ARMOR - Tamiya 1/16 Tiger 1 Group Build

PzPabst:

Can you scan the box assembly instructions, and take measurements? Even if I can't afford the ammo set yet, I want to make my own ammo boxes for my kitty!

Box dims, and thickness of the wood used for assembly, please.

wlad, probably on the rear deck while the Tiger stands in my room, not while driving around. Maybe I do a diorma with it.

WhiteWolf McBride, thanks for that info, you are right it's the PzGr. 39. I've seen a color picture of it, if you send me your pics I could post it tonight (german time ) with mine together.

www.boorad.de

Ammo...

Well, as I researched this in hopes of getting masters for quality resin castings done, here is what I found:

Pzgr.39 (PanzerGranate) - Armor Piercing Composite Ballistic Cap
SpGr. (SprengGranate) - High Explosive
PzGr.39 HL (Hohlgranate) - Hollow Charge HEAT
Pzgr.40 - Armor Piercing Composite Rigid (Tungsten Core)(*very rare*)

Tigers were rated for 92 rounds, though crews often carried more. The mix was usually 50% Pz.Gr. 39 & 50% Sp.Gr. , though the Pz.Gr. 39HL was sometimes carried in place of the HE. It was less accurate and less effective against armor, usually used against infantry & buildings. Due to the rarity of tungsten, only a few PzGr. 40 shells were carried for encounters with Russian heavies and TD's.

From the images I've seen, I'd say this was a PzGr. 39 (AT), not Sp.Gr. (HE) The AT rounds were black with a white tip, the HE was yellow, black tip with thin white stripe. I have images that someone could post, just tell me where to mail 'em. The casing was left the copper color.

Hope this helps...

PanzerPabst,

Those shells really are beautiful!

I imagine that "german yellow " would be the most suitable bearing in mind the period of the model you are depicting, grey being more for earlier versions. Just my opinion, not based on any facts. How are you going to display them with your Tiger?

erush, you are a little bit faster than me with the Aber stuff but i can only do little steps to save my nerves. In the meanwhile i got the Aber set 16012 88mm ammunition . The manual says that the ammunition box can either painted german grey or german yellow. What do you guys think is more authentic for my dark yellow TIGER (S.PzAbt 502 Tiger - 2nd Company) ?

www.boorad.de

Bert, you can host the pics on Ron George's site. Go to the General Modeling Discussion Forum and look at the first post. Give directions and all for hosting your pics there. I'm not sure what's happened to ERock, I guess he's been busy lately.

Here's a couple more pics of mine. Did the shovel for the front of the deck.




Eric

Hi Erush,
I have pictures the problem is I cant reach Erock. And I have no way to publish the pictures. They have to be on the net to show them to you.
Its a drag.

Thanks guys, It's good to be back on it but I did need the break. Bert, you need to get us some pics posted!!!

Here's the jack block finished up,


Sitting on the deck


Eric

Great stuff Erush!

It's really helpful and inspiring to me (and I'm sure others) to see the finished Aber parts completed and in detail. Unfortunately it also makes me weep when I read "6 hours!" I've got to find more time somehow. Right, anyone want a wife, kids, job etc. until I finish? I will even throw in the cat!

Hi Erush, I am glad your back at it. It looks great.
I know what you mean with the PA. I burned my fingers many times trying to solder it all.
I’m now in the painting stage. The basic camo is on and I am weathering the Kity now.

Ok, I've picked up the Tiger again after a hiatus from the Aber and a bad case of p/e poisoning Trying to finish up the smoke dischargers and thought I'd post a few pics of the rear discharger I just finished, after about 6 hrs that is

Here it is

Metal T1 detailing links...

Guys, a new friend of mine bought a set of the eBay Tiger 1 tracks from someone, and they are ~crap~ to use (they aint straight & flat like Kenny's) But for ~detailing~, they are just the ticket!

$24 for 24 links ~shipped~. Thats 12 for the nose, 8 for the turret holders, and then 4 more spare - make good counterbalances to that metal barrel if placed in the bustle bins. Has BYA's price beat, but he has 8 sets only.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5912290901

Tell him I sent ya, 'k?

Wlad, great work.
One additional word to the BB barrel: the diameter of the mantlet end is to big to fit in the recoil-unit mounting part so it will not be enough to make it flat and do a slot in it.

My Tiger Projekt: still working on the front fenders
www.boorad.de

Hi Guys,

So I've taken a few pics of all the barrels I have for comparison, the Tamiya kit one, full RC option (very loosely assembled), the BrassBarrels one, and the Schumo-Kits (Axels Models in Germany). I am not a photographer and the pics aren't brilliant but I hope they'll give you an idea of the best one for you. I am by no means an expert and am offering opinion based on the best references I have to hand (the book Armor PhotoGallery Tiger 1, Part 1 by W J Gawrych. pages 39-40, which are detailed photos of the Bovington Tiger and www.tiger1.info for the muzzle break join. I have only one example of each barrel and am assuming each to be a "typical" production. I also do not know if the requirements for the static Tamiya kit are the same as the RC version so I'll just comment on how it effects the RC kits requirements. I apologize in advance for any misteaks. (lol)

[img.nr] http://www.btinternet.com/~wladyslaw/barrelpics/barrels.jpg[/img.nr]
Well, here they all are. The Schumo at top, Tamiya kit in the middle and the BrassBarrells at bottom. They are all of slightly different lengths - the Schumo about 1mm longer than the Tamiya, the BB about 1mm shorter (discounting the smaller diameter areas at both ends designed to fit within the muzzle brake and within the mantlet/recoil unit. The centre detail (where the two different diameter sections are joined) also differs in position - the Schumo about 1mm closer the muzzle brake end compared to the Tamiya and the BB about .5-1mm closer to the mantlet end. I have no idea which is correct. The finish of the Schumo barrel is noticeably smoother to touch than the BB, but I think this insignificant after a coat or two of paint is applied.


[img.nr] http://www.btinternet.com/~wladyslaw/barrelpics/end1.jpg[/img.nr]
These are the ends that fit within the mantlet/recoil unit. The most obvious difference being the BB barrel (left) has not been machined to have two flat planes and the slot, to fit the Tamiya recoil unit. I guess you could machine them yourself or file them flat and cut a slot if needed.

[img.nr] http://www.btinternet.com/~wladyslaw/barrelpics/end2.jpg[/img.nr]
Here are the ends that fit into the muzzle brake. The Schumo left, Tamiya centre and BB right. Once again the BB is notable for the lack of machining to fit within the Tamiya kit muzzle brake. Once again you could rectify with a little work. The Schumo stands out for being shorter than the other two by about 3mm in length. www.tiger1.info shows this to be incorrect. I believe from the diagrams that the end of the barrel should just protrude into the visible area of the muzzle brake. I guess this is not critical if you have the full RC as the optics get stuffed through the barrel and obscure the inside of the muzzle brake.

[img.nr] http://www.btinternet.com/~wladyslaw/barrelpics/middle.jpg[/img.nr]
And now the all important middle bits that can be seen! Schumo top, Tamiya centre and BB bottom. The Schumo is very similar to the Tamiya in profile (and both seem accurate compared to Bovington Tiger pics), only criticism being the "notch" on the Schumo is a little too long (easily rectified with a tiny amount of filler.) The recess (hardly visible on the photo) is very subtle and seemingly accurate. On the Schumo barrel you can both see and feel it. The BB barrel is... um, not as accurate as the other two. All the bits are there but not quite in the correct proportion/position and no "notches." Overall it doesn't quite have the same look and profile as depicted in the photos of the Bovington Tiger barrel.

Conclusion: I must get a better camera, and the Schumo-Kits barrel is the one going on to my model.

got the barrel yesterday, hope i'll have more luck with this one. Tanks again.

QUOTE: Originally posted by panzerpabst @b.pijfers, thanks for the offer, I think I'll get a plastic gun very soon from a German forum member. Where do you live, because I'm German and so the delivery would be very expensive :)

I live in Holland so delivery won't be a problem

@b.pijfers,

thanks for the offer, I think I'll get a plastic gun very soon from a German forum member. Where do you live, because I'm German and so the delivery would be very expensive :)

QUOTE: Originally posted by panzerpabst Shit happens : because of lack of detail with the BrassBarrels gun I tried to use the box plastic gun. I glued in some lead weight to make it heavy but the glue made the plastic softer and so the gun got some dents and deformations while glueing it together. Now I'll get a spare plastic gun from one of our forums members. Hope this will work better to save the money for the alu gun of Axels Model Shop. pics at www.boorad.de If you need the plastic barrel i used an aluminium one so you can have mine

Shit happens : because of lack of detail with the BrassBarrels gun I tried to use the box plastic gun. I glued in some lead weight to make it heavy but the glue made the plastic softer and so the gun got some dents and deformations while glueing it together. Now I'll get a spare plastic gun from one of our forums members. Hope this will work better to save the money for the alu gun of Axels Model Shop.

pics at www.boorad.de

Congratulations b.pijfers!

I am in Aberland (that strange place of happiness and frustration) at the moment. I must admit it's difficult to think that there is an end at this stage, it just seems to go on and on...

I have received my aluminium barrel from Axel's Model Shop in Germany (as an alternative to the BrassBarrels one) and the first inspection is very positive. I'll try and take some comparison pics over the weekend for all to see.

I'm still fiddling with the aber toolclamps and finding it very annoying so i'm just gluing things in place hehe. I haven't started on the turret yet and already ran the tank at least a dozen times - can't wait to run it outside where it should be =)

Yeah
I'm done with all the Aber stuff. Its on the tank and it looks great.
I will start painting tomorrow. Hope this will work out as well.

I got an extra Aber set from a friend. I used a little bit as spares.
The track hangers went to skrull.
I have a lot left. anyone interested?

Skrull, now I have got a digicam to take some pics of my book, will post it tonight. Here is some info about F01:
http://www.missing-lynx.com/reviews/german/tamtiger.htm

A polite request:

It seems that a certain few members of a US tanker group are already badmouthing my product, and I've not even shipped the first plate. I've talked to Willy Loewer, and he has no hard feelings about me competing.

It seems that many of the members have chosed to believe a bunch of rumors, and failed to even try and see if there is any truth to them. There isn't much I can do besides point at the ~satisfied~ people who have dealt with me, and say:

" Whom do ~YOU~ believe? "

Yes...Aber. I guess I was thinking of having to trim my Locust trees. Hay, maybe I could make track link hangers out of Locust wood. THEN I could call them the Arbor set. Maybe not.

Minor setback: (but nothing critical)

Well, I goofed on some measurements. My KT master-plate is 9mm too wide & 2mm too short, and the Sherman one is 6mm too narrow. Both will be usable though, the Sherman one as an external-mount plate, and the KT as my master after I get it cut down. I'll be offering the Sherman plate (with suspension notches cut) at a discount to anyone interested.

Skrull: I ~always~ keep the master. This first Tiger plate is my master... learned that lesson ages ago when I sold too many prototype's, and lost the designs.

If I count right, thats 3 orders, Wlad being the closest to 'confirmed' (PayPal will lock it down 100%) and Skrull's "I'm a tad short" being the most open. To those who know me, yes, in special cases I will accept parts in trade, if you have something I want (or need)

Due to interest

... I'll confirm it regardless of my cost: Mounting hardware is included, whether low-profile or countersunk. When I go to get the plates Monday, I'll check at the supplier I've been pointed to, and buy about 100 of each.

TigerMeister: Arbor? AH... Aber. They are gorgeous... E-mail me, I have an idea.

QUOTE: Originally posted by WhiteWolf McBride Its now confirmed guys! Belly reinforcement plates of 2.3mm (11 gauge) 6061-T6 aluminum priced at the low low pirce of only $40 US!! No, that is not a typo, it actually says $40 US! How about it guys? Anyone interested? Order Yours NOW!

I'd be very interested but I'm currently broke =( .. any chance of a picture by any chance? Keep a template anyway as i deffinetely want another tiger in the future.

Howdy pilgrims,

What I would REALLY like is a set of Arbor quality track link hangers for my Tiger I turret without having to pay for the whole Arbor set to get them. :)

Mmmm, here's an idea. Kenny Kong / BYA have a cast rear mud-flap, how about front ones and individual cast side skirts too. Would make me more confident about running into the cat and coming off best. (one tough tommy)

And thanks Panzerpabst for the wing nuts link. I might get one pack for evaluation, they just seem very expensive and for all the wingnuts needed would leave me beerless for quite a while.

Brilliant Whitewolf!

I have ordered mine guys, so get in there with your orders and hopefully we'll keep him so busy he won't have time to post! Lol!