The Tiger I, or Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausführung E, remains one of the most iconic tanks of World War II. Its reputation for firepower, armor, and sheer presence on the battlefield has made it a favorite for scale modelers. In 2015, Italeri offered a New Tool 1:56 scale rendition of this legendary vehicle that targeted the Wargame Community.

Inside the box, you get two sprues, both sealed individually, a set of directions and a set of decals for two similar paint schemes.

First is Tiger ‘3’ from Schwere Panzerabteilung 508 (Heavy Tank Battalion 508) in Italy, September of 1944.

Second is Tiger ‘211’ from Heavy Tank Battalion 504 in Italy, early 1945.

Both paint schemes have a Dunkelgelb base with Olive Green and Red Brown wavy stripes covering the entire tank. Color references are provided.

The kit is impressively detailed and uses creative, cost-effective assembly methods. The tracks and running gear differ most from typical armor kits due to these assembly methods. The extra gear, from tow cables to pioneer gear, is all molded on to the hull.

The interleaved road wheels—a hallmark of the Tiger’s running gear—are cleverly treated as grouped assemblies, reducing the number of parts while still capturing the “busy” look of the suspension. Tracks are molded in link-and-length sections, allowing for a compromise between ease of assembly and realism. The fit of parts is generally excellent; dry fitting shows few issues with gaps or misalignment. The track assembly is the most complicated part of the build. My recommendation would be to build any subassembly first before glueing it on the hull piece. Then work the top part of the track first, finishing with the bottom portion to tie everything together.

Assembly time for an experienced modeler should be around 2-3 hours, which I was able to assemble in 2 hours and 20 minutes. The manual’s diagrams are clear and easy to follow, though some steps require careful attention to ensure parts are oriented correctly, particularly on the turret and rear hull assemblies. My fix for that was just to align the parts on top of the instructions and just duplicate the orientation to that of the diagram. That along with some dry fitting will resolve all confusion.

Wargamer’s Perspective

At 1:56 scale, this kit is perfectly sized for 28mm tabletop wargaming, making it a popular choice for systems such as Bolt Action or Chain of Command. Its sturdy construction and lack of fiddly, fragile parts make it durable enough to withstand regular handling and transport. The kit’s relatively simple assembly process means it can be built, painted, and fielded quickly, which is essential for those looking to expand their armored forces without spending days at the workbench.

I ended up using some great aftermarket decals by District Miniatures that laid down well on the zimmermitt finish. I finished the tank in the markings of Tiger 007, 101^st SS Heavy Tank Battalion, in which Michael Wittman and crew were killed during the Battle of Normandy.

The kit is readily available and is reasonably priced at around 28.00 USD. I would love to thank Italeri for providing the review kit.