ARMOR - Tamiya 1/35th Tiger 1 MID PRO Group build

Thanks Bill i'll have a look into that

Yea!!!! We've finally made it to "sticky" status!!

Thank you, thank you.

Bill

Bill Here's the pics of the Model Kasten tracks for you. Sorry I forgot yesterday.



Eric

Hey Fellas,

Sorry to invade your new sticky, but I couldn't help but notice Capt. Caveman's search for suitable Zimmerit. I bought R&J Product's Zimm-It-Rite, $10, $3.85 for postage. Man, that stuff was great! This was my first time with zimmerit and I don't think I could have done it with putty or anything else. Zimm-it-rite has a set up time of about 5-7 hours. So it gave me plenty of time to apply it to say, a whole side, and then groove it! Once it dried, I used a sharp knife to simulate battle damage and wear. Sanding also evened the whole appearance out very nicely. (Can't stress that one enough) For $10, they sent me two small containers about the size of 35 mm film canisters. One was the resin, the other was the hardener. I zimmed my whole 1/16 Tiger and still have enough left to do at least one 1/35 tank.

Roy

have you guys ever thought of using good ol milliput??

Hey Deak. I would have to agree that Milliput is excellent for zim. But it's downfall is the consistency in my opinion. the biggest problem I have found with Milliput is trying to get it to a nice thin even layer. You also need to roughen up the surface for better adhesion. I just stick to Polyester putty, I think you get the best results. It is thin, workable for a good amount of time, and easy to clean up.

thanks everyone
ive tryed Milliput and Squadron white, and ive got a set of the Tamiya zimerit tools
and i cant find Zim it right over here in the UK, and i think it would take too long to get here from the states (i think it would be sea travel only) and cost more for P&P than the zim it right

Hey guys,

Moses, I have a question for you. I've seen your zimm work and I have got to say that it is superb. My question is how long does the polyester putty stay pliable and workable? And, does it craze the plastic?

Thanks,

Roy

if you use plenty of water when applying the milliput it makes it easier to work with and enhances it's adhesion . spread it onto the model with a wet thumb, it.will remain workable for about thirty mins...
i used ITALERI body putty on my mid prod, and foud that it affected the plastic, and dried off really fast, so parts of the zimmerit had to carved onto it with a dental pick..
i dont think i will use this method in future.....

Hey okieboy, the Polyester Putty stays workable for at least 15 minutes. That is a long time when you consider how fast most thin putties dry. Remember, it all depends on how much catalyst youuse. The more you use the faster it will dry, the less you use the slower it will dry. The Polyester Putty can craze the plastic a bit, but if you allow it to dry before removing it..it will not have an effect.

Deak, I use milliput for sculpting on figures, sandbags, bedrolls, etc...and I love it. I know some of the great modellers out there like Tony Greenland swear by it for Zim. I personally just haven't been able to achieve great results with it in that respect.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Captain Caveman looks great Horus ive been looking at them on ron.george your all tempting me to get one of my Tigers out to build mmmmmm shall i start a Tiger lol is Squadron white anygood for Zimmerit? i cant find Tamiya putty

I've used Squadron White and it worked ok. It sets up fairly quickly and it gets really hard. I'll have to post some pictures of my steel wheel Tiger I've been working on.

Kumakichi it would be great to see your photos
ive used it on a Sturmtiger as a test before with the Tamiya tool and yes it did dry fast

I hope I still have the pictures I took from the beginning. I took some on my digital camera while I was progressively doing the zimmerit.

Unfortunately my laptops hard drive died and I lost a lot of stuff

I think I"m roughly 40% done. I'll see if I can dig up those pic's

Ok guys, we have slowed down here. Time to get started again, I want to see some PICS!!! Where did Horus go? We have not heard from him in a while. And Bill, where is your tiger?? Moses, what say you about your build?? As for the rest of you, I want to hear that some work is getting done!!! (cracks the whip)

As for me, I have finished everything, just need to find the time to touch up one spot on my tiger with flat coat, and apply the flat coat to my figures. Sorry I have not had time to get pics up. Was out of town last weekend for a rugby tourney, and have been doing senior level engineering stuff the rest of the time. Its going slow now on this end, but still going.

happy building guys....

Sorry if this is off subject but
Edog do you meen you play Rugby (the sport) in the US of A? or is it something else.

yah, I play in the United States. Hey, its ugly over here, but its still rugby, and I love it!! There is a link to my schools club on my web page (a little out dated) if you want to check it out. And sorry to get off topic, but I really tried to be brief with the reply (I just cant help talking about my favorite past time though)

I hear ya Edog. I am almost at the point where I can post some pics of my progress. I have 2 things stnding in my way at the moment...1) a pregnant wife who has severe mood changes and complains that I am not watching CSI with her and 2) a horrible addiction to Star Wars Galaxies. SO I am working as fast as these two speed bumps allow me. I am very happy with how it is transpiring, but not to thrilled about teh zim...I feel it is a bit out of scale..but once painted it should be ok.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Captain Caveman Kumakichi it would be great to see your photos ive used it on a Sturmtiger as a test before with the Tamiya tool and yes it did dry fast

This is my first time posting pictures so please let me know if they are too huge. Next time I'll try to downsize them.

I did a little airbrushing tonite trying to make a little progress on my Tiger I. I have a ways to go. I still have to paint my tracks, decal and weather it.




And here is a picture of my messy work area! No wonder everythings a mess!

Kumakichi,

Very nice!! I like the zim a lot. Is that the hot gun method, or the putty/screwdriver method?? How are you going to apply the decals over the zim?? This has always been a problem with me. I also like the camo scheme a lot!! Did you go with the Tamiya screens, or did you go for an after market PE set? Nice build over all!!

First off Kumakichi, you have done a SA-Weet job on the zim bud. I really like it. The rest of teh build and paint job look very convincing.

Ok update from Mo...I have almost completed construction. But I am at a little quandry at the moment. I sometimes start a project with a general idea of how I will do it. This one inparticuler started out as a general build with some added details. But it turned out to be a little more then that. I have used all brass tool clamps, Jordi Rubio Barrel, ModelKasten Tracks, as well as Aber Tow Cables. I also have Abers Side SKirts..but for some reason, I want my Tiger 1 to look a little neater for some reason. I see some of your builds with banged up zim, ripped off side skirts etc. SO I think I am going to be using the kits side skirts (seperated of course) just for S**ts and Giggles. I have a ton of refernces where Tigers were entering battle fields with nice and non dented side skirts. So I am going to go this route. I am supposed to get my friends camera tomorrow, so hopefully I will have pics up by Sunday night.

Cheers

Mo

looking good Kumakichi nice camo

edog

Thanks I used the putty and screw driver method. I used squadron white putty which dries hard and is workable but it dries pretty quick. Its a little harsh too. It does attack the plastic so if you have to clean up and redo a spot it could get a little messy. I am thinking about trying the new Tamiya stuff I see people talking about.

I had to work in small sections so it took a little time. I used 2 different screw drivers with different blade widths. One for the turret and one for the rest of the tank. I think it took me 4 or 5 days to do it all. I'd work a hour then let the putty dry awhile. When I got tired I just took a break and did something else

I took a lot of pictures when I was first starting out. Unfortunately they were all on my laptop and the hard drive went bad. I lost them all

My next step is to do a little sun fading of the paint. And then I was going to shoot everything in future. After it dries I'll put on the decals and use a solvent to settle it down on the zimmerit. After that I could start dirtying things up with washes. Then I'll add some chipped paint. Then I'll cover it all back up with flat and do some weathering with chalks. Then flat coat again.

I forget which decal solvent I use. There are some good ones out there thats really helped me.

I've always liked that ambush scheme and had to try it. It looks a little strong right now but I am hoping once I fade the paint a little it will look more natural.

I bought an Aber set for my Tiger but so far I only used the screens. In fact I bought a ton of aftermarket stuff but decided not to use it for this build. Well... I did use the screens from it but thats really it. I wanted to build one sort of out of the box. I think PE would have made this one a lot nicer. Especially on the fenders. But I'm having a lot of fun with it. I'll try and go full blown with my next one

Moses

Thanks I hope you can get that camera. Would love to see some pictures!!

Captain Caveman

Thanks!! I really need to downsize my pictures don't I?

I was gonna post a progress pic only I ran into bit of a snag. I did my washes and went to shoot my flat coat only my paint had other plans. It turned out semi-gloss! I thought I stirred the paint up good before I started shootin. Maybe I forgot to!

i think the photos are ok in size they show all the work youve put in
still waiting for the local shop to get Tamiya Putty in,
still it gives me more time to complete my firefly tracks

Well turns out I was napping on the job. I didn't stir the flat paint so thats why it came out semi-gloss!!

Yea I didn't want to make the pictures too obtrusive. I'll downsize them just a bit next time.

I'll have to do some searchin for that putty. There is a Hobbytown USA close to me. Maybe they might have it. I'd like to give it a try

Maybe you could post up some pic's of your build Capt. Caveman?

i hav'nt started on my Tiger yet im waiting for the putty
but i have a firefly, stug3, sturmtiger(i used squadron white zimeret) and 3 X 251D halftracks, that need compleating(spraying)
i used the Tamiya zimeret tool on the sturmtiger with Squadron white

You sound like me!! Right now I have like 5 kits I have yet to finish. I'll get this Tiger done come hell or highwater!

Spraying is my favorite part. I hate prep work but it pays off well. I could paint all day long

How did your zimmerit turn out using that tool? Did you like using that tool? Happy with results?

the tool was ok its the Squadron white dryed way too fast and it started to clog up alot
i like spaying myself but i have to get a new spray booth and my garden shed cleaned out so i can spray,
im hinting to my missus about the spraybooth for my Birthday(in November)

Just a couple progress shots. I did my washes, decaled, painted and washed my tracks and shot everything in flat although you can't really see it that well in my pictures



Here is a closeup of how my decals snugged up to the zimmerit after I used some setting solution.

Boy I'm really disappointed in my digital point n' shoot. Its so inflexible. Really having to work to take decent pictures with it. I'm so used to an SLR... its really driving me nutso!

I take shots outside and the brightness just washes out all the color. I take em inside and its hit or miss! arrrghgh!