Tiger II vs JS-2m

The Takara WTM and Cando items are VERY good, although sometimes the paint colour on hulls and turrets does not quite match! Their vehicle tracks are better than any others, however!
In the U.K, shipping from the U.S is prohibitive…especially when U.K customs charges may be applied!
I found an Excellent Ebay seller in Japan a few years ago and have bought MANY pieces as 2-3 vehicles on offer per sale, cheap…and with postage costs and reliability comparable to buying from within the U.K!
So, DO NOT RUSH IN to the first desirable items that you find as some sellers are definitely NOT cheap…for the same stuff! Have a good search! (Takara WTM 1/144) ;)
I now have more stuff than I know what to do with, (NO…not selling…I am a greedy SOB! ;) ) The only Takara items which I sometimes look for are the 'Winter M4A3s from the 'Bulge' series…but THEY are like Hen's Teeth! :(
In plastic, there are other pre-paints available, with Pegasus being rather good! Others may vary in quality of sculpt and size. Revell sells/sold a kit containing 2 each of Sherman, M8 A/C and Truck…but unpainted and a little basic until you add stowage, etc.
In metal, Arrowhead CAN be excellent, depending on the model…but need assembly, so may not be as robust for items such as open hatches, turret MGs etc. I find then fine! Skytrex can be good, but depends on the vehicle…as does Pendraken. Both require assembly, but are pretty basic and need stowage, a little carving, etc. Note: Pendraken have been revamping their vehicles for some time now. The newer product match well with Takara, etc but some of the older sculpts are 1/150, not 1/144.
Skytrex Inf are great, but Pendraken are fine by me, being of a more robust sculpt…and they have a very large range!
There is also, now, the printed option. Butlers Printed Models do 1/144…as often seen on TMP. Now, there are still print lines in 1/144, though they are not as prominent as the pics, (of 15mm items), suggest…however, some thing such as track guard brackets may not be there, and they do need a bit of, (IMHO,rather easy) prep with a sharp knife. I quite like them…as stowage can hide a lot in WW2! They are a pretty good source for 'variety', although not as nicely done as Takara.
In the U.K Pendraken, Skytrex and Butlers service and costs have always been VERY GOOD (as with Arrowhead, tho as a 1 man firm, could take a little longer).
I just cannot fathom why Takara sold their stuff, (not now in production!),as 'collectors' items…"Buy more to get the compete set!", instead of simply a range of very good items which could have been massively expanded to command the market…different mind set, I suppose! However, there are still LOADS of their vehicles out there…so just buy carefully! :)

LOL! Have just realised that I am adding to a 2006 thread! :)