CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

[Badder]

TIGER I (Early)

TAMIYA 1/35th

Eduard PE grill set.

Friul Tracks.

SCRATCH-BUILT MAYBACH HL210 ENGINE.

HALFORD'S RATTLE CAN GREY PLASTIC PRIMER.

MIG 'LATE GERMAN CAMOUFLAGE SET' LIGHT DUNKELGELB.

ASSORTED DALER ROWNEY ACRYLIC INKS.

HUMBROL DARK EARTH WEATHERING POWDER.

WATER AND STIFF BRUSHES (FOR RUBBING BACK)

SIGMA MICRON ARCHIVAL ACRYLIC INK PENS (SEPIA COLOURED, FOR CHIPPING)

WINSOR AND NEWTON GLOSS AND MATT ACRYLIC VARNISHES.

 

 

 

So here, at last, is my finished Tiger I (Fruhe) with the scratch-built engine that took so long to make that I had to abandon scratch-building the cooling fans.

And even then I ended up running out of time in the TIGER GB.

Nevertheless, I did enter this into the TIGER GB Gallery in a 'looks finished' state, 6 mins before the deadline. It was soundly, and deservedly beaten in the poll!

 

I subsequently spent the next month and a half getting it into the state that I had actually envisaged at the outset, although I had to give up on opening up the cooling fan bay for technical reasons. (Either Tamiya's fault, or the Tiger's designers,but you can't open the fan bay cover without removing the air hoses, and their connectors, from the filter units.)

 

Anyway, here's a load of photos. I'll be happy to answer any questions and I welcome any criticisms!

 

BTW, THE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN UNDER ARTIFICIAL LIGHT AND THEREFORE THE WHITENESS HAS BEEN LOST. I WILL TAKE SOME PHOTOS IN NATURAL LIGHT TOMORROW AND POST THEM HERE ABOUTS.

 

I won't be adding mud to the tracks until the Tiger's dio is ready.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I 'moved' the tow cable because I originally intended to open up the cooling fan cover underneath. Now, it's simply moved aside so that the no one trips over it while working on and around the engine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I decided to show the Tiger's engine, it required that I open up the engine cover, obviously. I quickly discovered that this was not possible as the escape hatch hinge and the rearmost of the spare track links fouled the engine cover. Hmmmm. But then a period photo provided by @Robert Stuart showed that this was the case in real life. The turret HAD to be turned to THIS angle and the rearmost spare track-link had to be removed in order that the engine cover could be opened. What clever design by the 'perfectionist' Germans!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am calling this finished, but it will get mud/debris on the tracks when the dio is ready. It's for this reason that I'm not too worried about any colour discrepencies between the various patches of mud on the Tiger. The mud of the dio will dictate the colour of the mud on the Tiger.

 

On the whole, I'm fairly happy with the Tiger. There are things I could have done better.  Feel free to criticise!

 

 

TFL

Badder

 

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Badder

[FrancisGL]

What happened, friend , too "hidden" for my liking ......, 

Waiting to see it in all its splendor.

 

Cheers Badder 

Edited October 3, 2019 by FrancisGL

[Badder]

1 hour ago, FrancisGL said:

What happened, friend , too "hidden" for my liking ......, 

Waiting to see it in all its splendor.

 

Cheers Badder 

Hi Francis,

 

Sorry!

For whatever reason, when I first paste a link to my photos here, the BM site doesn't recognise it (it may be IMGUR'S FAULT) But, If I submit what I've typed and pasted, then edit and re-paste the links, BM DOES recognise the link and my photo then appears.

Unfortunately for you, I had only pasted one link to one photo and had all of the others, plus the text to add and type before submitting this topic properly! Until Id done that, everyone was going to see a 'blank' post!

 

Sorry again!

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Duckwizard]

A wonderful build, I love it.

[Robert Stuart]

Hooray!!

 

Looks good B, even in the 'wrong light' - worth the wait.

[Badder]

3 hours ago, Duckwizard said:

A wonderful build, I love it.

Thanks Michael,

I'm glad it's over TBH.

It would have been a quick and easy build if I hadn't opted to scratch-build the engine. That took ages, with lots of alterations as I did it all 'by eye' with no measuring instruments, and using only basic handtools. i did plan on opening up one  of the cooling fan bays and scratch-building the fans, but that meant: moving the tow cable (which I did) cutting the cover out (which I did) making the fan housing (which I did) and making the fans (which I didn't have time to do during the GB). I didn't realise it at the time, but it also meant having to totally remove the air ducts and connectors from the air filter on that side... and I didn't really want to do that because I didn't just want to put them aside. I kind of liked the look of them hanging from the filter anyway (which meant that the cover wouldn't open on my model (and I think, in real life)

 

Still, despite the trials and tribulations, it was another step up on the old learning curve.
 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

2 hours ago, Robert Stuart said:

Hooray!!

 

Looks good B, even in the 'wrong light' - worth the wait.

Hi Robert,

Thanks. and LOL

The 'wrong light' is a mystery.  You might notice how one or two photos show that my Tiger IS white, while in others it looks sandy coloured.  Strange, as I used the same lamp and white board for all of the photos. I can't blame the camera, because the Tiger sometimes looks sandy coloured to the naked eye. I am beginning to suspect that it's something to do with the properties of the white ink..... that at certain angles the light is absorbed, or is refracted, or reflected away and so it doesn't look white. But then, surely SOME parts would be at the correct angle to look white ????

 

Whatever, I will take pics outside tomorrow and post those.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Excellent build of a Tiger ! ... Well done badder. 

[Hewy]

A fine end result badder,smashing job

[Jasper dog]

Work of art, looks cold, wet and miserable just looking at it. (In a good way)

So much to like but particularly the mud clinging to hull, the worn winter finish, something I tend to shy away from, the battle damage so nicely done and to scale, imo.

As you've mentioned I think having the hoses from air filters left hanging are a nice touch.

Looking forward to seeing it on the dio.

 

Great work

Thanks for posting.

Darryl

[Robert Stuart]

5 hours ago, Badder said:

I am beginning to suspect that it's something to do with the properties of the white ink..... that at certain angles the light is absorbed, or is refracted, or reflected away and so it doesn't look white. But then, surely SOME parts would be at the correct angle to look white ????

I would expect something of the sort from thin layers of 'good' quality inks (Golden or Liquitex) where we'd be looking for undertones and pearlescent effects.  FW inks should be a bit more predictable.

 

Personally, I like the effect, but I'm not the maker ...

[Bullbasket]

12 hours ago, Badder said:

On the whole, I'm fairly happy with the Tiger.

And so you should be. You've done a great job on the Tiger. Nice one.

 

John.

[FrancisGL]

13 hours ago, Badder said:

Hi Francis,

 

Sorry!

For whatever reason, when I first paste a link to my photos here, the BM site doesn't recognise it (it may be IMGUR'S FAULT) But, If I submit what I've typed and pasted, then edit and re-paste the links, BM DOES recognise the link and my photo then appears.

Unfortunately for you, I had only pasted one link to one photo and had all of the others, plus the text to add and type before submitting this topic properly! Until Id done that, everyone was going to see a 'blank' post!

 

Sorry again!

 

Rearguards,

Badder

Hi Badder,

Friend, no reason to apologize, I imagined it could be some technical problem or I simply had not given you time to upload the photos. As expected, we already have it here, and for what you can see, it was quite good, the brute force of the model is noted.

As you say, there is always something that we think could have been done differently and improved, but what counts is that in the end it seems to us that the effort was worth it.

I think it is a wise decision to wait to put the mud on the tracks, until it is in the dio. I think it is the logical sequence, for a perfect integration of the two elements.

For me, the photos are a bit dark, it can be my monitor, but maybe with the adjustment of the white balance on your mobile ?, or camera? Change a lot. There is a mate who is now making a KV-1, and you can see the big difference between a series and another of photos in his topic, because of that.

 

When it's in its icy base, I think it will look great.

Cheers Badder 

[cambridge]

the weathering is superb

[Badder]

10 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Excellent build of a Tiger ! ... Well done badder.

Thanks Dennis,

Now I just have to work out what to pair it up with in the dio. Some kind of re-supply truck, or recovery/maintenance vehicle. Any ideas?

Rearguards,

Badder

7 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

Work of art, looks cold, wet and miserable just looking at it. (In a good way)

Thanks Darryl,

I've deliberately held back on the 'wet' look. The alternative is a more icy look, where the mud is frosted. It all depends on what I do with the dio. I have been planning on a 'thawing snow' scene, so possibly a bit of wet and a bit of frost, or more wet? Decisions, decisions.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

1 hour ago, cambridge said:

the weathering is superb

Thanks Cambridge,

This is my 3rd winter camo'd vehicle in a row, so I'm getting used to the vagaries of 'my method', however, I'm beginning to think I could cut out a few of the multiple layers in some places and speed the process up!

 

Rearguards,

Badder

6 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

And so you should be. You've done a great job on the Tiger. Nice one.

 

Thanks John,

Glad you like it! I had troubles with my meds causing shaking and trembling towards the end, so some of the smaller parts and the chipping were a bit awkward, but the trembling has decreased slightly so I am a bit more optimistic about future work!

 

Rearguards

Badder

8 hours ago, Hewy said:

A fine end result badder,smashing job

Hi Glynn,

High praise coming from you. Thank you.

Hopefully the 'sunlight' pics will make ME feel happier!

6 hours ago, Robert Stuart said:

FW inks should be a bit more predictable.

 

Personally, I like the effect, but I'm not the maker ...

Hi Robertn

I was using Daler Rowney White FW ink, over acrylic Dunkelgelb. Probably, the 'sandy yellow' shows through the white at certain angles/light, even though the ink was applied in several layers. And though I used a white LED light for the photos the background low energy light bulbs (in the house) exacerbated the problem, I think?

 

Anyway, I'll do the outside photos later and we'll see.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[iwik]

Hi!

Excellent work on the weathering! Love it!

Congrats!

Ciao

IWik

[Badder]

Outside photos. Unfortunately it started drizzling again, so I had to stop. Clearly though, the Tiger IS white!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TFL

Badder

 

ps, I am aware that I've left the two locating holes for the RHS exhaust shroud, unfilled. It's possible, just possible, that I will mount the shroud where it's supposed to be when it comes to placing the Tiger in a diorama. If I decide to stick with the original idea I will fill them in and model the four holes which were there in reality. Oh, and there'll be two vertical Dunkelgelb 'stripes' where the shroud's flanges masked the Tiger's paintwork from the whitewash.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Badder

[Badder]

11 minutes ago, iwik said:

Hi!

Excellent work on the weathering! Love it!

Congrats!

Ciao

IWik

Ciao iwik,

 

Thanks for the positive feedback. It's always nice to get praise from members that I haven't come across before! I hope you like the new photos which are a better reflection on the white. (forgive the pun)

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[PlaStix]

Hi Badder. I hope you are feeling a bit better than before.

Well what can I say about your Tiger? Well to start with - it was well worth the wait! Your build thread was always entertaining - although I'm not sure the 'cliffhanger' style endings to some of your posts are good for anyone's stress levels! 

The look you have achieved is what I have come to expect from you. Despite all the trials and tribulations, you get some of the best weathering effects I have seen. Your efforts result in very real 'real world' looking materials and, as I have mentioned many times to you before, it is your skills and process that defines the amazing and inspiring models you produce. I am in awe!  

Kind regards,

Stix

PS - When do you start your T-55 build in the GB I'm co-hosting starting tomorrow?  😜

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by PlaStix

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

3 hours ago, Badder said:

what to pair it up with in the dio. Some kind of re-supply truck, or recovery/maintenance vehicle. Any ideas?

Field kitchen speaks to me. The crew is doing maintenance or trying to figure out why its broken down. The field kitchen happens by and stops to feed the crew. 

[Badder]

53 minutes ago, PlaStix said:

PS - When do you start your T-55 build in the GB I'm co-hosting starting tomorrow? 

Hi Stix,

First off, I am a bit better thanks for asking. Still sufferring side effects but hopefully they will reduce over time.

 

Thanks for your kind comments on my techniques and methods and the result of all the faffing about with my Tiger. High praise indeed. I am humbled. I always aim to please myself, but it's nice to know others are pleased by the results as well!

 

I'm afraid I won't be taking part in the T-55 GB (As you jolly well know! ;-)) but I shall drop in to have a gander when I can. Good luck with the co-hosting, I hope it doesn't detract from your own fine work!

 

Rearguards,

Badder

22 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Field kitchen speaks to me. The crew is doing maintenance or trying to figure out why its broken down. The field kitchen happens by and stops to feed the crew. 

Ah, I hadn't thought of that. It's a definite possibility. I did build the horse-drawn Tamiya one back in the late 70's and that was fun. I think there's a MiniArt one around nowadays. I shall have a gander. Maybe a supply vehicle AND a field kitchen......

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Robert Stuart]

Your Tiger looks great there B.  The white IS white.

Not convinced by the colour of the leaves - too fresh and bright.  Yes, I know they are real, but the green looks wrong to my eyes.  (Mosses and algae on the stones look OK)

 

Hope to see the diorama soon(ish?)

[Badder]

33 minutes ago, Robert Stuart said:

Your Tiger looks great there B.  The white IS white.

Not convinced by the colour of the leaves - too fresh and bright.  Yes, I know they are real, but the green looks wrong to my eyes.  (Mosses and algae on the stones look OK)

 

Hope to see the diorama soon(ish?)

Thanks Robert,

I sometimes think I'm going mad when I see a white Tiger turn sandy, and vice-versa.

As for the plants, you're right, they are real, but not native to the Russian Steppes. I think that's what made them look wrong in your eyes. The gravel is a bit overscale, but I intend to roll them about in a jar of water and silicon carbide for 20 years to get them worn down to 1/35th scale.

 

The Tiger will appear in the Pit Stop dio at some point.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Badder

[Badder]

32 minutes ago, Badder said:

1 hour ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Field kitchen speaks to me. The crew is doing maintenance or trying to figure out why its broken down. The field kitchen happens by and stops to feed the crew. 

Ah, I hadn't thought of that. It's a definite possibility. I did build the horse-drawn Tamiya one back in the late 70's and that was fun. I think there's a MiniArt one around nowadays. I shall have a gander. Maybe a supply vehicle AND a field kitchen......

 

Rearguards,

Badder

I had a look and the MiniArt Field Kitchen and it's a Soviet one. Perhaps it was over-run and put into use by the Germans? I also had a look at the Tamiya offerings. The one I built in the 70's had two horses pulling it. I see there are several different versions now, with or without horses/or single horse, and with more figures. Unfortunately they aren't in winter uniform. Still, all are a an optio with the right figure set.

 

Thanks again for 'sparking' the idea.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

[Soeren]

Beautifull model of a Tiger.

[Badder]

22 minutes ago, Soeren said:

Beautifull model of a Tiger.

Hi  Soreen, Soeren,

Not sure 'beautiful' is the right word, but thanks!

 

Rearguards,

Badder