Hachette Parts inside a Hobbyboss 1/16th Tiger 1? Bad Idea?

[spruecutter96]

Hello, All. 

 

I have just bought some cheap interior parts from Hachette's 1/16th Tiger 1 "part-works" on E-Bay. They're mainly related to the interior of the turret (floor, gun-breach, seats, various small bits of equipment, etc). 

 

Has anyone tried to use these parts on the Hobbyboss Tiger before? Is this a bad idea? If so, why?

 

I should probably state here that absolute accuracy is not high on my list of objectives with this project. I just want the turret to look "busy" through the open turret-hatches.  

 

Thanks, in advance. 

 

Chris. 

[Peter2]

Since you already own the Ebay parts, why not use them? Every little helps, as they say. I suggest you "go for it" [as I duck out of sight, in case things go askew). You mention having the floor: that sounds useful as it hides missing detail lower down in the hull, I imagine. The various interior views of Tigers you will find online (I found plenty just now when I searched) should show you where to locate those additional parts, and which colours to paint each of them. One tip I have seen reviewers mention about the Hobbyboss Tiger is: get rid of that circular "ring" beneath one of the rear deck grilles. The ring doesn't belong: apparently it was designed for a small loudspeaker which your model won't need - especially now you're going to improve it outside and in! If you search online for "Hobbyboss Tiger improvement" (say) or look up reviews of the kit, you will see a few more tips to make your Tiger even better. I have read several of these online resources, though I haven't bought the kit. Happy building!

[spruecutter96]

Hi, Peter2. 

 

Thanks for the comments and advice. This big Tiger is one of my "bucket-list" kits.... so it will have to get built at some point. One aspect I'm not looking forward to is cutting open the loader's-hatch on the turret roof (IIRC, it's currently moulded shut). It shouldn't be too much trouble, though. 

 

If I ever actually get around to the Hobbyboss, I will try and put some WIP images on here. 

 

Cheers. 

 

Chris. 

[The Great Escape]

Cutting the hatches is always a ‘hold your breath’ moment, isn’t it?

Whichever method you choose, there’s still those nerves.

 

last time I cut out hatches I made a tool which can best be described as a bespoke cookie cutter. I shaped a piece of a hacksaw blade so it was the exact shape of the hatches. Heated it up over the gas hob and pressed. It actually cut really well.

 

I need to do the same to a 1/16 king tiger soon but I must admit that I’m putting off the job.

 

Looking forward to seeing your progress on this project. Good luck with it.

[Peter2]

Isn't one traditional technique to make an opening in a kit to drill a series of small holes and then join all the holes with a fine saw or a craft knife blade to make a bigger opening: then the resulting bumpy edge is levelled straight with a small file or emery board, say?

[spruecutter96]

Yes, it is, Peter2. That's exactly what I'm planning to do (probably accompanied by much cursing and other merriment). 

 

Cheers. 

 

Chris.  

[spruecutter96]

Watched a Youtube on building the Hobbyboss Tiger the other night. The kit's turret-ring has been made quite a bit smaller than would be a true scale representation, so that might make adding the Hachette parts a bit more difficult than a straight "drop in" fit. It will be a distinct case of "suck-it-and-see".  I have one very big advantage - the view of the interior through the turret-hatches is pretty restricted.  

 

Of course, there's only one way to find out for sure....

 

Chris. 

[Peter2]

A website https://tiger1.info/EN/ has a wealth of info about the Tiger tank, as I'm sure many members know. Some of the suggested changes suggested on that site seem straightforward, so maybe you could give them a go in the future. For example, I imagine that the turret stowage bin moulded by HobbyBoss into the turret rear could be made to look better by a modeller, say by scribing a groove where the bin meets the turret. This might help it look more "added-on" which I believe is a slightly more realistic appearance. The tiger1.info site suggests many interesting improvements for modellers.  I discovered on the site that the Tiger bin has a history of its own: the initial poor design of the real Tiger turret stowage bins fouled the pistol ports. To overcome this, different Wehrmacht units came up with their own varying local fixes such as adding support brackets. So you could make your Tiger a little bit special by simply gluing some support brackets from plastic strip.