ABE'S EARLY TIGER 1 BUILD

[Abe Froman]

David, I have the Tamiya mantlet, whichever that is...it has reinforcement over the binocular holes. Will get a pic posted.

If we are looking at the 505 battalion, how weere the Tigers numbered? Or more exactly, what were the tank numbers in the 505?

[DavidByrden]

Welcome to the frustrating world of exact Tiger matching!

Having the reinforced mantlet, as you do, makes things a bit tricky. In the time period you're looking for, a reinforced mantlet usually looked like this;



The mantlets didn't resemble the Tamiya one until a bit later. And by then, they had the later Feifels and the tracks on the turret.
So, you could add putty to your mantlet, I suppose, if you really wanted.

The 505 battalion had quite a mix of Tigers, and the ones you describe are found in the 1st company. If we exclude the Command Tigers "I", "II" "III", the ones with a flat mantlet, and the ones with the unusual mantlet that I mentioned above, there's not much left to see, because we don' have enough photos to work with.

You can see the available photos in thumbnail form at TIIF.DE : http://www.tiif.de/thread.php?threadid= ... 9c992b4aae
Take a look at Tiger 123, I think it matches your description and mantlet.



The tanks have a subtle camo at first, then they get a high contrast scheme; some people think it's red-brown over Dunkelgelb.
In the winter they go all white, they write their numbers on the gun barrel, and they paint that Knight symbol on the turret.

David

[Abe Froman]

David
"The mantlets didn't resemble the Tamiya one until a bit later. And by then, they had the later Feifels and the tracks on the turret.
So, you could add putty to your mantlet, I suppose, if you really wanted"

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! ...will have a think on the mantlet. The ref I have, that "definitive " guide ( for modellers not historians ) and Achtung Panzer, neither state any dates for mantlet re-designs though Achtung does show the Tamiya mantlet as an early version...though not specifically to where this sits with the bloody feifels!!!

AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!

Off to think some...thanks for the help dude.

D

[Abe Froman]

1. Buy two pastry brushes ( cheapo shop )



Give them a short back and sides



Plus having a shave in a couple of days to add to the volume

Questions:

1. Test fitted the hull earlier and it sits way too high!



Do I just shave this ring off?


2. The watertight plate that is moulded onto the hull...should it be flat..Achtung shows it raised on lungs...does anyone have a pic of the real thing on a tiger?



Thanks for stopping by

D

[DavidByrden]

Relax, Abe, there were plenty of Tigers meeting your description; we just don't have enough photos.
You could make up a model "as if things had gone a LITTLE bit differently" and who would complain.
Or, if you want to model precisely a single Tiger, I think we can find one outside of the 505 battalion.

David

[DavidByrden]

2. The watertight plate that is moulded onto the hull...should it be flat..Achtung shows it raised on lungs...does anyone have a pic of the real thing on a tiger?

The news is not good.



David

[Abe Froman]

David, please do not have a heart attack....but

I have been working on some very quick turret interior detail...nothing too accurate but wanting to give an impression of interior detail when you peer though the hatches.







Blue tape at the rear of the gun is the catch basket for spent rounds. To be fair, when its fitted into the turret, the basket gets squished but it still looks OK.

Apologies to detail hounds

Will be scratching the wall boxes, adding water flasks and gas mask canisters etc. Dont want to spend an age on what will barely been seen.

D

[Abe Froman]

BTW, sorry guys but this will now be a static

SORRY

D

[Abe Froman]

2. The watertight plate that is moulded onto the hull...should it be flat..Achtung shows it raised on lungs...does anyone have a pic of the real thing on a tiger?

The news is not good.



David

David, to be weirdly honest, that's what I thought so am up for it.

On the general Tiger, will be going for one of the non photographed ones

As you say...they can prove me wrong

Thanks for the pic ..great ref man

D

[jarndice]

Abe Hi, I have been chuckling away with your decision not to build a runner, I always think that when you open the box for the first time you should have already have decided whether to build a fighting Tank or a shelf queen, and a fighting Tank should have stuff taken off! so if you decide to upgrade, the question then is how far? Your decision means the sky is the limit, just remember the three deciding points, MONEY, the strength of the SHELF and finally the approval of your PARTNER!!! shaun