Battle of the Bulge

German Tiger tanks burst out of the woods.

The big offensive has begun.

The German troops are not singing they are attacking!

Despite the deep snow the Tiger tanks press forward.

The forest it no obstacle to the panzer troops.

The spearhead of the attack!

Massive German tanks to strike few into the hearts of the enemy.
 

Decals and Tiger Tanks

Working on my decals.

Decades ago before Heiser Models and many other companies even existed I got a lot of 1/76th and 1/72nd scale models to supplement my Roco Minitanks collection.

And when I replaced those Airfix, and Nitto and other kits with Heiser Models, I kept the decal sheets.

So now I am using them on some of my models as I finish up with some of my painting and restoration projects.

Here are a few WWII German Tiger Tanks in their new paint jobs and with their new decals.
 

The Hammer of Thor

The Tiger tanks rumble past the government building.

They are the most powerful tank on the battlefield.

They are confident of victory.

They have a secret weapon on their side.

The Hammer of Thor!

Tiger Tank Company, Very Late War

Tiger battalion with Whirlbelwind AA guns on Panzer IV chassis.

VK 4500 and two swimmwagen as unit headquarters.

Unit HQ and AA section.

First, second, and third platoons, each with four tanks.

First two platoons have Tiger I.

Some Tiger I actually served as long as a couple years in German wartime service.

 

Old Roco, New Roco, Zylmex with Roco tracks, and Corgi Tiger I tanks.

Third tank platoon has three Tiger II and one Maus.

German VK 4500 Tank

Panzer VK 4500 in HO scale in resin by ArsenalM.

Model assembled and ready for primer!

Model ready for primer on the top.  I prime models on the bottom first and then the top, then do touch up.

 It's a great model.  Despite being resin, it's easy to put together and pretty durable.

It's been languishing in my collection for years and now it's finally put together.

Here it is with a coat of primer paint on it.

These high quality European resin kits are often sold under several different names.  https://www.fidelismodels.com/product/Artmaster_80335.html

Tiger Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all.  I hope Santa brought you plenty of reinforcements for your armies.

Roco Tiger II with late war ambush camouflage scheme.

Roco Tiger II with a couple cheapo metal versions in the back with the antennas. 

A few unpainted ones still in the battalion.

Tanks are stored on a piece of corduroy with a piece of small bubble wrap on top of the fabric.  It really helps keep them from sliding and rolling around inside the box, and neither products react to the models.

A Tiger battalion consists of 45 tanks, three companies per battalion, four tanks per platoon, three platoons per company.

Roco Tiger Tanks

Roco Tiger I tanks.

I finally cleared a little space so I could take pictures inside.

As the collection is unpacked I will try and snap a few photos.

Rear and side views.

Roco Tiger II battalion.

Tiger I and Panzer III

As I unpack the collection a few photo opportunities arise.  Roco Panzer III.

German tanks carried two machine guns, one for the coax with the main gun and one for the bow.  One of them could be dismounted and used as an anti-aircraft machine gun at the commanders hatch.  American tanks had three machine guns, and the commander had a .50 caliber anti-aircraft machine gun.

Tiger I tanks.  The first Tiger battalions had Panzer III to act as scout tanks and for close in security.  The Tiger I was slow and very heavy, having a smaller, faster, lighter tank as part of the unit was a helpful addition.

Tiger I by Roco with a few extra track links added on.

Anti-aircraft machine gun on the commanders hatch.

Tiger I and Panzer III together.

Spray Paint

I use cheap spray paint from Wal-Mart.

Read the directions on the spray paint before use.

Shake the spray can really well.

Keep shaking as you paint to keep the paint mixed.