Porsche King Tiger (zimm). Comparisn to K&C KT (PICS) (1 Viewer)

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Hunter Rose

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The new Normandy King Tiger w/ zimm. arrived. It is definitely a great piece and well worth the money. Here's my initial thoughts:

Pros
- very well detailed as usual. Detail is on par with the Panthers, and better than the Panzer IV IMO
- wire engine covers are nice and look very good
- paint scheme looks very good as does the zimmerit. Best CS zimmerit job to date.
- size seems right for 1/30. I'm not a rivet counter per se, but I did think the Panzer IV was too large. This one looks right when compared to historical photos.
- Price is very good

Cons
- decals are still not up to par. They work on the flat non-zimmerit versions, but when applied over zimmerit, you definitely can tell they are decals
- cannon barrel on mine droops and will not stay level
- no coaxial machinegun (minor detail ommission)
- tracks/roadwheels are not as crisp as the Panthers. They are equivalent to King and Country's level of track detail. It's a minor gripe I'll admit, but I don't think the tracks on the King Tiger or Panzer IV are as nice as the Panthers. They are not nearly as crisp. Maybe a cost savings approach to keep the price down or not worried about since they were hidden by schuerzen and mudguards.
- No AA machinegun!:salute:: No big deal really but my Normandy tanks need something to fight off the Allied airpower! The cupola rim is also wider than previous tanks so an AA MG off the Panther doesn't work.
- Mudguards don't "hang" right to me. They look great from the side or a 3/4 front view, but viewed head on they seem too wide and don't droop right IMO

Comparison to King and Country King Tiger
- paint scheme looks better on the Collector's Showcase version
- size is pretty close, with the CS version being slighly wider and with a larger cannon barrel. The barrel/muzzle break were too small on the KC version, the CS version looks correct
- rear end and exhausts look better on the KC version
- figures on both are very well done, just in their own respective styles
- Overall I like the CS version better











 
Hunter Rose said:
The new Normandy King Tiger w/ zimm. arrived. It is definitely a great piece and well worth the money. Here's my initial thoughts:

Pros
- very well detailed as usual. Detail is on par with the Panthers, and better than the Panzer IV IMO
- wire engine covers are nice and look very good
- paint scheme looks very good as does the zimmerit. Best CS zimmerit job to date.
- size seems right for 1/30. I'm not a rivet counter per se, but I did think the Panzer IV was too large. This one looks right when compared to historical photos.
- Price is very good

Cons
- decals are still not up to par. They work on the flat non-zimmerit versions, but when applied over zimmerit, you definitely can tell they are decals
- cannon barrel on mine droops and will not stay level
- no coaxial machinegun (minor detail ommission)
- tracks/roadwheels are not as crisp as the Panthers. They are equivalent to King and Country's level of track detail. It's a minor gripe I'll admit, but I don't think the tracks on the King Tiger or Panzer IV are as nice as the Panthers. They are not nearly as crisp. Maybe a cost savings approach to keep the price down or not worried about since they were hidden by schuerzen and mudguards.
- No AA machinegun!:salute:: No big deal really but my Normandy tanks need something to fight off the Allied airpower! The cupola rim is also wider than previous tanks so an AA MG off the Panther doesn't work.
- Mudguards don't "hang" right to me. They look great from the side or a 3/4 front view, but viewed head on they seem too wide and don't droop right IMO

Comparison to King and Country King Tiger
- paint scheme looks better on the Collector's Showcase version
- size is pretty close, with the CS version being slighly wider and with a larger cannon barrel. The barrel/muzzle break were too small on the KC version, the CS version looks correct
- rear end and exhausts look better on the KC version
- figures on both are very well done, just in their own respective styles
- Overall I like the CS version better
Click to expand...
I had a K&C king tiger & I have all four Normandy CS King tigers & I think your spot on with the pro & cons on both ,for me the biggest downer on CS KT like you said is the tank track Mudguards look to wide looking head on
 
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Hunter Rose said:
- cannon barrel on mine droops and will not stay level
Click to expand...

I found mine to be just fine- I bought the Porsche non zimm version- Normandy. In fact, I do like that it is slightly adjustable. I was nervous when I first saw that though because I didn't want my KT to be droopy.

Also, I know a lot of collectors like mud and other muck in the road wheels. Mine did not have that- appeared factory direct which was ok with me.
 
Many thanks for the pictures, comparisons, and opinions. I have 2 CS KT's on order and I am very excited to receive them. They look really good and blend well with the KC Tiger. The only real complaint I have ever had about my CS vehicles are the inferior decals. This problem has exsisted since day one and I don't know why it hasn't been addressed/fixed. That is a minor quibble and I really look forward to my KT's. -- Al
 
Excellent pics and pro's and con's. Would only disagree about track and wheel detail.
Mitch
 
Mitch said:
Excellent pics and pro's and con's. Would only disagree about track and wheel detail.
Mitch
Click to expand...

I need to qualify my statement. The tracks/wheels are good on the King Tiger and every bit as good as any K&C AFV I have seen (including the new SL Winter Tiger). However, the first CS tank I ever got (and the one that got me into this hobby) was the CS Winter Panther w/ no zimmerit. The Panther tracks are much crisper in detail and better painted than any of the releases after it. IMO they're even better than my Honour Bound Panther. In fact, I'd say the Winter Panther is the best tank I have, and I have a tendency to use this as a baseline of comparison for well done tracks and detail.
 
Hunter Rose...

I think a look at the panzer I from the AK range may just change your mind. This for me, is the best AFV in terms of detail wise I think CS has done. I prefer the bowl shaped wheels on a panther not, steel wheels so, I was not drawn to the CS panther like their other AFV's but, I suppose, its an individual thing as I would not automatically think of the panther as being the bench mark to expouse CS quality.

IMO the CS has better track and wheel detail but, for my own taste, I like the chrisp wheel design uncluttered by excess moulding again, thats a personal choice though, I am happy with the two early K&C konigstigers that I have but, you cannot compare these with the CS release.
Mitch
 
Mitch said:
Hunter Rose...

I think a look at the panzer I from the AK range may just change your mind. This for me, is the best AFV in terms of detail wise I think CS has done. I prefer the bowl shaped wheels on a panther not, steel wheels so, I was not drawn to the CS panther like their other AFV's but, I suppose, its an individual thing as I would not automatically think of the panther as being the bench mark to expouse CS quality.

IMO the CS has better track and wheel detail but, for my own taste, I like the chrisp wheel design uncluttered by excess moulding again, thats a personal choice though, I am happy with the two early K&C konigstigers that I have but, you cannot compare these with the CS release.
Mitch
Click to expand...
Interesting that you mention the early KC KT's with the Porsche turret. I was thrilled when these came out and bought one. Upon opening it up, I was disappointed in the lack of size. It seemed small to me. It just didn't have the size/presence that I felt the Tiger should have. When the KC KT Henschel came out, I bought that also and was much more impressed with the size and bulk. It was much bigger than the previous release. I immediately sold the undersize Porsche KT and have waited for a full size version that CS has now supplied. I really like the Porsche turret KT and can't wait for my CS version to show up. -- Al
 
Had a quick play tonight with my KT
IMAG0074.jpg
 
Thanks for the pics guys and for the nice write up Hunter Rose. I hope you guys are having fun w/ your KT's! I must admit, I'm a bit worried about the droopy barrel HR described as well as opinions expressed regarding decals. My KT is on the way, so I'll know soon enough. I'll join in w/ my thoughts soon thereafter.

Joe
 
joesgis said:
Thanks for the pics guys and for the nice write up Hunter Rose. I hope you guys are having fun w/ your KT's! I must admit, I'm a bit worried about the droopy barrel HR described as well as opinions expressed regarding decals. My KT is on the way, so I'll know soon enough. I'll join in w/ my thoughts soon thereafter.

Joe
Click to expand...
My four KT don't have droopy barrel & I think the decals look fine %^V
 
Yes my KT is on the way also. I hope the decals are not an issue. On a side issue, does anyone know why the Zimm paint was discontinued in the last months of the war? Was it a supply problem or perhaps the process slowed production. Maybe the threat of attaching mines to the hull had diminished. In all the books I have read, it never stated why they stopped using Zimm paint, just that they did. Can someone set me straight. Cheers, Robin.
 
villagehorse said:
Yes my KT is on the way also. I hope the decals are not an issue. On a side issue, does anyone know why the Zimm paint was discontinued in the last months of the war? Was it a supply problem or perhaps the process slowed production. Maybe the threat of attaching mines to the hull had diminished. In all the books I have read, it never stated why they stopped using Zimm paint, just that they did. Can someone set me straight. Cheers, Robin.
Click to expand...
I think I'm right in say that the zimmitt was stopped from being used as it caught fire very easy
 
You could be right Neil, but you would think a layer of paint on fire on a steel, would not produce enough heat to cause any damage. I know every time a shell bounced of a KT, the paint would fall to the ground in large amounts, therefore rending the application as useless. Cheers, Robin.
 
Zimmerit was used to stop magnetic mines from sticking to the tank by creating a rough surface and a gap between the mine and the metal it was trying to attach itself to. A rumour started that if a tank was penetrated by an anti-tank round, the shot could start the zimmerit to burn. That was never shown to be true, but they stopped using zimmerit, partly because of supply shortages and the extra time it took to coat a tank with zimmerit and let it cure.

Terry
 
its better to think of the zimmerit coat as a paste rather than a paint and, it was very difficult to remove once set shells did remove it which, chipped away at the layers but, on an AFV it was quite hard to ignite
Mitch
 
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