1/16 TIGER 1 Early— Andy’s Hobby HQ

[GStreet]

 

Hey fellow Tiger Junkies,

 

I just got the new Andy’s Hobby Headquarters 1/16 Tiger 1. It’s a massive kit of course and planning to do it right OTB.

 

I must admit, I’m a Tiger junkie. I’ve build at least 25 various versions of the tank or more over the past many years. I couldn’t help but snatch this one up as soon as Andy released it. 

Having watched Andy for maybe 5-6 years on YouTube, I have always respected his progression as a business owner.  He’s not a breakthrough modeler, BUT he’s great to watch, he does good reviews and he bloody loves modeling. 
 

Anyway, it’s really a Takom product that he helped in development and marketing using his channel. Nice plastic. Little flash. Crisp lines. 
 

Having built several takom kits over the years I knew it would be a tidy kit. Which it is. Overall well detailed and reasonably good directions. This is not my first go round with 1/16 scale or with a large tiger. 

If you’ve never built 1:16 you don’t know what you’re missing. Here’s a quick comparison of size. 
 

In 2 days and about 12 hrs of work I finished the lower hull, road wheels and tracks. Yah, like all tigers it was a bitch to get just this section done. It’s like being on a manufacturing line at Ford. 
 

But now that this repetitive work is done, the fun can begin. Overall the build so far had been relatively easy.
 

The wheels are not glued in place so painting should be easier. But I will not go full crazy detail with every wheel. Life is too short. I’ll black coat most and then color with my chosen base. 
 

I have not chosen which version I want to build yet, but leaning towards.....yah, I’ll let you know. 
 

Short update. Sorry for the lack of good photos. Had to make dinner. I’ll have more soon. 
 

 

 

Edited March 9, 2023 by GStreet
Photos

[DanReed]

You've got alot done! Nice work.

[mick]

good progress

[Stef N.]

Oohh, this looks very good. Will follow along G and see how it goes. 👍

[Keeff]

A big cat? What's not to like .... I'll get a brew and my chair to see how this develops .... 

 

Keith 😁 

[GStreet]

Hull work, front and rear plate continued today.  Overall a decent fit. The radiator on the left side nudges the left glacial plate a little  had to sand it down and still a little snug.

 

The rear plate glued in well. Added some flame cuts to the tow hook area. Whatever the hell it’s called. 🤔

 

side plates are solid. Well designed.  I have not glued in the top plate or mud flap plate. Not the exhausts and surrounding armor. It will be easier to paint later. They compress for relatively well for now. I do not like adding all the bit and bobs before gluing in the majority of the plates. Yes I drilled what needed to be drilled and could glue, but not needed. Like many modelers I selectively skip some parts in early procedures and come back to them. 

The top plate fits ok. Gonna need some muscle to get it snug when glued but nothing extreme. The front plate is slightly warped and again gonna need some muscle and fill but all within the margins I expect in a model of this size. The larger the model the more likely for some warping. 

 

 

 Not much else to update. Going well. Nice plastic. Always a good thing. Will get the rear done in full tomorrow. 
 

Cheers,  

G

[GStreet]

Finished most of the rear plate today other than the filters. Again most things are either not glued down or lightly glued for easy removal for painting. 

 

I began texture for all the plates and turret. I won’t go overboard here. Some battle damage on the rear. I was considering redoing the welds for the tank but just not interested in all the plastic removal to do it. I’ll get over it.
 

 

 

I like to see rough cut building and then detail in as I go. More fun. Enjoy. Time for a cocktail. Cheers, G

 

[Keeff]

Wow! It's a beast of a kit and progressing well. I'm interested to see how it turns out as I've considered this kit myself. 👌 

 

Keith 😁

 

 

[FG2Si]

Great to see this being built. I might look for one at Heritagecon later this month.

 

Carl 

[GStreet]

Turret coming along. Did some work on the engine deck. All Coming together nicely. Rough cut, but got the barrel done for the most part. Contemplating crafting a cover for the mussel brake.  Some size comparisons to spice up the photos. 
 

 

I have really been enjoying the kit. I’ll be honest, I like the phases before painting. Something about the naked plastic, metal and PE and details really are easier to see and enjoy. Maybe it’s just me. In any case, having fun. 
 

 

🍻 more tomorrow. Have a good weekend. -G

[GStreet]

Sorry for the lack of updates.  But, yah it’s pretty much done. Overall a nice and tidy Tiger 1 kit. A few niggles with some things here and there but nothing to really harp on about. The smoke launchers on the turret were probably the biggest problem. Very weak joint linkages. 

 

 

 

the PE is well done. Thin and detailed. I’m going to be doing the Tiger 1 in Italy version. I think the old school style with no tracks on the turret is sexy. The enormity of the turret should be shown off as much as possible. 

 

 

I did some battle damage. Nothing over the top. The side skirts are thin so no real need to sand much or upgrade to PE. I kept a few off for something interesting. Plus I like the bolt placements showing on the tiger. 
 

The tow cables went ok. Maybe a bit longer than needed. They have no directions on the length and for the small cable they messed up on size. 90 cm not 90 mm. No worries. 
 

 

 

I’ve got a few things to tidy up but pretty much there. I have the included figure as well, BUT he’s wearing leather and looks like it’s cold. This is supposed to be Italy, Sicily. Yah, much warmer. I assume should be dressed almost in DAK like outfit. Ideas for a 1/16 figure for that please let me know. Finding nothing. 
 

painting starts next. I’m out of practice but looking forward to it. 
 

Cheers, G

Edited March 15, 2023 by GStreet

[Stef N.]

That's an ace looking Tiger. A big beast with plenty of good quality details. You're going to need a big tub of paint.😀👍

[LankyPanky]

Been great seeing this one coming together! Looking forward to seeing where it goes

 

JC

[Wintermute]

I preordered this kit back in February after seeing Andy from Andy's Hobby HQ build one on his YouTube channel and received mine last Thursday.

I'm intrigued to see it built in the real world and so far you haven't disappointed me.

I look forward to further updates

[Tojo72]

Very nice,you made quick work of the beast

[Keeff]

Looking great so far and I'm liking the damage you've included - just enough in my view.  Looking forward to seeing it with paint on .... hope you've got plenty in! 🤣

 

The pictures with the varying scales shows the enormity of this kit ..... it's a beast! 

 

Keith 😁

[Crankycraftsman]

Hey Gstreet

 

  Impressive job! The big cat is looking good. Your doing the same tank I'm going to do, except mine will be in Africa 1942-1943 in tropin 1 paint scheme.

Ron G 

[DByrden]

On 3/29/2023 at 1:55 AM, Crankycraftsman said:

  mine will be in Africa 1942-1943 in tropin 1 paint scheme.

Ron G 

 

Tigers of a version that builds from this kit, did not arrive in Africa until March 1943.

 

David

 

[Crankycraftsman]

Thanks David 

[GStreet]

Hey folks. Although this kit is basically done and I did the teasers over 9 months ago, I thought I’d tease a little more before I send out the final goods. 
 

I took the naked Tiger and started with the old black and white technique. Well, truth be told I never use black for the black parts. Usually I use a really dark brown or green. In this case since the base was going to be yellow I used dark green. Almost black. This allows some great shadowing and highlighting with the beginning of tone. Green goes great under yellow. So does purple. Which I need to try more. 
 

So enough of my pontificating. Here are some photos and some final finalities to come soon. Probably.

 

 

 

 

 

Sure it’s been months since I posted updates, but that’s the fun of this stuff. The anticipation of color. Hope you enjoy it and until next time, cheers!

 

G

[Keeff]

It's nice to see this build back!  Looking good with some colour on, and I've noted the comment about dark brown or green as the base coat under yellow.  👍

 

Keith 😁