Redshift

I think a nice break will do. You still might be surprised by the final result when finished. I for one am not counting that out! You’ll have to add a few bits here and there but I think that’s not going to bother you.

All that work should not go to waste - would it work just to have the engine exposed? The cowls can be put to one side

And that’s all she wrote. Let this be a lesson to us all! Even the most experienced modellers can kill a kit if they take their eye off the ball for even a moment. I honestly think that doing a build log is massively valuable to humble builders like me but the pressure in doing so can cause a rush to get the report out there.

This is hot off the press. Good news! RFM has just released a new late Tiger. And that is pretty much the highlight. A new box. Let me be clear - this kit appears to be just a rebox of the 2018 Late Tiger RM5015 merged with the engine update (that should have been included in the first place) and the 2016 Mid production interior kit. There are some real annoying omissions as well as additions in the interior. We are not talking about incorrect kit storage bins under the turret floor - The errors are visible through the hatches. RFM refuses to fix these years old problems and are instead happy to repackage an old kit into a new box with super snazzy CADS to catch the eye. Namely; Missing the azimuth drive rods from the commanders turret traverse to the gunners controls. Missing the azimuth turret direction rod from turret ring to cupola (it is included in their panther G). Edit; I don’t think that the mid and late cupola has the azimuth rod. Still, it is still missing from the newer kits of their early Tigers addition - for nearly 10 years they have an modern safety device on the drivers bulkhead interior - it’s probably a heat or fire warning instrument. addition - the water Jerry cans on the turret basket floor were only initial early fittings. They still include them despite the community pointing out this error on their mid! I just read about the kit on a modelling website and was overjoyed (inflate hhhuuuuppp) but then realised we are being taken for a ride (deflate ppppssssssss)

Looks like the fuel tank could be left out permanently!

Horses for courses. And I get both sides - when you have ‘all the doors opened’ it does effect the lines of the aircraft - no doubt a closed up aircraft can look very neat and even stunning. I mean take the Stuka - it looks like a miniature Klingon craft - but with the engine covers off it really looks discombobulated (I’ve been waiting to use this word for some time now 🤤) So I like to get a 48 scale kit so I can do just that (hobby 2000 Hs 129 1/48 - a neat little kit) but when a company goes to all that trouble to give you all that detail it almost seems a snub to them to shake the head and say ‘nah’! ☹️After all there are accurate kits out there that can only be closed up - cheaper and much less hassle to build.

Which begs the question; why on earth would anyone want to build an accurate engine under a cowling? As I inferred, I’m no hater and only wish to give constructive criticism that will serve both seller and buyer ie us! I would like to reiterate that the wiring missing on the engine block is especially visible on a 1/32 kit so it’s not like I’m being a rivet counter. I have 3 ZM kits now so does that not give me the prerogative to offer my humble opinion on the pros and cons of those kits?

Excellent review and build. I have to say though that Eduard’s resin engine kits are the only ones that include the oft omitted starter crank pinion that goes into the starter motor - it is visible and if Eduard can do that in 48 then there should be no excuses at 32! Plus a lot of very visible wires are missing, especially on the port engine side - wires that run over the supercharger and many other places on that side. One of the ZM crew said some small cable was left out because it would interfere with a closed option. Really? If someone wants to turn a 450 piece kit into a 70 piece kit then that’s their choice. But if you are going to seal up the engine you don’t even need an engine per se! Airfix at 1/24 deal with any potential issues like this by stating what parts to ignore if a closed up version is to be built. Finally, it seems that ZM is relying on the builders ignorance by not including all the visible cables. Even taking injection moulding limits into account, ZM could still have played an Eduard card and stated the dimensions and illustrations of cables needed. That would have been a great move. I do have this kit btw. It’s the best one out there at 32 but I think they could have done feasibly better