Tamiya Königstiger- a blitz build

[43rdRecceReg]

Good morning, 43rdR&R,
I'm following your build quietly. I know that you have the patience to over come any of this _early_ Tamiya kits inconsistencies Here is a link to a page where the fellow super detailed his Tamiya KT. Just a few of these options along with the lights that RS mentioned will really bring your tank to life: http://www.naritafamily.com/howto/kingt ... _frame.htm
regards,
Painless

Many thanks for your considered contribution, Painless- as ever. I once connected to the Narita website before, via another thread. I think it was in connection with Zimmerit: "..to Zimmer it, or not to Zimmer it, that is the question..." to make a mockery of that famed Sassenach bard from Stratford-upon-Avon.
As it happens, your referral is a timely reminder of where I can find a little extra inspiration and incentive.

[43rdRecceReg]

Time now for a little attention to the Upper Hull. The lines of the hull are crisp and distinct, as if they came out flawlessly from superior moulds. For the price, and with Tamiya's reputation, you would expect nothing less. However, I was immediately struck by how thin and flimsy the Hull feels. The walls of My Torro (metal ed) King Tiger seem to be twice as thick, and much more rigid, than Tamiya's offering.
Here's the Hull. I've just been adding the side skirts/mudguards. ('Fenders' in Tamiya-speak). Again, it's necessary to add a dab of threadlock to the retaining screw/nut combination. Before I began this project, I assembled all the build tools I'd need. I picked a threadlock of medium strength.(Even though there's one in the Tamiya kit..but it took me a while to find it ). Why medium? Well, it's a compromise between securing the part, and being able to remove it at a future time if the Tank would look better with one or two sections of Fender missing. You don't want to forced to drill the fastening out, if you wish to remove the part. The same applies to worn suspension components.

Fitting Fenders to flimsy upper hull

All side skirts or Fenders now in place..

Right. That's enough for now. Time for some relaxing jazz, and a late weekend snifter. Cheers, boys

[Rad_Schuhart]

I had to smile, by the way, when i noticed your new location details! Your heart's in England, then?

Yep, I spent some time living in Reading, Berkshire, and I have never been more happy. I really would like to go back there someday. I wish I could today...

[43rdRecceReg]

I had to smile, by the way, when i noticed your new location details! Your heart's in England, then?

Yep, I spent some time living in Reading, Berkshire, and I have never been more happy. I really would like to go back there someday. I wish I could today...

You do know a Hearth is part of a fireplace? Did you meant Heart?

Mick.

I'm sure he does, Mick, and of course it's 'Herz' in German- a tongue (Zunge) sharing the same roots as English (officially classified as a West Germanic language..). The problem is probably 'predictive' text, and not a grasp of english nouns.
Time and time again, I've found that the predictive text feature of websites and browsers can substitute a wholly inappropriate word for the one you intend to use, by simply 'guessing' what you'll write after the first letter or two. Proof reading then becomes essential, or you might end up writing something that is unintentionally funny, incomprehensible or..in worst case scenario (and dare I write that intensely annoying PC word.) 'offensive' to someone on the Forum.
I've had my own unintended gaffes here, so I should know. here are a few examples of f**k ups cause by predictive text guesswork (or censorship, if you like..) But don't forget the old adage: 'Home is where the Hearth is.."
http://uk.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/ ... ect-fails/

[43rdRecceReg]

Here's the unadorned Turret. There's not much to say about it except that it's surprisingly bendy, and has some subtle and credible pitting marks in the walls as 'evidence' of the German foundry casting process. Under a coat of paint, the pitting should look pretty authentic. I've also decided that I'd prefer the pitted look to the Tamiya zimmerit that came with the kit. I already have the Torro Pro King Tiger. (A model that comes in its own sarcophagus..like King Tut ). The Torro comes with embedded zimmerit and not much can top it, in my humble estimation

Tamiya KT Turret- minus embellishments

It doesn't take long to cut the turret parts out of the sprues and glue them in, so I'll skip all of that. Anybody wishing to see it dome with artistry, and with choice 3rd party upgrades should look at Painless' Tamiya Tiger 1 build. Yes, it's a different model, but the same principles are involved.

[43rdRecceReg]

After adding the turret lifting rings, and the MG support rail, I got round to assembling the gun mounting: (The b***ard predictive text feature just put 'gum' instead of 'gun'..good thing I checked )

Assembling the gun mountings..

But in diagrammatic form, this is what you have to do:

Tamiya KT gun mounting assembly

Gun mounting aperture

Tamiya KT gun mountings 2.jpeg (37.09 KiB) Viewed 4361 times

I used the Contacta Pro cement here, as it's necessary to get the glue in exactly the right places, and nowhere else. Hmm.. I like the smell of cement if the morning

[Rad_Schuhart]

I had to smile, by the way, when i noticed your new location details! Your heart's in England, then?

Yep, I spent some time living in Reading, Berkshire, and I have never been more happy. I really would like to go back there someday. I wish I could today...

You do know a Hearth is part of a fireplace?! Did you meant Heart?

Mick.

Lol, yeah, I meant Heart. Like 43rc pointed, thats the corrector's fault. Im going to correct it as soon as I can, lol.

[43rdRecceReg]

After fixing the barrel assembly in the Turret front armour plate, it was time to start adding the really interesting bits: the recoil unit, and the elevation unit. By the way, the Full-option kit came with a very modest looking plastic barrel unit in the sprues, as well as separate metal alloy barrel kit in its very own box. Guess which one I chose?

Slipping flash lead into barrel

the flash cable slips in easy (Should be 'easily', but hey.. )
Then, its time to attach the recoil unit. I must say, all the screws go in nicely. All in all, everything fits exactly where it should without the need for reaming, sanding, or other desperate measures. Images of that crappy Asiatam Pz IV hull come to mind, with the nightmare experience of nothing fitting properly. It was like a dream of a jigsaw where every piece needed to be 'trimmed' to fit where it should go...
The Asiatam called for the 'Emergency essential tool' (single malt 15-years old) over and over!

Tamiya KT recoil unit fitting..

[Rad_Schuhart]

I think you put the flash unit wrong. Once insfalled propperly, it wont move anywere. If I remember correctly the wire goes trough a side, and not through the back.

[PainlessWolf]

Good morning,
Everything is coming together very nicely, my friend. I believe that the reason the plastic is so 'flexible' is that Tamiya may have been shooting for scale armor thickness of the components on this kit. They corrected that with the Tiger 1 kit ( and even with that tank you can see that the plastic parts are thinner and more finely molded than HL or Taigen offerings ). Please don't forget to use a metal elevation arm since you opted for the excellent aluminum barrel for the main gun. Also, here is a link to an inexpensive and simple detail upgrade that will add miles to the appearance of your build: https://www.shapeways.com/product/Q5DFV ... d=62805317 Following along,
regards,
Painless