The vehicle modelled is from the s.Pz.Abt.507 (Heavy Panzer Battalion), which saw extensive service with Tigers on the Eastern Front from 1943-45.  It represents the Major Eric Schmidt’s (the Battalion CO’s) mount, "White A", around mid-June 1944, and is based on 3 photos of it seen earlier during April forming up for the initial assaults on Tarnapol. I’ve chosen to depict it a couple of months later so as to show him with his Knight’s Cross earned for the heavy fighting around this sector.

This vehicle ("A"), was one of the 3 Battalion HQ Staff Tigers of 507 (the others being "B", and "C"). As such it wears the extra aerials carried for the command net radios. Oddly it has 4 instead of the common three, with an extra one on the LH hull top. The associated spare aerial storage tube is seen located on the rear plate with the "C" hook towing clevis repositioned on an angle to accommodate it.

It is an earlier production ‘mid’ from around the December 1943 batch. While zimmerited, it has the following distinguishing features:

• early pattern tracks
• has an early pattern mantlet type without the reinforcing over the gunner’s sights, which appears common on HQ vehicles – maybe saving the newer style up-armoured ones for standard straight battle tanks
• as a command vehicle the mantlet coax MG port was plated over and welded up as was the loader’s roof scope (to allow a map table and extra radios to be fitted inside)
• carries the old Feifel air cleaner bracket mounts and plated engine hatch cover
• has the early style radiator overflow plug on the engine deck and repositioned engine hatch hook and stay
• has a pistol port plug on the turret LHS rear
• carries an extra (first aid?) stowage box, attached to the LHS of the main turret bin
• doesn’t have the Navertiedigungswaffe close-in defence weapon fitted to the turret roof yet
• has a gun travel lock on the rear RHS hull corner
• carries the early 15 ton jack
• doesn’t yet have the blowtorch starter port on the rear plate
• has the mounting points and conduit for the early position for the Bosch headlight on the front LHS corner of the hull top, but has it retro’d into the later position on the centre of the glacis plate
• a unique feature seen on another of 507’s Tigers (221), was added in the form of two neatly cut out notches in the commander’s cupola hatch to allow the use of the scissors scopes through the holes when it was closed, which would make sense for an HQ vehicle such as this if it was a unit mod seen on other command Tigers

Work done to Tamiya kit MM-35194:

1. LOWER HULL

1.1 General

• Zimmerit added using Tamiya putty and a razor saw
• Triangular-shaped piece of zimmerit cut out on both front and rear plates for 507 battlion logo shield
• Kit ‘Late’ pattern ind. link tracks replaced with Academy ‘Earlies’ with each soild guide tooth drilled open at bases
• Front outer road wheel on each side left off as per photo and optional kit hub flanges added – this was a common practice in the field due to mud and/or ice build-up often jamming them against the drive sprockets

1.2 Front:

• Weld beads added around transmission final drives, hull nose interlocks and front plate with pyrogravure
• Small front fender securing toggles and brackets added from strip, rod and lead foil
• Front fender side flap retaining brackets added from strip and lead foil bracket with Anvil Miniatures wing nuts
• Two circular hull lifting points behind front fenders drilled through
• 5 screw holes added to top of drivers visor shot deflector
• Machining marks scribed into top of driver’s visor and onto edges
• Shovel given bracket clamp handles from lead foil and styrene strip mount
• Bosch light heavily detailed with solid base cut open, 2 bolts added to underside, 6 to blackout cover, and some to sides and rear from p&d styrene discs, thin securing wire added to rear of light body in an "L" angle and main conduit added from lead solder
• Ball mounted hull MG barrel drilled out at muzzle, and cooling slot scribed into top and bottom with 2 holes drilled as well and serrated notches cut into rear barrel collar
• Horseshoe good luck symbol welded to glacis plate from Historex

1.3 Sides:

• kit track changing cable on LH hull side bent into shape to match photos plus given small securing pegs on cable eye brackets
• 2 engine deck tarp tie down points added to rear hull sides from 10x20 thou strip and fine wire formed into shape

1.4 Rear:

2. UPPER HULL

2.1 Interior:

• 4 Ammo boxes and gurtsacks added to bow gunner’s sponson

2.2 Forward:

• Old position of Bosch light on front LHS corner of hull top replicated with 4 small screw holes drilled in and lead solder wire cable added with lead foil bracket and rod conduit with Grandt Line conical rivet on it.
• Tool bracket clamp handles added to sledge hammer plus strip bracket
• "C" hook tow clevis detailed by drilling out stepped rear lock hole and adding Anvil Mins. resin wing nuts
• Shovel given strip bracket and p&d bolts plus strip brackets and foil clamp handle
• Jack block detailed with p&d discs, strip corner brackets and new handle on front. Missing wood grain also scribed into ends.
• Axe given new bracket at head from strip and 2 lead foil bracket clamp handles
• Bolt cutters given strip rear bracket with p&d bolts plus a lead foil clamp handle
• Driver’s and Radio Op’s hatches heavily detailed with ejector pins removed, interior springs and detailed hinge arm added, numerous bits of strip, bolts, and wing nuts plus v.fine scope springs from wire wound round a rod. Welds added to scope guards on top.

2.3 Centre:

• Tow cables replaced with 7 strand brass picture wire inserted into drilled ends to allow the longer length of the early ones to be replicated
• Gun cleaning rods between the cables added from styrene rod with smaller rods added to ends for screw pegs that join them
• New brackets added over the cable and rods with strip and p&d bolts and Anvil wingnuts.
• 4 missing engine deck cable brackets added from same
• Engine hatch breather cover plate stowage bracket added on LHS from strip
• strip brackets added to crowbar with lead foil clamp handle
• 2 aerial mounts added on LHS from resin copies for FuG 6 & 7 radio sets. Each given small Anvil wing nuts on their necks. A 1.4m FuG 7 Stabs Aerial was added to one mount from an industrial light globe filament
• 1.3m FuG 8 crows foot aerial added to RHS with resin mount inside an armoured pot made from a cut down paint brush tube. Again with small Anvil wingnut added to shaft of aerial. The arms of the spoked crows foot were formed in a jig off actual German T.M. specs. Finally a Grandt Line GL-127 securing bolt head was added to centre of umbrella

2.4 Rear:

3.1 Interior:

• As part of the turret walls are visible past the legs of the figures, the following items were added clockwise from LHS for a partial interior:
• Map table on RHS of gun from styrene with VP map, 2 sprue pencils, lead foil set square, ruler and pair of compasses, and strip eraser
• Steel stowage box on wall
• Binocular case
• Map case
• RHS vision block
• 3 Autemschlauch "breathing tubes"
• Helmet
• Gas cape pouch and MG spares box
• FuG 5 radio set – transmitter and receiver with solder wiring
• Map and traffic control paddle on top of radio
• Gasmask case
• 2 water bottles and canteens
• Escape hatch locking bar and "T" handle
• MP-40 ammo pouches
• Stowed MP-40
• 4 Steel bins
• Ammo box
• Rolled tarp
• Breech guard from wire
• Recuperator housing
• Helmet
• CO’s triangular seat back from styrene
• 4 MG ammo gurtsacks
• Gasmask case
• Pistol port plug, chain and securing point
• MP-40 ammo pouch
• Map case
• Flare pistol holster
• Ammo bin for flare pistol
• Helmet
• Steel stowage bin

3.2 Front:

• Muzzle brake given 2 internal baffles from styrene rings, 2 small notches cut into edges of muzzle opening for cross hairs, securing bolt added to neck of brake from strip and GL bolt head, 4 notches cut into neck of collar, plus in step halfway down barrel
• 3 lots of 2 small screw holes drilled into barrel sleeve at 10, 2 and 6 o’clock respectively
• Armoured reinforcing over gunners sight holes on mantlet ground away so face was smooth as per the earlies
• Coax MG aperture on RHS covered with a styrene disc and zimmerited over
• Top cut out on mantlet rear face reshaped with motor tool so round cornered
• Small elevation stopper peg added to rear face of mantlet with rod

3.3 Sides:

• 2 holes drilled in lifting trunnion housings on forward sides
• Model Kasten spare Tracks and support mounts added to sides with track pin holes all drilled out and wire pins inserted into a few links
• Wire handles added to tops of track holder brackets and strip added to the front edges
• Unusual stowage box added to left side of turret bin
• Missing latches added to rear of turret bin from Scale Model Accessories set, fine wire and padlocks from strip and wire
• Hinges added to lids of turret bin with fine sprue scribed with 3 lines
• Small rivets added around top edge of bin sides with tiny dabs of superglue

 3.4 Roof:

4. FIGURES 

4.1 Commander (Major Eric Schmidt):

4.2 Loader (Hauptmann Fritz Shock):

• Head – Hornet smiling bare head with cap hollowed out also from Tamiya Seated Ger. SS troops set given new WH rosette badge and eagle from Armour Accessories.
• Torso - Tamiya German Tank Crew at Rest (D-3) with neck drilled out for head.
• Shoulder boards from Show p-e set with 2 strip diamonds for Hauptman (captain) and p&d button discs.
• Chest eagle Armour Accessories.
• German Cross, close combat clasp, wound badge and tank assault badge from VP p-e set.
• Holster from Tamiya tank crew set.
• Arms – reworked and cut down ones from parts box with lots of putty to fair them into pockets, Demanysk shield on left arm shaved of arm of Tamiya Porsche TII CO
• Legs & boots – Verlinden Ger. Early War Tanker (VP-652)

4.3 Gunner:

4.4 Driver:

• Head – Warriors Pz.IV Crew with phone leads from fine wire
• Torso – Warriors Pz.IV Crew
• Strip collar tabs
• Armour Accessories chest eagle, wound badge and Iron Cross II
• Wound badge from VP p-e set
• Left Arm – Dragon with hole drilled into fingers for sprue cigarette

4.5 Radio OP/Hull Gunner:

4.6 Painting:

- Chapter on s.Pz.Abt.507 from pp.349-374 with numerous photos

- 2 pics of "White A" on p.363 (front LHS & Rear LHS)

• Panzertruppe Vol 2; 1943-45 - Tom Jentz, Schiffer Publishing, Pensylvania 1997

- clearest repro of the front LHS shot on p.132

• Tiger I & II Combat Tactics - Tom Jentz, Schiffer Publishing, Pensylvania 1998

- p.145 another clear shot of this view

• Ground Power No.58 March 1999 - Panzers in the Eastern Front [2] – Delta Pubs., Tokyo, 1999

• p.61 clear shot of front LHS view again

• Tiger I on the Eastern Front - Jean Restayn, Histoire & Collections Publishing, Paris, 1999

• p.80 Front LHS shot, perhaps the clearest
• p.82 Rear LHS shot, again the best repro
• p.82 RHS Rear view, only source it appears in