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Finally finished this one. Enjoyed this build a lot, but it took sooo long to finish it. I think that this was my longest build ever, not sure why, maybe I'm just getting slower You can find the WIP thread here. Anyway, the model should represent Tiger No. 112 of s.Pz.Abt.501 in North Africa. The 501st Heavy Tank Battalion was formed in mid-1942 and spent a few months training in Germany. This tank was one of the first two Tigers delivered to s.Pz.Abt.501. Battalion, including Tiger 112 arrived in Africa in Bizerte on November 1942. Its first combat engagement was the Battle of Tebourba. At this time, the 501 Battalion still had only four Tigers in Africa, of which only three were in working condition. They fought American tanks on 1st December, in the olive groves east of Tebourba. During the next few months, between December 1942 and March 1943, Tiger 112 participated in several engagements, of which Operation Fruhlingswind and the battle of Sidi bou Zid were the biggest success when heavy losses were inflicted on American armor. At the end of February 1943, the 501st was attached to the 7th Panzer Regiment and sent to capture Beja. The mission was a disaster, with seven Tigers lost in the battle of Hunt's Gap. The eleven remaining tanks, including Tiger 112 which survived the battle, were attached to the newly arrived 504th Heavy Tank Battalion and continued fighting until the surrender of Tunisia. After being transferred to 504th, Tiger 112 was renumbered 724. The damaged tank was abandoned and left by the main road, somewhere in north-eastern Tunis. There are few photos of the soldiers posing by the abandoned tank in the spring of 1943. This model should represent this tank while it was still Tiger 112, in its condition sometime around January 1943, before Operation Fruhlingswind. The kit itself, "Tiger 1 Tunisian Initial" from Dragon, No. 6608 is a great kit. The only bigger drawback being the DS tracks. I replaced them with the absolutely fantastic T-Rex 3D printed tracks. I also used two E.T. model PE sets, one for sideskirts and the other for details. These tanks were probably painted in Tropen 1, so combination of 2/3 RAL 8000 and 1/3 RAL 7008. Model was painted with a combination od Gunze and MRP paints, and some Mr. Metal Color and Vallejo for detail painting. It is very hard to notice the disruptive color due to the low contrast. Especially when covered with some dust. On bw photos, almost impossible I would say. Side of the tank had some repaired battle damage that was brush painted after repairs probably with RAL 8020. Model was weathered with some pigments and MIG's nature effects. And here are some details shots. This tank was photographed a lot, so abundance of reference material. Here's a compilation of few shots: And of course, tiger1.info was and amazing source of reference material. My longest build would be twice longer without it Thanks for watching and thanks for feedback. Cheers, Nenad

Hello folks, While building my Tiger 112 of the s.Pz.Abt.501 a few months ago, I ran into a few interesting photos of Panzer III Ausf. Ns that were assigned to the same battalion in a supporting role. Having this Tamiya kit on the shelf for far too long, and a need for relaxing build after my Ark Model adventure, I decided to build Tiger's little buddy. The first elements of the battalion arrived in Africa in Bizerte on November 1942, and until the end of the year, there were 12 Tiger Is and 16 Panzer III Ausf. Ns. Its first combat engagement was the Battle of Tebourba. Ausf. Ns 75mm short-barreled guns were excellent infantry support weapons, and their speed and reliability rendered effective assistance to the high-maintenance Tigers. They were mostly firing high explosive rounds against the infantry and soft targets, making them a great addition to the heavy battalions. They were also used occasionally for resonance roles. This model should represent the first company tank no. 124, but is rather inspired but photos of a few different Panzer III Ausf. Ns from an s.Pz.Abt.501 battalion. The build was straightforward, as one should expect from a Tamiya kit. The only additions are Master Club tracks, a wooden box on the fender specific to s.Pz.Abt.501, jerry can rack (Def Model) and various stowage items, mostly Value Gear and Reality in Scale. Also, rearranged fender items a bit to match the photos. The model was painted with MRP RAL 8000. Although it should be expected that those tanks should be painted in RAL 8020, it seems that both Tigers and Pz IIIs of this battalion were painted in RAL 8000. These tanks were not used for too long, so I wanted to keep weathering subtle. Mostly weathered with Mig's pigments (a combination of a few earth and sand tones). Here are some additional detail shots: I couldn't find DAK tropical helmets anywhere to buy so I bought 3D models and printed them. I didn't have decals for them though, I'll add them once I have them. I really like those Master Club tracks. They are a bit stiff and those resin pins are PITA, but the details are fantastic. And here it is with his buddy: And these are some real-life shots. This one is from the Battle of Tebourba: And one more: Thanks for watching and for your feedback. Cheers, Nenad

This diorama is based on a book I read recently about The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), an Allied reconnaissance unit which operated in North Africa in WWII. They used a few different trucks, but the Canadian Chevrolet 30-cwt was one of the main ones. Initially almost entirely comprised of New Zealanders, then joined later by Rhodesians and UK troops, its first commander was a scientist who had spent many years prior to the war studying sand dunes in Egypt and Libya. During that time he figured out the basics of travelling long distances in the deserts in trucks. When war came he convinced General Wavell to let him set up the LRDG. This outfit actually drove the SAS to its destinations on its first missions, and passed on a lot of knowledge to the SAS on desert travel. They travelled way behind enemy lines and reported in on troop and convoy movements. Made life hell for Rommell. The diorama itself came about when I read about how the LRDG would stop at oases in the middle of the day for repairs/maintenance and to send signals. What is unrealistic about the dio (amongst many items) is that it would never be a truck on its own. They travelled in groups, but as I have little spare space, a single vehicle was my only option. The troops are cheap plastic Airfix Commonwealth troops which I have modded with little desert headwear, etc. I love the guy with the binoculars. My ship-building experiments came in handy when it was time to create muddy oasis water. The palm trees are even cheaper Chinese-made stuff. I noticed that most oases were littered with fallen, dead fronds and were generally a bit messy, so I cut off some palm fronds and turned them into dead ones. The cost of 25 cheap assorted Chinese palms was less than the cost of one Woodlands Scenics palm, which was the wrong type anyway. The truck is a Canadian 30-cwt Chevrolet, a few more details on it below. The truck model: This is a 1/72 kit by Academy, the one fitted with a Breda (captured Italian) 20mm AA gun. You can also get the same truck with a Lewis gun. The LRDG were great scroungers of gear, and so there is not really a "correct" LRDG truck, when it comes to equipment. I made some extra gear from modeller's clay to represent swags of canvas on the back of the truck. And as you can see, it's a tiny little thing, but it was a lot of fun to build and detail.