Tiger 131

[stu360]

Calling all tiger experts!!! Got a strange calling to build Tiger 131 from the tank museum as it is now. Got the Tamiya 1/35 early production kit winging its way to me. Is this the best kit? noticed has decals for 131. Big question is what colours to use? got some tamiya paints. Guessing base colour is dark yellow? What colour are the stripes? Different pics show varying shades of green brown and grey? Any advice would be great!!

[oz!]

the base color would have been Gelbbraun RAL 8000 (yellow-brown) and the camo stripes/patches were Graugrün RAL 7008 (gray-green).

regards oz!

[foxy]

Heres how she looks now.

Hope this helps.

Cheers foxy

[SleeperService]

Cracking pictures foxy.

There's a load more here:http://jtrowbridge5.smugmug.com/BovingtonsHeavies there are several galleries with Tiger photos so have a look round his site generally.

Note that the finish has an obvious sheen to it, it is certainly not flat! There's also the damage from a shot on the bottom edge of the mantlet, this is painted silver/aluminium to show up. I've been told they used Humbrol silver....

A good choice of subject says he who is collecting stuff to build her as she was on Horse Guards parade in 1943.

[Troy Smith]

Cracking pictures foxy.

There's a load more here:http://jtrowbridge5.smugmug.com/BovingtonsHeavies there are several galleries with Tiger photos so have a look round his site generally.

Note that the finish has an obvious sheen to it, it is certainly not flat! There's also the damage from a shot on the bottom edge of the mantlet, this is painted silver/aluminium to show up. I've been told they used Humbrol silver....

A good choice of subject says he who is collecting stuff to build her as she was on Horse Guards parade in 1943.

I'd be careful about placing too much trust in the accuracy of Bovington's colours.

from here - http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/68676-paint-question-2-scc2/page-2#entry860352

a very telling comment by Mike Starmer

'The museum painted vehicles and artwork in books are not accurate, which is why they look so different.'

Quite so. Some years ago I was at Bovington watching their painter outside applying markings to their brown Churchill. The colour was brown but not SCC 2. I asked how they went about deciding the colour of this exhibit. The reply? Well we were told they were sort of dark brown so we went to B&Q and found something that we thought about right. There was no need to guess, they have a copy of BS.987C in their archive. But colour is not important to the staff there and no one it appears is interested enough to bother. They do however have copies of my books.

So, maybe the colours were researched by some Tiger nut, or they just went down to B&Q and got something that was about right....

HTH

T

[Derbyeomanry]

I went on the first Tiger day a couple of years back which included a lecture on the Tiger by the curator. He was clear that the paint scheme was researched carefully and ever since they'd completed the restoration all, of the 'experts' had told them they were wrong.

[stu360]

Great!!!

Thanks for tips and pics!! Tamiya early tiger arrived today! Opened the box and can't wait to get started!! Got the paint on order from emodels. I expect the problems with colour accuracy comes with only black and white photos which are open to interpretation. Throw in the fact no two war machines open to different elements and units will ever be exactly the same. Even nowadays army units paint their equipment to strict General order circulations. Never fails to amaze me how many units interpret simple instructions so differently!!

[SleeperService]

Hi Troy

I completely agree with you but, for this model, stu is looking to build the museum model as it is now. Hence my comments.

I'm always dubious of museum claims to have 'researched carefully' as I was once assured that an aircraft scheme was completely accurate. I mentioned this to a friend who, within minutes, had turned up a series of photographs in colour showing that regs had been followed, the museum was in error. Many years later it transpired that the paint had also been sourced from a DIY chain.....it's not just the Tank Museum.

I think that 131's colours are pretty close but, because of the gloss look a lot darker than they should. The finish was meant to turn matt 'after a few weeks' but seems virtually unchanged to me at any rate.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Got into a discussion with the curator about their lurid Panther Ausf G, he's adamant the colours are right.....I'm not convinced!

The red primer should be green, the yellow should be red-brown and the white should be yellow.....Here's a wartime image of a Jagdpanther painted (correctly obviously) in the camo pattern they are trying to depict:

Spot the difference!

for veering

Edited November 1, 2013 by Sgt.Squarehead

[JackG]

Sgt.Squarehead, I'd agree with you color callouts on the period photo. I've no clue what or who Bovington based there Panther on.

Back to the Bovington Tiger, I have read that the late author and researcher Thomas Jentz, was present when this particular tank was cleaned up and refurbished. They did find a two tone camou scheme underneath, though one side wasn't very clear. The scheme is quite valid as this was put out by the directives for tropical vehicles.

regards,

Jack

[AngloSaxon]

I think that 131's colours are pretty close but, because of the gloss look a lot darker than they should. The finish was meant to turn matt 'after a few weeks' but seems virtually unchanged to me at any rate.

Like Derbyeomanry I also attended a Tiger Day (September 2012) and during the lecture a question was raised about the gloss finish. The simple answer was, that it was much easier to keep clean and maintain than matt paint!

As for the colours it was stated that, although the Tiger had been re-painted many times since capture, during disassembly two untouched areas—between the road wheels and under the turret stowage bin—had provided evidence of RAL8000 and RAL7008. That is the reason the museum decided on that scheme. Whether it is accurate, or the modern colours are a fair reflection of the original, are points I suspect many 'experts' will argue about regardless.

Mike D.