Metal Earth German Tiger Tank I

Metal Earth produces a large number of licensed and classic metal model kits. Each kit comes with a few flat sheets of metal pieces that can be pressed out and assembled by following the simple instructions, resulting in a wonderful little steel model.

An early precursor to the Tiger II tank, but the Tiger I is worthy of note too. It was a German heavy tank used throughout the Second World War and while its successor adopted sloped armour, the Tiger I was characteristically box-like. What stands out about the Tiger I was that it was a superb feat of engineering – in fact, it was so technically superior at its time, it was considered to be over-engineered – too complex to build and maintain. But, it was mechanically robust and did perform well on the most part, but ultimately was let down when the terrain didn’t suit it (it didn’t work well in mud or snow due to its weight), and also had a high rate of fuel consumption.

This lovely little 60 piece metal model of the German Tiger I tank is a great gift for adults and older children. The finished model is pretty small coming in at 7.3 x 4.5 x 3cm, so it can be tricky to assemble due to the small and intricate parts. However, each metal piece is laser etched with detail so no painting is necessary after assembly.