"Eisernes Kreuz" - Tiger 1 - 1/35 - Border Model

[VinBizz4786_]

Hello there,

 

 

My deepest apologies for my absence lately, but I wasted a lot of time with an old Revell kit that ended up in the trash so much it drove me crazy, but anyway, let's move on. Time to start a project I had in mind for a while, a diorama of a Tiger 1 at the Battle of Kursk, all in 1/35 scale (please).

 

 

This project came to me while looking at several images of the Battle of Kursk, and in particular those of the 503rd Heavy Tank Bataillion (schwere Panzer-Abteilug 503). I therefore suggest that you review these images together;

 

 

The first shows two Tigers passing in front of an izba, and it is this image that will serve as the basis for my project, a diorama with a Tiger 1 passing in front of this building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To help me in the visualization of the landscape, this image will help me well

 

 

 

 

 

 

And for the tank itself, I chose the number 331, belonging to the 3. Kompanie, commanded by the Oberfeldwebel an der Heiden (I did not find any information on this man). The peculiarities of this tank were a basket hung against the turret chest (itself typical of the 503), spares tracks hung on the front armor, a system on the right side that allows the tank to have a wood log, no smoke launchers  and a sheet metal as a right mudguard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another photo made me want to add a little something to the diorama, a motorcycle, even if I don't know yet where exactly it will be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one last image again, which helped me to choose for the figures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, let's come to the model, because that's why we're here for. The model came from Border Model, a fairly recent brand, and I wanted to test their first product, namely the Tiger 1, with a fair amount of goodies, and the possibility of making 6 different tanks (great deal,there isnt the decals for the 331). The kit will be accompanied by Voyagermodels photo etch, Friul tracks, a resin turret box from PanzerArt, Aber metal MG 34s, and finally, because I wanted to try, hooks and hatches in 3D resin. Of course, we don't forget the Alpine resin tank commander.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the motorcycle, we start on a BMW R12 from Zvezda and pe from Voyagermodels (again)

 

 

 

 

 

 

And for accessories for the diorama and such, we have resin boxes for 88 shells, fuel drums and jerrycans from Miniart, aber goodies, and two Alpine figurines, and another figurine of an officer of at Scale75

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The build starts with the Tiger's fans and fuel tank, which won't really be visible, but hey, I wanted to have some fun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airbrush painting, using only Tamiya, and making some highlights,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then the patina is made, with a dry brushing aluminum color, then light gray, and then various washes

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continue to assemble the model, and for the moment, if the kit has very nice details, I am nonetheless disappointed with the whole, with too soft plastic (many parts are twisted), and far too many joint lines, and burrs, in places impossible to clean (like the fins of the fans)… not to mention an unclear notice. If the kit supplied a metal barrel, which is nice, they would have to supply the muzzle brake as well, because the plastic one requires a lot of sanding and deburring

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small detail for the coquetry and (also because I was too lazy to drill the tube of that of the kit), the MG 34 is replaced by an Aber reference

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more dynamics in the diorama, and also because it's something I've wanted to try for a long time, I modified the suspension to make them functional, and with a small piece of foam cut into a terrain shape , we set up the suspension of the Tiger

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also decided to remove all the weld lines and redo them in putty, but more on that later.
That's all for the moment,
Good afternoon to all,
Vincent

[Maddoxx77]

This is nice. I'll follow along. 

[echen]

6 hours ago, VinBizz4786_ said:

(I did not find any information on this man)

@VinBizz4786_Have you checked "Panzer Ace" by Richard Freiherr Von Rosen. He served in Schwere Panzer Abteilung 503?

Like your progress so far.

[VinBizz4786_]

On 21/06/2022 at 22:07, Maddoxx77 said:

This is nice. I'll follow along. 

Thanks mate

On 21/06/2022 at 22:35, echen said:

@VinBizz4786_Have you checked "Panzer Ace" by Richard Freiherr Von Rosen. He served in Schwere Panzer Abteilung 503?

Like your progress so far.

Yep, I have bought it in England, and I'm actually reading it

[VinBizz4786_]

Hello there,

 

 

 

After two weeks of absence, here I am again with an update on the assembly of the Tiger, so here we go;

 

 

 

To reproduce the effect of the armor and give a somewhat rougher and more massive appearance to the tank, all surfaces are given a mixture of Putty Tamiya diluted with liquid glue. The whole is applied with a brush by smashing the surface. Once dry, the tank is lightly sanded with a 3000 grit abrasive sponge. Note that for the mantelet, the foundry effect is more pronounced, and pure tamiya glue is applied with a brush.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we come to the step that took me the longest, redoing all the soldering using 2-component tamiya putty. I may have watched hundreds of NightShift videos on Youtube, but it's a lot less simple than it seems. And besides, I had to do it twice. And after removing the putty from my first messed up attempt, I also had to fix quite a bit of damage. but, in the end it's not so bad I think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the photos of the Tiger 331, we can see a basket on the side of the rommelkiste, probably a realization of a field workshop. This one is reproduced in scratch using Aber net and plastic card

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We can also see on the mantlet a piece of metal that comes on the sight holes, probably to protect from the sun. Neither one nor two, a piece of plastic card is glued to the desired location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the meantime, to take my mind off things, I'm assembling the tank commander's Alpine figurine. A real beauty as usual.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And let's move on to the last two items that took me a long time, the turret hatches. The pose of the photoetch takes a lot of time. And as a bonus, all the handles are redone in copper wire, stronger, thinner, more better, more everything. This job took me a whole evening

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good, go, since you are wise and I like you. A little photo that makes you happy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's all for today folk,

Have a nice day and best regards

Vincent

[Maddoxx77]

You realy put in the work! Great build so far!

[VinBizz4786_]

On 03/07/2022 at 22:41, Maddoxx77 said:

You realy put in the work! Great build so far!

Thanks Mate, I appreciate it

[VinBizz4786_]

Hello there,

 

 

Little monday morning update to show you my slow progress on this Tiger.

First, and it took me several days (probably because I had lost my touch a little), the installation of the photoetch on the side, which is used to maintain the towing cable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then comes the laying of the grenade launchers, to bend yourself, which also took me a lot of time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is what took me the most time, the installation of the parts for the on-board package. If some latches are in 3D resin, I still decided to put some in PE (especially the open ones). Note the shovel, which has been redone with a metal handle, much better than Border's questionable plastic...

 

 

 

 

 

 

And as usual, for the pleasure of the eyes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a small update, which serves more to keep you informed of progress than anything else.
Good evening to all
vincent

[Pig of the Week]

That's a cracker 👍  .....almost be a shame to paint it ! 

[VinBizz4786_]

On 26/07/2022 at 09:37, Pig of the Week said:

That's a cracker 👍  .....almost be a shame to paint it ! 

Thanks mate,

Yeah I was thinking the same... it will be the occasion to give my best paint job ever 

[VinBizz4786_]

Hello there,

 

 

 

After a long absence, I'm back, with a big update, so take a seat, a drink for those thirsty, a snack for those hungry, and let's get started.

 

 

 

We are going to start with the result of 2 evenings of work, with the toolbox fixed to the back of the Tiger, entirely in photoetched and composed of no less than 21 parts... The coin, of the same size that one dollar gives an idea of the size

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing a job that takes time (but is incredibly simpler), the Friul tracks. And once in place, you can clearly see the effect of the terrain on the suspension, I really like that

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took the opportunity to add a wooden beam lifting system to the side, for crossing marshy areas

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at the photos, we can see that the right front fender has disappeared, has been replaced by a metal plate. This one is redone in 2mm plastic card

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continue with the installation of air filters, present on the Tigers at the early production. Since they were very fragile, they suffered from various damage. On the kit, I shaped them by heating them with a flame and twisting them with pliers

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tiger finally receives its mudguards. I had miserably missed those of Voyager, so I replaced them with Aber references, which I find much better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exhaust covers were also very fragile, and I decided to keep the ones from the kit, and twisted them using the same methods as for the filters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To conclude, we add some shell impacts, the towing cables, and we can declare the assembly of the Tiger 1 as finished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next step, add some accessories on the rear shelf, then finally it will be time for painting.
Have a nice day Folk, best regards
Vincent

[Jack Klugman]

Really professional job, its an impressive looking kit

[Maddoxx77]

This type of quality is so far above my skill level!!!!

I'm going to lay in a corner for a while and cry 🤣🤣🤣🤣

It's looking stunning!!!! Great job!

[Stef N.]

Marvellous workmanship. Looking forward to the paint stage.👏👍

[Pig of the Week]

A symphony in brass .... looking fab, and your terrain following tracks are most effective 👍

[Zgubiony Turysta]

Really impressive job, an inspiration 👌

And your franc coin is the size of a quarter, sorry couldn't resist as coin collecting is my other hobby 😁

Edited August 3, 2022 by Zgubiony Turysta

[Jasper dog]

A masterpiece in modelling,  the skill and attention to detail is first rate.

A superb example of etch detail and modified/ damaged kit parts, very impressive. 

 

Looking forward to seeing it painted. 

 

Cheers

Darryl 

[Bertie McBoatface]

It’s very smartly built in a notably unsmart way! Very effective. I like the tight base and the way it shows off the suspension, while avoiding any distractions from the model. 

[Rob Maynard]

That is a truly impressive build! The damage looks amazing and i will certainly be looking forward to seeing it painted.

[vaoinas]

That's a great build and some very nice detail work.

The damage you've done to this looks amazing too.

 

btw. Even though Scalemates says, the kit is a new 2020 tool, isn't it an Dragon tool actually? The parts and build logic seems to be one-o-one the same.

 

Kristjan

[VinBizz4786_]

On 03/08/2022 at 13:21, Jack Klugman said:

Really professional job, its an impressive looking kit

Thanks Jack, I appreciate it

[VinBizz4786_]

On 03/08/2022 at 13:23, Maddoxx77 said:

This type of quality is so far above my skill level!!!!

I'm going to lay in a corner for a while and cry 🤣🤣🤣🤣

It's looking stunning!!!! Great job!

Hey, don't worry mate, honnestly, there is a lot of mistakes and failures on my kit ! And I achieve this result after hours of watching Uncle Night Shift on Youtube

[VinBizz4786_]

On 03/08/2022 at 19:12, Stef N. said:

Marvellous workmanship. Looking forward to the paint stage.👏👍

Thanks Stef 

[VinBizz4786_]

Hello there,

 

 

 

So we meet again for a new update, with a lot of images. So let's go shall we ?

 

 

 

In fact, I wanted to start painting the Tiger, but I realized that one of the required paint was not in my stock... So small order online, and in the meantime, I start assembling the bike BMW R12 from Zvezda.

 

 

 

What about the kit, it is very beautiful and well detailed. A little cleaning is required, but nothing too serious. The parts fit together well, in short, the engine to start

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next comes the frame, with the tank, etc. I decided not to put the passenger seat, nor the side bags. To give a cooler part to my diorama, I would like the moto look a little bit more civilian, with some Easy Rider side

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few photo cut pieces later, and some more metal wires (I'll add more, don't worry)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The painting having arrived, the great circus can begin.

 

 

 

The primer, which is actually XF-1 Tamiya does the job very well, and constitutes a good starting point (Note that before the Primer, I cleaned the model with soapy water)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although not totally useful, I started by applying bright yellow Ak Real Color RC062 on areas not exposed to the sun or a little hidden, to improve the contrasts. In the end, it will be very little noticeable, except on the hatches of the turrets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main color is RC060 mixed with a little RC061, to lighten the whole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continue with the first layer of thinning, adding RC088 to RC060

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a second layer of thinning, with more RC088, but very subtle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Application of markings. On the Tiger 331, the turret crosses had been painted black by hand, which was done here too (not without difficulty)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The airbrush phase ends with the use of Ammo Shader, which I discovered in the Uncle Night Shift videos. And as much to say that they are very nice and easy to use. I recommend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next dreaded step, the patina.
See you again, and have a nice weekend
Vincent

[edjbartos]

Just caught up on this, what a fabulous build, beautifully built with all the extras and done very skilfully too. Good work, looking forward to seeing more...

 

Ed