Tiger 1 2021 no. 13

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Well, I have had mixed results air brushing MRP 215 Dark Yellow RAL7028 over the TS3 base coat. In the garage lighting it looks greyish but outside it is more a brownish tinge. It is not what I was expecting but suspect the mistake was having the TS3 base coat which is darker/greener than the MRP RAL 7028.
The other problem is I have bought up all the available MRP215 from shops here and the outlets in Europe don't seem willing to ship to the UK.
I recall seeing a thread regarding RAL 7028 German dark yellow that was a match suitable for June 1944 being available by the litre from Industrial Powder and Paint in Ipswich, if anyone has used this paint can you confirm if it is an Acrylic matt paint and did it need thinning prior to air brushing.
On a brighter note I had an enjoyable day out for Tiger Day at Bovington and had a good chat with Adrian and David about paints, fitting the turret and adjusting the turret bearings. It was nice to see so many children admiring their tanks, maybe the next generation of model tank builders
I did compare the painted Idler wheel I had taken to the paint used on the PAK 43 at the tank museum and it is a fairly close match but not sure what version of paint is on the PAK.
Back home I started assembling the barrel after carefully using 1200g wet and dry to get the barrel to slide into the bushes nice and cleanly. This took quite some time and has raised a question about painting the barrel where it slides into the bush during recoil. How do you stop the paint from collecting/catching on the bush as my experience so far has shown even the tiniest amount of dust/dirt adversely affects the sliding action ?
I have also started work on the front deck of the Tiger, I filled all the existing holes for the tools and re-drilled them to take the 1.8mm screws I am using with Dave Dibbs tool clamps ( I really like these ). I will also add the pry bar just above the spade. I decided to make a new spade holder out of brass which was fiddly but enjoyable and am pleased with the result.
I now need to buy the batteries and sort out the paint, these two issues have caused me the most consternation
So to keep it simple I will get two Yuasa 12v 22A batteries so I can test the modules, run the tracks etc. and worry about upgrading to LiFePO4 batteries at a later date.

Regards
Gary

resprayed wheels MRP 215 over TS3

Not sure this is working

Turret trial fit

That's a big cannon

how do you paint the sliding section?

Adding the tools after re-drilling

Next step is adding the hatches

[Vince Cutajar]

Hi Gary

This is the modification I did to the barrel.

viewtopic.php?p=71958#p71958

The mod worked perfectly for me but unfortunately it needs to be done with a lathe.

Vince

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Gary

This is the modification I did to the barrel.

viewtopic.php?p=71958#p71958

The mod worked perfectly for me but unfortunately it needs to be done with a lathe.

Vince

Hi Vince,
You did a good job on the barrel, a very neat modification. Looks like I will need to get access to a lathe unless someone else has an alternative solution.

Regards
Gary

[Vince Cutajar]

Gary, as a hobby machinist I believe in the saying to "Measure once, twice, three times before actually removing metal". It's easy to remove metal but very difficult to put it back on. So before you start removing metal I will try to explain why this mod works on mine.

As you can see in my post I reduced slightly the diameter of the barrel forward of the plastic bush in the barrel sleeve. I left the remainder of the barrel in it's original diameter and left it unpainted. During recoil the barrel moves back in the plastic bush and remains centred as I left it in it's original diameter. The thinned part of the barrel also remains centred but does not touch the plastic bush.

This will only work with one condition. The total distance travelled backward must not be more than the actual length of the plastic bush. If this condition is not met than one will have a problem when the barrel recuperates after recoil. So, I measured the distance that the barrel will move back in my tank and was lucky that the length of the plastic bush was slightly longer.

I don't know if Armorteck changed anything in the recoil mechanism or they might have reduced the lenght of the plastic bush. So measure/calculate the actual recoil distance and also measure the lenght of the plastic bush. For any hope of success, the recoil travel MUST be less than the lenght of the plastic bush.

I really hope that my post is making any sense to you. If in doubt don't touch the barrel.

Vince

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning

It's been an odd week as far as progressing the Tiger. I decided to respray the lower hull and wheels with the MRP 215 giving each component 3 coats as the paint is quite thin. In the garage lighting it still appears to look greyish but when I took the tank outside you can see the brown shades, please see hull photo a few post ago, I will produce an outdoor photo of the hull once the rain stops.
I sprayed MRP 215 Dark Yellow RAL7028 (variant) onto some card and aluminium for comparison against TS3, and a mix of 4 parts Tamiya x60 to 1 part x59 onto various primers and plain card.
One positive note is I have a source for the MRP paint that can supply a dozen bottles at the end of the month...but...I have seen so many tanks in TS3 that the MRP 215 looks odd and I am now doubting myself if the MRP paint is a true representation of mid 1944 Dunklegelb.
I would appreciate some honest feedback regarding the colour even if its to say I am on the wrong track.
I have made good progress on the front deck and added welds where I thought they were likely to be used.
When I spoke to Adrian and David at Tiger day they mentioned the cut outs at the top of the side mud guards above each fixing point so I will be researching this as another modification to do.
The 2 Yuasa 12v 22Ah batteries have arrived ( will upgrade to LiFePO4 at a later date ) so I will need to crack on with programming the Taranis X9D + and test the modules/motors.

Regards
Gary

colour test outside 1

colour test outside 2

Front deck detailing

[Donald Suttie]

Hi Gary
Can i ask what advice you got regarding the Turret bearing adjustment? i am not sure what is required in this area of construction
i have found that just about everything needs an adjustment of some kind with very little of parts fitting straight out of the box

thanks in advance

Donald

[Gary Richardson]

Good evening

As promised, photo of tank hull with MRP 215 paint in daylight.
Also managed to modify the side mud guards with the cut outs at the stand off points.

Regards
Gary

MRP 215 in daylight front

MRP 215 in daylight back

modification to mud guards

modified mud guards

[Søren Sandvold]

Great work and progress Gary.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

I spent today working on the radio operator and drivers hatches I had acquired from Dave and have sourced some 9BA and 10BA dome headed screws and nuts. The original holes for the hinges in the deck were filled and new holes drilled to take 9ba screws. The holes in the hatches were re-drilled to make the bore slightly wider just at the top to allow the screw heads to sit below the surface. In order to get the hatches to open to a more realistic angle I carefully filed the hatch ring and deck adjacent to the hinge, then made some shims to go between the hinge fixing point and deck to get the height correct.
I will fit the periscope lenses and covers tomorrow and give then a coat of etch primer.
I also had a go at weathering the tools and have changed some of the countersunk screws I had used on the axe holder and shovel holder to 10BA dome heads which looks more realistic.

Regards
Gary

Fnished the headlight mod.

9BA nuts and bolts for the hinges

Re drilled to allow screw heads to be below hatch surface

Test fit while adjusting the open hatch angle

The hatches are almost done

Weathering the tools

[Gary Richardson]

Good afternoon

Todays modification involved the turret roof periscope and cover. I had already made a small modification to the cover by opening it out but was not that happy with the result. The new modification involved removing all the redundant aluminium, filling the original fixing holes and re-drilling 2mm holes, drilling 2mm holes in the sides of the cover and gluing in 2mm cut down bolts. Dave Dibbs had kindly given me a pack of clear periscopes and I reprofiled one to fit under the cover. I also made a surround for the periscope to sit in out of scrap aluminium.
I am quite pleased with the result and it adds another point of interest to the Tiger

Regards
Gary

Lots of filing to reprofile the cover.

I used 2mm cut down screws glued into the cover.

Reprofiling completed

Ready for a coat of primer.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

Yet another small modification to the turret roof today, I have added four small Neodynium magnets to the underside of the turret roof and then drilled and tapped 3mm holes in the supporting blocks and front mantlet surround. I used some of the steel lower track link brackets ( being upgraded) attached to the supporting block by 3mm bolts for the magnets to fasten onto. I will still use the rear roof fixing point through the Pilze socket as this will be added security and is simple to use with an allen key.
The magnets may look small but are surprisingly powerful. I use even smaller ones for my r/c aircraft battery hatches and have never had one come adrift despite the aerobatics.

Regards
Gary

Neodynium magnet and steel bracket.

Front of turret, tow magnets and brackets.

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all,

It has been rather slow on the build front as I have been Guide dog puppy sitting for a few days. I have started detailing the turret roof and have made a start on the cupola. I made the rookie mistake of etch priming and undercoating the cupola and hatch only to find the tolerance for the hatch sitting in place was very tight. I will have to skim a bit from the edge of the hatch as the paint has taken up that tolerance.
The roof fixing screw holes have been filled so I am relying on the four magnets and rearmost screw to hold the roof in place, it does feels secure and looks tidy.

Regards
Gary

Turret roof weld lines etc.

Cupola with Mr Surfacer to give cast appearance.

[Vince Cutajar]

I made the rookie mistake of etch priming and undercoating the cupola and hatch only to find the tolerance for the hatch sitting in place was very tight. I will have to skim a bit from the edge of the hatch as the paint has taken up that tolerance.

You are not alone. Same thing happened to me.

Vince

p.s. I thought you drew a Smiley on the turret roof.

[Adrian Harris]

> p.s. I thought you drew a Smiley on the turret roof.

I thought that too, with dimples

Adrian

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all

Vince and Adrian, well spotted, I didn't notice that. The Tiger is pleased with the progress.
I made some headway with the cupola yesterday after deciding to reprofile the periscope covers and add some details to the cupola such as the tube and holed tab for padlocking the hatch shut. I skimmed the edge of the hatch to get some more clearance by putting a bolt through the centre hole, fitting a couple on nuts and putting the bolt into my pillar drill. The aluminium was surprisingly hard but some judicious filing solve the problem.
There is still some profiling with car filler and Milliput to be done as well as the weld lines on the covers.

Regards
Gary

Start of cupola mods.

Modified periscope covers

Cupola with reprofiled covers and added details