Vince's Tiger 1 late variant 2017

[Vince Cutajar]

Thanks Brian.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

Today I did some minor weld seams on the bottom of the front mudflaps and tomorrow I will continue painting them. I still do not know what to do with the track rope. I am sure that the real tank did not have a shiny track rope but do not know how to go about it. Painting and weathering is not my thing. So I am going to skip this problem for now.

So, basically, the front, left and right side of the hull has all the work completed and so I thought that I would start on the rear part. Started taking the parts out for cleaning and deburring when I noticed something with the exhaust armor.

Exhaust Armor

As you can see from the above photo, the chamfer on the right side is wider than that on the left side. This is true for both of the exhaust armors. Could somebody tell me which way up should I attach the parts? Should the wide chamfer be on the top or is it the other way round? I could not find the answer in the diagram of the assembly manual as in the diagram they both seem to have equal chamfers.

Vince

[Adrian Harris]

Looks to me as though they ought to be equal in size.

Don't forget to add the lifting lugs.

Adrian.

[Vince Cutajar]

Thanks Adrian. Lifting lugs are waiting to be fitted.

Looking at that photo, I get the impression that the upper chamfer is wider at the top. It could also look like that due to the rear plate being not vertical but at an angle.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

I contacted Kian about the exhaust armor and he said that the wider chamfer should be at the bottom. He also told me that the chamfers will be hidden with the heatshield.

I am at the moment fitting the parts to the rear plate except for the exhaust components. I am doing this to see where I can improve things. I doubt I will be using the parts of the rear mudguards as they represent an earlier version of the Tiger. Is there anybody over here in Europe that makes the rear mudflaps for a late variant Tiger?

I also found a misprint on page 32 of the assembly manual. I was looking for the jack bracket parts to assemble them and by chance came across a plastic packet containing two jack clamp tops (CE2683). The manual states that these should be CP0234. Hope this is of use to somebody.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

This afternoon I was going to fit the 'C' shackle to the rear plate but noticed on page 39 of the manual that no screw sizes were shown for the brackets. So I am assuming that the screws are 2.5mm as it uses two 2.5mm wing nuts. As for length, it should be around 30mm. The only ones that the kit had were the Pozi Pan screws (meant for the roads wheels) which I did not use.

I was next going to fit the starter shaft (CE0636) but got side-tracked by the fact that I could not find any evidence of the starter handle which usually is installed on the hull roof. Still searching for it. Is it possible that it got left out of the model?

Vince

[Simon Peck]

Hi Vince,

Regarding your tow ropes/cables; I coiled mine up at the bottom of a bucket and pickled them for a couple of days in cheap white vinegar. They came out nicely tarnished. Regarding ‘C’ shackles, does Armortek supply these or are they after market but included?

Cheers,

Simon

[Vince Cutajar]

Hi Simon

Thanks for the tip of using white vinegar to tarnish the rope. Have not thought of that. My only concern using this method would be rust. I need to get myself a piece of similar rope material and experiment with it.

Regarding the 'C' shackles; they are part of the kit and made by Armortek.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

All the bits and pieces of the rear plate have been put in place. The only parts not there are the exhaust parts and the mud flaps.

Rear plate

Plan of action:
a) Idler Tension Covers are finished.
b) Heater port (6th Scale Icons) only needs priming and painting.
c) Steve's Reflector will be re-positioned lower and 2mm bolts used. Spacer to go between reflector and rear plate. Prime and paint.
d) Tow bracket finished just needs priming and painting.
e) Might change fixing of Starter Access Cover to a cone bolt. Prime and paint.
f) Machine flat the button head screws of the starter shaft brackets. Prime and paint.
g) 'C' Shackle. Still not sure about these. Might get after-market ones.
h) Steve's upgrade to the Armortek starter plate is complete. New holes already drilled and old holes plugged. Just needs paint.
i) Might cut a slot in the Jack bracket upper flap so that it can be opened. Assemble Jack. Prime and paint.

Am I missing anything?

Vince

[Marco Peter]

...My only concern using this method would be rust...

This is exactely how rust is made haha! Real rust...

You could always try to fake rust using weathering-techniques?

[Vince Cutajar]

Hi Marco

Are the wire ropes on Konan painted? Can you take a close-up photo of your wire ropes?

Vince

[Marco Peter]

Are the wire ropes on Konan painted? Can you take a close-up photo of your wire ropes?

So far I did exactely nothing to them, so no, they are not painted or anything. And I doubt I will because they are meant to be steel cables, so they might as well look like one.

[Robert E Morey]

Vince,
You can try to PM John Fitzsimmons. He makes excellent quality late Tiger 1 rear mudflaps from brass. He lives in Dublin, IRE. I haven't seen any posts from him in a while, so hope he is still active. He should have a post in Craftsmans market where you can view his stuff. I remember he made them at one time.

As for the ropes. I always primer and paint them using gun metal (Testors spray enamel). Then weather them from there. For my panther G, I made the tow ropes from heavy gage copper electrical wire. The kit parts rope parts were too stiff to do anything with.
Best regards,
Bob

[Vince Cutajar]

Thanks for the tips Bob.

Vince

[simon_manning]

hi vince, what you need is a set of steve winstone c-shackles and brackets, they are cast and accurate in dimensions, also brass wing nuts came with them, tow ropes you can make your self, you need multi strand soft stainless steel wire, 5mm, the softer the better, it bends and lays very nicely on the rear of the tank when held in the clamps, contact steve to see what he has, i can send tow rope dimensions if you require, regards simon manning.