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Tiger I Ausf E (Late)


Foxbat

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Glad it's not just me :D The instructions are no help as they give a build sequence but are so exploded that you can't tell where the first link is supposed to go, so the whole thing is an exercise in trial and (mostly) error. And glue. So much glue, eating paint, plastic, fingers and patience at a rate you wouldn't believe 😢 

 

So at the moment I'm like you. I've got one on, but I've got absolutely no inclination to tackle the second one just yet. A shame, because as you say, the rest of the kit is typical Tamiya and almost builds itself.

 

Andy

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After all that I got the first 7 individual links on before work this morning, and the rest of the track completed over my lunch break. It's wonky and has gaps but I think that adds something - it looks and feels way meatier and more 'real' than any other track I've encountered. I've slapped a coat of satin varnish over all the visible areas to hide the glossy glue and even out the tone ready for weathering. The hull and side skirts should also serve to distract from the worst of my ham fistedness.

 

Tracks (with the varnish still wet in places):

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A quick shot with the hull in laid in place, just to encourage me.

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Panzer Vor!! as I believe they say.

 

Andy

Glad it's over

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Thank you both for your kind words. Now I've got the tracks on I can crack on with the fun bits again. To that end, I've put the basic turret together so everything from here is adding detail. Final picture for today - think the gap around the top is down to me not reading the instructions and having to dismantle everything so I could add the mantlet and associated gubbins. Oops 😳

 

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Next job is cutting out lots of 3D zimmerit from a 2D sheet and making that turret look pretty. The fun just never start... stops in Tiger world :D  

 

Andy

Off for an early night

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7 hours ago, Foxbat said:

It's wonky and has gaps but I think that adds something - it looks and feels way meatier and more 'real' than any other track I've encountered. I've slapped a coat of satin varnish over all the visible areas to hide the glossy glue and even out the tone ready for weathering. The hull and side skirts should also serve to distract from the worst of my ham fistedness.

Hi Andy,

Glad to see you perciveered with the tracks. The top run in the photo above looks great. If the links around the idlers and sprokets are as neat then you've done a grand job.

I don't worry about the bottom row so much - obviously I do try to make them as neat as possible, but if there are any 'dodgy' links with gaps, or if it's a rubber band track and the join is a bit naff, I'll hide them by sinking the tank into mud, long grass, or sand etc.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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Slow progress, but progress none the less. The hull is now joined. The track guards have been added, and in a break with tradition are showing no signs of loss or damage (controversial I know, but I like living on the edge). I've added a few hatches, a couple of brackets and another couple of bits of zimmerit so I'm leaving it there overnight for everything to set.

 

I've also added the metal gun barrel, which was too big for the Tamiya bit, despite apparently being designed for it. I've done some damage to the bevel at the extreme front of the plastic bit while I was chiselling away to make the gun fit. Not sure what corrective action to take there, but whatever, it can wait until the cold light of tomorrow.

 

So here it is, Merry Chri... sorry. Here's my Tiger. Loads still to do, but loads done which is nice.

 

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Andy

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My progress will be sporadic over the next couple of weeks as I got the keys to my new house yesterday so I'm trying to move. Shifting as much as I can doing relay runs in the car before I get a man with a van to shift the big stuff at the end. Typically, a VERY protracted buying process suddenly completed in 36 hours leaving me totally disorganised.

 

I'll still be reading everyone else's threads in the meantime and chipping in when I can. Good job I got a lot done quickly, I should be able to finish within the time.

 

Andy

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  • 4 weeks later...

No progress on the modelling front but I am in my new house now, and I have been building but all in 1:1 scale - two double beds, a bookcase and a dresser in the last three days. Just a sideboard to do and then I can see about finding where I put my modelling table and all my gubbins. 

 

It's going to be tight, but I'll try to get this finished. It's already further along than most of my GB entries so it would be a shame not to.

 

Andy

Moved.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have my work desk and I've found the box with my Tiger plus the other box with the instructions (I'd packed all the instructions and decals for 3 builds in one box. Doh!!), so work will recommence this weekend. I hope this makes you all as happy as it makes me :)

 

Andy

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You have my complete and utter respect Sir! 4.5 years after last moving and I've still got stuff to sort out.

 

Nice build so far, you aren't alone with Tamiya track assembly. For my RammTiger I'm going to try assembling the tracks (once the ejector pin marks are filled :( ) without any painting beforehand. Whatever I've tried ends up with a joint failing soon after it's 'finished'. One thing that has certainly helped is removing the locating pips on tracks and suspension, that allows a little wriggle room and you can never have too much of that.

 

As a fellow Caramac addict I've found the Gold Bars by Messers. McVitie to be a pleasant comestible. 

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Got the hull completed (less tools and tow ropes, they'll go after the camo and decals). Added a coat of dunkelgelb and given it a wash of sepia ink. Started on the camo which is just green on this particular tank. I'm trying a variant of the "drops of paint in thinner technique" used on mottled aircraft to try and reproduce the feather edged spray in my reference pics, but I'm not sure it's working.

 

Pics will follow as soon as I remember where I safely stored my camera, and reunite it with the charger. It's a small house. They can't have got THAT far. Might have to pop out to find Gold bars instead though :D 

 

Andy

Back on tracks

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Quick update of the 'finished' hull. It looks terrible under flash and magnified in the photo, it's much better in real life, but even then I'm not entirely happy with it. Time is pressing though so I'll carry on regardless and see what I can make of it. 

 

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Andy

Edited by Foxbat
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Keep the faith Andy - easy for me to say after abandoning my 1/72 KTs :doh:

I can see this turning out well if you keep at it - cheering on the side lines - Steve

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1 minute ago, BIG X said:

Keep the faith Andy - easy for me to say after abandoning my 1/72 KTs :doh:

I can see this turning out well if you keep at it - cheering on the side lines - Steve

Cheers Steve. I'm going to finish this one as I'm still having fun with it. and the detail painting on the tools and such like should make a big difference to the overall look. Shame it's a tank from high summer 1944 though - no mud or whitewash to hide behind. Wonder exactly how much dust these things generated in the field? :D 

 

Andy

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1 hour ago, Foxbat said:

Cheers Steve. I'm going to finish this one as I'm still having fun with it. and the detail painting on the tools and such like should make a big difference to the overall look. Shame it's a tank from high summer 1944 though - no mud or whitewash to hide behind. Wonder exactly how much dust these things generated in the field? :D 

 

Andy

I would do a black pin wash to highlight the joints and tools etc and definitely go with a 'dusty' wash over the top - but I'll state the obvious - I'm no expert and often make a right mess of things.:blush:  Don't forget to get the decals on before the dust though.;)

 

Steve

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I kept fiddling and then I put the decals on the hull so I could weather them, and then I did a bit more fiddling and all of sudden this happened:

 

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I think that's it about finished. Proper pictures later - I'm actually still at work and I've got meetings for the next 2.5 hours :o 

 

Andy

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  • 2 weeks later...

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