Building a Mid-Production Normandy Tiger 1

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Starting to look a little bit more like the photo at the start of this blog - the correct tyres certainly make a difference.jpg (59.6 KiB) Viewed 6930 times

As always thanks for your comments.

The 'kids' are growing - now 10 and 8. Now they have their own distractions - the modelling/kitchen table is getting pretty cramped these days. Note the 1/35 scale Sherman and Panzer II in the background and see my separate posting "Are youngsters still interested in the hobby?": http://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/forums/v ... 10&t=11649

New wheels and tracks

As I noted above the inside of the Impact tracks is finished to a much higher standard than the Taigen links.jpg (63.08 KiB) Viewed 6930 times

Amongst the changes since I went away: I upgraded the Taigen tracks to Impact and the plastic HL wheels to the Taigen metal and rubber-tyred variety. Well, we will have to see about the latter...

The tracks were the easier decision. I have discussed the relative merits of HL plastic, HL metal, Taigen metal and Impact metal tracks already in this blog. The first two just aren't right for a late 1943/1944 vintage Tiger 1 because they are the early type without ice chevrons [although I have now seen photos showing that a few Tigers in Normandy did have the old pattern tracks].

The Taigen tracks look great from the outside (and they are a lovely dark colour with silver highlights), are of the correct closed-pin sort (i.e the pins cannot be seen except at the outer edges) and even have the hollow guide horns. However they also have ugly ejector pin holes on the inner face (the shallow circles) and - even more unnecessarily - 'TG' stamped on the inside of many links.

So the Impact tracks win hands down (although there is another option from Kenny Kong which I have yet to see). Mine were a 'bargain' off ebay - still getting dangerously close to three figures mind - but at least I saved on the postage I would have paid if ordered direct. They fit snuggly around the Taigen idlers and sprockets, I am relieved to report (Impact do make their own sprockets, but they are designed for the Tamiya Tiger).

Here are the Impact tracks fitted to the starboard side.jpg (30.27 KiB) Viewed 6930 times

The Impact tracks even have a better texture - slightly rough.jpg (69.69 KiB) Viewed 6930 times

Something the sharp-eyed will have spotted - and a mild disappointment - the odd guide horn on my set is not hollow. This aberration may be because they are on old set and I am going to swallow my pride and live with it...

So what of the wheels?

Here is the first station road wheel replaced with the Taigen metal variety - complete with rubber tyre.jpg (61.37 KiB) Viewed 6930 times

Well those who have read above will know the convoluted process by which I discovered that some HL Tigers come with nice accurate wheel hubs (complete with grease nipples!) - and some do not. I'm still waiting to discover if these are the older or newer ones. Alas none come with rubber tyres. These are standard on the Tamiya Tiger - and also the Hobby Boss/WSN one.

Now Taigen also do a set of rubber-tyred metal road wheels for the Tiger 1. I was lucky enough to purchase a set of these off a fellow member of this site (thanks!) for a reasonable price (about £20) - as you would expect.

So I duly fitted them to one side of my Tiger (the same side as the Impact tracks). They feel great (lord, doesn't the tank get heavier!) and I imagine that they will improve traction (and also, perhaps, motor wear). Better still, the separate tyres will make painting a whole lot easier. Even better, once I fitted them (using the longer axles) I realised what a difference the correct tyre width made (as in the circumference beyond the inner rim). Basically, until you repaint the HL tank, the tyres will always look too big - because they have been painted too large in the first place.

So what is the problem? Well, I have lost my grease nipples, that's what! Because these Taigen wheels use longer axles with the screw head exposed. And I miss them...

So we will see whether I decide to keep them - or just face up to painting the tyres on the HL plastic wheels.

[ruben2005]

hello fella very very nice build thread keep them pics coming

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Thanks for all the comments gentlemen. Painless Wolf I couldn't agree more with being overtaken by upgrades. I'm starting to feel like a man driving a milk float on the motorway*... So I crawl on!

* for non-UK readers a 'milk float' is a slow-moving, electrically-powered vehicle used for transporting lactose-related goods.

Left to right - Kenny Kong, Impact & Taigen.jpg (86.12 KiB) Viewed 6844 times

More tracks...

I need help. I am addicted to Tiger tracks. OK, so I saw a set of Kenny Kong tracks on ebay and I just had to have a look. Still not exactly cheap, but a lot less than the Impact tracks cost me (so if the seller is on this group thanks a lot!) They came pre-primed in a dark brown - if ordered direct I imagine they come in a similar shade of metal to Impact.

So how do they compare?

Comparison of Kenny Kong (on left) and Impact (on right) - the better detail on the end of the track pins can be clearly seen on the Impact tracks.jpg (72.34 KiB) Viewed 6844 times

Looking from the other side - the cast-in track pin detail on the Impact tracks can be clearly seen.jpg (77.56 KiB) Viewed 6844 times

Inside view of the tracks on the Vimoutiers Tiger showing how the track pins should really look.jpg (40.26 KiB) Viewed 6844 times

Inner edge of the Impact tracks.jpg (65.25 KiB) Viewed 6844 times

Well it seems to me here are the age-old problems of accuracy versus practicality. After I bought the KK tracks I looked them up on the net (yes, should have done it the other way around I know...) There were complaints of poor-fitting track pins and a tendency to shed them. I can see their point. The track pins are a bit like HL and Taigen - slightly thicker at one end. But they don't seem to fit as snugly and so may have a tendency to slide out. I haven't tried them on the march, so to speak, but a look at the pics above shows that they don't always sit as precisely as they should. This also means that they don't look right because while the end of some pins protrudes, others don't. On the plus side they DO have all of their guide horns correctly hollowed out.

On the other hand the Impact track pins are much thicker at the inner edge - and at the outer edge of the track they are hidden completely behind moulded-in track pins ends. This means that at the outer edge they always look great - but they are rather too big at the inner edge. This is easy to spot when looking at a photo of the real thing (and haven't those tracks on the Vimoutiers Tiger lasted well?) On the other hand the end of the links has the more bulbous appearance of the real tank. And - it's a BIG AND - they do stay in place during running.

Details-wise they are both of comparable quality - both faithfully reproducing the chevron patterns on the outside surface of the later-pattern Tiger 1 tracks.

There isn't much between the three brands of track when looking at the outer side - all have good chevron details.jpg (84.53 KiB) Viewed 6844 times

So my conclusion? I'm sticking with Impact. However, where the KK tracks win is in the fact that they have a completely drilled hole for the track pins - so if you want spare links for the side of the turret or the front of the lower hull they are arguably the better option.

Now I faithfully promise that's the last of my track obsession. Now, did I mention the late-pattern plastic links that come with the Hobby Boss Tiger kit..?

[ALPHA]

Working hull MG ball mount

I did a separate post on this several months ago, but this is my refined version. The original HL hull MG leaves a lot to be desired. The older models (like mine) didn’t even come with a flashing version and the newer one is certauinly an improvement, but there is nothing to replicate the working ball mount which they do provide on their Panthers.

One quick fix is the Asiatam insert which simply sits inside the aperture. It looks fairly convincing (although it’s not set in deep enough) and does at least allow for an improved flashing MG to be fitted.

My rather Heath Robinson-esque solution involved the following:

First I drilled out the aperture completely and used a spherical sanding fitting for my drill to shape it from the inside.

MG apperture opened up and hollowed out from inside.jpg

Then I found a suitably sized plastic bauble from a cheap girl’s hair band (in a lovely subversive pink) which I drilled out to accept the Asiatam MG with an additional hole for the sight.

Plastic hair baubles, Asiatam MG and the superficial metal ball mount.jpg

Asiatam MG 34 sitting snuggly inside the ball.jpg

[color=#0000FF]Obviously the subversive pink just had to go....jpg[/color]

This was then boxed in internally with some thick plasticard. One I had done this I realised that, although the gun could swivel left, right, up and down, it could also twist on its axis. It shouldn’t. Accordingly I inserted a metal pin in each side and cut matching slots in the sides of my plasticard box to prevent this.

Underside of plasticard box before adding metal pins.JPG

After metal pegs and matching slots have been added.jpg

The ball I used was actually too large (it should be about half the size) but once it’s in place behind the mount I like to think it looks pretty convincing.

Finished ball mount.jpg

By the way, I was worried that when I wired up my Asiatam flashing MG to the HL circuit it would blow the tiny LED (there was a warning on the site where I bought it). Eventually I plucked up the courage and it was fine.

Hello Tanks for the Memories... I remember this post from when I joined... it is very inspiring...especially to those who seek true detail in their models..Your zimmerit is very well done...also your attention to details

But what caught my attention was your comment about the pink bead you used for the mounting of the machine gun

As you must know by now ... I am an unconventional model tanker...though I thoroughly enjoyed restoring my tanks... I'm no longer into the kind of modelling you all do ...but I still recognize fine workmanship...and sir you have that down to a science

But I think you all are not going to dislike me even more... when I post pictures of my LOLLI GIRLS TANK

I have to say... this is one thread all the newbs with TIGERS should check out...AWESOME JOB

ALPHA

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Alpha, thanks for your kind words. I'm all for something a bit different - and your tanks are certainly that!

Perhaps I should try to hide a little bit of pink in all my tanks...

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Battle damage part 1

The inevitable outcome of careless driving in a 60 tonne tank....jpg (118.98 KiB) Viewed 6805 times

OK, so my posts may be getting a little more random from now on as I start to finish things I started a while ago.

The Heng Long side mudguards are moulded as part of the plastic upper hull. This does have one big advantage - they are sturdy (by contrast the Tamiya Tiger comes with separate plastic mudguards which are very easy to knock off). When I started this build the only available replacement was courtesy of Aber: nice, but fiddly and expensive.

More recently Taigen have come out with some nice photo etch substitutes - see, e.g. tomhugill's Taigen Early Tiger Build for a recent review: http://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/forums/v ... 23&t=11653

Another alternative already discussed above are those by Voyager - but at the time of writing these are hard to track down.

The obvious advantage of metal mudguards is the ease with which battle damage can be added. Look at pictures of the Tiger in fighting conditions and these mudguards are frequently damaged or missing (sometimes all of them). However, it's worth noting that although they were made from sheet metal, they were firmly bolted to the hull sides - so they could take quite a bit of buckling and shredding before being ripped off.

I had already cut away a couple of my side mudguards. This is easily accomplished with a razor saw and sandpaper, but note that the square mounting plates (with bolt holes) need to be put in their place. Any exposed edge then needs to be shaved down to a realistic thinness. A little buckling was then added (rather nervously) after softening the plastic using a lighter. It's a good idea to protect the hull beneath with some masking tape while you do this... The trick is to make the plastic look bent rather than melted.

Somewhat rashly, I then decided to try and make the next mudguard on the port side look like it had suffered some rather more traumatic damage. It was quite common for these mudguards to have the front corner bent back in a concertina-fashion without being ripped off completely.

An early attempt involved cutting away the front portion and replacing it with brass sheet.jpg (51.12 KiB) Viewed 6805 times

The brass fillet was then bent to shape - it looked fine but had no strength.jpg (64.18 KiB) Viewed 6805 times

My first attempt involved cutting away the front portion of the mudguard and replacing it with brass sheet. After the join was covered over with milliput I then bent back the brass in suitable fashion. I was quite pleased with the result - until I discovered that the join had little strength: it soon fell off.

So then I decided to replace the entire mudguard. This time I chose slightly thicker brass sheet and used a photo-etch bending tool to bend the lower edge to match the others. Because of the thickness of the brass this wasn't easy and if I had more confidence I would have bent the upper edge as well - but I chickened out and decided to leave the plastic upper edge in place. The brass was glued in place with epoxy putty (supported underneath with plasticard) and the gap then filled with milliput.

The distressed mudguard before the bolts were put back.jpg (112.88 KiB) Viewed 6805 times

Once it was set in place I bent the forward edge and this time I felt that the thicker brass made it look more realistic.

Because I had sanded the join I had lost the hex-headed bolts that fasten the mudguard in place. This is where the Panda resin bolt set came in handy...

Close-up of the three types of bolt which come with the Panda set.jpg (105.99 KiB) Viewed 6805 times

To line up the Panda bolts I simply used a card template with the locations copied from the adjacent mudguard.jpg (64.96 KiB) Viewed 6805 times

The gap between brass and plastic has now been smoothed with milliput and the Panda hex bolts added.jpg (111.82 KiB) Viewed 6805 times

The gap has now been smoothed with milliput and the Panda hex bolts added.jpg (127.23 KiB) Viewed 6805 times

I have to say that I am quite pleased with the result - which should look even better once everything is painted. The Panda bolts look better than the original HL ones and I'm tempted to replace the lot. But I'm going to try and resist...

[maxmekker]

Exelent build With great photos. Thanks for taking the time

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Correcting the mantlet

Comparing the old HL mantlet and the Tamiya one with Milliput zimmerit.jpg (30.09 KiB) Viewed 6726 times

As discussed near the beginning of this diary there are two inaccuracies in the front of the HL turret: first the turret itself is too 'long-nosed' (i.e it extends too far forward of the turret ring); second the main armament sits centrally within the turret while on the real thing it is actually off-set slightly to the the starboard side (thus providing extra room for the gunner and commander).

Now, I know that I have already said that I was going to leave this one alone, but you know how these things start to get to you after a (long) while..?

My preliminary work on shortening the HL turret began with marking the excess that needed to be removed.jpg (69.86 KiB) Viewed 6726 times

I did start work on solving the first problem by using a spare HL turret and marking out where the excess needed to be removed - but soon decided that this way madness lay. Cutting down the front of the turret was easy enough, but then I realized that this would throw up other problems. Cutting back the turret means that the front is actually wider than it should be. Adding to that everything was going to have to be moved back internally as well - especially the mounting for the Taigen recoil unit. So I gave up the idea for good - this is just one of those areas where you either leave well alone or try to adapt a Tamiya turret.

So then I started to think about the off-set gun...

The differences between the HL and Tamiya mantlets are obvious here - especially the location of the binocular sighting apertures.jpg (63.1 KiB) Viewed 6726 times

This turned out to be a far saner proposition. One thing which bugged me about the HL mantlet was not just the fact that the gun sat dead-centre. There was something not-quite-right-looking about the shape of the reinforced armour around the sighting apertures. Basically, because the mantlet on this side is not as wide as it should be there isn't quite enough space to fit in the true shape of the real thing. This is clear looking at the comparison above, even with the Taigen stick-on zimmerit in place on the HL part.

My solution, therefore, was to replace the mantlet with the Tamiya one. Because the HL Tiger is largely based on the Tamiya kit latter parts actually fit quite snugly against their HL counterparts. The only place where any real adjustment is needed comes where the barrel pierces the rear mantlet assembly because the Tamiya parts, of course, are off-set whereas the HL ones are not.

The rear view - this time Tamiya mantlet at top - the HL one bears the scars of having been turned up side down (it was from a very old tank).jpg (58.65 KiB) Viewed 6726 times

Behind the HL mantlet is this piece which connects to the original bb gun. Here I have cut away some of the structure and enlarged the hole for the metal barrel.jpg (69.32 KiB) Viewed 6726 times

View of the same piece from the front - to enlarge the relocated hole I used my trusty rotary tool.jpg (78.91 KiB) Viewed 6726 times

Basically the mantlet assembles into three parts - the front and rear of the actual mantlet and then a third piece which attaches to the back to which the elevation and recoil unit is attached.

The rear of the Tamiya mantlet was secured to the HL rear plate using screws.jpg (60.06 KiB) Viewed 6726 times

In my next post I will deal with how to fit the Taigen recoil unit around the off-set barrel and the application of fresh zimmerit.

[jarndice]

A very welcome return, I was beginning to suffer withdrawal symptoms, Did anyone mention what a great build this is?

[kapalek]

great tutorial, many usefull advices.