Brickmania Blog

The Legendary Tiger

Of all the tank designs to reach a 20th Century battlefield, no other vehicle has attained such legendary and mythical status as the German Tiger heavy tank. Backed up by undeniable battlefield effectiveness, the Tiger’s mythos grew to legendary status and struck terror into the hearts of those faced with the challenge of defeating it.

The origins of the Tiger tank date back to 1937, when a 30-35 ton heavy tank was discussed by German planners. The idea was dropped in favor of the more lightweight and mobile Panzer III and IV series, which proved adequately effective against allied forces in Poland and France. When Hitler turned his forces against Russia, they were soon shocked to be faced against the formidable T-34 and KV-1 tanks, both closely guarded secret weapons up to that point. The Panzertruppen found themselves out-gunned, and facing certain defeat, unless they were equipped with more powerful weapons.

On Hitler’s orders, a new 55 ton heavy tank was to be produced, armed with an adaptation of the deadly 88mm anti-aircraft gun, and 100mm of frontal armor. The winning prototype was designed by Henschel (referred to as the Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I Ausf H) and was ordered into production in July of 1942. While sequentially following the much sleeker Panther tank (Panzerkampfwagen V), the Tiger was clearly a throwback to earlier design work. Instead of sloping armor, the Tiger relied on shear brute strength of its armor for protection. This simplified design helped speed the Tiger into production, although not without such innovations as a semiautomatic transmission, a hydraulically powered turret, and power steering, which allowed the driver to steer with a wheel instead of a pair of brake levers.

The Tiger made it’s battlefield debut in September of 1942 and immediately proved effective at knocking out virtually any adversary well before itself was within effective range of opposing fire. The Tiger successfully served the Panzertruppen on all fronts on the European continent until the end of the war. The Tiger’s near invincibility against any other Allied armored vehicle instilled a fear known as “Tigerphobia” and reports of battlefield encounters with Tiger tanks were censored by British commanders to prevent panic amongst the troops.

While the Tiger (and its descendant Tiger II) was undoubtedly one of the most formidable weapons present at any battle in WW2, less than 2000 were produced due to it’s enormous material cost. Even though it was one of the greatest tanks of all time, achieving an unequaled legendary status in AFV history, it never reached the battlefield in sufficient numbers to the turn the tide of the war. Although inferior in almost every aspect, the mass-produced medium tanks of the Allies (Sherman and T-34) were deployed in sufficient numbers to overwhelm the limited number of German heavy tanks, even while suffering grievous losses to their own units.

VITAL STATISTICS

• Crew: 5 (driver, radio operator, gunner, loader & commander)
• Weight: 60 tons (54 metric tons)
• Armor:1-4.72 in (25-120mm)
• Armament: Main Gun: 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 with 92 rounds. Secondary: 2x 7.92×57 mm MG34
• Road Speed: 28 mph (45 km/h)
• Range: 120 miles (195 km)
• Years Produced: 1942-43

Additional information about this Brickmania custom Lego® kit:

Brickmania has released several Tiger I kits going back to 2003, but this is the first time we’ve made the early Tiger I Ausf H available.  It has all of the same play features of the previous edition of Tiger I kits, but took some time to make improvements in durability and playability. While this kit only includes the Panzer Commander minifig, three can ride inside the hull and one more can each occupy the commander’s and loader’s hatches. Additional figures are sold sepearately.

Features of this model:

• Full 360° turret rotation and poseable main gun.
• Fully articulated tracks and realistic suspension.
• Four opening hatches for crewmen
• Detailed interior and engine compartment.
• Includes a hull-mounted BrickArms MG34 machine gun for the radio operator
• Includes one custom printed Panzer Commander minifig
• 1/35 scale matches other Brickmania models
• The over-all color scheme of this model is dark gray
• Includes 858 LEGO® and BrickArms® elements.
• Designed for Advanced builders (8-10 years building experience recommended).

This Brickmania model kit is made from genuine, unused LEGO® bricks and is shipped disassembled. This kit included are full-color, printed building instructions, a signed certificate of authenticity, and is packaged in a sealed box.

Slideshow:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The M3 Howitzer was developed in World War II by the US Army to fulfill the need for fire support for its airborne infantry unit. The M3 used a shortened version of the standard M2 105mm howitzer fitted to a light-weight, split tail carriage developed for the small 75mm Pack Howitzer. The M3 saw extensive service with US Army during the campaign in Europe, with M3s landing with glider-borne infantry battalions on D-Day and steadily reinforced throughout the European campaigns. The M3 was typically towed behind a 1/4 ton 4×4 (Jeep) utility vehicle.

Additional information about this Brickmania custom LEGO® kit:

• Gun is poseable with a limited degree of elevation
• Can be towed behind any vehicle with a hook type hitch
• Includes 1 custom printed WW2 101st Infantry Division soldier with BrickArms accessories
• 1/35 scale matches other Brickmania models
• The over-all color scheme of this model is dark gray
• Includes 63 LEGO® and BrickArms® elements.

This Brickmania model kit is made from genuine unused LEGO bricks and is shipped disassembled. Also included are full-color printed building instructions and is packaged in a sealed box. All Brickmania building kits are limited production and may be discontinued at any time.

Slideshow:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

About the Panzer IV ausf G

The Panzer IV was the workhorse of the German armored forces during World War II, saw action across all fronts, and was continually upgraded throughout the war. Responding to developments in Allied armor, the Panzer IV Ausf G was the first variant to be serially produced with the long-barrel KwK 40 L/43 75mm cannon. This new gun fired a high velocity shell capable of penetrating the armor of Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks encountered in Russia. Before production of the series ended, an even longer and more powerful KwK 40 L/48 gun was introduced. This gun remained the standard main armament on all subsequent models of the Panzer IV (Ausf G through J) and this configuration would have seen action in North Africa, the Mediterranean, Russia, and the Western Fronts.

This kit is based on the final iteration of the  Panzer IV tank or Ausf J version, featuring the complex “Ambush” camo pattern. This includes removable spaced armor on the turret and side skirts on the hull sides. This model would be appropriate in any late WWII European battle scene from D-Day until the fall of Berlin.

Features of the Panzer IV Ausf G building kit

• Includes one German Tank Commander Brickmania Custom Minifig
• Removable “Ambush Camo” Armor Plates
• Fully articulated Brickmania Track Links
• 2x Authentic BrickArms MG34
• High quality printed stickers
• Includes 811 LEGO®, Brickmania™ and BrickArms® elements
• 1/35 scale matches other Brickmania models
• The over-all color scheme of this model is brown, tan and olive green
• Advanced Skill Level (6-8 years experience with LEGO is recommended)

All Brickmania kits are made of new-condition LEGO elements. All kits come disassembled, and include complete full color printed building instructions, and packaged in a sealed box.

Slideshow:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.