Heidi, a Tunisian Tiger - completed pics

Nice model, Jack. Excellent job on the weathering.

Jim

Very good 1/48 work here.

Really nice work ! 

I wasn't aware  1/48 aftermarket items were available for armor. 

very nice weathering. not overdone,

Hi Jack,

Congratulations, that looks very convincing.
Not sure if it is my monitor or your washes but some pictures almost look like a two tone camouflage.
I like that effect. 

Nice job on the overall dusty appearance.

Best Regards

Johan

Gorgeous work, Jack. The only thing I would have done additionally would have been to add some sponge chipping to the wheel faces and the edges of the hull. Those Tunisian desert rocks and blowing sand were pretty harsh from what they say.

Outstanding presentation though!

Thanks again Jack, for sharing your superb Tiger. I also like your simple, but effective base with the light foliage.

Jim, disastermaster,  Sprue-ce Goose, waynec, JohanT, the doog, and Eric - thank you all for responding, much appreciation on your comments.

the doog - I'm particularly stoked to have you drop by and comment.    I like the idea of sponge chipping, and will keep it in mind for future builds - no doubt an interesting effect.    I kept chipping to a minimum, representing mainly that from crew wear.  

The vehicle as portrayed is quite early in the campaign, before the February rains set in.  From what I could see in photos, the patchy look was mainly a result of mud.   Being assigned to HQ, it likely arrived with the last batch of Tigers of I/501.   So from it's landing at the port of Bizerte to deployment in the areas of Pont du Fahs and Zaghouan, I imagine the vehicles would of kept their travels to the road network.  This would be the staging area for Operation Eilbote I, slated for January 18, 1943.

Tunisia, though located right beside Libya, is quite a different place.  The Sahara desert makes up 40% but is located to the south west, away from where the operations took place.  The rest of the region is composed of fertile soil.    

An interesting modern photo of Zaghouan, taken from the roadside.

regards,

Jack

JohanT

Not sure if it is my monitor or your washes but some pictures almost look like a two tone camouflage.
I like that effect. 

Best Regards

Johan

Yes, the two tone tropical scheme (there were actually two types introduced , first in 1941 and  then 1942).  The directive for it's use has always been known, but seldom employed by model builders.  When the Bovington Tiger was restored, traces of it were found underneath, and this has broadened  the views of some.

Originally, I was going to use a single colour of RAL7008, but when looking closer at the one good photo of Heidi, I did detect what does look like a camou pattern just below the name logo.

Not the best scientific method, but utilizing one of my photos and altering to grey scale, you can see that the two tones are quite similar and difficult to differentiate.

regards,

Jack

Sprue-ce Goose

I wasn't aware  1/48 aftermarket items were available for armor. 

There are even web stores that specialize only with armour in that scale. The two that I dealt with are http://www.quarter-kit.com/ in France, and www.track48.com/.../home.php located right in my back yard, ON Canada.

regards,

Jack

jgeratic

Sprue-ce Goose

I wasn't aware  1/48 aftermarket items were available for armor. 

There are even web stores that specialize only with armour in that scale. The two that I dealt with are http://www.quarter-kit.com/ in France, and www.track48.com/.../home.php located right in my back yard, ON Canada.

regards,

Jack

I have an old Bandai Panther and AURORA M-46  in my stash, and I see Track 48 replacement tracks are / were  available for the Bandai kit

Some really impressive stuff on those websites !

That's really interesting info about the desert there, Jack. I didn't know that.  I understand what you're saying about the way you chose to display it regarding the chipping, or lack of it.

I usually don't go for such specific "placement" in terms of letting a photo determine the way I portray a model. Unless, of course, you're talking winter with a whitewash, etc. But from what you're saying about the area, your portrayal would be spot-on correct! I usually let my artistic side go a little more crazy and that usually means putting weathering effects that may not have been there.......just ignore me, ha ha lol 

Karl, my man, it's all good.  

Funny thing is, I did study art in college, so I do have the background for it.  As it has been said in the past, people build for different reasons, and that in turn, can result in different approaches to the final finish.  Variety is a good thing.

It's interesting how in the Steel Cats GB there are three of us building Tunisian Tigers, but each one has a different look, not only on the weathering, but camou schemes as well. 

regards,

Jack

Jack, that's what I love about this hobby---seeing different peoples' different renderings of the same vehicle. That's what is so rewarding about sharing the work and methods on forums like this!

I'll be looking forward to seeing more of your work. :)

Hi,

I like the "build the picture" approach.

Problem being that most reference pictures to be found from this area are in B/W.

I think Jack has nailed it.

This is the first time I can see how this could have worked out.

Very Best Regards

Johan

Very nice work on the two-tone Tropen scheme, weathering, and base Jack. Love it!

Bill,

Thank you kindly.

regards,

Jack