Hinged exhaust caps

[Paul Morris]

Hello Fellas.
First go on the new forum, as the Late Tigers are now going out i thought i would mention the exhaust caps i have half a dozen or so sets to do so if anyone would like a set now is the time to shout at the usual mail address.
Cheers Paul

[Kent Wiik]

Hi Paul and all,

First I must say your caps is stunning and a must have for everyone with a............Early or Mid Tiger.
The thing is that it was deleted in October 1943, long before the Late Tiger was introduced in February 1944.
This can be read in the excellent book "The modellers guide to the Tiger tank" on page 42.



Sorry Paul , but I had to tell this so others can decide if they wants their Late Tiger accurate here or not.
If I had an Early or Mid I would definitive have a pair of them - excellent craftsmanship!

Cheers
Kent

[Paul Morris]

Hi Kent.
Thanks for that... as you say late version Tiger introduced in February 1944, 4 months after the deletion as stated in the modelers guide of the hinged exhaust caps, however Tank Power volume 3 page 116 and 117 clearly shows the caps on a late Tiger and states that they wer added to keep water out of the engine during deep wading! Now i know that two books will often tell completely different stories but when you also consider that the hulls of these vehicles wer recovered and canibalised in order to get them back to the front asap i think even if i am wrong it is not too hard to imagine and older Tiger being re worked and fitted with steel wheels perhaps, as indeed we know happened with turrets etc.
So it is as always up to the individual, and it has never been my intention to misleed anyone.
Hope this helps a bit cheers Paul

[Kent Wiik]

Hi Paul,

Yes, the German hybrid tanks is a well known fact and as longer the war got the more impossible "put together" one might see.
Just look at the strange beast at the cover of the book "Germany’s Tiger tanks" (Gtt), Early turret and hull with steel wheels
The submersibility requirement was dropped in an order 30 August 1943 in an effort to make the Tiger easier to produce (Gtt page 73).
Glad that was done or a lot of Tiger would have survived from Falaise not being halted at Seine.
One other thing we have been taught is that no matter how good reputation an author has, his books can still have a lot of errors (Panzer Tracts is an example )
The best way is to look at authentic ww2 photos.

Keep up the good work
Kent

[Martin Cohen]

Facts and historical accuracy are often in my book relegated to rather quaint concept status. While the "Wow!" factor of more and more detailed, preferably moving parts overrides the need to comply with reality.

Some of us are grateful the Germans of 1944-45 put together what they could with whatever parts were on hand, and so this makes almost any Tiger I we can conceivably put together appear even more "authentically scavenged".

[David Gray]

yes i agree the wow factor of the detailed moving parts dose indeed override reality even though it might not be bye the book ,makes for a more intresting subject

dave gray