Fast forward in time, and the metal wheels combined with the Taigen lower hull meant a transmission upgrade to Taigen black steel gearboxes. Also opted for the Taigen early tracks which are way nicer than the original plastic HL. As I'm going for a minimalist approach I removed most of the moulded on tools, and following Uncle Nightshift's video advice the hull and turret received some glue 'n putty armour texturing. Mr Kovac also served as inspiration when it came to the battle damage ... this initial will look like it had a hard fight to get back home, as shown by the copious shell impacts
Removed the headlights from the hull front corners, as I read somewhere that crews often did that before heading into battle, and spent an evening applying green stuff welds to the hull.
- tiger1 16-1.jpg (232.25 KiB) Viewed 108 times
One thing that really bugged me was the rear hull wall which was bowed outwards slightly and also left a fairly significant gap where it met the upper hull. I made a new one out of 3mm alloy plate, at least it would stay straight and provide a blank canvas upon which to add detailing. After trial fitting I etch primed it to ensure the paint wouldn't fall off too quickly, then JB welded some L-shaped brackets onto the inside to hold it securely in situ.
- Tiger1 14.jpg (195.14 KiB) Viewed 108 times
The above photo also shows the dual pistol ports, typical of the initial production run, and where I'd started trying out paint shades in the area that'll be hidden by the turret bin. Next step, fitting out the rear of the hull, followed by brush painting the hull and turret ...
I could be tempted by one of these. There is also the one with a tuned engine and LED lights. Just annoy the purists. 
