King Tiger Initial Production (aka Porsche)

[gorehound]

Hi all

Not done one of these build threads before so this is another learning curve for me.

I have been building an Initial King Tiger off and on for a few months now - more off than on due to work and chores I am afraid. I started off with a spare Taigen hull and then got a cheap new in box Walterstons King Tiger Porsche off fleabay for cheap just to get the upper hull and turret etc - if anybody is looking for a plastic lower hull complete please let em know so I can clear some space

I started to correct some of the areas on the upper hull and turret with the plan to get it looking more accurate for one of the early production tanks. This involved adding details to the usual areas along with adding some missing bits and the zimmerit these tanks sported. The zimmerit is the Atak set for the Heng Long King Tiger supplied by Dave at Forgebear and as always the product and service were superb

I will say now that my camera skills are awful and my bench a bit cluttered due to work ongoing on the house so please bear that in mind when viewing - I will get it tidied soon

I started with the turret and got the weld detail added to the turret roof areas. I used a different putty (Green Stuff) to my usual brand (Milliput) and while it is OK I will probably go back to the Milliput next time as I get better results with it. Another area I wanted to sort was the incorrectly shaped Walterson\Heng Long Mantlet. I had one from a previous project that was left over so this was worked into the one that came fitted.

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I will get the rest of my pictures sorted for size etc and post the zimmerit process next.

[Ad Lav]

I saw those cheap Waltersons King Tigers on eBay - great tank for the money!

Following along!

[Ecam]

Don't fret your first build thread, I sort of messed mine up with four builds on one thread. Also don't worry about a messy bench, darn few of us work in a clean area. Great start!

[gorehound]

Thanks for the encouragement so far guys.

Yes, the Waltersons KT was a very good deal if you wanted to build an early King Tiger. The upper hull is good and strong and fits the Taigen lower perfectly. The turret is good too apart from the mantlet. The lower hull is fine if you just want a plastic tub but the electrics are not good as they are the old Heng Long 27mhz system. I intend to use a Clark TK60 though so they would be thrown out anyway so no loss there.

My next stage was to prep the hull and turret for the zimmerit. I started by filling in the various bits on the hull and turret where the sides and front meet along with other recesses on the flat panels. I wanted to have a nice flat surface for applying zimmerit as it is so thin you would see these as dips and getting a good join at the corners would be difficult otherwise. I removed the rounded bit on the hull front where the machine gun is mounted (and I cannot remember the name for the part as I type). The whole rear turret hatch was also pulled off carefully as this comes as a complete section in the Atak set.

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There were then two or three rounds of filling and sanding getting everything the way I liked making sure to clean all the dust off when done so the glue would have a good surface to apply the zimmerit.

[Ecam]

I've not done any German tanks yet, but there are six on the shelf waiting their turn. I dread the work to add zimmerit, so I'll be watching this with great interest!

[gorehound]

Onto the zimmerit then. It seems to frighten a lot of people off but using the Atak sets is not as daunting as it seems if you make sure you take you time and prep everything ready before applying any glue.

I got all the filler previously applied sanded smooth and made sure all the areas that would be getting any zimmerit applied were keyed and then cleaned so that the glue had something to stick to. I used 480 grit sandpaper and gently scuffed all the areas. I also did the same to the back of the zimmerit sheets as they are quite shiny and not best for adhesion with the glue. Be careful sanding the zimmerit though as it is very thin and easy to break. I tend to hold it at one edge and gently pull the sandpaper along in the same direction a number of times to make sure it is all keyed.

Once everything was nice and clean I started applying the parts of zimmerit one at a time, measuring each for fit and placement as I went. I applied a thin layer of 2 part epoxy to the tank making sure the area was fully covered but not overdoing the glue - I have always used the ZAP Z-Poxy 5 mins as this gives great adhesion but also gives you about 5 mins time to get it adjusted to just the way you need but other similar brands are available . The parts were applied making sure there is no air trapped in between the sheets and the tank and it is placed exactly where you want it. I then waited for the glue to go off before moving to the next to make sure I did not disturb and move parts and spoiling the finish. The only part I had any issue with was the small half moon shaped bit on the commander's side of the turret as it kepy springing off due the the tight curve. This was easily sorted by warming the part up gently with a hairdrier which made the zimmerit panel a bit less springy.

Once it was all applied I put small amounts of filler where there were joins I was not happy with and sanded the edges of panels to get the finish I wanted.

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The main part with the process is to be patient and take your time. One thing I noticed is that the zimmerit has bits that are lighter than others once glued on but this is nothing to worry about as this is just to do with an uneven thickness of the sheets due to the way it is made.

[Ad Lav]

Changes the tanks look straight away, nice start.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Thank you for explaining your technique in clear detail. Now how can I remember where to find it again?

[tankme]

Atak is based out of Poland. From what I remember they have been slowly pulling away from vendors back to direct sales:
https://atakmodel.istore.pl/

Andy's HHQ has some here in the US, but it seems most of what they sell is out of stock.

https://andyshhq.com/search?q=atak&type ... ts%5D=last

[gorehound]

I got the set used on this uild from Dave at Forgebear who has also supplied some others for me. I have bought some direct from Atak in the past though and never had a problem with them as a seller.