Hi guys, I'm cruising with the 109, she should be assembled in a day or two. I painted the cockpit today, I'm letting some details harden off overnight and will get subassembly shots before putting the cockpit together and installing it tomorrow.

Here's the kit:

I'm adding just a few details as I go, and I have some Eduard masks in stock that should fit this one. I'm looking forward to the North Africa paintwork!

Build pics tomorrow,

Cheers, Mike

Don: Looking really good there!

Alan: Your scout car is shaping up nicely. For the windshield I'd suggest masking off the area that the wiper goes over and then spraying a very(!) light, misting coat of sand paint on the windshield. That should make it look dusty except in the area you masked off before. Just make sure you don't overdo it or it'll look out of place.

Dan: I remember you building that beuty of a Tiger! Great work!

Jack: Your and Dan's Tigers actually inspired me to get Tamiya's Africa version.

Bish: The AM barrel is already ordered at ma LHS and it should arrive tomorrow. As far a Tracks go, I'll just use that set of Friuls I have lying around here (I hope they are the right ones... ATL-25)

waynec

nice. how did you do the sandbags?

Wayne, I took the easy way out.  The sandbags are a resin kit made by Panzer Art for the PzIII.  My sculpting skills with Aves epoxy putty are not yet at the level that I can scratch build something like this. 

Alan:  Nice progress on the M3A1.  The seating arrangement reminds me of the old Philadelphia subway cars, where nobody looks directly into another passengers eyes .  As for the engine, I'd plan to leave it open for now; you can always decide to close it up later if you're still undecided.

also looking forward to seeing the two Tamiya Tunisian Tigers (say that three times fast....) take shape.  Who is going to do the green one? 

Don

Hey Guys, I am building an initial version of the Tiger I. I'm using the Tamiya kit. I am using Fruil tracks aftermarket tools, smoke grenade launchers, tool clamps and clasps, tow wire,  a boatload of scratch building and the list goes on! I think I am going to recreate tank 121 or 142. Research is the key! I am happy there is another builder of this great tank. I am always eager to learn.Cool!

Chazzer

pordoi

waynec

nice. how did you do the sandbags?

Wayne, I took the easy way out.  The sandbags are a resin kit made by Panzer Art for the PzIII.  My sculpting skills with Aves epoxy putty are not yet at the level that I can scratch build something like this. 

Don

a lot of good progress here. i fired up the airbrush in the bunker, though it is chilly down there, and got some paint on the truck and gun. tried engine gray with REAL DEAL dark rust overspray on the chassis this time and didn't like it so gave it a heavy wash with raw umber and i like that. i think raw umber mixed with dark gray is going to be my modern vehicle road grime color. should get second coat of sand and a lot of touch up today, maybe finish the 6ib ATgun. too cold to prime in he garage.

here are sand bags i made from modeling clay for my syrian T-62. will practice new ones with the tied top. nice think about modeling clay is it's easy to form and mold. texture iis stippled with toothbrush and painted ironically IDF khaki. bad tthing about clay is it never harden so any dings will "break through the paint" and show the clay color below.

waynec

here are sand bags i made from modeling clay for my syrian T-62.

Nice.  How long does it take you to form one and set it to shape on the vehicle?  I ask because the epoxy putties like Aves gives you about 2 hours or more working time and in the end will harden rock hard, so no issue with dings, etc. later on.  Seems like you could make permanent bags by just changing the medium that you use.

I will have to sit down and try my hand at sculpting things like tarps, sand bags, etc.  Get a little practice.

Don

SchattenSpartan

 

Bish: The AM barrel is already ordered at ma LHS and it should arrive tomorrow. As far a Tracks go, I'll just use that set of Friuls I have lying around here (I hope they are the right ones... ATL-25)

Ye, those are the Fruils I have for mine. Look forward to seeing what you do with it.

Alan: The scout car looks great, love the chipping and scraped off paint. I've done windshields like that by figuring out where the blades would hit and then masking that off with tape, then spray the rest of the windshield and pull off the masks to show where the blades wiped all the gunk off.

Don: The Panzer III looks good, for pre-made sandbags they fit great!

Dan: That Tiger is going to look cool!

pordoi

waynec

here are sand bags i made from modeling clay for my syrian T-62.

Nice.  How long does it take you to form one and set it to shape on the vehicle?  I ask because the epoxy putties like Aves gives you about 2 hours or more working time and in the end will harden rock hard, so no issue with dings, etc. later on.  Seems like you could make permanent bags by just changing the medium that you use.

I will have to sit down and try my hand at sculpting things like tarps, sand bags, etc.  Get a little practice.

Don

i use a cutting board so, once i figure out the size of the lump maybe a minute to shape them. maybe a bit longer with the sculptor syuff, will have to try it. i wonder if, after i shaped, fitted, removed and painted the modeling clay, a shot of dulcoat or futute would harden it up a bit?

Gamera

Don: The Panzer III looks good, for pre-made sandbags they fit great!

Gamera:  the bags on the turret fit perfectly.  However, I had to cut off several sand bags from the resin part that fits on the main hull.  It was a bit tricky to fit this part over the lights and klaxen on the front fenders.  There was also a gap between the sand bags and the spaced armor plate.  Maybe it was my mistake, but it took some cutting, re-positioning and filling with epoxy putty to fit this part.  So it did take a little effort, but I think certainly worth the effort.  This part also had some spare track links included but they were tracks for earlier versions of the PzIII.  So I cut them out and will replace them with the appropriate tracks from either the kit indy links or from spare Friul links.

Wayne:  Give Milliput or Aves putty a try.  I think that you'll not use modeling clay again after that.

Don

Hi guys, as promised here are WIP pics of the Bf 109.

First up, the Hasegawa kit has a few shortcomings, not many but a couple that need attention. The greatest drawback is the way the forward fuselage is engineered, it takes a lot of pushing and pulling, chocking, superglue and putty to get a near-decent profile around the engine, which is lamentable because from the firewall back the fit is remarkable. The cowl guns are a part that goes inside and the muzzles appear through apertures, but notoriously too far back so the shorter barrel is internal. Here's my solution -- lengthening the mounting stub:

Now both barrels emerge cleanly. Next, here's the instrument panel, airbrushed and drybrushed, and using Future for the glass:

Here are the cockpit parts. The only detail I added in the cockpit was the yellow fuel line, made from .020" rod, bent to shape. The grey centre fitting on the pipe is not yet painted here:

Next, cockpit assembly under way: 

Wing and fuselage subassemblies -- note the cockpit rear area smoothed and sprayed, as well as the copious filler on the cowling:

The cockpit goes in from the bottom, and when it's in the wing snaps in. Here I'm using tape to flex the wings into solid contact with the mounting areas:

And lastly, the canopy was attached using superglue in very small amounts:

The slats and outer flaps are on, the lower radiator scoop likewise. There are four tiny intakes around the cowl and some planes have them and some do not, even in what seems to be the same production batch of the same variant. Profile artwork of Shroer's plane shows them absent, reflected by the Aeromaster decal sheet artwork, so that's how I decided to do it.

One more superdetail I usually add is a couple of stiffening strips inside the split flaps, they're easy to add from plasticard. My plan for tomorrow is to get the canopy masks on, then step back and take stock of the project.

Today I also painted the jerry cans for the Pz. IV D, so that one is still in the works. The Plastruct hex rod can't be far away now, so I can get on with the superdetailing for that project soon.

 Cheers, Mike/TB379

Don: Yeah, I've used aftermarket sets designed for a specific kit and fit seemed like it was designed for something entirely different before. These plus your modifications look perfect.

Wayne: Have you tried Super-Sculpty? Basically it's the same thing as clay but you bake it in the oven and it becomes rock hard. Not really as good as epoxy putty of course since you have to remove it from the model to bake instead of letting it cure in place. But it does the job if you can shape it, bake it, and then add it to the model.

Mike: Looks good! Bit of a shame that most of the cockpit work won't be seen though the tiny cockpit opening there though!

Thunder, nice work on the panel and cockpit. What tedious work its really coming together nicely.  

Mike - great work on the 109F, and really nice job on that IP.  I may be jumping the gun here, but the engine cowl is hinged down the center.  This is easily replicated by attaching a thin stretched sprue, brush over some liquid cement, and then serrate it with your hobby knife to give that hinged look.

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To the Tamiya Tiger builders, should check out this site if you want a more accurate model of a 501st vehicle:

http://tiger1.info/models/products/TAM35227

regards,

Jack

Mike: Great looking 109!

Jack: Thanks a bunch for that link!

Everyone: I just picked up the AM barrel at my LHS and I'll start working on my Tiger today. I'll post a few pics later tonight.

Gamera -- very true, I try not to agonise over cockpits too much as the amount I see the workmanship once she's closed up is approaching zero without good light and a magnifying glass!

Jibber and SS -- thanks!

Jgeratic -- good suggestion! I've studied other builds and it's not a detail which is often replicated, certainly not below 1:32. I'm considering laying a strip along the centreline as you say -- I don't stretch sprue, I never got the hang of it, so the question is, what thickness of rod, and what profile? The hinge line appears near-flush in some photos. Here's the famous Black 6 which I photographed in '06:

It's very fine, to be sure -- even .010" would create a raised line the equivalent of half an inch high, which seems too much. I might have some .005" though, which would be about right.

The plan for today is to get some masking in place, and add the missing stiffeners in the split flaps. It's already too hot at 9am to be worth thinking about painting. We have an airconditioner service call coming in a while, so we might get some of this heat under control soon!

Cheers, glad you like the progress, Mike/TB379

Mike, you got me there - I've no idea the size of the hinge I used, I just followed my trusty Mk.I eyeball.  My reasoning to include it is this, it's just as prominent, if not more so, than some of the surrounding panel lines.

If I had to make a guess, the stretched sprue would be no more 0.2mm wide -  so thin it pretty much matches the individual tick marks on the ruler.  If you do wish to try it, cut a longer length than required and tape in place.  Apply liquid cement and trim to proper length.  Once dry, you can serrate with sharp knife.

regards,

Jack

Thanks, Jack, I've got some .005 that might do the trick, I'll have a go tomorrow and see what I can come up with. Here's today's progress:

That's the canopy masks done and the stiffeners inside the lower portion of the split flaps attended to. There's not a lot left to do -- antenna mast, pitot, split flaps and landing gear go on after painting, so some masking of locator holes and adding the aileron mass balances is about it for kit parts!

M/TB379

Been trying to find a metal gun barrel for my Tiger 1, but can only find barrels are Early, Mid, and Late production version's.  Would a Early version work with my Initial production Tiger?

Yes, an early barrel is the same. What brands are you looking at.

In fact, I am not sure if there is any difference in the 88's fitted to Tiger's throughout the production run.

Mike: Lookin' good! Funny, think I sanded the seam off the cowling on the last Bf-109 I built...

I looking at the Voyager Models, WWII German Tiger I Barrel (Early Version) # VBS0105.

And RB Model 1/35 8.8cm KwK 36L/56 Tiger I Early #35B01.

The RB Models barrel is great. I'll use it on my Tiger. There is actually a difference between barrels AFAIK: the late version has a smaller muzzle brake.

Sorry for my lack of pictures yesterday. I had a pretty bad headache and went to bed early.

Here's a quick update on my Tiger 1,

It was fun cutting out those wheels.

Dragon's Late Production front armor.

Tamiya's Initial Production front armor.

I used testor's glue to on the bottom of the rear plate to hold it, then I came back with ProWeld and ran that around the edges.

Dan, if you use the Use rich formatting link you will then find the link to post pics directly.

Looking good, Dan! I'm almost as far as you are and I'll post some pics shortly. I have a tiny gap around that towing shackle (or whatever it is) at the lower edge of the rear plate. I think I'll have to fill it with some thin plastic sheet. No biggie though

Thanks Schatten Spartan,  assembly has been pretty easy. 

Have not been on here in awhile, forgot how to post pictures.

Nice start Dan, got to love German armour and all those wheels.

i have 3 TIGERS in the garage stash and you guys make me want to grab one and build it. STOP IT/ i have enough wheels and trucks for a couple of years.

BEDFORD is base coated. will do some touch up and weather chassis and wheels this weekend and post pics.