Tiger Tank Replicas and 1:1 Scale Models

◊ The Eva Project: In an interesting multi-year construction project, John Nicholson from New Zealand is building a 1:1 scale Tiger I turret. Constructed almost entirely from wood, the turret seems to be largely completed. The accuracy and level of detail of the turret and fittings are quite impressive. [www.panzerbasics.com]

◊ Hungarian Replica: The "Tiger Tank Team" in Hungary has built a running replica of both a Tiger I and a Hetzer. The Tiger tracks and suspension have been constructed from scratch instead of using an existing tank chassis. (To view pictures and video, click on the "Galéria" or "Kis Filmek" links on the team's website.) [www.tiger1.hu]

◊ Saving Private Ryan Tigers: For the movie, two Tiger replicas were built on T-34 chassis by Steve Lamonby of Plus Film Services. The Tigers were used in the filming of both Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. One replica is now at Imperial War Museum Duxford in the Land Warfare Hall. The other tank was sold to private party in the U.S. and appears regularly at historical re-enactment events. [www.plusfilm.com]

◊ Tiger I, Kampfgruppe Stahlkrieger: The German re-enactment group Kampfgruppe StahlKrieger ("Steel Warriors") owns and operates a replica Tiger I built on a Soviet MBT T-55 chassis. The original conversion was done by C&C Military Services in 2001 for a television project. The Tiger is now owned by Mick Hodgkinson and used for various events.

◊ Czech Tiger I Movie Props: Three T-34 tanks converted to Tiger I tanks as movie props were listed for sale in the U.S. in early 2007. The tanks were reportedly used in the 1975 movie Operation Daybreak and the 2001 movie Uprising.

◊ Surviving Tiger Is: Six Tiger I tanks survived the war and the last sixty years. These tanks are now on display at museums or parks in the U.S., Britain, Germany, France, and Russia. The most famous is undoubtedly the Bovington Tiger which has been restored to full operating condition.

Video of many of these Tiger replicas can be found by searching YouTube for "tiger tank" or "tiger tank reenactment."