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Yetifans Tamiya Tiger 1 Mid Production with Zimmerit


Yetifan

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Hi Everyone, so while waiting to finish off the M247 for the M60 Group build I thought I would take a look at my choice for this STGB:

 

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I really enjoyed my Tamiya Tiger 1 early build so looking forward to another Tiger with the added zimmerit and a late war paint scheme.

So what’s in the box........Four sprues and a separate hull tub and the three sprues for the track links and a small decal sheet.

 

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Very few parts when compared to the Meng Panther ( I have still not finished ) but for me a quick build is my preference.  The tracks are individual links not quite sure how they go together just yet.

 

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I have spotted the first issue which I have to say has surprised me and also is pretty disappointing. All of the links have SIX ejector pin marks on the inside of the track link!! Be interested to hear from anyone who has come across this and am I going to have to rub down every link 😞  not feeling good about that prospect!

 

 

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The zimmerit looks pretty good with two patterns to choose from for the turret, its described as stickers rather than decals so will be interesting to see how well it does or does not work especially compared to some of the other builds using other techniques.

 

 

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So I’ll make a start with some basic assembly and read through how the zimmerit should be applied, do I need to prime the plastic first?? Also need to look again at the tracks and figure out what will be involved in making them work.

 

Thanks for looking 🙂

 

 

 

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Welcome to the build yetifans, I don’t envy you with those links. You could do short runs of about 6 or 8 and then sand them in a block? 

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2 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

Welcome to the build yetifans, I don’t envy you with those links. You could do short runs of about 6 or 8 and then sand them in a block? 

Hi @ozzy great suggestion. Still a bit concerned about the work involved, not what I expected from Tamiya. My thought at the moment is quite a few of them will be hidden by the wheels and the ones underneath the “top” track won’t be visible. I will do a sample and see how it works out.

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Hi Yetifan.... sorry I've forgotten your name!

 

39 minutes ago, Yetifan said:

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Looking at the ejector pin marks, they are indented rather than raised. Personally, and as you said,  I'd leave all those on the return track length (top tracks) as they are, but also the smallest pin marks deeper down in those recesses which will be covered up by the adjoining links.

As for those pin marks which WILL be visible, personally, I'd construct the bottom run of tracks and fill the dents with smears of putty. Then get a lollipop stick or similar, wrap some emery cloth/fine sandpaper around it and using the long edge sand them all down.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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Hi @Badder i’m enjoying your thread so far! I’m going to get a sample run together and then try a few things and see which has the least overhead / frustration 🙂

 

Andy

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Hi Yetifan. Good to see you here with a project - I'm looking forward to seeing it in progress. Shame about the ejector pin marks but, as the others and you have said - you won't need to clean them all up.

Kind regards,

Stix

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi everyone, some slow progress on the Tiger. I’ve struggled a bit to get into this build, the kit went together really nicely and the zimmerit stickers worked well. I’m not totally happy with the fit of the zimmerit on the gun mantlet but I had a feeling the fit would not be perfect.

 

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The painting was a bit annoying, I had really problems getting the airbrush to work properly and the paint kept clogging which I’ve not really had issues with before. Finally got a reasonable coat of colour 50:50 XF-60 and XF-57 on the tank and then freehand painted the green camo scheme.

 

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Next job will be to apply some varnish and then get the few decals on and start the weathering process. Not sure how well the decals will work on the zimmerit so some decal softener and a bit of patience required. Also going to revisit my mud technique used on my previous Tiger 1 and add some to the lower hull but only in a limited amount.

 

I’m still really concerned that the tracks are going to be a real pain. I don’t understand the logic of these single track links that don’t make flexible tracks. If they start to test me I may have to put this to one side along with my Meng Panther which I haven’t gone back to because of the same type of tracks. Once it gets frustrating the fun evaporates for me and I get drawn to other kits in the stash. 

 

So that’s all for now, enjoy the weekend. Thanks for looking.

 

Andy

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Hi Andy,

Great progress, lovely zim and interesting camo.

 

1 hour ago, Yetifan said:

I don’t understand the logic of these single track links that don’t make flexible tracks.

The 'logic' is that individual track links can be made to a much higher degree of accuracy and with greater detail than those on 'rubber bands'. Also, solid, stiff, track links retain the angular progression around the idlers and sprockets and don't 'curve' around them like rubber band track links do. (meaning that a rubber link will actually bend/curve)

 

If you're having problems with them, there are plenty of people who can tell you how best to do it.

 

I've only ever used them once - also on a Tamiya Mid, but I found it pretty easy.

 I glued all my bottom row together, let them dry, did the same for the top row, and did the same for the upward sloping lengths. That left the links around the sprockets and idlers to deal with. I glued them on individually. It was then a case of joining all those pre-made lengths to each other and to the sprockets and idlers - sometimes having to add or remove a link in order to do so.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

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Hi Everyone, the tracks are finished. Oh my gosh, never again. Horrible idea, horrible job and not even a very good result. I’m really a bit annoyed with them and they have made the build something of a chore and so have taken the fun out of it a bit. 

 

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Here is a better view of the tracks. Glue everywhere and I couldn't figure out how best to paint and weather the tracks so will have to try and do something with them on the vehicle.

 

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Anyhoo all the tools and final parts attached, so off to get a gloss coat on and then the decals.

 

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So i’m going to leave it for a day or two and get my mojo back before pushing through the final stages. Such a shame the tracks have made it a tough build, I’m pretty happy with how the main hull has come out and hopefully the weathering will really make the zimmerit stand out much better than in the pics.

 

Thanks for looking 🙂

 

 

Edited by Yetifan
broken link to image
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Hi Everyone, so after a varnish coat the decals went on quite nicely with the aid of some microsol, another layer of varnish. The varnish made a big difference to the colour of the base coat and darkened it quite a bit. It also seemed to interact with the previous coat to create some darker patches. Overall I was quite happy with the effect and moved on to some washes and then some dry brushing.

 

A bit of mild chipping and then some fun with my homemade mud solution. Basically some of our garden clay soaked overnight in water until it softened to a paste and then with a wet brush applied to the tracks and lower hull. A final splatted with some mud by flicking off an old toothbrush.

 

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As ever the photos highlight a few touch up jobs but apart from that I’m calling this one finished. It’s been a struggle at times, but the Tiger kept pulling me back because it’s such a cool vehicle. So onwards to some other projects in the stash.

 

Thanks for looking 🙂

 

 

 

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You've done a great job Andy. Well done for sticking it out with the tracks. You may not have enjoyed their construction, but they look so much better than rubber bands and I think they were worth the hassle.

That's an Interesting effect with the dark patches of varnish - sometimes accidents can be 'happy' ones. I'm a bit concerned with your mud though. I would have mixed some PVA into it, making it more likely to stay put. Finally, the zim looks great. I have the same stickers (for a future project) and I think I'll use them after seeing yours.

 

Again, a great job and a lovely looking Tiger.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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