Tiger 1 2021 no. 13

[Vince Cutajar]

Gary

This is how Phil aligns the running gear on a late Tiger 1. Simple and effective.

viewtopic.php?p=68987#p68987

Vince

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

I have made some good progress on the hull today as well as getting some of the minor jobs out of the way. The excess holes for the new bump stops have been filled and the reflector fitted. I decided to use 2mm nuts and bolts on the reflector and used some brass tube (3.5mm od x 2.5mm id) to fill the existing holes, it was simply super glued in place and save me having to fill and re drill the holes.
The Idler wheels have been primed and I am happy with the finish. Alastair kindly pointed out that there is very little rounding of the Idler wheel spokes but I had already started using the photo from Germany's Tiger Tanks D.W. to Tiger 1 (page 154) as a reference which appears to have slight rounding. I left the area between the spokes rough after removing most of the machining marks to give a cast appearance.
The hull went together well but I did need to do a lot of adjusting and fettling before I was happy with the deck fit and alignment.
The Idler axle, adjuster and housing are ready to fit but I still need to be clear in my mind how any alignment adjustment is made before I Loctite the bush in place as there is a bit of sideways play between bush housing and tension arm. I am sure it will make sense once the suspension and wheels are installed.
Regards
Gary

2mm nuts and bolts for reflector

Axle has 45 degree shoulder that engages nicely with housing

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

I have finally assembled the inner wheels after deciding to us Tamiya TS3 as the base coat, I was going to leave the inside face in primer as suggested by Alastair but I think having the extra coat of paint gives a bit more protection from the elements as once the wheels are assembled the area between the wheels is inaccessible. I had purchased some bottles of MRP Dunkelgelb variant 2 (AUSGABE 1944) but will order some MRP RAL7028 variant 1 which is slightly lighter to use as the final Dunkelgelb coat, the variant 2 will be used to modulate/dirty up some areas along with washes etc.
Having been inspired by some of the more experienced builders on the forum I have tried to make some modifications and add some details. The exhaust stacks have had 3mm brass tube added to cover the threaded rods and I have filed the protruding thread level with the nuts so they look more like bolt heads, just need to add a tiny bit of filler so complete the look. The exhaust armour nuts and bolts have been changed to 4mm which looks about right and I have added a towing pin and chain to the tow hitch.
The front and rear decks have been checked for alignment and fit very well so hoping to make progress with the front deck but would like to get the rolled steel effect so have bought some high build primer and will do some testing on a piece of aluminium and check the forum to access the best method.

Regards
Gary

assembling the wheels

Exhaust mods

Towing pin and chain

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

I haven't had much time to work on the Tiger this week as I have been helping my girlfriend with the guide dog puppy she is training. I have managed to paint all the assembled wheels in Tamiya TS3 which is going to be the base coat before I finalise the colour choice.
Whilst waiting for the paint to dry and harden I have started making modifications to the front deck, I am attaching the Armorpax tool clamps and my home made jack block fittings using 1.6 x 6mm csk and hex head screws. I started with the jack block which went quite well , the original holes will be filled using Milliput and then the deck will have high build primer randomly applied and wiped to get the correct rolled steel effect. This is where the forum is at its best as I am sure there will be a description/build thread showing the best way to achieve to correct look.
One thing I have been trying to ascertain is the length of the remote control antenna used to control the Borgward demolition tanks. I have found several photos but they are grainy and the shot is taken from ground level and although you can see both the main antenna and remote ariel on the turret side it is difficult to compare the two and confirm the length. My best guess so far is 1.4m but if anyone has something more conclusive I would appreciate the input.

Regards
Gary

Jack block fittings

Jack block

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

The only progress over the last couple of days has been spraying the base colour on the wheels, hubs and suspension arms. Today I will be fitting the 1.2mm brass rods for the Armorpax tool clamps, I solder these in place then file the protruding ends to just leave 1mm with the rounded solder which looks quite good.
Having run out of TS3 spray cans I will now start applying the weld lines to the lower hull while I order some more, I have also ordered some more gucci parts from Mark Lawson which I am looking forward to receiving, especially to 20t jack.

Regards
Gary

Tamiya TS3 base colour

Ready for suspension set up

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning on this wet and blustery day,

Yesterday I turned the hull upside down to begin adding the weld lines etc. The only problem was the suspension bar hex heads kept bugging me, I was going to leave them alone but then thought I will just do one to see how it goes. You can guess the rest .
I received the 20 Tonne jack and brackets along with the 2m antenna, base and clamp plus the exhaust lifting lugs from Mark Lawson. Really good detail and pleased I went for them. As per the advice of more experienced builders I made a ply template to ensure the brackets lined up correctly prior to drilling the extra holes. This worked very well and it only took 10 minutes to attach the brackets, I think I need to attach one of the tool clamps to hold the jack handle in place but will check my books to make sure of the correct location.
I will probably have to fit the suspension arms and torque rods prior to doing the main weld lines along the length of the floor pan as there is a slight bow on both hull sides which I was unable to remove.
Apologies for the slightly blurred photos, I must get a close up lens for the Nikon.
Regards
Gary

Great detail

20 Tonne jack brackets

Oh, go on then..

[Gary Richardson]

Good afternoon

I finished replacing the floor pan hex heads with countersunk screws and have progressed to doing the weld lines. I made a simple tool out of brass tube and part of an modellers knife handle, this seems to have worked quite well. As this is my first attempt at simulating welds I would appreciate any feed back, good or bad, as it's a good chance for me to learn.
I have also started filling the hull fixing bolt holes prior to using some randomly applied high build primer to try a simulate rolled steel.
I have avoided fitting the sprocket drive case at the moment while I wait for the option packs, I want to ensure the gearbox pinion/shaft end doesn't rub on the casing but obviously need the motors and control units to be able to check this. There is plenty to do in the mean time, including looking at what batteries and radio gear to get, I have a Futaba 10CG that I use for my aircraft but not sure it will work with the Armortek option packs, it also lacks telemetry, so I am now leaning towards the FrSky Taranis X9D Plus or the Horus X10 Express both of which offer a lot more flexibility.

Regards
Gary

A simple home made tool for doing the welds.

First attempt at simulating welds

This is becoming quite addictive !

[Vince Cutajar]

Doesn't look too bad for a first attempt. You should have seen my first attempt. Had to remove it and redo it.

Vince

[David Battson]

Hi Gary,
Very neat looking welds, great result for a first attempt. You have managed to keep them all very even and a constant width within a run.
As a preference, I fill all the screw holes etc beforehand with a car body filler, smooth them down and apply a dust coat of spray paint to make sure they don't show up before attempting any welds. I find it easier to blend filler than milliput and that way there's no chance of damaging the welds when if you do need to smooth down any of the filled the screw holes.
Keep up the good work
David

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Gary,
Very neat looking welds, great result for a first attempt. You have managed to keep them all very even and a constant width within a run.
As a preference, I fill all the screw holes etc beforehand with a car body filler, smooth them down and apply a dust coat of spray paint to make sure they don't show up before attempting any welds. I find it easier to blend filler than milliput and that way there's no chance of damaging the welds when if you do need to smooth down any of the filled the screw holes.
Keep up the good work
David

Doesn't look too bad for a first attempt. You should have seen my first attempt. Had to remove it and redo it.
Vince

Thanks Vince and David,
I appreciate the feed back and advice, I will take it on board and give car filler a go as well.
David, did you make any progress with the radio antenna for you Funklenk Tiger? , I am thinking about getting the 1.6m antenna from Mark Lawson and modifying the length which I think will need to be between 1.4m and 1.5m. Still scouring the web for photos/ dimensions of the ariel and will contact Bovington to see if they have any diagrams/info.

Regards
Gary

[David Battson]

Hi Gary,
I don't have exact info for the length of the antenna. The most useful picture I have found to assess length is below. This Tiger has the jerry can holders on the turret bin which is very distinctive of Abteilung 301. The rc aerial on this tank utilises a standard mounting location on the left hand side used on command tanks for 1.4m aerial (see David Brydon's excellent Tiger 1.info site). I don't know whether this position was standard for all 301 Tigers, but I decided to mount my aerial on the RH side of the turret - a location known to be used by other units and no chance of being swiped by the main armament.

301 Tiger aerial

301 tiger 1.jpg (13.34 KiB) Viewed 2301 times

The following pictures are also supposed to be of a Tiger from the 301, which having knocked out a Pershing tank reversed into a building and became stuck. The aerial on the LH side can be seen on the first picture, but missing in the later ones as the tank has been picked over.
Of interest, if this was from the 301, it looks like a late addition to the unit. It doesn't have the three jerry can holders on the rear bin, but instead a single holder hung from the turret roof. It also has field mods adopted by other units such as rain guards over the gun sight and debris shield covering the gap between turret roof and mantlet. Also some interesting features at the rear with what appear to be jack holders on both sides and an early Tiger 1 tool box fixed high up on the LHS - so plenty to keep you busy there !

301 Tiger 201 close inspection

301 Tiger1 201.jpg (61.49 KiB) Viewed 2301 times

301 tiger 201

301 tiger 201 rear

301 tiger 201.jpg (44.55 KiB) Viewed 2301 times

David

[Gary Richardson]

Hi David

Thanks for posting the photos, I am also going to put the rc antenna on the right side of the turret, I have two photos in the book about remote control tank units 1943-1945 by Marcus Jaugitz clearly showing the position on the turret of a Tiger from 3./s.Pz.Abt.508. I doubt the position would have changed much with the later units. Unfortunately the best photo doesn't show the tops of the main and rc antennas so unable to assess the length from it. If you are going to be at the Model show on the 19th I can bring the book with me and show you.
I have also tried car filler as you suggested and it is much easier to fill gaps/holes than using Milliput.

Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Good evening,

On another wet and windy day I retreated to the garage, put the heater on and decided to do some work on the rear deck. I modified a few parts and added some weld lines although there are a lot more to do. I also etch primed and tried to replicate the rolled steel effect using high build primer on the engine hatch, it is actually quite difficult to get the drag marks looking random so I tore up pieces of tissue and scattered them on the deck then just used a few squirts of the primer and dragged a gloved finger across the paint as it started to dry. I think it's best to describe this as a work in progress and I will definitely need more practice before doing the hull sides etc. but as I will be at the model show Saturday I can have a look at the full size tanks to get my eye in.
I spent quite a bit of time trying to install the gun mount as the front ends of the turret wrap were angled differently. The left side was about 3 degrees out vertically compared to the right side. I managed to get all the bolts/holes perfectly aligned and it all matched on the horizontal plane and lined up with the turret base but the slight angle meant the gun pivot fouled the turret wrap and could not be screwed home. In the end I used a marker pen to blacken the inside of the turret wrap hole which provided me with witness marks and some careful work with good old Mr Dremel sorted the problem.
I have a question to those who have completed tiger turrets, I noticed there is 2.5mm to 3mm side play in the gun mount, Is this by design or should I add shims to reduce it ?
I would like to thank Vince for allowing me to use his cad file so I can get the extra gussets laser cut. Your are a star.
Regards
Gary

Is the free play by design or are shims required?

[Vince Cutajar]

Gary, I suspect that the sideways play you mentioned will be cancelled once you fit the elevation mechanism.

and I will definitely need more practice before doing the hull sides etc.

Does that mean you will not be applying a zimmerrit (is that spelt correctly?) coating?

Vince

[Søren Sandvold]

Your sure are steaming on Weel done so far Gary I have the same play on the mantel block as you have. Using shims was my initial idea to fix this, but maybe others have a more clever idea (?)