisia, and used for developing weapons and tactics to defeat the beast. Then it was displayed in the museum for years as a static item until they were able to get it back to running order.
I also believe the French Army's school of armour used to have a King Tiger in running order until a few years ago.
 
I have seen videos of the Tank Fest showing a running Tiger I, man enviromental damage aside, it would be very interesting to see such a machine actually moving under it's own power in person just as it did during the war it was built for.

You can only see stuff like that every once and a while.
 
It would be great to see these replicas used in films rather that the T-34 conversions as seen in Kelly's Heros and Saving Private Ryan.
Looking at this one it seems to be a bit of hybrid with lots of features from various production runs.
Early rubber tyred wheels, the turret has a late production comander's hatch but the smoke dischargers and pistol port are from the first production vehicles. Sorry, I am a bit of a German WWII armour geek:oops:
It is, however, a fantastic thing to see. I've been lucky enough to see the Tiger at Bovingdon and it is an impressive machine!
:tank:
 
Yeah I do agree that when you look at it closely it would make a Tiger-ophile cringe especially the diesel engine but I would still have one in a heart beat.
 
Yeah I do agree that when you look at it closely it would make a Tiger-ophile cringe especially the diesel engine but I would still have one in a heart beat.

Be great to go shopping with one. No more parking problems:D

Q. Where do you park a Tiger tank?
A. Anywhere you bloody want to!:lol:
 
G'Day all,
My first post to the threads and all that...
Just wanted to add to this: -

I wouldn't mind betting that there is a crap load of old Soviet armour laying about somewhere.

My dad was in France after D Day. After VE day he mentioned there were untold French farmers fields filled with various German vehicles of all types, some scrap, much of it in good running order. He reckons someone somewhere made a lot of money out of those vehicles. I reckon he is right.

The French actually sold a number of Panzer IV and I think StuG IV vehicles to Syria in the 1950s where they eventually faced off against the Shermans of the Israelis. The French apparently made a bit of much needed cash by selling German war booty!

Cheers,
Kevin
 
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G'Day all,
My first post to the threads and all that...
Just wanted to add to this: -



The French actually sold a number of Panzer IV and I think StuG IV vehicles to Syria in the 1950s where they eventually faced off against the Shermans of the Israelis. The French apparently made a bit of much needed cash by selling German war booty!

Cheers,
Kevin

Its a pity our blokes didn't benefit from it.
 
Its a pity our blokes didn't benefit from it.

It seems that the French were quite keen to keep the Panthers and Tigers that were left lying around France either for their own use or so that they could research new tank designs for the post-war world.

According to the Achtung Panzer website, Panthers served with the French 501st Tank Battalion until 1950

One of the first French post-war designs, the AMX-50 owes a lot to the Panther and was even powered by a Maybach engine.
amx%2050-100-03%20photo%20dga.jpg


Info on the AMX-50 can be found here: -
Google Translate version of page
Original French language page

Cheers,
Kevin
 
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Just finished re-watching Band of Brothers.
Apart from realising, again what an incredible production it was, and what a great telling of an awesome story it is, I took a closer look at the German vehicles.
The documentary on the making of, showed how they made the T-34 Tiger 1s, and the FV-432 PanzerIIIs and the Jagd Panthers.
But, I noticed some Marder IIIs tucked in there with the other back ground vehicles.
Anyone know where they came from? Are they originals, or replicas?
I know some Hetzers survived the war, they're based on the same chasis, and were featured in the films, Hanover Street and Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
There were also some light armoured cars, Sdkfz 221/222s about and I think these are replicas based on Land Rover chasis.
 
Just finished re-watching Band of Brothers.
Apart from realising, again what an incredible production it was, and what a great telling of an awesome story it is, I took a closer look at the German vehicles.
The documentary on the making of, showed how they made the T-34 Tiger 1s, and the FV-432 PanzerIIIs and the Jagd Panthers.
But, I noticed some Marder IIIs tucked in there with the other back ground vehicles.
Anyone know where they came from? Are they originals, or replicas?
I know some Hetzers survived the war, they're based on the same chasis, and were featured in the films, Hanover Street and Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
There were also some light armoured cars, Sdkfz 221/222s about and I think these are replicas based on Land Rover chasis.

Can't offer much help in regards to the Marders but a number of military vehicle collectors bought the decomissioned Swiss G13 tank hunter and refitted them as Hetzers. This is easily done as the G13 is simply an updated Hetzer anyway (the most noticeable difference being the fitting of a muzzlebreak and an antenna mount). Most of the Swiss machines were new builds from the Czech factory in 1946 but apparently the first 8 were original Hetzers refitted for the Swiss to G13 standard.
It's the G13 modified back to Hetzer appearance that often appears at military vehicle shows or with the German recreation groups so the Band Of Brothers props team probably had a far easier time finding them than they did sourcing the PzIII and Tiger!

Some images of the G13

hzr-001.jpg


G-13.jpg
 
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