I haven't bought a lot of stuff from my latest Tokyo trip in November/December, but there are a few items that I have managed to grab after seeking in vain for several years. This Can.Do 1/144 "Bergetiger" is one of them.
The so-called "Bergetiger" is a bit of a mystery in itself. It's essentially a Tiger I tank with a crane attached to it instead of the notorious 88mm gun. Widely rumoured to be an armoured recovery vehicle of some kind, i.e. mainly to tow away damaged vehicles out of the battlefield, some observers argued that the crane looks too small and weak to handle such task. Unfortunately not many original German records are available to document this particular vehicle, but it may appear to be a field modification for demolition charge and possibly for field workshop assistance.
This Bergetiger was a secret item for 5th series of Dragon Model's Can.Do 1/144 miniature tank shokugan toys. It is stated to be under sPzAbt 508 heavy tank battalion, and according to the battle log I saw from a book, there was indeed a record noting that one of the tanks damaged from action was converted for demolition charge purpose, but no picture was available.
A small half-figureis comes with the tank that sits loosely on top of the cupola with opened hatch. And for only approximately 6mm tall, he really is small!
A mini diorama to depict the Bergetiger "in action"... Well moving crates I suppose, but it's important duty nonetheless. :P
In case one wonders how big the tank is along with the diorama setup, this picture with a pencil and Nendoroid Nekomimi Shana may bring light to you. One thing what I like about 1/144 miniatures is how one can build a diorama just in front of your desk! ^^
I start to feel that my point-and-shoot camera is really starting to struggle to cope sometimes. For example, the macro shot of the diorama was actually taken with my phone. Many people are now taking pictures with interchangeable lenses, and that smartphones effectively take over the role of compact cameras. I am still stubborn and trying to stick with my 4-year-old compact digital camera... Well until it breaks I guess?
It is interesting to see these one-off items like this. I never knew the diorama was so small and you have added such great details to them!
ReplyDeleteThe thing I like from Dragon's Can.Do miniatures is that they really do have a lot of details for their size. Too bad they are long discontinued. It's quite an art by itself I'd say!
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