Silverstone 2

Hi Matt, I've come up with a plan: The plastic barrel has some advantages - I reinforced the inner barrel to give more rigidity and strength. I've carefully profiled the muzzle to so no visible seems: inside or out. Plastic is also not as heavy as the turned versions - therefore no droop due to too much moment on the mounts. The semi-circular peg can be made to work well - Slight increase In cross section as you mention but also adding a peg extension (2 x length) for example. These 2 mods will provide a tighter but also better alignment for both barrel and main gun assemblies. This should future proof the dismantling & assembling requirements fro display. I will post my progress on this mod. I have to say the Trumpeter model is an absolute delight to work with. Fit is very good overall with quite large pieces, working mechanisms are ve4ry good too! If only they made a Tiger 1 & Jagdtiger like this I would be a very happy AFV modeller. Guess 1/35 will have to do for these.

The other problem I see is the continuous removal of both the barrel and fairing each time you want to remove the turret-roof enclosure. I think this is why you have opted for the cutaway idea of the turret. Makes more sense now. My question to myself is, are there enough openings (3 hatches) to see enough of the interior - probably not? but this way you can get away from the gun removal issue. A conundrum?

Hi Matt, The Barrel is dry Fit only at the moment, The barrel is assembled -i.e. the 2 halves glued together, that's all. The main gun assembly (recoil spring part is assembled) There is just a little play between the semi circular peg-join - this can be improved with some careful manipulation IMO. From your picture it looks like you have used it as an adapter for a metal gun. Is that the Aber Barrel or Shumo?

Hi Matt, I'm really enjoying this build, great to be following your build too. I decided to get the 'Super King' book for reference also. The biggest conundrum is the 88 barrel, it's fit to the recoil mech isn't the tightest and it is something that will need to be removed periodically to view the turret interior. is the Aber fit any better?

Hi Matt, Finally Link: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234986936-trumpeter-116-king-tiger/ A long way behind you! Phil

Finally some progress on the huge King Tiger! I started this almost a year ago! But found I was getting too short on time, with commission builds:-( I've restarted it now and i'm going to see though to completion ....somehow. This KT is going to be based on Abt 503 or possibly 101 from France 1944. This will have a Zimmerit finish. Some progress pics below: The hatch mechanisms, although quite a delicate fidel, work quite well when finished. The build quality and fit on this model are very good considering the size of the molds. The 88mm L71: Dry fit to turret base

Hi Matt, Extreme apologies for not posting any of my KT updates. I have been working on it yesterday and agin I'll be working on it over the weekend. I will post later today some progress shots. Yours is looking truly amazing, I can see the mods you have made on the ammo racks to prevent the turret from snagging. Phil.

Great work, I took a ride on Sentimental Journey, in the Bombardier seat. It was April this year in AZ. Truly amazing experience, got some great photos. I too have the 1/32 HK B-17G which I'll be making later this year. I've only recently finished a 1/48 commission build of the same thing for someone else. I really like the way you have added the passenger seats and netting. Is the finish on your aluminium Overcast Hu Metalcote or Alclad? My 1/48 commission build was Metalcote and it came out very well. Alclad is good but a pig to use and extremely toxic due to its lacquer carrier. Phil

The 3D render depicts the paddle type props. The needle version is quite pronounced. Wide chord at 1/3rd span tapering off to an almost point at the tips. Almost have an elliptical appearance. Paddle versions, as above look more traditional like the B-17g style props. The dorsal turret, I'm not too sure about though!

If Revell, ZM or Tamiya were to create similar aircraft rather than just variants at almost the same release date. That would be competition. For example if Revell made a 1/32 Halifax or Sterling, that's healthy competition if released at the same time as the HK Lancaster. I think replicating the same subject is actually a bit of a shame, ZM seem to pretty much copy most released subjects recently. The HK and Tamiya Mosquito are both commendable but wouldn't it be great if one was a Whirlwind or Marauder? Revell are more likely to release a 1/32 Dornier IMHO

Does anyone know the progress of the Lancaster. I was hoping this would have been there next project after the meteor. Because we now have 2 manufacturers versions of both Do-335s and DH Mosquitos in 1/32. Which IMO snuck in on the line up que. Although the they are both welcome, ZM and Tamiya have versions too! Hoping for some Lancaster updates.....

looking really great Matt! Sorry it's been such a long time since I've done any updates either. I will start posting my KT progress this month, I hope. Just finished a commission build, which I'm now putting a stop to, as commissions are taking a toll on the building enjoyment. Phil

Me too, I'm an ex B747-400/ -8 active pilot, now fly other types, but still get to instruct/examine on the. -400 sim which is also fun too. To me the 747 is still the best looking aircraft in the skies, I know I'm biased but nothing compares. A380 is not as good a performer as everyone hoped or thought, hence why Boeing were right never to make the type they intended back in the Early 90s. Unfortunately the 777-300 and the soon to be 777x will be king! A real shame but it's all about the big twins now! It will be a sad day when BA finish flying their 50+ fleet of -400s

Hi Mike, You are right there is absolutely loads of Metal upgrades for the HL Tiger...Metal Hulls - Upper/lower arms, tracks, wheels, turret and of course 88mm barrel and more. I guess the Tiger could end up weighing twice it's original weight and of course slow it right down. Where do you stop indeed? The HL retails for a £110ish maybe cheaper if you shop around. I've seen some people modifying their Tigers so much that the entire project cost close to £700-800 all in, by the time it's all finished. The mods for my future HB Tiger 1 build (mid production) have already cost more than the original model itself, and I have not finished acquiring all of them yet. Also if you are only going to use the HL Tiger indoors, the metal tracks and running gear could start playing havoc with carpets, flooring and furnishings. Phil

Hi Mike, Yes the thicker inner wheels are standard, they are also on the inside axel of the thinner (correct) size wheels also. My guess is they were used for stability on the running gear as it's an RC model. The HL Tiger does go quite a rate of knots under full scale steam, too quick for the real thing! Also it turns extremeley rapidly. I think due to the lack of gear changability with Electric Motors/gearbox means the gearing is very low but still very quick. Too much torgue. What I have noticed that if you turn the tiger too quickly due to it's high sensitivity, the tracks can come of the idler wheels quite easily. So the Thicker wheels must be there to keep the tracks aligned and spaced as much as possible? The airbrush-dusting has revealed their dimensions more than before. You can see the wheels more clearly here (picture 10): http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234978980-heng-long-116-tiger-1-conversion/ Phil

Hi Matt, Thanks, I wanted to finish this HL project to free up work space for the KT, hence why i turned the Tiger around relatively quickly. Still took a good solid 3-4 days to get it finished though. Now all my existing projects are finished I'm going to crack on with the KING TIGER, full steam ahead! The HL Tiger 1 was good as an evaluation of how i'm going to tackle the HB version later in the year.

Nice build, I like the Zimmerit and the weathering Great base & Track marks too!

It's on Ready for Inspection thread now. Thanks

Here is this weeks finished projeect: Hope you like the results? The pictures don't quite do it as much justice as seen with the naked eye. The Tiger 1 is vey clean, as is the current example at the Museum. So does look a little unusual for a battle weathered WW2 "Front Line" tank. This as you may have guessed is actually the HENG LONG Tiger 1. I've added a few details - scratch build and completely removed all seems and any imperfections. There are some inaccuracies regarding the headlights still being present but I wanted to keep the RC element faithful in all of its features. The other inaccuracy is the 131 font. It's different style and slightly bigger than the current numbers on the Bovington example. I stenciled these in the end and then dulled them down with a light dusting. The best thing is this tank is still fully RC operational, so i can drive it around and fire BB gun pellets everywhere. although I wont in case I start marking the paint work! I am currently building the 1/16 Trumpeter King Tiger and plan on building a HB Tiger 1 too. I've got a lot of extras for the HB Tiger 1, which i'm looking forward to finsihing after the KT. This project has given me a lot of encouragement and inspiration for the HB Tiger 1. I want to make a reaaly good Tiger 1 to go next to my KT and this HB project i think is best option out there. Apart from Tamiya's static model. The HB can me made to the Tamiya standard and better with a bit of engineering and a lot of aftermarket mods IMHO.

More Progress: All parts were removed and then bonded together with all seems completely removed. lot of work Looks a bit green if taken with IPhone - Small lenses and poor lighting don't help, better pictures of the finished article. Bit of scratch building to create the step Took about 3-4 days of full time effort to complete this. The finished articel will be on the ready for inspection thread today.

Thanks for the link. anyone used this with the Aber muzzle before. The 2 questions i have about the Schumo: how each end will work? I guess the Aber muzzle will fit straight on, but looks like a lot of surgery will be nedded to get the big end to fit onto the existing gun firing mechanism of the original KT? Any Tips or experience will be much appreciated! Phil

Looks really good Matt!I know the dilemma you are going through, how much effort do I put into the interior when at first impressions the outside is what some body else will probably focuses on! The interior of your KT is top notch, I'm impressed and and I'm sure most others are too. I always remember from looking at other models after quite a few years now, no matter how much effort the interior was, both Aircraft and AFVs or Space, if the outside finish is not right, the eye will never go past, to look at the interior efforts. My recent builds, along with others follow this trend. luckily for me the last project - Randy Cooper ISD is a good example. Most people like and enjoy looking at the finished article but are not aware of what was envolved on the inside workings to create the accuracy and detail in The origins. Nor will they want to know or get interested, possibly? I will post my KT build ASAP. I will super detail my interior as a much as possible anyway PHIL

Thanks for the link, the muzzle brake is not so much of an issue to acquire. The L71 barrel is the issue. The Schumo version is really the only one around, and that's becoming scarce now. Might have to come up with something else? I've got the original looking promising at the moment. Phil

Hi Warren, Yes I Emailed Randy with this build, as I believe he should be credited also, for enabling us modellers to have susch great kits. Best Phil

Thanks for the comments guys! Just realised on the first picture that i didn't put the ISD on the stands squarely and it's tilting to one side Apologies!