ARMOR - Tamiya 1/16 Tiger 1 Group Build

Are you guys doing specific Tigers? Or going with the decals sheets to do a Tiger?

Looking good

Keep those progress pic's coming!!!

Thanks for the Aber tip

Here is today's progress pics. I did the Burnt Umber wash last night and let dry until this morning. I will have more detail shot up at the website later today.



About the Aber set, I ordered mine from Militaryhobbies and the price was $167.00 (that included shipping) Just make sure that they have them in stock at the time

Kuma :

Dave may be a bit slow to reply , but when he has a sale , he does his best . He sometimes liquidates on eBay , but rarely .

As for tracks , Dave doesn't carry tracks . The next option besides eBay is BackYard Armor at $160 shipped (vs. $130 from Holiday)

And a TaBU is a TaBU , as only Tamiya makes 'em ! The only difference is ~price~ . $65 off eBay , $85 from Dave , but if you're already getting the tank there ...

WW

Excellent info there Whitewolf

So you think D4W is a good seller? You've heard good feedback about him?

I don't know if I'm comfortable ebaying for a Tiger I.

As far as tracks go is there any differences between Holiday123 tracks or TaBu's? Or those ones that D4W sell's?

Kuma :

By Type 4 boxes , I mean the ~gearboxes~ . They have gone through a few changes since the 56005 basic Sherman was made .

The basic Sherman (56005) had what we RCers are terming Type 1's . They were the ones the HPC upgrade set was meant for . They also came in the KT/Porsche (56007), and Tiger 1's (56010 & 56011)

The Type 2 boxes were introduced with the Full Function Sherman (56014) , and were the only ones to get a Type 2 as OEM .

Type 3's were a modification of the 2's , designed specifically for the Pershing . The drive shaft is in a different place , as the Pershing has the final drive ratio mounted on the outer hull .

The current Type 4 boxes in the KT/Production (56018) are metal-geared , apart from one plastic one , but otherwise look like Type 2's . The again altered the ratio to bring it closer to a scale speed for the tank .

Type 1's , 2's & 4's are interchangable between Sherman , Tiger 1 and KT , provided the hex-spacers under the box are the correct height .

Dave Haddad (of D4W) can make sure you get one of the renovated Tiger kits , that comes with the newer Type 4 boxes .

Teddy :

Your best bet is eBay for the tank , though with shipping it'll come marginally under Dave4What's price . As for the rest , AirConnection has the best Aber price , Mike Dobreiz (BrassBarrels) for the barrels (also on eBay) , and for the tracks , probably Holiday123 from eBay , and the TaBU from eBay as well .

If you hate eBay , Dave4What for the tank , buy the barrel of Mike direct at BrassBarrels , Holiday123 may sell direct if you ask , and the Aber set is still off eBay with AirConnection . I aint checked who has the best price off-eBay for the TaBU .

WhiteWolf ( thinking he knows way too much about this ... )

QUOTE: Originally posted by WhiteWolf McBride Kumakichi : dave4what.com , in Military Kits , Tamiya , and scroll down . 56010 - Full function , $549 plus about $20 shipping . He can even make sure you get the new Type 4 boxes with your kit . You can even buy your 4ch radio there !

Is the new Type 4 boxes the servo's? So they improved something?

I'm a bit weary of buying off ebay. Did you pay less that $550?

WW,

I know I'm having a great time with the build. When I actually saw the Aber set, I was a bit amazed with all the detail that can be added to my Full Option. Will I use all of it? Probably not. I have been wanting to do this kit for the longest time so, I'm going all out on it.

As for the pricing to do this project, it's quite a bit of money. If you figure that, the kit alone is anywhere between $550.00 and $900.00 (I have even seen some places charge more, like my local "Chain" Hobby Store. The guy looked it up and said it would cost me $1015.00....not) I waited patiently and got a great deal on eBay.

How much does a full function Tiger, Aber, Metal tracks, metal barreland battle set?

In CDN $ preferably.

Kuma :

Trust us here .

Go with the full-function & Aber set . Between the painting , assembly of the full function detailing and the Aber set , it'll keep you going ~all~ winter !!

Even if you finish the bare chassis half-way thru ( while you work on the upper hull/turret ) you can still drive it around indoors .

The best kick I got outa mine was running it at the local rec center . If you can find a big carpeted room , you'll be in heaven .

Guys , back me up on this ? We wanna save him from a big mistake ... right ?

Sorry to hear about the van situation.

Man you've got a load of 1/16's it sounds like!

A friend of mine wants to build an RC Sherman. He says I should do the RC Tiger instead of static He doesn't care that winter is coming soon. I know I'll want to run it when I get it done no matter if there is snow on the ground or not!

Kuma :

As much as I'd love to put metal tracks on my FF Sherman , basic KT /Porsche & static Tiger 1 (soon to be DMD) , I just can't afford them yet .

And as my luck figures , the van my dad wanted to give me may be sold , meaning the possibility of out-of-town transport (and a possible income source) just went down the tubes .

On the upside , my Aber set is climbing again (now 113.50), and I've figured a way to get the parts I ~can~ use and save a bundle .

And my Blizzard DX should be here any day , so I can ponder hot to make a tracked APC out of it (mebbe a Bombardier)

I have metal barrels for all the tanks , have a Henschel turret for swapping onto the Porsche , and the M36 turret onto the Sherman , so I've kinda got 5 tanks ...

( PS : anyone want a Leopard & Gepard with lotsa spares , let me know )

WhiteWolf

Wow... that helps a good bit. Thanks for the help with this stuff.

So what set of tracks did you settle on Whitewolf?

Kuma :

AirConnection and Military Hobbies are Canadian .

Great Hobbies , Mikes (BrassBarrels) , BackYard Armor & Dave4What are all US .

Holiday123 is in HK , Kenny Kong is in Japan (buy his stuff thru BYA) and rumor has it Holiday's tracks are bootleg copies of Kennys . Don't forget Customs for the Asian stuff !

That cover it all guys ?.

Thanks Erock!

Looking forward to some new pictures of your progress

I'm over in the US and I see Holiday123 is in hong kong. Long distance shipping!!! Ouch!!

Airconnection is over in the UK too it looks like.

I'll have to think about alternatives.

Thanks again Whitewolf.

Lots of good info.

What metal tracks are you planning on buying/bought?

I just might go static for now. I had a chance to sit down and think about it. By the time I get this huge tank done it will be winter and snow will be on the ground. And I just know I'd want to run it!!

So its very possible that I might wait until late winter to start an RC version. But a static version would give me something fun to work on in the mean time.

I've been working on a 1/35 Tiger 1 now for 3 months and have yet to wrap that up. Kind of got sidetracked working on it!! One of those cases where I started another model before I finished the one I was already working on!!! That seems to be happening to me a lot lately

I'm not locked onto Greatmodels. Its just that I bought from them before. I try to use them as a measure to compare to other sellers. BYA and Dave's do have terrific prices.

I will keep thinking on it.

But thanks for your help!! I needed some...

Here is what I have for my Tiger F.O.:

Replacement barrel from Brassbarrels.com (Mike@ eBay)
Replacement Metal tracks Holiday123 (eBay)
Aber PE set (Militaryhobbies.com)
Hussar 1/16 Decals set (Airconnection)

Kuma :

If you don't go with the full-function , R/C battling is not an option , as only the FF DMD unit can take the Battle Unit , and you need that to participate .

Tracks :

Holiday123 on eBay , $128.50 (US shipped, then customs?)
Back Yard Armor , $160 (US shipped, no customs)
then the German made ones at $200 plus ...

Barrels :

MikesCraftsLV on eBay , $30.18 (US shipped) (I own this one)
BackYard Armor , $30 (US shipped)
Great Models/HobbyFan , $32.40 + shipping
The BarrelStore , $35.60 + shipping (Mikes' , but middleman'd)

I miss any , guys ?

PS : Great Models is back up !

$776 for a FF Tiger 1 ? (~insane laughter~) BYA and D4W are cheaper !
$255 for a T1 static ? Get it off eBay !

there ya go

Couple questions for all of you.

1. Did any of you buy your static Tigers from Greatmodels?

2. What options are available for aftermarket tracks and barrels? Like what is available right now?

Talk about dedication....

I will be applying the wash to the roadwheels, etc, this evening when I get home from work. This way when I get up early in the morning, they will dry enough to remove the excess

thanks for the reply Whitewolf...

So how are those big Tigers going fella's?

Kuma :

eBay : a good judge is feedback . Look and see if they have any negs , and if so , how recent , what the problem was , then go read the other side as well . I got one neg , it was retaliation for me hitting him for ignoring me ; his item went cheap and he tried to resell it .

I've not dealt with D4W yet , but hope to soon . As yet I've not heard any 'burned' problems , but a few 'slow' comments , but he is an online-only store as a sideline .

BYA is relatively new , but from what I see , they are a clearinghouse for other makers ( I think his tracks are Kenny Kongs , dunno who makes the barrels , but that E8 kit is a subcontract : I asked )

Most don't bother with the hole , and its one more thing to complicate a mold ; would you want it if it increased the cost of the tracks ( from the BYA - $160 to maybe $200 ? )

You want to run a Tamiya battle unit ? Firstly , you HAVE to have a Full Function unit to use one . So there go the kit options !!

You want rcarmorforum.org . Dick and the guys have an ~indoor~ 60' x 85' battlepark at the AAF Tank Museum in Virginia , and the MAADHQ.com has images of the park , and the RCACN regs .

I'll warn ya now , you run with them , you're gonna be doing upgrades , once ya see their rigs . They now can also advise you about maintenance .

As for sticking detail bits down :

One : clean , bare (unpainted) & slightly roughed surfaces , ~always~ !! Use about 240 grit emery paper to roughen , thinner for metal cleaning , dish-washing soap for styrene (always wash the sprues before ya start !!)

Two : styrene to styrene , use a liquid-glue (TenaxR or similar) 'cause it works better . This from one thats used both types of glues , & won't use tubes except as a 'filler' with baking powder !

Three : If its styrene to metal (like Aber PE or home-made track-guards) roughen/buff the metal same as the styrene , then re-wash before gluing (CA wont bond decently to polished metal) DON'T use CA kicker / CA accelerator - it makes the bond brittle !

Four : metal-to-metal , solder if you can , use method #3 if you can't . Get a CA that says its designed for metal if you can . JB-Weld is good too , but its too bulky for fine parts .

Five : If its popping off ~that~ easily , your glue is bad , you're not following these steps , or it shouldn't be stuck on to start with !

WhiteWolf
(who often has to use the liquid-solvent as a ~DE~bonder !)

Yea Greatmodels is up then its down then its back up again. Don't understand it. I called em up yesterday to let them know and they had no idea anything was wrong.

I've used Ebay in the past. I can completely understand why people dislike it. There's a lot of shysters there just looking to make a buck. It tarnishes all the honorable sellers.

Maybe at some later date Tamiya will release a steel wheel late version.

Can I ask if you've bought stuff off Dave4what? And how about Backyard Armor? I'm always a little apprehensive about dealing with places I've never bought anything from before. There prices do look nice.

I'll have to give the metal tracks some thought. I don't think I'd want to drill out the holes. That might take me a year itself The holes in the horns are oblong so to do it right I'd have to figure out some kind of jig. I'll give it some thought.

I don't know how much I'd run it. It kind of depends whether I can find a local group running RC tanks. Otherwise its just going to be a weekend run it around the yard sort of thing

Hmm... so Tamiya doesn't give you extra links to do that huh? Thats not good

I guess I'm not thinking in scale. I know my 1/35 tanks would definitely have parts falling off from jarring. I use a mix of CA with regular plastic cements. I've never built anything in 1/16 scale before.

Kumakichi :

Yea , it appears Great Models website is down ; I can't get it either , and I could a few days ago .

Here is the review from Missing-Lynx :

http://www.missing-lynx.com/reviews/german/aber16k01.htm

And there are a few 'loaded' Tiger 1's on eBay , though i know some people hate it with a passion .

Anything else you want , feel free to pop me an e-mail .

WhiteWolf

PS : Want to do me a favor , and take my Aber set , I'll give ye a deal on my T1 bag .

Kumakichi

You have a few options on the barrel ... there are ones from the guy down in Nevada ( I have his T1 , you need to mod it a bit to fit it ) and Bob Wroe might have some left . You can even get cast brakes for them too , through Dirk's Parts .

To do the steel wheeled requires roadwheels from the king Tiger , and its a fair bit of work ... the FRAG site has an article on how to do it ( http://www.fragarmor.org/Advanced%20Hints%204.htm )

To be honest , the static only has marginally more detail . The operational hull hatches & detail , some engine deck parts , the optional air filters , and a second commander figure option .

If I did it again , I'd buy a basic Tiger 56011 and add an Aber set instead of trying to add gearboxes & DMD to a static kit . Look back thru the messages , and look at the prize-winning Aber'd T1 Late ...

As for the tracks , they ARE good , and if you intend to run yours a lot on hard/rough ground , it will make them last longer . It also slows the tank down a bit , bring it that much closer to scale . It leaves you the option of disposing of your stock set , or using them to replace the cast ones on the bow-plate and in the Aber link holders around the turret , as well as other 'splash' armor . And if you ~really~ want the holes in the tracks , why not do it yerself ?

As for bits falling off , half the stuff is bolted down ( like fenders & exhaust guards ) and the rest is meant to be CA'd down . If you have parts 'pop' off after CA'ing , you're doing something wrong or use crappy CA .

Now if you mean when ya bump unto stuff , the Aber will ~bend~ , but the stock styrene will snap , and you'll have to replace it anyway !! Besides , you think you're gonna bump something , unbolt the fenders , silly ! You can retrofit the stock ones to be bolted on too ...

I should add another supplier , BackYard Armor . They sell 56010 kits solo & in packages , and have tracks , barrels and TaBU's too . They ~are~ a bit more expensive than D4W though ...

WhiteWolf

Hey thanks for all that info Whitewolf.

I was hoping to pick up the full option and then perhaps go with the Aber set along with a barrel.

I'd really love to do a steel wheeled version but I bet that can get a bit expensive

I was figuring the static version would have more detail to it than the RC version. So I would like to try and go nuts on a static version moreso than an RC version. I can just see my parts flying off it bouncing around the battlefield I might be interested in your bag although it wasn't really why I wanted the static. If not I'm sure one of these other fella's would be interested in buying your bag if your willing to let it go.

Did you pick up metal tracks for your Tiger? I've been looking at pictures of some and they lack the hole in the horn. Kind of suprised me. At that scale I thought it would have em for sure. Would there be another advantage to having the metal tracks over the plastic ones?

Kumakichi :

dave4what.com , in Military Kits , Tamiya , and scroll down . 56010 - Full function , $549 plus about $20 shipping . He can even make sure you get the new Type 4 boxes with your kit . You can even buy your 4ch radio there !

Word of Caution though :

The FF Tiger kits are designed to have sealed forward hatches , so if you want them to open & be detailed , you're looking at buying a 36203 Static and adding all the sh*t , buying it & parts-swapping ( meaning one'll be lacking ), or buying an Aber set to detail the 56010 .

And about the only place you'll find one of the 36203 'static' kits with its black bag is eBay . And even the static is lacking in a lot of detail that the Aber set adds . I know , I'm one of the nitwits thats upping a static to R/C ...

Combining your 'detail' & 'functional R/C" into one kit is the most economical .

56010 detailed : 56010 for $549 , add the Aber at $200 , thats $749 .

36203 upgraded: $210 for DMD , $200 for MF unit , $109 for gearboxes , $25 for metal barrel , thats $544 , then sprues from 56010 to properly MF a static kit ! (guess at $30) Thats over $574 . At a generous $150 for the 36203 , you're close to the cost of an Aber'd 56010 ($724) with MUCH less detail !!!

Aint it worth the extra 25 bucks ?

I have an Aber set up on eBay right now , and am matching AirConnection's air-shipping :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3145750118

Now , if part of the reason you wanted the static is the bag , we could make a deal , as I'll willing to let my bag go ...

WhiteWolf McBride

QUOTE: Originally posted by Erock68 Kumakichi, Are you looking for the Static Display or the Full Option RC?

Full option RC for now but I probably would like to do a more detailed static down the road.

Btw.. for some reason I just can't open Greatmodels website from this pc at work :( No idea why cuz no sites are blocked here. Kinda odd.

Kumakichi,

Are you looking for the Static Display or the Full Option RC?