Building a Mid-Production Normandy Tiger 1

[Maybach]

any updates on this in the pipeline?

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Engine deck: Feifel air cleaner trunking and retaining brackets

Close-up of port side air cleaner bracket installed in raised position.jpg (24.76 KiB) Viewed 8953 times

Although the actual Feifel air cleaners were no longer fitted to Tigers by the time mine was built (October 1943) the trunking and brackets for the air hoses continued to feature on mid-production tanks until the appearance of the gun travel lock (which would have blocked the starboard cleaner anyway).

The original HL tubes are held onto the decking in roughly the right place by two over-large brackets, although the Tamiya RC kit is actually little better (however the Tamiya sprue does have a better scale alternative without a screw attachment which was presumably for the static version of the model).

The real tube clamps consisted of partially threaded rods with a fixed lower bracket and movable upper bracket held in place by bolts. Each of these brackets had a rectangular shaped 'chock' which ensured that the outer tube stayed flush with the engine deck while the inner one was raised a little higher.

The lower bracket was easily made from plastic strip of suitable width and thickness, but I decided that the upper bracket really needed to be metal otherwise it was liable to warp or break. Although I have various bits of brass strip I found that part of large staple from a Jiffy bag was just right. This also proved rather easier to drill into using my hand-held rotary tool (made easier still by first taping down the metal strip to a cork block).

Air-cleaner hose retaining bracket upside down.jpg (39.03 KiB) Viewed 8953 times

Meanwhile the rectangular 'chocks' were fashioned from thin brass strip. Like all my metal-to-metal or metal-to-plastic joins I used Unibond Repair Extreme Power Glue which dries with a certain amount of elasticity but allows any excess to be easily shaved or sanded away.

The rods themselves were a little more of a headache. Clearly what is needed here is some partially threaded brass rod, but I have no idea where to find it and I bet it isn't cheap. Then I had a small brainwave - using track pins. These are the Taigen ones that come with their metal tracks and they come with a fairly convincing thread pattern at one end. Having cut them to size they were inserted into holes drilled through the lower brackets and the hull with care taken to ensure they were straight - and the same height.

Lower brackets and retaining rods in place.jpg (25.27 KiB) Viewed 8953 times

Then it was just a matter of inserting the upper bracket onto the rods. Luckily it was a perfect fit! Since my Tiger is hardly factory-fresh I decided to save myself some work and leave the starboard upper bracket off - after all these had absolutely no useful function without the Feifel system installed and, positioned as they were on the hatch cover, would have been liable to damage or loss.

Port side air cleaner bracket installed in raised position.jpg (30.17 KiB) Viewed 8953 times

...and in its collapsed position - but awaiting suitable retaining bolts.jpg (29.88 KiB) Viewed 8953 times

As I understand it, without the piping in place, the upper bracket would simply slide down the rods, although since mine remains movable I'm going to hedge my bets! All that remains are the hexagonal bolts to go on the top. I will either make these from plastic card or perhaps shave some off a spare side mudguard.

The underside of the HL Feifel trunking with ends trimmed back & hollowed out, underside filled and clamps added.jpg (27.11 KiB) Viewed 8953 times

The trunking itself is adapted from the HL part - which, by the way, is identical to the Tamiya one. Once the ends are cut back and hollowed out the underneath needs a little filling (I used trusty Milliput) and finally clamps added. These were early efforts made simply by bending loops of thin wire - not bad from a distance although I am tempted to replace them with the correct Aber photo-etch versions...

This view shows the hollowed-out trunking, hose retaining rods and lower brackets, new Tamiya hatch catch and triangular cover plate.jpg (27.33 KiB) Viewed 8953 times

added.jpg[/attachment]

[Wildboar44]

Hey Tank's ....... following your's and Red's Mid build with interest, Can you help , I have seen this plate on a few
Mid Tiger 1's , not sure what its perpose is , do you have the build dimensions for this item ?





Thanks in advance

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Triangular access plate on rear engine deck

Tiger 1 rear engine hatch - this one actually removed from a Sturmtiger captured by the British.jpg (28.31 KiB) Viewed 8928 times

According to Jentz & Doyle's Germany's Tiger Tanks the triangular plate on the rear deck appeared in March 1943 (so before the cupola change) and was "designed to allow access for engine component adjustments without needing to open the large engine hatch." I suppose this made more sense when the Feifel air cleaners were still installed.

That still doesn't really explain the rather odd design. It's essentially one (almost) triangular plate with three recessed bolts, but notice that there is also a lip underneath the front edge which itself appears to have its front edge partially drilled out to allow access to the bolts holding down the larger plate beneath.

Tiger 1 mid-production rear decking - upper view compress.jpg (28.31 KiB) Viewed 8928 times

Tiger 1 late production rear decking compress.jpg (28.34 KiB) Viewed 8928 times

Tiger 334 Hilary Doyle drawing rear crop compress.jpg (36.03 KiB) Viewed 8928 times

Plan view of engine deck.jpg (37.96 KiB) Viewed 8921 times

Close-up showing triangular engine access plate.jpg (30.43 KiB) Viewed 8921 times

The new engine deck arrangement necessitates moving the hatch latch closer to the starboard side - here I have used the Tamiya part.jpg (31.2 KiB) Viewed 8921 times

[Wildboar44]

Thank for those details Tank's , very helpfull.......... I see what you mean about the engine latch , its bang in ther centre of where
the new plate will be on the original HL Hull ........... so thats another job for the scratch build !


Thanks again Ace

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Reference Books

And now for a commercial break... Well not exactly, but I thought it might be useful to mention the reference sources I have found indispensable during this build now - rather than wait until I finish it in 2020...

Germany's Tiger Tanks Volume 1 by Jentz & Doyle - the classic text.jpg (66.85 KiB) Viewed 8841 times

The classic text has got to be Jentz & Doyle's Germany's Tiger Tanks. A two volume set that starts with the vehicle's development, then takes you through the Tiger 1 and Tiger 11. The scale plans are excellent and based on specific vehicles, e.g. Tiger 334 is shown as one of the mid-production variants. There are also numerous original German drawings and documents reproduced.

Modeler's Guide to the Tiger Tank - if only there was a book like this on every tank....jpg (72.15 KiB) Viewed 8841 times

Inside The Modeler's Guide to the Tiger Tank.jpg (66.54 KiB) Viewed 8841 times

Another view inside The Modeler's Guide to the Tiger Tank.jpg (64.59 KiB) Viewed 8841 times

The Modeler's Guide to the Tiger Tank. Still can't quite get my head around that American spelling! This book was a revelation when I came across it a couple of years ago. Although the builds are all in 1/35 the level of detail is incredible. Just as good are the many photos and detailed drawings showing every subtle variation from the early production Tigers to the last (both Tiger 1's and II's are covered).

The bad news is that it's long out-of-print. The good news is that, with a little patience, you can still track it down on ebay, etc - don't pay more than £30 though. The UK hardback cover is shown - US softback has a different one.

US softback version.jpg (65.53 KiB) Viewed 8618 times

Tamiya's Steel Wheeled Tiger 1 by Angus Creighton on left, Osprey's Modelling the Tiger 1 on right.jpg (60.79 KiB) Viewed 8841 times

Two other books covering modelling the Tiger 1 in detail.

The first is a Tamiya publication and it's all in 1/35th. However there are excellent builds and many (colour) photos of the real thing. Sadly the promised follow-up (rubber-wheeled) has never appeared.

The second includes a fantastic 1/16 Tamiya build by David Parker of AFV Modeller magazine - which is only let down by the book's small size...

AFV Modeller Special Tamiya Issue 2008.jpg (64.47 KiB) Viewed 8841 times

Inside AFV Modeller Special Tamiya Issue 2008.jpg (38.88 KiB) Viewed 8841 times

However, luckily you can find much better quality and larger shots of the same build in this AFV Modeller Special from 2008. David's attention to detail is staggering - he has definitely set the benchmark for adding detail in 1/16th scale.

This issue is still available (as at September 2014) from the AFV Modeller website:

http://shop.afvmodeller.com/customer/pr ... 256&page=1

Better still the David Parker article can be downloaded as a pdf for £1.00!

http://shop.afvmodeller.com/customer/pr ... 355&page=1

There will be more to follow...

[Wildboar44]

Thank you for sharing that info , you are lucky to have a copy of The modellers Guide to the Tiger Tank , that book last time i located one was
going for £85 at Barberossa Books UK , I got him down to £65 but he would not budge , nor would I ! . I can only drool until I get one !

Thanks again

[tanks_for_the_memory]

More books

Just a few more and then I promise to get back to the build - actually I already have. So after this I'll deal with the rear mudguards, jack mounts and towing cable brackets.

Model Art AFV Profile 1 - Tiger 1.jpg (69.35 KiB) Viewed 8815 times

This one was a real find - at a book stand at Duxford last year. No idea how else you can get it. OK, so the text is mostly Japanese and the model builds (in 1/35) nowhere near as great as above - but the real score are the colour photos which cover every aspect of the tank. Basically some nut went around all the preserved Tiger 1's in the world (including Bovington, Saumur and Russia) and snapped every corner. Then he put the photos side by side here so that you can see how different bits of the tank differ between early, mid and late-production. There are also some drawings by the same guy who contributed to the Modeler's Guide book.

Tiger Tank Owners' Workshop Manual.jpg (71.35 KiB) Viewed 8815 times

The Haynes tag is a bit of a gimmick, but inside you get a fascinating account of Bovington Tank Museum's vehicle - capture, evaluation and restoration - and a lot of high quality photos (including the shot of 334 on the firing range near the top of this diary). Understandably the book focuses primarily on the early production Tiger.

Tiger 1 on the Western Front by Jean Restayn.jpg (66.7 KiB) Viewed 8815 times

Inside Tiger 1 on the Western Front by Jean Restayn.jpg (37.72 KiB) Viewed 8815 times

A great source of information and photos - plus plenty of colour plates. Best of all the size is BIG - so the pictures are particularly clear. There are several of my own pet Tiger - number 334.

This book and the sister volume covering the Eastern Front have now been combined in a handy single volume (which also includes Africa):

Tiger 1 in Action by Jean Restayn.jpg (44.11 KiB) Viewed 8603 times

Tigers in Combat by Wolfgang Schneider.jpg (68.87 KiB) Viewed 8815 times

This two volume set by Colonel Schneider (a post-war panzer commander) is very comprehensive indeed - it basically covers all units (Wehrmacht and SS) operating Tigers (I's & II's) in all European theatres. The photos do vary enormously in quality (and I have seen some of them reproduced better elsewhere), but at least almost all of them are here. If you want to know which turret numbers belong to which tank - or whether you could ever find large idler wheels on a steel-wheeled variant (yes you could) - then this is the place to look. His more recent book Tigers in Normandy is a little confusing in its narrative but worth picking up all the same.

Finally (for now) a big shout out for the Panzerwrecks series by Lee Archer and William Auerbach. Both the shots of Tiger 334 at the top of this diary came from Volume 8. I buy these books as soon as they come out and never fail to marvel at their ability to turn up new shots of knocked out or abandoned German armour.

Like I said way, way above, it is very easy to spend a lot more on books than your tank - but hey, that's half the fun!

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Rear Mudguards

Port-side mudguard with new hinges and rear convoy light from Tamiya.jpg (33.11 KiB) Viewed 8796 times

Despite the battered appearance of much of my Tiger - and the complete loss of the front mudguards - I still wanted the rear mudguards in place. This was partly aesthetic - they don't interrupt the brutalist outlines of the tank quite as much - partly authentic - they were less likely to be lost in combat - and partly practical: the port one covers the sliding switch underneath the rear sponson which enables the top hull to be separated from the lower.

The HL rear mudguards are identical to those on the Tamiya Tiger and both have rather clumsy over-sized hinges. These can be improved a little by recessing them further into the rear hull plate, but they are really nothing like the real thing.

The fact that they are all-plastic hardly filled me with confidence either.

Another problem with the mudguards (for me at least) is that they represent the early type which attached to a welded-on rectangular bracket on the hull. By the time you get to mid-production tanks the hinges were simplified and the fixed bracket had disappeared.

However, unfortunately nobody seems to make these mudguards as an after-market part - Aber only provide for the early Tiger and sadly the Hachette partworks kit - which being a late-pattern Tiger should have the correct type - has over-sized hinges which are just as poor as those from Tamiya and HL.

So what I did was something of a compromise. First I cut away the thin plastic rod which was supposed to be gripped by the hull brackets (which I had already prised away from the HL hull). Then I drilled through from one side to the other. At first I planned to use part of a large paperclip for the internal rod of the hinges, but this ultimately proved to be too soft and bendy - so in the end I used a cut down track pin.

Righthand mudguard hinge has been drilled to take a large paperclip.jpg (20.11 KiB) Viewed 8796 times

Next I wrapped brass strip around the exposed part of the hinge rod - and crimped it in place with a pointed bit. Slots of the appropriate size were then opened up in the hull so that each end of the brass could be slotted through and then bent to hold the thing into place.

Brass strip was then bent around the clip to form the hinges.jpg (20.54 KiB) Viewed 8796 times

I used a pointed bit to crimp the metal strip around the clip.jpg (20.41 KiB) Viewed 8796 times

Slots were then drilled into the rear hull plate to accomodate the new hinges - this will later be surrounded by Milliput so it doen't have to be too neat.jpg (27.25 KiB) Viewed 8796 times

So long as they sit right, this doesn't have to be the neatest job in the world - because the area around and beneath the hinges is then covered in Milliput zimmerit. (Oh, how this covers a multitude of sins!) With sufficient care they remain moveable just like the real thing.

Now bedded in with Milliput - and with the paperclip replaced by a sturdier track pin.jpg (35.74 KiB) Viewed 8796 times

Not my neatest job, I admit - but it will soon be overshadowed by the jack.jpg (38.71 KiB) Viewed 8796 times

They are not quite finished yet - the cut-out portions along the top edge shouldn't be there at all, so these will have to be filled in with plastic card. I am also tempted to make at least one of them a little 'distressed'..!

Coming next the jack brackets and mounts...

[SovereignZuul]

Great work on the flaps, excited to see more! (jack!)