BIG CATS GROUP BUILD 2008

Thunderbolt379: Glad you finally decided!!!

Guys: WIP-I cut strips of paper in geometric patterns to get this look...I figured for an urban look it would be more appropriate than traditional camo'.  I wanted the edges to be soft, but I still need to fix a few (overspray)...pretty cool look, huh?!?!?:

I'm going to add some red-brown next, either smaller geo' shapes or random size dots...not sure yet

Okay (rumble of thunder) -- I've decided. It'll be Academy's Tiger I Early.

Anybody recommend a good grille set for this one? PE grilles are about the only thing it's missing by the box shots. I might consider replacement tracks at a later date, I'll see what the kit tracks look like as I go.

TB379

Bodge -- MEAN Jagdpanther, man! Superb! Is this Dragon's kit with Cavalier zim?

SMJ -- I just took a look in my stash and my eyebrows have disappeared into my hairline! The front runners are now:

Academy Tiger I Early or

Tamiya Tiger II Adrennes Edition

I buy so much stuff I forget what I've got -- the King Tiger has an Eduard barrel, a Modelkasten working trackset and Tamiya PE grills, all in the one box!

I'd better decide what I'm doing, soon!

TB379

Started putting tracks together,  done front halfs ,finnished engine compartment and done top zimmeritt. Next is fine details and maybe a new ali gun.

Douglas1: You're in...start whenever you're ready!

dupes: Already got the dark yellow done...I have do do the "clouding" next.  This is going to be a cool urban camo' scheme...go see my "Need help for Panther G color scheme authenticity" if you're interested.

*edit* "clouding" completed and the road wheels are on!...I need to clean-up some overspray and touch-up the black a bit though...

 Awesome! Count me in on this one. Initial Tamiya Tiger I Afrika Scheme. Take me a couple of weeks to get started I have the kit but still waiting on the p/e and the turned barrel. Too bad the Tiger I tattoo'd on my shoulder doesnt count. Man, you guys are a bad influence

This is too much fun! Thanks, Doug................uh, the one in Indiana, oh yeah 1/35 scale

Yikes!  I thought we were doing this GB in the armor forum, hence my late registration.  I'll be in with a DML King Tiger Battle of the Bulge kit 6254.  

I'll probably be starting around July, but hopefully sooner than that.

Thunderbolt379:  I'll put you down with a ??? on the build...let me know what you decide, glad to have you aboard.

Guys:  Here's a WIP pic'.  I went with the barrel from the kit...generous helping of glue, seven clamps, dry overnight, a little sanding and the seams are gone!!!  Time to start painting

Hi SMJ and all,

Ah-ha, a dedicated GB forum -- that was the problem, I never scrolled down far enough to spot it!

I'd like to come aboard, I have over a dozen big-cat armor pieces in my stash to work with. Hot tip at the moment is:

Tamiya 1:35 Tiger II (Porsche) w/PE screens and Cavalier zim  or

Tamiya 1:35 Tiger I Early, w/- zim

I have so many to choose from -- decisions, decisions!

TB379

SMJmodeler wrote:

wing_nut wrote: wing_nut: Looks good to me!!! I'll put you down for 1/35 Dragon, Tiger I (P), is that correct?

YIPPIE... er... I apologize for that out burst.  (ahem)  I mean... Yes, Stephen, that is quite correct 

still yippie....

Slightly Altered wrote:

Got room for another in the Big Cats GB?...plenty of room, glad to have you back on line!!! Good to see your GB's are gathering so many folks SMJ. Your making great choices on the subjects.-Thanks...can't go wrong with Panthers and Tigers, huh?!?!?

...I'll put your info in right away

moose421:  I just made the edits, thanks.

Sorry I forgot to include the kit mfg.  Also didn't follow the Gb over to the Gb site.  Brain dead for sure.  That and my job this week sucked the life from me.  It will be 1/35 scale dragon kit.  I've got the battle of the bludge kit.  Lionroar PE, fenders barrel and big f'in PE detail set.

How do SMJ?    Sorry I haven't been around for a while, had a residence move that took a while, then the fight with the "internet people" getting this thing up and running again.

Got room for another in the Big Cats GB?    1/35  Dragon Tiger I, not sure about early or late yet, both are here, just needing AM bits and pieces.

Good to see your GB's are gathering so many folks SMJ. Your making great choices on the subjects.

Dale 

wing_nut wrote:

wing_nut: Looks good to me!!!

I'll put you down for 1/35 Dragon, Tiger I (P), is that correct?

Here is a shot of th P and the caption that was under it online.  This is the only marking set that comes withthe DML kit.

Only one completed Tiger(P) with chassis number 150013 saw combat service as a command tank - Panzerbefehlswagen VI(P) with schwere Heeres Panzerjager Abteilung 653. It was used by its commander, Hauptmann Grillenberg (turret number 003), on the Eastern Front in early/mid of 1944.

Hermesminiatures:  Any chance you have photos you could post of the Tiger (P) and Tiger I  Ausf. E?

Started Italeri Jagdpanther. Have constructed lower hull and wheels and have added Cavalier damaged zimmeritt. need to use filler with this zimm as i think it was made for another manufacturer.

SMJ - it's not as complicated as it may seem.

Panzer is a shortened form of Panzerkampfwagen (usually abbreviated PzKpfw), which translates to Armored Fighting Vehicle. All the German gun tanks (as opposed to command or observation tanks) were called PzKpfw I-VI. The Panther was Panzer V and the Tiger I & II were called Panzer VI.

All German military vehicles were given a Sonderkraftfahrzeug (SdKfz or special purpose vehicle) number which was their official designation. That might be the best way to keep track...

SdKfz 171 Panzerkampwagen V 'Panther' 

SdKfz 173 Jagdpanzer V 'Jagdpanther'

SdKfz 181 Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. E 'Tiger'

SdKfz 182 Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B 'Tiger II'

SdKfz 185 Jagdpanzer VI 'Jagdtiger' (88mm PaK 43 L/71)

SdKfz 186 Jagdpanzer VI 'Jagdtiger' (128mm PaK 44 L/55)

Sdkfz 267/268 Panzerbefehlswagen V 'Panther' (Panther command tank)

Sdkfz 267/268 Panzerbefehlswagen VI 'Tiger' (Tiger command tank) 

Vehicles other than gun tanks based on Panther or Tiger hulls have a different purpose and a different number, or no number at all in the case of the field-conversions, the Tiger I-based Bergetiger and the Sturmtiger.

SdKfz 179 Bergepanther

Bergetiger

Sturmpanzer VI 'Sturmtiger'

Steve...easy for me to work it out... I'll stick to the 1st choice

Then I'll just build the "P"  for fun.

Hermesminiatures:  You're killing me...so MANY tanks I'm getting confused here!!!  I didn't want to bother you with the ALL INCLUSIVE LIST of Panthers and Tigers but I may need to.  All the names and variants are WAY beyond my expertise!!! When I think of a Panzer I don't visualize the tanks on the badge...ya' know what I mean?  I was hoping to keep this to the tanks on the badge...with some variants but still with that look...make sense?  How do we work this out???  *edit*  I saw a Sturmtiger at a hobbyshop in SoCal...short, fat barrel looked like a qualifier too.

Bodge:  You're in, but please let me know the kit mfr.

SMJmodeler wrote:

wing_nut: Panzers aren't eligible for this GB, sorry.

What about the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther, Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger, and Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B Tiger II? Are they also not elligible?

The Panzer VI (P) is just another Tiger I variant, it's more commonly called Tiger (P). It was the Porsche-designed hull, which used Dr. Ferdinand Porsche's beloved (and seriously flawed) gasoline-electric drive. Initially, the Porsche design was accepted, but only three made it into combat before the better Henschel design replaced the Porsche. Remaining Tiger (P) hulls were converted into Ferdinand heavy tank destroyers.

The Tiger (P) is actually one of the biggest cats, too - the gas-electric drive components brought the weight to around 60 tons

Wingnut - Sonderkraftfahrzeug (abbreviated Sd.Kfz.) is German for special purpose vehicle (or Special Ordnance Vehicle). It was for example used by Nazi Germany during World War II, to represent armoured fighting vehicles. Have no clue how to pronounce it ;)

Panzerkampfwagen VI SdKfz 181 is indeed the Tiger I (Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H)

The Dragon kit 6210, reviewed here:

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/dragon/dr6210.htm

(Dragon #6352 is the Premium edition)

Should be a "Big Cat"?

SMJmodeler wrote:

wing_nut: Panzers aren't eligible for this GB, sorry.

Not a problem, I still have my original choice to do.  But, (armor education time) the reason I choice this kit was when I saw it I noticed the turret looked like a Tiger but the rest looked odd.  Phones with internet are great… seeing a kit on the shelf and check it out.  I found these comments made in several reviews of the kit I read online.

“Fans of the Tiger I will certainly want this rare cat in their collection; I do.”

Frank De Sisto

"... this adds to DML's Tiger "family" ..."

Cookie Sewell

“The Panzerkampfwagen VI (P), although a true Tiger variant, is often overlooked in favour of it's more famous siblings.”

Vinnie Branigan 

This and the Tiger I I will build have the designation of Sd.Kfz.181 as well (new question… What does “Sd.Kfz.” mean?)

I am not trying to break you baxxxx… er… onions Steve.  Inquiring minds want to know.

As a side note… you should all the crap I have to take when the guys at the LHS see me crouching down to see the bottom row of armor kits.  “That box has a tank in it…too heavy for an aircraft guy…”  “WASSUP?  You lost again?” Actually, it starts when I walk in the door.  “G’d afternoon track bolt.”

Who will have the last laugh when I roll across their airfield crushing the flimsy airframes… mwaah ha ha…

Guys:  I'm back from Southern California...I'll go first with some pics'!!!  I made a little progress on my Panther G...not a lot, but everything went together smoothly.  This is a nice kit, I especially like all the tools.  I didn't install the jack (between the mufflers) yet because it will be next to impossible to paint later, typically I install just about everything I can before I paint:

Glad to be back!

wing_nut: Panzers aren't eligible for this GB, sorry.

Townsy11:  1/72 scale is fine, glad you could join us!

panzer88: Got it!