Dragon #6253 Tiger I Late Production-Complete 12-20-13

More progress in the hull details in this session. First up was the front Bosch headlight and platform. The kit part doesn't accommodate the addition of zim, so the little tab on the back needed to be notched at the top for it to sit properly. The kit-supplied pre-bent steel wire for its conduit falls into the same trap, so I replaced it with 0.5mm solder bent to shape and installed with CA gel.

Then it was time to work on the tools. I used the kit-supplied 'clean' tools for the most part, the only one that wasn't usable was the pry bar, TA2. That's because this is a generic tool set sprue and the pry bar there is a much shorter bar than the one used on the Tiger. Griffon PE clamps were used in place of the kit clamps because I find them easier to work with. For those tools with molded-on tool clamps, I removed their thick handles and replaced them with Griffon handles. The kit-supplied brass tube antenna holder was attached with CA gel to round things out.

The tools that attach to the rear hull were also dealt with, receiving Griffon PE handle replacements. The jack is a multi-part assembly and beautifully detailed but the handle has to be placed just so to line-up properly with the mount hole in the rear. I also cleaned up the large tow cables and prepped the cleaning rods. The rods had their solid ends drilled out with a #76 finger drill to create the 'female' ends where appropriate.

Next up will begin work on the turret.

Hi Ernest! Glad you found it, still in the early stages yet so you're not far behind. This one was also one of my early stash-building kit acquisitions that has been sitting patiently waiting its eventual turn at the bench. You shouldn't be intimidated by this kit, it's got options of either styrene or PE for most of the parts in question so there's no reason not to tackle it whenever you feel the urge! Happy to feed your Tiger-fix needs until then though.

Dang Bill!  I had no idea you were building this kit!  I've had mine in the stash for 6 yrs....I think it was the 5th kit I bought when I returned back to the hobby.   I was too intimidated back then to build it and it still intimidates me!!   Some day I'll work up the courage to attack it, but for now I'll live vicariously through your top notch blog!

Thanks Clint! Atak's the way to go IMHO. Not only do they typically include the zim panels but they also provide full resin replacement parts for things like the gun mantlet that would be very difficult to zim otherwise. Well worth the price to produce a zim finish.

I still want to get some of that Atak Zim it seems really easy to work with. The rest of the Tiger is coming along nicely too.

I hear you there DM! Thanks for dropping in.

    Bill, looks like a good day for a Tiger.

(Of course, any day is good for a Tiger)

Thanks Anthony, Dragon packed this kit to the brim with all kinds of goodies. Ah, the good ol' days!

Up to your usual standard Bill,Metal looks great.

Karl

David

That odd-shaped plate between the mufflers; it should be aligned vertically. Everything else looks good.

David

WOW, Bill----COOL to see you doing a mighty Tiger! I think I can't help but echo what everyone else said about being excited to see what it's going to be in the end!

I predict....an FSM cover?!

Thanks Eric! Atak's the best stuff to work with IMHO, give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Smooth work with that zimm Bill! Going to have to try that one of these days..

This round of effort focused on getting the remaining zim work done on the hull. First up was the left side. The kit includes pre-formed brass fenders with PE braces that need to be added to them to construct each fender portion. Dragon designed them to sit on the little mount tabs and the Atak zim set sits flush around them, so it's necessary to cut the Atak panels to allow the fenders to sit correctly. I decided to leave one of the fenders off on this side to show the detail and the zim extending down the full hull side for a little variety.

Because the hull side integrates with the front plate, I went ahead and installed it along with the glacis plate so I could get everything lined up. The three fenders were installed and some Squadron White putty used to fill back in the gaps on the zim panels where needed.

The front hull plates received their zim panels as well and the ball MG mount installed along with the driver's visor. Just a little bit of putty was needed to match things up with the zim and fill a couple of gaps.

Then the right hull side received its zim and fenders using the same approach as on the left side. 

Next came the details for the engine compartment as called out in Step 7. The kit provided PE frames for the fans are a very tight fit into the space available and they also make it impossible to fit the radiator hoses (parts G13), which isn't a big deal for me since all of this disappears under the hatches and screens regardless.

I installed the roof plate for the hull next, working at the front using liquid glue and moving slowly toward the rear to get the hull to close up properly along the edges. The engine compartment hatches were assembled and installed. It's worth noting that the part numbers in Step 11 for the fan hatches are reversed in terms of which side they belong to but nothing that isn't easily figured out with a test fit. The kit supplied larger intake PE screens were bent so some careful straightening with pliers was required before they were installed.

Rounding things out for the day, I added most of the rear hull details outlined in Steps 5 and 6. The tools and other remaining gear will be installed later on after painting.

Still more work to do on the hull before heading over to the turret.

wbill76

 

I'd be happy if they just proofed their instructions!  

Amen!!!

RBaer

Bill, Dragon ought to just put a link to your builds in the box.....

I'd be happy if they just proofed their instructions! Always glad to have you stop by my friend!

Bill, Dragon ought to just put a link to your builds in the box.....

Jester75

Looking sharp Bill!!  I believe the inward bow on the Tiger hull is an "issue" or "an on purpose" design with the Dragon Tigers right?

That's right Eric, the bow/warp on the hull is an intentional design element in the Dragon kits. It's supposed to make the fit tighter for the modular hull plates that build up on the 'frame' of the tub and it fulfills that purpose very nicely. The tension on the front plates though is pretty strong, I was able to actually get everything to attach and align correctly without the sprue brace but it created so much stress that parts would pop off with the slightest shift, so I added the brace to make life a little bit easier when it comes time to permanently attach them.

IB48

Love that zermmit!

I'm on board Bill. Always enjoy your WIP builds. Always learning something from you.

Looking sharp Bill!!  I believe the inward bow on the Tiger hull is an "issue" or "an on purpose" design with the Dragon Tigers right?

Another weekend means another update! Work continued on the Tiger with attention given to the rear hull plate. The kit part received the corresponding Atak zim panels using a combination of Gator Grip glue to position them and then running liquid glue under the panels to tack down the edges and ensure the panels bonded to the part underneath.

Dragon deliberately molded the hull with a slight warp in the hull tub as a design intended to allow for a snug fit with the plates. The rear plate is big enough and strong enough to force the hull sides into the proper alignment using just regular glue. Once the plate was in place the lower-most zim panel was added around the base of the tow hitch to round things out.

The front of the hull however needs a little help to overcome the warp, so a piece of sprue was cut down to the necessary size and glued in place to brace the hull and help it hold its shape better.

I dry-fitted the glacis plate along with the hull roof and the front plate of the fighting compartment. This not only ensured that the bracing length of sprue was providing the right level of correction, it also ensured that the brace held its position correctly while the glue set.

Then I sat down to deal with the remaining 2nd track. 2 football games and 93 links later, the second one was completed.

Next up will be more work on the hull side panels and other similar details.

Appreciate the interest KC, glad to have you along!

I want to watch it since I'm building the same model this winter. Only I'll use Friuls.

Johan

Glad to have you along for the ride as well!

Count me in for the ride, always a pleasure watching you build. This will be fun.

Hi Bill,
You have been saving up on this one just to tease us...
I don't mind 

This thread is firmly tagged 

Very Best Regards
Johan 

Hard to argue with you there Brian! Glad to have you along.