Countdown to new build Tam Tiger.

[jackalope]

Oh man thats gonna be awesome!

[mdkboggle]

Hi all
Ok,to start with we have the basic assembly of the lower hull.
The metal parts are coated in grey primer as can be seen here.

DSC_0242 by mdkboggle, on Flickr
DSC_0240 by mdkboggle, on Flickr

Next i primed the suspension arms and with the aid of the sheet of paper i made sure i did not paint the arm where it enters the hull.
DSC_0243 by mdkboggle, on Flickr

The end of the arms were then polished and de burred so there is little friction in movement then fitted along with a dash of silicone grease on the shafts.
Next up was fitting the idler system (Kit one is temp,upgraded parts are out of stock atm).I altered this a little by using a little super glue on the inner springs to hold them in place,applying grease to the suspension arm shaft and finally i sprayed the outside of the drum with thick primer to aid grip on the clamps.


All this means the system is as smooth as a baby's bum and is solid with no play or slack.
DSC_0244 by mdkboggle, on Flickr

Then the center plate was fitted along with the gearboxes and engines.
DSC_0247 by mdkboggle, on Flickr

The build plan now calls for the rear hull plate to be built and fixed before building and fixing the wheels.This will slow me down a little as i have to research this part and decide what mods to do here if any and also figure out what needs pe parts,scratch building so on.

Well that's it for now but i hope there will be more to post soon.
Good luck all.

Tim

[ALPHA]

The Tammy hull is a nice piece of design work.... I kind of like it because they made it so someone could assemble it ...thus meaning you can take it apart as well.... unlike Taigen... who simulated the suspension...but did it in such a way that it requires special tools to service it ...kind of sucks IMO...

Nice Job...Boggle

ALPHA

[PainlessWolf]

Mdk,
It is looking primo so far. Great start to a great build. Now, Alpha, easy up on Taigen. I have their Tiger Kit and it looks pretty much exactly like this in the non-built pieces. The KV-2 wouldn't have been such a bother if I didn't have to disassemble the inside components to get to the actual arms. I had the best assistance from you so making their existing bars stronger was a snap. ;o) Like you said, I can replace those torsion bars with Tamiya torsion blades from their KV-1 or 2 if I ever need to. I'm excited to see Mdk build this King Tiger. I've only ever seen their older model of it sold on Ebay.
regards,
Painless

[billpe]

The taigan and Tamiya tiger hulls are different, on the taigan the whole top of the hull lifts off like the HL but on the Tamiya it's just the top deck. Once the back is attached and the glacis is bolted on it's a single piece box with an aluminum tub inside which is incredibly solid. The only similarities are the way the suspension is mounted and the idlers.

[ALPHA]

Mdk,
It is looking primo so far. Great start to a great build. Now, Alpha, easy up on Taigen. I have their Tiger Kit and it looks pretty much exactly like this in the non-built pieces. The KV-2 wouldn't have been such a bother if I didn't have to disassemble the inside components to get to the actual arms. I had the best assistance from you so making their existing bars stronger was a snap. ;o) Like you said, I can replace those torsion bars with Tamiya torsion blades from their KV-1 or 2 if I ever need to. I'm excited to see Mdk build this King Tiger. I've only ever seen their older model of it sold on Ebay.
regards,
Painless

Worry not Painless....thing is you know I tell it like it is...and of late...several of the Taigen "upgrades" I have gotten have not really been up to snuff IMO...but that really isn't the topic at hand

It's about Boggles build...which I'm sure will benefit prospective kit builders like you... and many others ...also those who are interested in the Tamiya line of models


ALPHA

[billpe]

mdkboggle, small tip - when you put together the idlers, use some thread lock on the three screws which hold it together. On my KT they came loose a couple of times.

[mdkboggle]

Thanks guys for you kind comments
billpe,i have used thread lock on the screws to the idler system,ty for the heads up on that one sir.
Alpha and painless,keep it up guys.It is only by talking about these things that we all get to know whats what in the tank world and i think it is great to be able to compare offerings from different company's within a build log like this.
I think all the models available to us atm have there pro's and con's,all need or can have mods used on them and some may need more work than others.
I own HL and Trumpeter kits and i think each is great,What i do like about this Tam kit is the fact that you have to build it and it is not usable strait out of a box.
I think the other reason i am liking this build is the fact that i have had to wait almost 40 years to do it,,,,,long story
Anyway,the input is great so thank you all again guys.

Now i give you a back end of a tiger 2 complete with scratch built parts and pe fittings.
ok the work done was

Zimmerit was applied to the rear hull
wing nuts to the cable hooks
Tool box has latches and new clamp bar
Jack has both pe and scratch built items added.
standard jack brackets had pe cut to fit and added to them along with wing bolts.
Rear tube light has new end caps.
Small pe reflector and plate added to lower left of hull
Added detail hanging under right hand exhaust guard (no idea what it is though,,,,anyone?)
Pe to rear hull by mdkboggle, on Flickr
Pe to rear hull by mdkboggle, on Flickr
DSC_0260 by mdkboggle, on Flickr
I have now completed the rear hull and bolted it to the model.
Next up are the wheels so i will be back when that lot is done.
Thanks for looking all and happy tanking
Tim

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Tim, that's all looking great. But please slow down - you're putting some of us to shame..!

Love the detail - and the Atak zimmerit is a peach. But is this going to be a factory-fresh Tiger or will you allow it a few knocks?

Also, you have such a good camera that the other thing this cries out for is a little texture. Those exhausts could do with a little rust pitting and the armoured shrouds were cast metal in real life: so try a little Mr Surfacer (or stipple with a brush and PVA glue) and you will be even happier once you get to the proper paint job.

Not a criticism, believe me - I love the work so far...

Tanks

[PainlessWolf]

Mdk,
Indeed, sir, the build is looking A-1. Thank you again for posting lots of pics. ;o) *chuckles* Don't worry about me and Alpha, we go back and forth about HL and Taigen all the time. We both own both types and occassionally you get a little Tamiya thrown in with Billpe. I love the Tamiya parts and use them as detail all of the time. The rear of your tiger is a beauty. Don't forget the little lifting lugs and chain which are somehow tied in with that dangly off the armored shroud. Check this URL out as this fellow built and super detailed one of these. http://www.naritafamily.com/howto/kingt ... _frame.htm I used this as a ref. back when I did my HL Porsche King Tiger.
regards,
Painless