Building a Mid-Production Normandy Tiger 1

[Markocaster]

I admire your eye for detail
Fantastic work as always. I can't wait for the next update

[DavidByrden]

Like everything else with this tank - and especially in this scale - the more you look the more you see.

If you want to know the differences between the Mid and Late, I would be happy to list them.

David

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Hi David,

Many thanks for your kind offer - and always glad to see such an authority on this site.

Although I see you have been a member longer than me, you have been referred to much more often than you have posted!

No doubt I will miss something (or much more) when it comes to differences between the mid and late production Tiger 1, but what I really meant was the fact that, even with the cupola, there is an awful lot of detail which only comes apparent once you look at photos again and again...

[DavidByrden]

That is so true.
For example, your cupola has 3 drainage slots. They didn't exist on the Mid Tiger.

David

[SovereignZuul]

TFTM,

Honestly, the new zimmerit is amazing. It's worth every extra minute (or hour!) of work. I really dislike when zimmerit isn't done well, it's just to ugly and funny looking when it isn't authentic looking. After finally seeing and touching some zimmerit on a real tank you've nailed it. Looks perfect and realistic!

The new hatch looks much better than the old as well. That's an extra step I might have avoided just to save on time but the difference is noticeable. Ah lord, now I'm feeling like doing the same to my hatch!

Great progress, keep it up, hope you're having fun with it!


P.S. Did you ever go with the Voyager brass sets? Any progress on those if so? I've just started mine.

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Yes, David, it's a fair cop - those rain drainage channels will have to go. I can't even claim they might have been retro-fitted / replaced on my tank because even the Suamur Tiger (which is an 'early late' with steel wheels) doesn't have them. Anyway, they shouldn't be a problem to fill in with a little putty when I do the weld beads for the cupola AA ring.

And Sov, as for the Voyager sets - aside from the tool clamps and maybe a few other bits and pieces, I'm going to leave those for my next project. Having taken so much trouble over damaging my mudguards, for instance, I don't want all that hard work to go to waste.

Meanwhile, a little more progress on the cupola:

Here I have added the armoured sleeve for the hatch pivot, the handle and one of the rain cover supports.jpg (26.29 KiB) Viewed 4414 times

Another view - there are still holes to be filled and texture to be added.jpg (27.75 KiB) Viewed 4414 times

View from the other side - hatch stop from plastic card, locking latch yet to be added.jpg (28.95 KiB) Viewed 4389 times

Plan view showing both rain cover supports, locking latch (brass) and hatch stop (white plastic card).jpg (28.83 KiB) Viewed 4414 times

[PainlessWolf]

Good Morning,
Beautiful work, Tanks, as usual. I'm in love with the Devil in the Details so I can really appreciate your minute work on this Tiger. Thank you for the excellent photo guide to the work you have done.
regards,
Painless

[tanks_for_the_memory]

More cupola shenanigans

Weld beads added from Milliput.jpg (30.58 KiB) Viewed 4381 times

A view from the other side.jpg (30.13 KiB) Viewed 4381 times

Well, not a lot more progress I'm afraid. But bear in mind that I have been supervising two boys (9 & 11) on holiday whilst they construct the following 1/35 scale dioramas:

1. An assault on German machine gun emplacements on 'bloody' Omaha beach
2. A knocked-out Tiger in the Bocage (actually good old 334 from the top of this post)
3. Bailing out KV-1 crew at the battle of Kursk

Tiger 334 abandoned at Rauray June 27, 1944.jpg (42.98 KiB) Viewed 4250 times

See: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11649

So forgive me for feeling just a little tired...

Anyway, one more good thing did come out of it - one of my boys was using some Milliput to fill in the cracks in his Dragon figures and when he had some left over I decided to have a go at the weld beads on my cupola.

The AA ring was attached to the top of each periscope cover with two weld beads.jpg (30.58 KiB) Viewed 4381 times

Welding detail was also added to the hatch bracket shield and the sun shade supports.jpg (27.69 KiB) Viewed 4381 times

The drainage channels have also been filled in - as has the hole in the top hatch bracket.jpg (34.86 KiB) Viewed 4381 times

The hatch handle on the Hachette cupola was completely wrong by the way - far too long (at least Taigen got it closer). I made a shorter handle from bent brass rod - hence the hole which needed filling. And yes, it really is that thick.

The armoured collar around the hatch pivot was made from a section of plastic tube, partially cut away to give it a 'C' shape. By the way, it's something missing from every version of this cupola I have seen - even the expensive Schumo set.

Now I hope that by eradicating those drainage channels I have at least made David happy... Er, what else have I missed?!

The weld beads were added using little 'sausages' of Milliput which I then textured with a fine point. There should be two each on the periscopes where the AA ring sits. Perhaps they're a little heavy-handed, but I'm hoping they won't be half as obvious once the paint goes on.

It just remains for me to add some light 'cast' texture - either with some Mr Surfacer, or by stippling a little PVA glue.

Now the next bit I have been looking forward to for a long time - the MG mount itself. This is another lovely part of the Hachette Tiger series [or maybe NOT - see below].

Another plum from the duff Hachette Tiger - the AA mount and MG34.jpg (40.62 KiB) Viewed 4381 times

I have also gone (a little more) nuts and ordered these lovely open 'gurtsacks' made in resin by David Parker for his AFV Modeller Magazine Tiger II build. These canvas bags with a rigid metal top were the standard way for MG ammunition to be carried in these tanks and they were also clipped to the side of the AA mount.

1 16 scale open Gurtsack in resin by David Parker from AFV Modeller website shop.jpg (6.23 KiB) Viewed 4379 times

The Taigen cupola comes with an MG42 - but I've never seen one of these mounted on a Tiger 1. However, am I right in saying that this would have been one of the two MGs from the either the bow position of the co-axial mount? if so, would it have been the version with the armoured sleeve? Or were Tigers carrying a third, standard MG 34 at this stage of the war? David, I'm not throwing down a gauntlet, honest.

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Here's the address for the AFV Modeller shop:

http://shop.afvmodeller.com/customer/home.php?cat=387

You will notice that there are various other parts for the King Tiger, including tinted clear periscopes - is this what you meant Painless?

As you already know, I am a great admirer of David Parker's work. He's shortly going to publish a book on his Trumpeter 1/16 King Tiger build which should be well worth picking up.

[DavidByrden]

Yup, as far as we can see in photos, they were using armoured-sleeve MG34s on the AA ring. Which makes sense. Why would they carry two kinds?

David