[WINTER 23-24] Tiger I #822

[Ecam]

I too like that what if paint job. But the one you did came out fantastic. Remember many of the white washes were real weathered down as time progressed. So you could do a light/faint wash job and preserve most of that camo job.

[Jimster]

And keep in mind, only about the first 25 Tigers were painted grey. Just info for future reference of course.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

I am on my phone, not my PC, so I am even less certain about colors. However, the Tiger’s camouflage looks white and green, rather good for early winter/late spring. A touch of weathering, no whitewash = a winner! No?

[MrChef]

I am on my phone, not my PC, so I am even less certain about colors. However, the Tiger’s camouflage looks white and green, rather good for early winter/late spring. A touch of weathering, no whitewash = a winner! No?

Tamiya, TS-3 Dark Yellow and TS-4 German Grey...

[Herr Dr. Professor]

"Tamiya, TS-3 Dark Yellow and TS-4 German Grey..." So much for my color perception. I've been told that it's quite bad, but: https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/f3bfe497-4 ... 5c175800bf

[cmryanuk]

Looking forward to seeing this build develop.

So, has Heng Long corrected any of the basic mistakes in their Tiger, or do you still have to flip the gun mantle and move the turret?

[Ecam]

Mine is a ten year old, but my guess is no. I'm sure the turret center is still along way off. Chef's build viewtopic.php?t=34859 right here in the Group Builds is a new Tiger I. It looks like the mantle is correct out of the box. If you haven't skimmed through that build yet, I'd highly recommend it!

Edit:
Sorry, just noticed that this is that build...

[MrChef]

Mine is a ten year old, but my guess is no. I'm sure the turret center is still along way off. Chef's build viewtopic.php?t=34859 right here in the Group Builds is a new Tiger I. It looks like the mantle is correct out of the box. If you haven't skimmed through that build yet, I'd highly recommend it!

Edit:
Sorry, just noticed that this is that build...

Thanks for the support Eric

To answer, the date code puts this Heng Long tank at spring 2022. So yes this is a newer Tiger I. The mantlet is no longer an issue with this generation although I did replace it with a recoil BB unit. It does however maintain the extra hole next to the cannon which I guess was their method for the IR battle system on older tanks?

cmryanuk, Thank you for your support as well.

The turret centering is still something that irks some enthusiasts and has it's remedy listed in several places here on RCTW. I however am not offended by it, and since this is my first tank project where the patient went under the knife, scalpel, saw, pliers and all sorts of other sharp, buzzy and pointy things accompanied with my newbie modeling skills I wasn't into it.

I have addressed several of the classic Heng Long issues as well as incorporated a few of my personal requirements. My goal was a balanced project and to learn and put into practice a few new skills. For me, I like a bit more realism and the Heng Long Tiger I has an abundance of issues that I could pick and choose from. In the end at least for me it's an RC model that I will run in the wild. Not a shelf queen model. At this time I am satisfied but I also have a running list of what to do and not do next time.

[MrChef]

Slow moves before the Big steps to come.

Applying decals that I sourced from Forgebear. I haven't done these in awhile but they weren't hard. I'm not 100% happy with their results but they didn't bubble or give me any issues. They do seem to suffer from what real modelers call silvering.

Next step. I used a 1,500 grit wet sandpaper and just did light rubbing on the edges. The Tiger has lots of sharp angles where it makes sense that paint would wear. Sanding this way allows the red primer coat to surface ever so slightly. As well the yellow wears on the edges showing the gray base coat.

And before the abusive winter camo and weathering, was some very mild chipping. I mix my own chipping color, I apply with sponge and fine brush. I also tried Ammo/Mig factory finish colors and I'm not so fond of their red primer color, it looks more like rust to me so most of it I chipped more to cover. I'm not going crazy at all because most will be covered up but what I did learn from the white camo on the T34 was, since it was heavily weathered before the white was applied and worked on I could appreciate chips under the white in spots that were opaque or wore through.

Finally time for clear coat mostly to cover and protect the decals before the abuse begins. I was happy that the matte Dullcote killed the shiny decals but it was stupid windy today and I had to spray twice. I wasn't happy with the coverage altogether. Well the benefit here is its to protect the decals and will be covered up anyway.

So some parting shots before the whitewash gets slapped on:
















15 days till deployment...

[ColemanCollector]

The dreaded silvering! I've used future liquid floor wax in the decal area and sometimes it works wonders, other times less so. I guess it all depends on surface roughness and decal thickness. Your decals are looking mighty fine. It will be cool to the white going on!

Mike.