No regrets though as its been a huge learning journey and I’ve picked up an enormous amount of new ideas and techniques that I’ve been able to apply elsewhere, plus all the fulfilment from tinkering that you don’t get with static models. Having had some time to step back and mull over things, I’ve come to some conclusions.
• Back when I originally started out in 2010 I opted for the late road wheels with steel rims as they were cheaper. I really wish I hadn’t as I much prefer the look of the full set with tyres.
• I cannot overstate just how much I despise working with Zimmerit. Its very prone to damage, makes applying decals a nightmare, and always looks glossy no matter how much matte varnish I apply.
• Replacing the tow ropes with metal Mato ones seemed like a good idea at first and was a fun little project but honestly wasn't worth it. The towing cables are difficult to get into position and the buckles and other items lack detail compared to the plastic ones.
• I actually liked how the tank looked solely with a solid coat of dark yellow before I started applying camouflage colours. I might feel differently if I had an airbrush.
So here we go again, third time is the charm (hopefully). I will be renovating my Tiger into a roughly mid production machine with a dose of artistic licence. This means no zimmerit, full wheels with tyres, feifel air cleaners, but with the revised cupola and turret vents/scopes. I’ll be sticking to solid dark yellow and the number (213) will remain the same. I’m replacing the upper deck along with the wheels because it has suffered warping from improper storage over the years and using the hull back plate that came with the new metal hull I got. All other components will be stripped and repainted. I don’t know if it will truly make a difference, but to keep consistency with metal parts as they wear, metal will be undercoated with red oxide etching primer, and plastic parts are undercoated with Tamiya Dull Red, to attempt to match the factory primer of the real thing.
I have written out a full project plan to keep myself disciplined and get this done in an efficient manner but without rushing, and more importantly, keeping good relations with my wife which means not turning the entire kitchen/dining area into a panzer factory.
One of the reasons I ditched the air cleaners back in the day was because they made it difficult to remove the upper deck when using the quick release. Since then I’ve gotten rather good at magnetising things, so I opted to replace the screw fittings for the filters with magnets, so that if I need to open up the tank, I just pop the filters off, then pop them back on again as required. It might be necessary to magnetise the hose ends as well, but I’ll see how that goes once I have them.
I’ve not taken any photos because the weathering carrier is still drying out and lighting conditions are poor, but I’ve finished painting and weathering (sans final varnishing) the back plate and air cleaners and I’m thrilled with the result. As I’ve got a tendency to over apply weathering, I’ve opted for a “less is more” approach and seriously reigned it in. The results so far blow the previous two efforts away and I have to say it has reignited my passion for modelling.
When I paint roadwheels or return rollers, I carefully stick them in place with one side up. Now why on earth did I never think to simply put them on one edge, where the unpainted spot won't show anyway! Egad, one would think that given 60 years of modeling I might catch some simple ideas. 
