Question for Group

[RT Asp]

Some time ago, I built a Tamiya Tiger I, I went with the S33 PzReg2 ‘Das Reich’ paint/decal scheme. My question is the the Chinese character found on the front and sides. It’s been a while since I was exposed to Sino-Korean characters, but the character ‘福‘ (blessing; good fortune) is upside down. Does anyone know whether this tank actually had the Chinese character marking and, if so, why it would be upside down. In my limited research, I have found examples of models with the same character upside down, and it’s possible that some actual pictures of the tank may have had the character, but it is almost impossible to see (black and white blurry photos). I attached photos of the tank for reference. Thank you!

[Rubicon99]

Some time ago, I built a Tamiya Tiger I, I went with the S33 PzReg2 ‘Das Reich’ paint/decal scheme. My question is the the Chinese character found on the front and sides. It’s been a while since I was exposed to Sino-Korean characters, but the character ‘福‘ (blessing; good fortune) is upside down. Does anyone know whether this tank actually had the Chinese character marking and, if so, why it would be upside down. In my limited research, I have found examples of models with the same character upside down, and it’s possible that some actual pictures of the tank may have had the character, but it is almost impossible to see (black and white blurry photos). I attached photos of the tank for reference. Thank you!

Did you follow the Tamiya decal layout? If so and they show it in that configuration then it is probably correct being upside down.

[RT Asp]

Did you follow the Tamiya decal layout? If so and they show it in that configuration then it is probably correct being upside down.

I sure did! I held off a bit, but then I thought they would know much better than me that the character was upside down and that they must have had a good reason for doing so…lol. I just wish I could get the background story on it. Do you have any specific reference book that you would recommend on German WWII armor for a neophyte like me?

[Rubicon99]

I sure did! I held off a bit, but then I thought they would know much better than me that the character was upside down and that they must have had a good reason for doing so…lol. I just wish I could get the background story on it. Do you have any specific reference book that you would recommend on German WWII armor for a neophyte like me?

Sorry can’t help with German WW2 armor it’s not my thing. Modern German armor would be another story.

[sclui56]

No back story, though this confirms the upside-down character https://tamiya.com/english///////pro...arly/index.htm



Maybe whoever painted it on was kneeling over from the deck ;)

[RT Asp]

No back story, though this confirms the upside-down character https://tamiya.com/english///////pro...arly/index.htm



Maybe whoever painted it on was kneeling over from the deck ;)

Holy Crap! Thank you!!!! I spent quite a few sleepless nights pondering this! Thanks again!!!

[sclui56]

@RT, you got me curious as well. You wanted a back story, here is one https://modelingmadness.com/review/m.../zhoutiger.htm

[RT Asp]

@RT, you got me curious as well. You wanted a back story, here is one https://modelingmadness.com/review/m.../zhoutiger.htm

THAT.IS.ABSOLUTELY.INCREDIBLE!!! What a riveting story! I spent several years in Asia (Korea) and learned some Sino-Korean characters and never had a clue about the meaning of the upside down fortune character (I never even noticed if Koreans had a similar custom of doing so). I more or less used the S33 paint scheme because it looked neat, but now have a much better appreciation for it. Thank you very much for this! I have no clue how you found this, but thank you!!!!

[sclui56]

@RT, this turns out to be rather interesting - for me. According to this article https://www.warhistoryonline.com/gue...c_china-x.html there was quite a bit of mutual aid between China & Germany, and the adopted son of Chiang Kai-shek (the KMT leader who fled to Taiwan post-war) was a tank commander during the Anschluss of Austria. It is conceivable that knowledge transfer took place, including traditions and superstition? To be truthful, seeing a Chinese character on a WW2 German tank is really strange, but an upside-down one took the cake since it has a unique significance.

Thanks for bringing this topic up.

[RT Asp]

@RT, this turns out to be rather interesting - for me. According to this article https://www.warhistoryonline.com/gue...c_china-x.html there was quite a bit of mutual aid between China & Germany, and the adopted son of Chiang Kai-shek (the KMT leader who fled to Taiwan post-war) was a tank commander during the Anschluss of Austria. It is conceivable that knowledge transfer took place, including traditions and superstition? To be truthful, seeing a Chinese character on a WW2 German tank is really strange, but an upside-down one took the cake since it has a unique significance.

Thanks for bringing this topic up.

I’m so glad I brought this up because I have learned a lot. I absolutely love these esoteric stories of topics I had absolutely no clue about. Your research skills are incredible. Thank you very much!