ARMOR - Tamiya 1/16 Tiger 1 Group Build

Erock :

Never mind if I'm the only one reporting the prob ( though cropping 'em will save storage space ) I found I can copy & paste to Corel PhotoPaint , and then crop it meself .

Forgive my not commenting before ( I couldn't see ... ) but hell , they look MUCH better with the detailing ! One thing I'm gonna do is cut replacement support brackets from either brass or aluminum bar , as the plastic supports bust too easily .

And now that I ~think~ I have the Leopard & Gepard sold , I can look at buying the relevant frets again ... and T1 gearboxes ... and some Zagi's for my Blizzard-cum-T34/Tiger .

Would love to blow on a Pershing , but have to save some $ to unbury my credit card .

WhiteWolf

PS: Guess where they are off to ? Pearl Harbor !

Hey WW,

If you go to the Tiger site, I have the picture up and it is cropped there.

Dang Eric! Those are some tiny parts! Don't get me wrong though, they look outstanding. I just don't think I could successfully handle something so darned small!
I'm finally getting the working details ironed out with my turret. If you are going to put in a Tamiya battle unit, you have to kiss your machine gun port on the right side of the main gun goodbye because that's where the infrared laser goes. I had to drill it out to make the necessary room. I also had to shim the underside of the commander's cupola so I could close the hatch when the battle unit isn't in use. I'll also have to modify the torso of my commander so that he can sit in his hatch. Who knew?!
On the research side of the house, I finished reading the book "Tigers in the Mud" by Otto Carius. I liked it for the most part. You can tell that some ideas and concepts are garbled in the translation though. What burned me up however was that last few chapters of the book, wherein Carius basically calls US troops pansies. But I suppose I can overlook that since he didn't come up against the US on the Western front until Germany's very last days... days which other history buffs tell me that many US units were extra careful not to stick their necks out since the war was already won. What I cannot overlook though was that even though he professed that he wasn't Anti-Semitic, he comes across as a Nazi when you read his interpretation of the war and the situation in Europe. I'm reading "The Longest Day" now. Much better, as it gives both sides of the conflict.

Roy

That looks good, Erock!

So the Tamiya Battle Unit is a permanent thing? Once its in there its there? I was just wondering. I've only seen pictures of the thing installed but had no idea if it was removable.

I think I'd like to add one to my Tiger even though I haven't a clue how much use I'd get out of it. But I guess as long as you can close the hatch or put a commander in the cupola its should be ok right?


I've had my face buried in Tigers in Combat hoping that I can get some kind of direction on what Tiger I'd like to try and model. I have a feeling its going to take me awhile and I'll have to pick up another book or two as well!

I'd just like to do a specific tank or a tank in a specific company. I don't know a lot about that kind of stuff so its going to be a big learning experience. I'm looking forward to it.

Since I don't know which tank I'm doing yet I think it could slow me down at first BUT.... there are some minor things I am hoping to do to the transmissions anyways. A friend is talking to me about gearing down and reinforcing the transmissions. I told him I was considering going with metal tracks and he advised me to think about the reinforcing thing. Its all new to me so I'm hoping he can help me thru all this. I'm really eager to get started.

Kuma, The battle unit is designed to be permanent, but with us modellers,
how often do we follow the directions ALL the time and simply go "box stock"?
This is the very first time that I've done something different than out of the box
and it's the greatest! Here's what I'm doing with my tank and the battle unit.
1. The firing laser that goes into the back of the mantlet has to be permanent,
so you will have to lose the bit of detail with the machinegun port there. 2. The
GFS (Gun Fire Simulator, this is the part that sticks up out of the cupola) is
detachable from its base. 3. The base is meant to be glued to the underside
of the turret. But I've found that with my new commander's cupola that the hatch
won't close if this base sits as high as it was meant to. So I have a few choices
here: I can glue it there anyway and leave the hatch open all the time. (Not!)
I can make the base removable and take it out when I'm not battling. (Ugh, I'd
have to unplug it from the control module as well.) Or... I can shim the base to
sit lower so that it will allow me to close the hatch when the GFS isn't plugged
in, plus I can alter the torso of my tank commander so that I can set him up on
the base when I'm not using the GFS. (I'm going for this option.)
When this is all finished, I can apply my base coat and then camo!

Roy

Those sound like really good idea's Okieboy.

So its looking like if you shim everything will still work alright?


Also I was checking out Willies gear reduction stuff and let me just say my brain is fried from trying to figure out what is what there. Lots of info and lots of pictures but I haven't a clue what pertains to us. I'll keep re-reading over the stuff. Its interesting albeit confusing... at least to me.

I'm new to the forum and really am impressed with the documentation of this build of the Tiger. I am acquiring the Sherman M4 in the same scale and am wondering if you know of the same aftermarket detailing items for the Sherman? Does Aber make a photo etch kit for the Sherman in this scale? Does anyone make a metal gun barrel? What about other detail items like jerry cans, helmets, crates, etc.? Thanks!

Lester

And here is today's progress. Mounted both smoke dischargers, cut the exhaust tubes tubes to length and test fitted, attached the PE screens, added the various latches and locks and am staring to add the PE weld plates for the fenders and the 4 screws that hold the exhaust tubes down (you can see that I have got 1 in place):



llrdhsktr,

I'm not sure if they make the Photo-Etched set yet for the Sherm. I believe I have seen the replacement barrel though. I can do some checking.

Anyone else come across 1/16 Sherm parts?

I forgot to mention,

If all goes well, I should be ready to get this beast primed by Sunday (Woooooohoooo Me's be smellin' paint)

Dear llrdhsktr,

Welcome to the forum! You will soon be greeted by the one we call "ShermanFreak". He is THE authority on Sherman
tanks, and will answer any question you have. (If he doesn't poke his head in here soon, just make your own post. If he
even thinks someone else is going to build a Sherman, he's there to help out.) But I can tell you that yes; there are metal barrels, helmets, jerry cans, and anything else you would like to add to your Sherman available. Take a look at the Verlinden website first off for the extras. You can also look at 1/18 th
scale action figures in toy stores for accessories.
Then go to www.airconnection.on.ca for the barrels, and Aber photo-etch sets. You can also check out the websites, FRAGarmor and MAADHQ for pics of other people Shermans and ideas.

Erock, nice work bro! I'm hoping to get some base color on my
Tiger this weekend and then some more pics. Unfortunately,
I won't be able to get any more pics to you until later this month
or early Nov.

Kuma, I'm not bothering with a gear reduction set. I did have to buy the latest Type 4 gears, since my kit came
with the Type 1s, and I bought two Zagi 400 motors. These two additions take the kit close enough to scale for
battles. So tell me, what website did you find "Willies gear reduction"? I've been trying to research that and haven't
found it yet. The shims work great. Gotta love Evergreen
styrene!

Roy

Lester... I am not as knowledgeable as the rest of some of these guys but so far I can't say I've seen stuff for a Sherman. Granted I've been scouring the net for Tiger stuff. I think they might make metal tracks for shermans but don't take that as a fact. I kinda recall seeing it maybe in my searches.

Okie the Type 4's are the updated set aren't they? More metal gears? My Tiger doesn't come with them either. I"m not sure which ones they are. Its kinda why I am considering the reinforcing stuff. Or maybe I should go the route you went and buy Type 4's? Can I ask where did you get them from? Can you notice any other differences?

Here's a link to Willies. Lots of stuff but the site is bit unorganized.

http://www.customrcmodels.com/


You guys are really making great progress. I get the feeling it'll take me a lot longer. Can't wait to see your Tigers painted up.

Erock and Okieboy: I checked with airconnection and a few other places and there is no Aber photo etch kits for the 1/16 Sherman. Also looked at Eduardo and Verlinden with no luck. Also only could find metal gun barrels in 1/35th scale. What is the actual Verlinden website, I could only find sellers of Verlinden? Haven't heard from ShermanFreak yet. I'm looking foward to that, as he should be the one to know anything about Shermans.
Lester

llrdhsktr go to http://www.brassbarrels.com and click on the big scale link, they have 75 and 105mm barrels. I think Kenny Kong does metal tracks. Search on e-bay for 1/16 tamiya and see if it comes up. I haven't seen any p/e sets or other accessories for it either.

Erock Wow! you're making some serious progress there bud! You're going to be done before I get the wheels ready and before Hulk gets his out of the closet!!

Eric

Erush: I went to the brassbarrels link and there isn't a big scale link, only a custom scratchbuilt section and it doesn't say anything about barrels for 1/16 scale. Is that what you mean? Everything else refers to 1/35 or 1/25. Lester

Lester - if you check the other thread, I've posted a couple of links there for you.

VLS can be found at the following link
http://www.modelmecca.com/

Not sure what they have for that scale

QUOTE: Originally posted by llrdhsktr Erush: I went to the brassbarrels link and there isn't a big scale link, only a custom scratchbuilt section and it doesn't say anything about barrels for 1/16 scale. Is that what you mean? Everything else refers to 1/35 or 1/25. Lester

On the left side under "1/35 scale barrels" and above "photos" it says "Big Scale" click on that.

Eric

Roy - Am I that transparent ... lol

Erock - Superb work so far .... I can just about taste the paint

Erush: Thanks, it was hidden under there!

Shermanfreak: Nice to hear from you! I understand you're the Sherman expert. What other thread do you mean? In the modelmecca.com site, I don't know where to go to find the 1/16 items.

Lester

Lester - the other thread that you started on 1/16 Sherman AM parts

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8220


If you use the following link, this is the search results for 1/16 product carried by VLS. There's 4 or 5 pages.
http://www.modelmecca.com/cgi-bin/shop.pl?category=all&inactive=all&location=all&price=all&scale=1%2F16&manufacturer=all&type=all&description=&partnumber=&go=Search

Lester :

Brass Barrels does make 105 replacement barrels , and they are about the same price direct from Mike or thru one of his eBay auctions .

Tracks : The cheapest way is thru Backyard Armor (backyardarmor.com) because if you buy direct , you have Kenny's wire fees , and then customs .

Aber for the Sherman ? NO . We've been begging various people , but no-one's listened to us . Now you could try making your own metalwork from tin-can or pop-can , as I'm gonna be doing for mine . The only person making anything is Dirk , who carries replacemen oil reservoirs for the shocks (they have a tendancy to snap off)

Other Sherman detailing ? There are a variety of sources .

The Tamiya 56014 comes with the gorgeous .50 cal & ammo box cradle on a functional mount , and unless you are a masochist , the Aber one is no better . You also get 6 jerrycans , lotsa .50 and .30 cal ammo cans , 3 K-ration boxes , a load of tin pots (helmets) and a spare roadwheel as well . The only thing missing is an ammo belt for the .50 and loose rounds for the 105 ! (I'm looking into having various shell masters machined for resin-casting)

Build-a-Rama.com has 1/18 scale gear , and I have their sandbags , bloody marvelous . I intend to get the stowage set , and probably a radio-pack and more bags . They accessorize the rather close-to-scale Dragon XD figures .

Then there is going beyond : Backyard has their Easy Eight conversion set due out any day ( T23 turret , engine deck plus details ) and MaxTrax (discountmodels.com) has a M36 turret , though it is a ~rough~ start ...

Then www.Dave4What.com carries Tiff's T23 turret as well , one of the first ones marketed , and even Tiff's M4A1 ~cast~ hull .

Jimmy Flinststone makes an 'Oddball' figure (Kellys Heroes) and a 'Sgt. Guffy' (Battle of the Bulge) and then there are the Verlinden , S&T & rather rare SOL (Korea) gear & figures .

It all depends on how far you want to go ...

WhiteWolf
( sorry for jumping the gun Shermie ! )

Robert: Thanks! I couldn't even find my own thread! Lester

WhiteWolf: Thank You for the leads! I hadn't planned on doing any turret or gun conversions other than the metal barrel. Actually, what is wrong with the stock barrel in the kit? This will be my first build of a large scale tank. I appreciate the scale realism that I've seen with tanks in this forum and was really hoping there were PE items for the Sherman... The Build-a-rama stuff is amazing! Does the additional weight of the metal tracks wear out the gearbox or motors? Does the tank run better with them? I was considering lower rpm motor and gear reductions a la customrcmodels.com later. I've seen good threads here for weathering technique, but are there any good references for camouflage painting?
Lester

The Sherman that you are building Lester is quite easy to camo .... either olive drab or .. olive drab.

I don't remember seeing the Sherman 105 being painted anything else.

Whitewolf - no problem ... when it comes to the R/C side of things I'm like a fish out of water.

Lester :

Ok ...

1 : When plastic gets warm , it softens and 'droops' . You want a droopy barrel ? Plastic also snaps easily ... (compared to metal)

2 : You gotta use that damned decal to reflect the muzzle flash . The metal one is cleanly bored , and the aluminum naturally reflects .

3 : No unsightly internal seams in the bore , and if I recall correctly , its even bored to scale .

Nuff said ?

WhiteWolf

QUOTE: Originally posted by llrdhsktr Does the additional weight of the metal tracks wear out the gearbox or motors? Does the tank run better with them? I was considering lower rpm motor and gear reductions a la customrcmodels.com later. Lester

Whitewolf would know better than me but one of my friends whose built a few RC tanks was talking to me. When I brought up the subject of adding metal tracks he told me that I should consider adding reinforcing on a Tamiya Tiger. I guess it stresses the transmissions more.

The gear reduction is supposed to reduce the speed of the Tiger back to a realistic scale. Well... you can read for yourself the comments that Willy made on his site about speeds. Its personal preference.

From what I was told and read I think adding it later would be easy for you Lester. Shermans and King Tigers are supposed to give great access to all the gears. But for a Tiger I its supposed to be more difficult because of the way the drive fits into the model. Personally I am thinking that I'd like to get the drive train all settled before I close it in. Do all the modifications and adjustments and run the tank around a bit. Or think of some way to make it easier later to get to that stuff. I dunno how realistic that is though. My first time building one too.

Hey All,

ShermanFreak...yes, you are that transparent! But don't worry, that's part of your charm and
character! Thanks for helping our new friend out. (I'll need another Sherman to take pot shots
at once my Tiger's running!)

Kuma, I got my gearboxes and battle unit from Dave4what. Great prices and swift delivery. As you
can tell, I'm building my Tiger around my modifications, so I won't be bothering with stock. The Zagi
400 motors are alot lower geared; you can tell just by spinning the armature! Apparently, you get some added benefits to using the newer gears and motors: Lower torque means much better
climbing ability, plus when your tank takes a hit and is slowed down due to "battle damage" it
actually runs faster than it would given the same damage with type 1 gears and stock motors.

Roy

Thanks Okie,

Thats where I got my Tiger from. I had a chance to talk to Dave for a little bit and he was really nice.

Thats true about the lowered gearing. I hadn't thought about that.

I really love the fact that you modified your Tiger to a mid production. Did you dremel out the turret from a King Tiger and do a resin cast or something? I've never cast parts before but its something I wouldn't mind learning at some point.

So I guess if you have the new gearboxes there is no need to reinforce it. I think the reinforcing kits only work on the other boxes anyways. At least thats what I read at a couple sites.

Daily progress update:

Rear hoses cut and PE clamps and hose screens added, holders added, rear latches and hatches added, bolt heads applied to the hose bases.

I am now moving to the front of the hull. Working on the Bosch headlights, wiring and front hatches:

Eric, you are doing just an amazing job bud. I am really enjoying watching your progress. Even though I haven't posted alot in this forum, I have been watching it every step of the way. I hope the painting and weathering goes as well as the build. I know you have your own webpage with discriptions on the building process, etc. but I really think after you finish up..you should submit an article to ww2modelmaker.com with a step by step look at this build. Email me if your interested Eric.

Cheers

Rob