ARMOR - Tamiya 1/16 Tiger 1 Group Build

From his website, it looks like Sherm has quiet a fleet. I think even those 1/16 tigers you guys are building might have a problem tackling them all at once!! Pesky little critters those shermans are.

Hah! Fleet o' Shermies is right! All excellent!

Welcome, welcome, box1! The more, the merrier!
If you're anything like me, this thread'll really help ya get motivited, and just plain really help ya!
Buncha great guys here.

Later, fellas! (At work now! Shhhhhhh!)

Has everyone got a Tiger in mind to do?
I think for me it will be,Tiger 812 "TiKi" of the 2. SS-PzDiv "Das Reich"
Coz i found a few good pics http://www.photosammler.de/w030106e.htm.
Might be nice if well all share info we have found, here are some link iv got.
http://www.fprado.com/armorsite/tigers-02.htm
http://ww2photo.mimerswell.com/
http://www.panzer-vi.fsnet.co.uk/ ( sure you've all got that one.)
http://www.achtungpanzer.com/tiger.htm

Another Tamyia Tiger builder: http://members.rogers.com/ssocr4/tiger.htm

And heres one thats just general intrest, they have some great AFV finds, http://www.lerenfort.fsnet.co.uk/

Thanks for the links, box1!

Tiki' s a good-lookin' Tiger. I like that camo pattern!

I haven't chosen a particular vehicle. For that matter, I haven't even decided to choose a certain vehicle yet!

Once I finish my current project, I'll sort through all my references and see what catches my interest.

Or, I may just do a representative vehicle, following the basic Tiger rules of the day and outfitting it as if I were the tank commander.

There's a heck of a lot of fun in that!

Happy Tigering, guys!

Hey Box 1,

Thanks for the websites. So far I've nailed down which battalion I'm going to model my tank from, I just haven't picked out a specific tank. I'll check those sites out and see what they have.

J-Hulk, I sent your card yesterday. Thanks again!

Erock, are you still looking for numbers of tanks commanded by Wittman? The book "Tiger on the Western Front" has several: 205, 222 (From Villers Bocage), "The assault on Villers-Bocage saw the destruction of 26 British tanks (Shermans and Cromwells), 14 half tracks, 8 Bren Carriers and many other vehicles. Several machines were captured intact. Add to this several anti-tank guns and 230 prisoners. The 1st Company of the 101st Battalion lost 3 tanks and 7 men (wounded and KIA) The tank, #222, borrowed by Wittman for this attack was recovered and put back into service after repairs." Wittman's official tank as commander of the 2nd Company was #205. They have a very nice color photograph of #205 on page 103. Will you be converting your tank to mid version with the steel wheels?

Shermie.... (sigh) Why do I have this crazy visual of "Ahnold" Schwarzenegger commanding a Tiger as it rampages amidst hundreds of little Shermans!?

Roy

Howdy, Roy!

I made the photocopies and gathered up all the goodies today and shall post the package first thing tomorrow.

okie,

No, I won't be converting. I am doing Wittman's early prod. S04, from the Russian front, with the 88 kill rings.

Here is hopefully how it will turn out:


I may model it with just the yellow and dark brown camo pattern or, if I feel really daring, I may add the winter "whitewash"

You're a brave man in my opinion to do the winter wash. I suppose the look it achieves breaks up the lines I appreciate so much in a Tiger; which is good for warfare, but just looks "off" to me. I do like the combination of yellow and brown or dark green camoflage though. I officially took my first digital picture last night of my Tiger. (It's only a picture of the finished cupola.) It seems like it took me forever to complete that part, but I was kit bashing and having to scratch build some parts. But it was definitely worth it! Now I have the updated cupola AND a working hatch. Thank God for those tiny drill bits from X-acto! Anyway, I have a picture now, so how do I send it to you for the website? (I'm afraid I'm in the dark when it comes to websites and posting photos.)

Roy

You mean nobody's going to do Wittman's Tiger 007 after all the work I went through to supply the perfectly good reference photo seen below.

I'm hurt ..... so terribly hurt

What a buncha ingrates we are!

Hang on a sec, let me get a hammer and a box of matches and I'll get to work on that version right away!! :)

Hey Sherm, if it was a color photo now, then maybe we poor Tiger builders would have something to go on, but really, a b/w photo!! Then maybe I'd do it in 1/35th. Might be kind of hard to disguise all that out of scale running gear and and radio servos in the 1/16th with the turret blown off like that. How careless of Whitman to leave his tank in such disrepair! lol

Bill

Yeah Shermie, I'll get right on that...Should take only a three M-80's! Bad karma to build a replica of a tank that ended its days so badly!

Roy

Eric
Like the idea of Whittmans Tiger 007. I read somewhere on the net that the Kill rings where only painted on for a medal Presentation, are you going to do them by hand?

Iim going to delay my Tiger build for a bit, think my modeling skills may be a little rusty after 20ys, so went and got a 1/35 Panther ausf g to practice on first.

Anyone got some advice on a good airbrush?

You guys believe in some expensive test beds!! lol

Bill

No, I have a 1/16 Tiger sheet with Wittman's S04 & Kill Rings.

Box, that depends on how much you want to get into it. A good, general airbrush is a Badger 200. Some people really like the 150. Testors Aztec line is okay and advertised to be easier to clean. I haven't found that necessarily to be the case. Might be so with acrylics, but I have trouble getting the enamels out of mine, and I've ruined my general coverage tip tring to do so. The good thing about them is that you can get relatively cheep tips for a wide variety of applications. (Micromart usually has pretty good prices on the brush sets.) I have a Pasche VL that I really like. It's the most difficult to clean of any of them, but it's by far the best for detail work (that I have). You can usually find them on sale for about 50% off! If you want to go nice, Badger has a couple of them out there. The Anthem comes to mind, but I don't have any experience with it. And I've heard, the Iwata brushes are really nice. The people I know that work in the model shops seem to have them more than any other.
Make sure you leave enough money to get a compressor, unless you go with a compressed gas cylinder or something. Don't try to use the little cans...you'll go broke, and I find them too inconsistant in pressure.
If you've got the patience and interest, go for a double action. They will give you much better results, overall. But single action are much easier to use and usually to clean.
Make sure you keep your airbrush clean, and be careful to not damage the tip or the needle.
Also, I'd pick up a few extra bottles, a couple for mixing, and at least one that will fit on the airbrush.

Hope this all helps. Probably lots more than you wanted to know.

Good luck with it.

Bill

Well, no new progress today. I'm getting to the point where I'm REALLY needing the Aber PE. The next steps have some outer chassis details and I don't want to remove parts, just to replace them again.

I called Militaryhobbies.com (where I purchased the Aber set) They said the kit was backordered but, has since shipped. So, hopefully sometime mid week I will be going strong again.

The wife said a package arrived and it's the Tamiya Tiger 1 CD-ROM. So, at least I can get some good detail shots of various Tigers to keep me going.

***A quick question, to those with the Aber PE:

Does the set come with holders for the long track section on the lower front chassis of the Tiger? I can install the motors but, I need to drill 4 small holes for the screws that hold the spare track to the front armor first. If the set doesn't include holders for this part, I can do a bit more. If it does, I dont want to fix the holes that I made.

Eric, I looked through the Aber set and didn't see anything for the front spare track holder??? What's up with that? Everything else is covered gonna have to scratch build wingnuts i guess.

Eric

QUOTE: Hey Sherm, if it was a color photo now, then maybe we poor Tiger builders would have something to go on, but really, a b/w photo!!

It is in colour !!!!!!

Burnt black and smoked gray.

Bill
That helps alot; i'll have to make my mind up if im going in to modeling again. not point in spending that kind of cash if not.
Are the Badger's good for 1/35 detailing? cos thats the scale i'll would be getting into again.

Eric
Let us know what the Tamiya Tiger 1 CD-ROM is like and if its worth the money.

Where do you all get your little faces from?

Shermie, if i go into this big time again, i may have a go at Wittmans 007 in your pic. The last thing i did all those years ago was a distroyed PZ IV but never finished it and that was in the days of no PE, all done scratch with plastic card and bit out of my spares box.

Hey all,

Slow and steady going on my Tiger. I had to scratch build a vent cover that sits directly beneath the "Rommelkiste" on the back of the turret. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it looked once it was finished.(I'm loving that Evergreen plastic! ) I'm actually beginning to like scratch building. I also had to putty up some holes in the rear deck, since I wouldn't be using them for the brackets used on the hoses from the air cleaners in the rear.

Roy

Roy,
I sent that package today by international express mail, so it should only take 3 or 4 days to get to ya. I know you're rarin' to go on that zimmerit!

Box 1, you can use the Smilies (the little faces) if you go up to the top of the page and use the "Reply to Topic" option instead of "Quick Reply" at the bottom. You get a ton more options that way! Check it out..
I didn't know about it for the longest time!

YeeeeeHaaaaaa! Thanks again J-Hulk!

Roy

okie,

Thanks for the info, that means I can go a bit further, yippee

box1,

You have to click "Reply to Topic" instead of using the box that comes up below the post. A whole group of different face icons then appear on the left.

**EDIT** Jeez, you guys are quick responders this AM, not enough coffee in me yet!

Oh yeh!

Thanks guys

anyone else here from the uk? Trying to find a good UK on-line shop that does tools, photo etch and airbrushes.

Today's progress:

2 Gearboxes, spare track link and holder. Initial application of white ceramic grease also applied. 4 Small holes drilled with pin vise in front armor for screws (nicely hidden by the holder bar)

Good to go Erock! I have since ordered Aber's PE grill set for my Tiger and a replacement barrel from the Barrel Store. I'll also be modifying the tools and their arrangement on the front deck. I'm tired of the standard shovel, hammer and bolt cutters trio. Perhaps I"ll substitute one of those for one of the later large clamps. Very nice job with the spare tracks in front. Question for you: Would a coating of zimmerit interfere with having those tracks there?

Roy

Dave, I find my Badger 200 fine for doing most stuff on a 1/35th. If I'm putting on a solid base coat, I'll usually use my Aztek and hope for the best. If I'm trying to get any kind of a pattern laid down, I'll use the Badger. Right now, I do not have compressor hooked up through a pressure regulator. Not a good idea. You really need to be able to change the air pressure depending on the paint, and what your trying to do. Also, if you live in a humid area, a mostiure trap is a requirement. Otherwise, you will be blowing water droplets along with your paint. Not fun with acrylics. Disaster with enamals!

Sir Hulk,
There is a Reply to Topic link at the bottom of the page, too!!

Bill

Looking good, Erock!

Bill: Well, danged if there ain't! How long has that li'l rascal been down there? Man, I just gotta pay more attention to my surroundings, before someone gets hurt!

Ahem.
So, yes, box1, as I was saying earlier, you can go to either the TOP or BOTTOM of the page to choose the "Reply to Topic" option...

Heh heh heh!

Hulk, you're getting as funny as Sherm. Watch it, or you'll get a bad rep!

You guys keep me laughing. Today, I need that. Thanks

Bill