We're always here

I haven't forgotten Bish, I just put a lot on my plate with so many great group builds going on.   I do think I want to get some more practice with armor before taking on Dragon's Tiger II, it's a bit of an intimidating kit for an armor newbie.

I haven't forgotten either, in fact I look at Jibber's Brummbar on a daily basis! I have two "practice" builds I'd like to finish before I start on the GB hardware. Speaking of hardware, I purchased the Eduard BIG ED set for the Dragon Tiger 2. And I'm waiting on AM decals for it too. I'm looking forward to get this started soon.

No worries guys. I know there are a lot of GB's that end before this one, and if your like me, you build them in the order the GB finish.

I'm still here.

Bish its a little crazy sorting them out without shortchanging on any of them. I try and get them done in order, right now it's the Orphaned GB. I think I have 5 scheduled.  

Glad to see you still here Nomad.

jibber, I know what you mean. I have a word Doc with my intended future builds listed in order they will be done, this helps me keep tracks. I am currently committed to 6 GB's that are up and running, my Jagdpanther is 6th in line at the moment. I am just about to start on my build for the Orphaned armour GB.

I have gotten some work done but yeah trying to concentrate on other stuff first.

I do have a few questions though:

1). Were the Panther/M10s painted at the factory or were they field modified? I mean would there be German mustard yellow under the fenders etc or should the whole thing be olive drab?

2). Should the engine compartment of a Panther be buff. white, or what?

Surely keeps us busy…and out of trouble.

2) Engine compartments were primer red.

1)MMMM, good question. I am pretty sure these were done in the field. From the pics, its hard to tell how far they went. The models I have seen show the area behind the wheels re painted, but that does seem excessive. But seeing as the Germans even painted the small US unit markings on the front, I reckon they done a complete job on it. The panther/M10 side skirts were not fitted to normal panthers, so the area underneath may well have been painted green.

Hey Bish, thanks a bundle!!!

Bish

I would like to join this build as well. I haven't decided what I want to build yet but I will let you know ASAP.

Jsmyth

Your plenty welcome J. Just let me know once you decide on your build.

Bish

So many brands and models to choose from. I've only built two tanks before. One was a Tamiya Sherman and the other was a Dragon King Tiger. The King Tiger still isn't done yet. I found it a bit challenging for a second tank kit. Any Ideas?

As your pretty new to armour, I would defiantly say avoid Dragon kits for now. they are awesome kits and can go together really nice, but they can frustrate the most experienced of model builders. Thinking of Tamiya kits, off the top of my head there are a few options. Pz IV Ausf H and J, late production Tiger I, both versions of the Tiger II, Panther Ausf G, Sturmtiger, Jagdtiger, Jagdpanther, 251 Ausf D. I am sure there are more, this kits would all work. I know some have markings supplied that would fit, others may need AM markings.

Oh if Bish doesn't mind I'll echo him- the Dragon and AFV Club kits are some of the more complex. Tamiya and Academy are generally simpler with fewer parts. Haven't build many HobbyBoss and Trumpeteer kits but I think they're somewhere in the middle.

I've found Trumpeter finicky with bad fits, love the Tamiya kits.

Tamiya kits are great to start with. AFV and Dragon are really complex and Trumpeter are only slightly less complex, but the fit is generally a bit worse than with AFV and Dragon IMO.

If you like SPGs, Tamiya makes a great Wespe kit. It has a nice amount of detail with a low parts count and comes with markings for thwo vehicles that would fit this GB: One is a Gray/Green one stationed in Paris and the other one has a 3-tone camo.

Reading about the difficulty of Dragon kits is making me start to rethink my entry for this GB.  I've only done one tank so far, and was thinking about doing the Dragon King Tiger.  I'm thinking it might be best to set that aside until I can get some more experience with armor.  I have a 1/35 Tamiya Marder II in my stash.  One of the markings provided is for the 320th Infantry Division, which according to some research was formed in France in 1940 until it was reformed as the 320th Volks Grenadier Division in October of 1944 and remained part of Army Group D in the West.  I think it would still work for this GB, and would probably help me build up some armor skills.  Now to see if I can find some pictures of a Marder II in France...

Bob, is that the old Tamiya kit with the box art vehicle showing the Coal Thief on the side.

Yes it is Bish

Ok, tricky one. I have not yet found any pics of Marder II's in 1944, I think a lot of them had been replaced by then. But will keep looking. That's if you really want to ditch the Tiger II.

I'm not having much luck either, everything I can find is on the Eastern Front..  Maybe I'll do the Marder for the Hunter's II GB just to get in some extra practice before taking on the Tiger II.

I am sure there were some on the Western front, its just finding the pics. I did find some of Marder I's, but no II's.

Hey SB, if it will make you feel better, my Tiger II for this group build will be my first Dragon build as well. The way I figure it, I'll take my time, and I have plenty of knowledgeable people to ask questions of, here on the forum.

Bob & Bruce: If they're anything like the Dragon Royal Tiger I built last year they should be pretty simple. It did have a bunch of little 'fiddly bits' but the Tiger II was so honking big even the tiny parts were pretty good sized!

I took another look in the Tiger II kit, and discovered that I had the option of using all the little PE for attaching the gear, it also comes with plastic parts.  I'll stick with the Tiger for this and push myself.  Just had a small moment of panic. 

Bob don't even think about leaving, theres tons of kits for you to do. Each has their assets and problems like any other kit. Bish will get you in the right direction. These are fun builds and theres a lot of guys here that are more than willing to help you out step by step. Once you get a couple armors done they're a blast.

Just Do It…  

I didn't mean to imply that I'd be leaving, I'll still do the Tiger II.  I'll just try to get some more practice before taking on a Dragon kit first.  I still have plenty of time to get it done.  I figure if I'm going to challenge myself I'm in good company here to do it.

Bob, Bruce: Don't panic guys! Dragon's King Tiger is a great choice for a first Dragon kit. It's actually the only kit they make where you don't have half the parts in the box left over after you finish the build and It's very close to Tamiya's version of this tank regarding the parts count. The fit is perfect as well and to repeat what Cliff said already: The whole tank is so damn big that even parts that are tiny compared to the size of the model are quite big. I have Dragon's BoB 'King tiger in my stash as well as their Porsche version w/ Zimmerit and I'm thinking about getting the Zimmerit kit of the Henschel version as well, so If you need any help I'm sure I can help you out somehow (and if I can't, Bish and all the other great armor modellers here can). I got some pretty decent photos of the Tiger IIs in Munster and Bovington, as well as a nice book, so I can provide you with some reference material if you need it.