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Introduction
This project was part of a "Group Build" on the
"MIG Forum" http://foro.migproductions.com/index.php
. The object/guidelines/requirements of the G-B were to build a
1/48 Tiger, either as stand-alone model, or as part of a diorama,
and keep/share a running progress report with photos, posted on
the forum.
For this project I chose the "Africa Corps" version
Tamiya Tiger-I kit. Though I do not plan to build an Africa Corps
version, unlike the standard "Early Version" Tamiya kit,
this kit comes with additional parts that offer greater
flexibility for back-dating/building and early model.
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The standard "Early Version" Tamiya kit (#32504*1800)
represents a Tank that was built as of Feb.of 1943, whereas the
A-K kit has options for the turret without escape hatch (pre Dec
1942), the non "star pattern" drive sprocket (pre
April 1943), the un-reinforced gun mantlet (pre Nov. 1942), the
early side track guards (pre Dec. 1942), the non hinged track
guards at the front (pre Nov. 1942), and the exhausts without
the top guards (pre Jan. 1943); which allows one to build a
tiger that was built in late1942. The A-K version kit also has
two options for the glacis, though both kits only come with road
wheels with the 18 bolt pattern, which was introduced in Feb. of
1943.
I wanted to play around a bit with some paint and finishing
techniques/ideas, and have always liked the Tiger in
monochromatic colors......especially the dead flat red oxide
primer, and raw steel; so my intent is to build a Tiger under
construction, during the phase of of being equipped/outfitted.
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Since there is a limited amount of "parts", clutter, and
weathering that would appear on a tank under construction, much
in the way of detailing the exterior, or adding
"visual drama"; will need to be done with the
"textures" that would be seen on a tank, such as
welds, tool marks, and steel textures/finishes. Though in the
end the model maybe not
100% accurate, either due to my skill/ability, lack of
information, or due to the need to "accentuate"
areas/parts for "visual interest"; I do hope the
end result is an interesting model.
____________________
Aside from the basic Tamiya kit some after market parts/kits
were purchased for use in this build:
Skybow Models; link-by-link tracks; #HP-002 (combat
track for early production Tiger)
48 Track; "1/48 Tiger 1 Cooling Compartment Set"
(cast resin parts)
Hauler; "Tiger I ausf. E fenders for Tamiya"
#HLX48012, and "Tiger I Africa-Corps Tamiya"
#HLX48124, (photo etched sets)
ArmorScale, (turned metal and photo etch barrel
set)
____________________
For some continuity and ease of understanding, the assembly
steps on this page are largely broken down into general
sections/progress sub-assemblies, and do not necessarily reflect
the actual sequence of construction (thus some
information/techniques may be repeated in the different
sub-assembly sections). The painting and weathering steps are in
sequence to their application.
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These photos show the version of this Tiger in the field in Russia
in early 1943
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Lower Hull Problems & Preparation
The Tamiya lower hull is a one piece cast metal part, painted
with a primer coat. Looking at this, I could only wonder what
mental-midget thought of this. The casting was of very poor
quality (and as I would learn differed greatly in quality from kit
to kit), the factory applied primer coat was so thick that it
caused a radius all the edges and corners. The photos below show
some of the problems with this part.
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1. Note the beveled edge and the grind striations at the
upper edge of the sides. Mind you this is not an attempt to
replicate a flame cut edge (as the real tank had none at this
location, and the same hull piece from as second kit did not have
these markings either), rather a flaw in the manufacturing
2. & 3. The casting is radiused at this lower
edge and many of the other edges. Radiused edges are wholely
incorrect in regards to the prototype rolled plate steel
construction. I understand that some radius is required for the
kit part casting process to work....but this is such a noticeable
non-prototypical detail, I just don't understand why Tamiya would
use this casting material/method.
4. Tamiya apparently was not satisfied with their basic
"edge radiusing", they decided to increase it at the
rear edge of the hull sides.
5. Note the downward slope of the top edge. It is not
clearly represented in this image, but the whole rear corner at
this side actually drops more than 3/32 of an inch. Not an easy
area to fill. (In the upper photo you can see the same problem at
the front right side).
____________________________
The above mentioned problems might be fine or acceptable for
someone who plans to cover much of their model with aftermarket
accessories/details, mud or Zimmermit; however it was unacceptable
for the purpose of my build (it should be unacceptable in any
case...why start out a model with already flawed difficult to
repair parts).
To try and fill and repair the hull problems was not a
realistic undertaking. I decided to go out and buy another kit,
this time asking the sales person if I could look inside and check
the casting before buying it.
The casting in the kit I ended up with still had the thick
primer and the radiused casting edge issues.
To prep the new hull, the locator holes for the fenders, and
tow cables were filled with Tamiya putty. Using 400 and 600 grit
sandpaper, on a flat surface, the sides and all the edges were
sanded down through the primer and into the metal till a sharp
square edges was achieved at all locations that would be visible
on the final model. While doing this it also became apparent there
were still nicks that needed filling along the upper edges of the
sides.
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Upper Hull The kit comes with
many details on the upper hull such as tools and jack-block,
antenna base, etc., cast in place (which I think is a really silly
approach). In order to remove these details I clamped the part
into the milling machine to cut them off. Unfortunately the
plastic was softer than I anticipated, and the heat from the mill
bit caused the plastic to "ball up" under it and cut
shallow grooves along it's path of travel. These of course then
needed to be filled with putty. At the same time all the locator
holes for the other detail parts, and the turret ring slots, were
filled with styrene rod and sheet. The molded on jack block is
actually hollow, and thus leaves a square hole when removed, which
also needed to be filled. Test fitting the upper hull into the
the lower hull resulted in a narrow uneven gap at the sides. To
fill this space, small strips of .005" styrene were added to
each side of the upper hull. The next step was to add some
rolled steel plate texture to the surface. This was done
using a small Dremel round tipped engraving bit, and then dabbing on a mixture of Tamiya
putty and liquid plastic glue, which when dry was given a light
sanding. (this technique is described in the MIG Productions book
"F.A.Q." book)
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After removing the cast on screw anchor details on either side of
the MG port, the texture was also applied to the front glacis,
prior to its attachment to the upper hull plate. Also prior to its
attachment, new weld seam detailing was added around the back of
the glacis. Using a Mission Models chisel small depressions/cuts
were done at a 45 degree angle into the edges of the cast plastic
ledge at the back side, where the weld seams occur on the
prototype.
This was followed by using the same technique (with a wider
chisel blade) to rework the cast on weld seams and top edge of the
styrene strip at the sides of the deck.
Using a fine PE saw, the rear right cooling fan hatch cover was
carefully cut out.
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Below is a close-up view of the new front weld seams between the
hull and glacis, and the reworked
Tamiya welds at the sides. The front weld has received a wash of
solvent to "soften" it, while the side weld is still in its raw
"chiseled" state. The side weld will not be "softened"
with solvent till the piece has been glued into place on the metal
lower hull. The reason for this is in case there is any small
remaining gap/seam between the upper and lower hull parts, the
softened plastic might expand to fill it, or it can be carefully
pressed to seal it.
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Rear Hull
Once again much of the cast on detail at the exterior was
removed (this time with a chisel), and all the locator holes were
filled with styrene rod.
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On the interior side of the rear hull plate, at the side of the
open cooling hatch, the ejector marks were filled, and the locator
tab needed to be thinned down, so as to sit flush with the plane
of the off-set in the cast lower hull.
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The armored exhaust protectors supplied with the kit have a smooth
finish; on the prototype this is a cast part,
and may photos show areas of it having a sand cast texture. Using
and old 0/5 and 0/10 round tipped brush, solvent was dabbed onto the
surface and edges of the covers until a
"cast" texture began to develop. Care needs to be taken
not to get any solvent onto the bolt head detail.
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Turret The turret consists of 3
pieces, two sides and the top. For my build, it was necessary to
remove the two stowage bin locator tabs at the rear of each side.
Unfortunately in my zeal, and not paying attention, I also removed
the lift hook pin (as indicated in the photo below)
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The prototype Tiger has a weld seam between the top of the turret
and the sides; this is not present on the kit. Before gluing the
pieces together, the edges of the top plate was sanded about
.005", and the inside top edge of the sides was scraped about
.005" narrower using a Mission Models chisel. Once the sides
were glued together, a .010 x .030 strip of Styrene was glued
around the inside upper edge. There is a lip for the top to sit
on, so it is easy to locate the strip, and it will sit about .010
down from the top edge. Lastly the top was glued into place.
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The turret surfaces then were given a slight steel texture
finish, as described for the upper hull surface.
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Once the commanders cupola, vent, pistol ports, and escape hatch
were attached; I decided to turn my attention back to the weld
seams, based on the information I received from my fellow
modelers. The perimeter weld was reworked, new weld seams were
created on the turret top, and the welds at the smoke dischargers
were reworked.
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The diagram below shows a detail of the welds on the prototype
turret.
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1. The dew perimeter styrene weld was given a texture using a #11
Xacto blade with a broken tip, and slightly "pushing"
the styrene surface to form ridges. These were then softened with
liquid adhesive.
2. The kit weld seam between the top, and the armor
reinforcing, is poorly represented, and was next to be reworked. 2
parallel grooves were but at either side of the cast on weld,
using an Xacto and chisel. Then using a round tipped chisel small
cuts were made at a 45 degree angle into the space between the two
scribed grooves. This surface was then lightly rubbed down with my
finger tip, and soften with liquid adhesive, taking care not to
get any on the grove sides.
3. The weld detailing between the turret top, and mantlet
front, are completely missing in the kit. This was added using the
same technique as above.
4. The cast on weld seam (locator ridges) for the smoke
dischargers also needed some attention. Once again using a chisel
small 45 degree angle cuts were made. The image shows the welds
prior to receiving a softening coat of liquid adhesive. The front
portion of the cast on seam/ridge has been removed, as it is
incorrectly spaced (to wide) for the Hauler PE part. A new seam
will be located here made from stretched sprue.
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The welds on the turret sides were also reworked.
1. The cast on weld at this point was a bit weak looking,
compared to the prototype, so a round tipped chisel was used to
accentuate these.
2. The weld detail at this location is almost non-existent on
the kit, whereas on the prototype these are fairly large and
brutal looking welds. To represent this the broken tipped Xacto
was again used to give rough "pushed" indentations.
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Next came the gun mantlet. On the prototype this is a cast part,
and many photos show areas of it having a sand cast texture. Using
and old 0/5 round tipped brush, solvent was dabbed onto the
mantlet at the areas where the sand texture would show, until a
"cast" texture began to develop. Care needs to be taken
not to dab the flat areas/surfaces around the base of the barrel,
and each each side of the mantlet, as thes appeared to be machined
smooth on the prototype. One the part had dried for a day, an X-acto
blade was scraped flat across the "machined surface"
areas, to sharpen the edges/transitions between the cast surface
and the machined surfaces.
Once this was done the MG was drilled out using a #74
(.0225") drill., and the outside egdes of the mantlet were
given a light sanding to sharpen their corners/transitions, to the
cast face.
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The studs at either side of the covers were made from "Tichy" .030" round head rivets, with the
tops filed down/flat, and inserted into .018" holes. These
were then "thickened" and given some texture using Mr.
Surfacer 500, applied with a 0/15 brush.
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Pre-Shading
After the entire model received a primer coat of "Mr.
Surfacer 1200",
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Interior
This shows the beginnings of the rear fuel and cooling
compartments. The compartments were built using styrene. The fuel
tanks are From CMK. The crew compartment has had some quick paint,
pigment and staining added, so that a bit of interest will be seen
if one peers in through the hatches. The Red Oxide paint is from
Floquil, The white is Tamiya 'Flat White' out of a spray can, with
a yellow-ochre filter added. Staining was done with MIG Pigments
and artists oils. Far from perfect...but OK for something barely
visible.
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Color Coat
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Panel Shading
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Road Wheels
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Filters & Washes
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| Insignia &
Markings
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| Fading, Chipping
& Rust
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| Dust, Dust,
Dirt & Oil Staining
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| Tracks
The tracks are the individual link tracks from Skybow. These
come as injection molded, black plastic. Because the castings
are very slick/shiny, after clean-up of the sprue connections,
they were soaked in white wine vinegar (a mild acid) for about 4
hours, to slightly etch/dull the surface for better paint
adhereance. The links were then painted with Model Master
polishable "Burnt Steel"; and assembled after about 4
hours of dry time.
The assembled tracks were then given a thinned wash of Tamiya 'Nato
Brown' and 'Nato Black'. Dried with a blow-dryer. This was
followed by a heavy dusting of randomly mixed Bragdons 'Medium
Rust' and 'Soot' (Black) weathering powders; which were then
flooded with Grumbacher Odorless thinner. Dried with a blow-dryer.
Once dry, surfaces and areas were burnished with a soft cotton
rag, and a stiff flat brush.
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| Conclusion
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Notes & Credits
I
thank the staff & moderators at the MIG Forum for having the
"Group Build", and the forum members, and participants
of the "Build", for their input, help and camaraderie
during this project. A big thank you also to members of
Modellboard.de (where concurrently ran the build report in
German), that helped with information and suggestions.
____________________
A big thank you also to the vendors/suppliers that stocked and
readily provided all the parts, pieces, tools and books needed for
this project:
Track 48 Products: http://track48.com/products-page1/index.html
Mission Models: http://www.missionmodels.com/
Great Model Webstore: http://www.greatmodels.com/
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Materials
List:
Tamiya:
Putty
( Basic Type)
XF-1
Flat Black
XF-2
Flat White
XF-21
Flat Base
XF-58
Olive Green
XF-59
Desert Yellow
XF-65
NATO Back
X-22
Clear
X-20A
Thinner
Mr.
Hobby:
"Mr.
Surfacer 2000" Spray Can
"Mr.
Surfacer 500" Jar
Vallejo/Model
Color
#822
German Camo Black Brown
#862
Black Grey
Humbrol:
Enamel
Thinner
Grumbacher:
Turpentine
Pre-Tested
Odorless Thinner
Windsor-Newton:
#2
Burnt Sienna
#24
Ivory Black
#33
Prussian Blue
MIG
Productions:
#P035
Panzer Grey (Fading)
#P036
Allied Green (Fading)
#P028
Europe Dust
Bragdon's
Enterprises:
"Rust"
Weathering Powders Set
Water
90%
Denatured Alcohol
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Reference
Materials
Google "Image" search
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Marc
Reusser
March
2006
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