The Dragon Models 1/35 Tiger I Initial Production — s.Pz.Abt.502 Leningrad Region 1942/43 (6600) is one of the most meticulously researched Tiger I kits ever produced, representing the very first Tiger I tanks to enter combat. The vehicles of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 (s.Pz.Abt.502), deployed near Leningrad in August 1942, were the earliest production Tiger Is — featuring numerous details that were quickly redesigned or deleted in subsequent production batches, making them uniquely different from any other Tiger I variant.
The debut of the Tiger I near Mga, south of Leningrad, on 29 August 1942 was inauspicious — the vehicles were committed piecemeal in unsuitable terrain and several were lost to mechanical breakdown or became bogged. Despite this poor introduction, the Tiger's capabilities soon became apparent, and Allied intelligence scrambled to understand the new threat. The initial production vehicles had features including the Feifel air cleaner system on the rear hull, S-mine launchers on the hull roof, a distinctive early cupola, the two-piece gun barrel, and the original dustbin-style commander's hatch — all documented by Tiger expert David Byrden in his research for this kit.
Key Features:
- 1/35 scale injection-molded Smart Kit
- Research verified by Tiger I authority David Byrden — new s.Pz.Abt.502 markings confirmed from primary sources
- Newly tooled initial production hull bottom with correct drain plugs and early escape hatches
- Newly tooled DS tracks with open guide horns in three lengths for correct application
- Unique side stowage bins and reversed pistol port for Tactical No. "100" specifically
- Photo-etched mesh engine deck screen and multiple photo-etched detail components
- Feifel air cleaners, S-mine launchers, and all other initial production-specific features
This kit represents the absolute apex of Tiger I modeling specificity. By focusing on a specific unit, a specific time period, and verifying every detail against primary research, Dragon and David Byrden created a kit that functions as a three-dimensional historical document as much as a modeling product.
Ideal For:
- Tiger I enthusiasts and early-production variant specialists
- Eastern Front 1942/43 and Leningrad Front diorama builders
- Advanced modelers who demand the highest level of historical specificity
- Collectors seeking the most rigorously researched Tiger I kit in existence
The Dragon Tiger I Initial Production s.Pz.Abt.502 is not simply a model kit — it is a precisely documented historical artifact in plastic, representing the first Tigers to go to war.
