These three separate sheets come with multi-page instructions. The water slide decals are clearly printed on typically thin, closely cropped backing. As is usual with Techmod decals, the thin backing requires great care in application. Each sheet also includes interior stencils and instrument dials for one Tiger.

As a general rule, the decals are too finely done: the stroke width tends to be marginally to obviously too thin, most of the decals are far too regular for hand painted numbers, and some small details have been overlooked. The instructions are clear for the most part, but all images are of pristine Tigers, the instructions go beyond the available documentation and do not make clear Techmod's assumptions about some markings, and all camouflage schemes are far too definite. All the Wehrmacht 500 series heavy tank battalions are listed as SS units on all three sheets, perhaps a translation problem.

If the modeler is new to the game, lacks reference materials, prefers his vehicles to look just out of the factory, and is not concerned with accuracy, these sheets each contain a few usable decals. This series is a waste for the experienced modeler except for the stenciling and instrument dials. This is a shame. A lot of effort obviously went into
researching the markings, but the art design is only generically based on the available photos, and for many units, clearer and more detailed photos are available.

The following is a breakdown of the sheets and a few obvious points about most of the  subjects. I do not mean to be exhaustive, but these comments will give a modeler some idea of what to look for - and why I find these sheets so disappointing.

I used Tiger I on the Western Front, Tiger I on the Eastern Front (T1 on WF/EF), Tiger in Combat I, and Tiger in Combat II (TiC I/II) as source materials. The sheets list additional resources that are not so generally available or that don't really have photos of the Tigers.

I have omitted the units designations and locales to save space. If you are interested, that info is easy enough to get from the sources.

35005 (Early Production Model) US$7.60


1. "312" T1 on EF, page 27, shows a small section of the front only. The sheet is missing the chassis # 250256 in small black numbers on the upper right lower hull plate (note that all of my comments are from the tank commander position). Decal 5, the unit insignia, is not illustrated; it goes on the upper hull plate to the right of the MG. There was a shovel on the front top plate.

2. "334" T1 on EF, pages 46 & 47, tank of Hptm. Scherf. There should be a full row of track links across the hull front, and a tow cable from the left front tow ring back over the hull top. On the right side, the second mud skirt from the front and the second outside road wheel were missing. On the right hull side were three square "C" brackets that could turn in or out to hold a beam. The hull cross goes farther forward against the middle bracket, which is right above the seam between the two middle mud skirts. There seem to be very faintly sprayed camouflage stripes on the hull sides, 88 barrel, gun mantle, and cupola that are not illustrated. The turret number decals are printed much more regularly than those carried by other tanks in the same unit. The turret number is only partially visible in one of the photos. The turret crosses should be moved down almost to the weld line and forward until centered under the vision slit.

3. "1311" T1 on EF, page 100. There should be no top plate on the exhausts. The photo shows only the rear, so all else is conjectural.

4. "311" T1 on EF, page 26 shows the front and left side. Decal 15, the unit insignia, is omitted in the instructions; it goes inside the c-shaped green camouflage to the right of the hull MG. This Tiger had muzzle covers on both the 88 and the hull MG, and a shovel on the top front plate.

5. "111" T1 on WF, page 8. This should be an initial production Tiger. The color is one of the darker Afrika Korps colors. The hull crosses should be taller than wide, a particularity of this unit.

6. "112" T1 on WF, pages 5&9. Color and national markings as above. This Tiger had a sighting vane or rod on the left front edge of the turret roof and a rolled tarp on the left rear side on top of the track cables.

7. "222" This Tiger looks familiar, but I can't find a photo. T1 on EF, page 38, has a photo of a Tiger from this unit that shows only the front, confirming the unit insignia. That Tiger did not have the Bosch lights, though the mounts were in place. Other unit Tigers used PzKpfw III Kisten instead of production Tiger boxes.

8. "S02" TiC II, pages 186&87, 192&95. This Tiger had heavy battle damage on the left side and turret. Also on the left, the second mud skirt from the front was missing and the third was folded back over the last one. The turret numbers on the Kiste were spread out slightly, more than on the turret sides. The hull crosses look to me like they should have a very thin black outline. Note that there was no top plate to the exhausts. There was a pipe section at the left of the back hull plate, stuck under the hoses to the Feifel filters and going to below the exhaust armor. The 88 had a muzzle cover. If normal film was used, the camouflage colors should be reversed, brown photographing darker than green, and the scheme much more diffuse and less distinct. These two considerations apply to all of the camouflage schemes in this series.

9. "S24" This Tiger also had heavy battle damage. Again, the hull crosses look to me to have had a thin black outline, but these crosses did indeed have different proportions than #8.

10. "131" T1 on WF, pages 46&7, TiC I, page 245. The hull crosses of this Tiger definitely had a black outline or the original color was Panzergrau and the crosses were masked off when it was repainted and an outline of Pg left. The pike illustrated on the right side should be a spare aerial container that went all the way to the rear of the hull.
There was a rectangular hand hold in front of the driver's viewport. The unit rhomboid is too long and too thin. This Tiger was captured and tested when the photos were made; at that time it had no exhaust shields.

35006 (Mid Production Model) $7.65


1. "3" T1 on WF, page 63 (in faded color), TiC I, page 384&85. All Tigers of this unit carried only the company number, so there is no way to tell which photo served as the basis for the decals. The stroke width on the company number is too thin. The camouflage is probably the illustrator's imagination; it was green and brown stripes over a Dunklegelb base in the color photo. This Tiger is from PzKompanie 313 (Funklenk) and probably had an extra aerial on the right of the turret in front of the view slit.

2. "301" TiC I, pages 68&69. The three front mud skirts on the left side were missing. The turret number on the Kiste should have a wider 1 (not just the stroke, the whole number) than on the turret sides. An earlier photo shows a much heavier white overspray, but the numbers stand out because there is no white overspray around or behind them. The 88 had a muzzle cover.

3. "A" T1 on EF, page 82 shows only the right side and some of the rear. This Tiger had a star aerial on the hull and a rod aerial on the turret rear. The 88 had a muzzle cover. The camouflage was heavily oversprayed- less Dunklegelb showed. The A is perhaps too splayed at its base (another decal set gives the A without an outline, but the outline looks correct to me). There is one A missing, as the Kiste carried it also.
The unit insignia is conjectural unless Techmod has more photos.

4. "331" T1 on WF, pages 90&104, TiC, pages 274&75. This was the Tiger of SS-Junker Erwin Asbach and later Ustuf. Thomas Amselgruber. The numbers were hand-painted, so the decals are much too uniform. There was a rod aerial on the left rear hull and a gun travel lock on the rear deck. The camouflage colors are probably reversed and there should be a heavier overspray with a less definite pattern.

5. "131" T1 on WF, page 94. This was the Tiger of Ustuf. Walter Hahn. The instructions show the numbers with a camouflage green fill, but the sheet is printed too dark for my eyes. It is, nevertheless, a dull green. The middle track link on the left turret side was missing. There was a rod aerial on the left rear of the hull.

6. "11" T1 on EF, page 78, a Tiger of the 2. Kom., 3/4 right rear photo. There is a rod aerial on the back left that is straight for about half a meter, then is bent out to the right and goes up at an angle for about a meter, then is bent again to finish straight up. The right front road wheel was removed to prevent ice buildup - presumably the left would also have been. The unit insignia was carried.

7. "301" T1 on EF, page 13, TiC I, page 68&69 (3/4 right rear and at a different time 3/4 left front with a Famo A-bar tow hookup). This Tiger had Zimmerrit and a rod aerial, and the front road wheels were not removed in the winter photo. The hull crosses, decals #11 , go a bit more to the front and possibly had a black center.

8. "112" T1 on WF, page 61, TiC I, page 387 (TiC is clearer), rear and acute angle on right side. This Tiger was perhaps formerly assigned to Kom. Meyer and retains its style of numbering. Only the rear and a bit of the right side is in the photo. There is heavy exhaust staining or overspray to the left and right of the exhaust shields, but the exhaust shields and mud flaps look newly painted in Dunklegelb. There is some camouflage on the exhaust covers, but nothing like the illustrations, which show a lot of detail that must have come from other photos. The armored access cover for the engine crank is missing.

9. "5" T1 on EF, page 78, TiC I, page 327, same photo shows 3/4 left front, but little detail is clear due to branches, snow, and poor focus. The 88 has a muzzle cover. The unit insignia should be decal 16a, not 16, but it isn't visible. There is a tarp of some sort over the commander's cupola.

10. "313" TiC II, pages 269&71, 3/4 left rear and right side. The left side camouflage streaks should be quite different and the colors on both sides probably reversed. The turret number probably had a thin black outline The 88 had a muzzle cover. There were no cables on either side of the hull.

11. "333" TiC II, page 269, 3/4 right front. The camouflage colors are probably reversed. There was no MG mount on the commander's cupola. A word on wheels: regulations said that wheels were to be painted in a single color so that they would not catch the enemies' eyes as they rotated. This regulation was obviously disregarded on a wide scale, but all the wheel camouflage on these three sheets is much too definite where it existed at all. To my eyes Techmod has interpreted many mud and grease stains as bold patches of camouflage.

12. "233" I have no photo of this Tiger.


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All these Tigers had the normal radio aerial on the right rear.

1. "007" TiC II, page 290, T1 on WF, page 111. Wittmann's last Tiger. There was not much intact left when the photo was made, and T1 on WF crops the photo too closely so that parts of what was left are missing. This Tiger had no exhaust shields, and a piece of pipe, about 2 meters long, was put on the right rear plate at a vertical diagonal jammed between the right exhaust and the obloid conical access cover. This goes up through where the jack should have been. Even the TiC II photo is cropped such that the number could just as easily have been 107 instead of 007 - maybe also due to a dent in the Kiste. It is pointless to illustrate the "camouflage" on this burned out Tiger.

2. "205" TiC II, page 276, T1 on WF. page 97. Wittmann's assigned Tiger. These two photos together show the front and both sides of this Tiger. There was an MG on the cupola mount, and a muzzle cover on the 88. On the left engine cover was a low-walled box with a very light-colored top (even allowing for the lighting conditions) or open topped with a piece of cloth inside. The turret number on the left side had a bit more space between the 2 and the 0 than between the 0 and the 5. The 0 looks to be
divided vertically into halves, either by a ridge of Zimmerrit or in its painting. The front unit insignia was painted on a patch cleared of Zimmerrit and probably painted all Dunklegelb or some gloss color; it looks almost solid white in both photos. The camouflage was more heavily oversprayed so that less Dunklegelb showed.

3. "112" TiC II, page 281, shows the hull rear and the turret left side. The only Dunklegelb that shows is a few streaks on the 88 barrel. The rear plate has rectangles cleared of Zimmerit where Techmod puts decals 24 and 25, but the markings are not visible, nor is the turret number. This is one of the Tigers abandoned in Villers-Bocage, at least the caption says it is 112. The engine starter attachment was missing when the photo was made, and there was no MG mount.

4. "211" TiC II, pages 343, 344, 347, 349, T1 on WF pages 117&18, show most of this Tiger. The camouflage colors are probably reversed and much denser on the hull and turret sides and less dense on the 88 barrel. The front and back did have more Dunklegelb showing. Two buckets were carried on the rear plate, one between the exhausts and another hooked to the jack. The exhaust shields are much darker for their bottom third than the top, not at all like the illustration, maybe solid green over
solid brown or a result of exhaust stain and heat baking the paint. There was a large ~55 gal. drum upright on the engine deck on the right at the angle between the Kiste and the turret, later put on its side behind the Kiste. The Bosch light mounting was in place, but the light itself was missing. The Siegesrune was covered by foliage on the front and rear. The turret numbers are positioned correctly, but with too thin strokes.

5. "300" TiC I, page 304, T1 on EF, pages 72&73, show the left side to the rear of the turret and a right front 3/4 view of Lt. Roeder's Tiger. The MG mount was at about 5 o'clock at the cupola rear with no MG in place. There were logs lashed in place on both hull sides that were as long as the hull. The Bosch light mount was in place, but the light was missing. The 88 barrel is much darker than the overall Dunklegelb base
coat.

6. "301" I have no photo of this Tiger.

7. "312" T1 on EF, page 72, shows a left 3/4 view of most of this Tiger. The MG mount is not visible but could be in the 5 o'clock position. The Bosch light mount is in place, but the light is missing. The area behind the tank's number, which Techmod give as bright yellow, could as well be fresh Dunklegelb. The small portion of the 88 visible is dark, as #5 above, but here the camouflage is possible, though it looks dark enough to be brown rather than green (the trees in the background of #5 have no leaves, and both the crews act like it is {still} cold, so brown is as applicable as green).

8. "221" TiC II, page 291, T1 on WF, pages 98 & 112, show the rear and left side of Ustuf. Georg Hantusch's Tiger. The engine starter attachment was installed over the access hole below the exhausts. An MG was carried on the cupola mount. The inside of the loader's hatch was either fresh Dunklegelb or more likely Elfenbein. The heavy tow cables were attached to the tow loops on each side of the rear plate. Other tanks in this unit did have the Bosch light mounted. After this Tiger was knocked out, three track links remained on the left turret side. The camouflage illustration is mostly imagination. Note that decal 6, the Kiste number, has to be used in that location. Though as is usual in Techmod's sets, hand-painted numbers are much too regular, this one is slightly different. The turret numbers should be slightly higher and more broadly spaced.

9. "221" TiC II, page 351, T1 on WF, page 123, show a 3/4 left front view after the Tiger of Hptstuf. Endemann had been knocked out and "occupied" by some French civilians. No MG mount is visible. The Siegesrune in the front had much broader strokes. The wheels were possibly not camouflaged at all, certainly not camouflaged as illustrated. The turret numbers on the left had broader strokes and the tops of all three were tilted to the front.

10. "A12" TiC II, pages 60 & 71, T1 on EF, page 134, show the left rear side, 3/4 left front, and turret rear. There was at least one fiber or wicker ammo tube across the engine deck near the turret. The Bosch light was mounted. The 3/4 view shows the mud skirts not fitted and transport tracks in place. The left rear side view shows skirts and battle tracks, and extensive damage to the lower right of the Kiste. The camouflage stripes were not so broad, but closer together on the turret, and the hull camouflage was much more diffuse with less Dunklegelb showing. The style of the 2 is wrong, not square enough at the top. The inside of the loader's and ro's hatches look like Elfenbein.

11. "913" TiC II, page 244, T1 on EF, page 123, show the right middle and a 3/4 right front view of Ustuf. Wimmer's Tiger. The Bosch light was carried, but there is no MG mount. The hull MG cover was in place, but the MG itself was not, so the cover was floppy. The deck in front of the turret was not camouflaged, though the turret and hull sides were. The turret number strokes are noticeably too thin, and the shape of the right side 1 is incorrect.

12. "211" TiC I, page 261, T1 on WF, page 58, the same photo shows a ¾ left rear view of Unteroffizier Kaiser's Tiger with the turret turned so that only its rear is visible. If the markings are supposed to be for this tank, they have a major error. The Kiste numbers should all be the same size with a thicker outline, and the 2 was definitely freehanded. There does not appear to have been a cross on the left hull side.