Tiger 131 project

[jarndice]

I am with Kiaser, Print it in Metal,
I would pay the extra.
Shaun.

[wibblywobbly]

I think you might be shocked at what they will charge for metal. I can probably get that down by redesigning the parts so that they use less material. It will take a while for them to appear in the inventory but here is the link.

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/sixteentharmour

[Tiggr]

Air brush hose - great tip. I've got some of that somewhere. Will look well on my early tiger instead of the gloss black ones which Taigen fit (the only detail that lets the model down IMO)

Keep up the excellent work.

[jarndice]

Have you been to "TIPS & TRICKS" ? Subpage 4, scroll down and you will find "Braid Sleeves for Intake Pipes",
Whenever I need help with a build I always go to Tips & Tricks first.
Shaun.

[Tiggr]

Have you been to "TIPS & TRICKS" ? Subpage 4, scroll down and you will find "Braid Sleeves for Intake Pipes",
Whenever I need help with a build I always go to Tips & Tricks first.
Shaun.

Thanks Shaun - whizzing through cyberspace now.....

[wibblywobbly]

Have you been to "TIPS & TRICKS" ? Subpage 4, scroll down and you will find "Braid Sleeves for Intake Pipes",
Whenever I need help with a build I always go to Tips & Tricks first.
Shaun.

That will teach me to look first.

Ok, I tried uploading the filters to Shapeways as four hollow halves, the cost of the plastic version hardly changed at all, though the metal versions did come down a bit, but were still extortionate. I will leave the one piece versions there in case anyone wants to get some.

[Spartan tracks]

That is comming along very nice Rob, must be a godsend to have a 3D printer to play with.

[wibblywobbly]

I don't know about a Godsend.

Cost of printer around £300.
Filament at £20 a reel.
Building the printer.
Setting it up to print properly.
Learning to use a CAD system.
Learning to design parts.
Learning how to design parts so that they will print properly.
Failed prints and reprinting.
Watching the printer to make sure that the filament doesn't jam on the reel.
Realising that no, that part wasn't quite right and isn't going to fit.
Redesigning the part.
Reprinting the part.
Sanding and filling.
...and then realising that actually I could have made it out of styrene in ten minutes....

If I costed my time at the minimum wage per hour, the cost of making even simple items is way more than they are worth!!??

[jarndice]

I suspect that were we paid the rate for the job including all the overtime everyone of us would be on £250.000 per annum.
Shaun.

[wibblywobbly]

Not done much except study the history of 131, and do what I can to get this one looking like the real one.

A few interesting bits of trivia. The 131 that we see at Bovington in pristine condition was not in that state when it was captured. Three shots from a Churchill had struck it.
One glanced off the underside of the barrel and jammed in the turret ring. This jammed the the turret rotation.
One hit the loaders hatch spraying shrapnel over the crew inside the turret.
One hit the elevation hinge. This jammed the elevation.

So, they had an injured crew and a tank that could not point the barrel anywhere, they took the decision to abandon ship, though they totally ignored orders to blow the tank up which left it in running order for the British.

Interestingly, the radio operators hatch was on back to front when it got back here, but historians have never been able to establish if this was done while the tank was in German hands, or whether it was a repair done by the British.

The original pics of 131 show it with paint that is 'very' rough and streaked, and a loaders hatch full of holes. It also had a wading snorkel.

The restoration team didn't find out what the correct colour was until they removed the turret bin, the colour that it was when captured was not the colour that we see now.

This is where I am at the moment:
The mantlet did not have the horizontal reinforcement over the sights. That had to be sanded off and backfilled. One other hole has also been infilled.
The tools were not on the tank, they have all been sanded off, still needs more sanding.
The hand cranking mount on the back is back to front on HL tanks, that has been removed and will be mounted the right way around.
The raised rim on the top and bottom of the exhaust covers shouldn't be there, those have been sanded off.
The Feifel filters are almost finished.
Different front vent on the upper hull.
There were no lights on it when captured.
The left rod on the engine deck has been removed.
The right convoy light has been removed.
The BB barrel has now been modified to make it the correct length, and also enable it to attach to a servo recoil.

I am tempted to do the turret position mod, but I am trying to find an easy fix. If anyone knows where I can find one that just needs the upper hull turret ring being cut out in a square and then repositioned, let me know.

Onwards and upwards....

IMG_20160823_081530.jpg (87.83 KiB) Viewed 3657 times

IMG_20160823_081536.jpg (73.8 KiB) Viewed 3657 times

IMG_20160823_081556.jpg (58.56 KiB) Viewed 3657 times

IMG_20160823_081606.jpg (66.02 KiB) Viewed 3657 times

IMG_20160823_081627.jpg (61.15 KiB) Viewed 3657 times

IMG_20160823_081704.jpg (63.25 KiB) Viewed 3657 times

IMG_20160823_081724.jpg (63.78 KiB) Viewed 3657 times