Tiger 1 2021 no. 13

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Today was spent getting the wire grills shaped and fixed. I was meant to be doing the camouflage but had forgotten to sort the grills out, they took a lot longer than expected and I had to file recesses on each side to allow them to fit around the square bolts. I have wired them in place as there seems to be a question mark over how they were held in place on the real Tigers and the few comments I could find mentioned spot welds or using wire.
At some point I may make a set of wire grills with proper frames, but they will do ok for now.
I have attached the mudguards and side skirts so that I can do the camouflage but intend to add more detail to the mudguards such as the rivets for the edge supports at a later date.
I had a go at paint modulation on the lower hull sides using tubes of acrylic paint, made a few mistakes, mainly using too much paint but eventually realised you only need a tiny spot of paint and a wide flat brush for it to work. It is difficult to see in the garage light hence no photos, but if it stops raining I will wheel the Tiger outside to see how it looks.
I am not sure how much progress I will make over the next couple of days as the car MOT is due and I have guide dog sitting to do. Hopefully I can get the camo done.

Regards
Gary

Mudguards and side skirts added

Wire grilles attached

[Stephen White]

Gary, interested that you're having a go at colour modulation. I tried it on my Pz III here:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=970&start=480

and on my Comet here:

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3511&start=75

I probably overdid it and if I ever complete the Comet, I'll tone it down a lot. On the Pz III, it did work a bit better, maybe because the Dunkelgelb is lighter and easier to work with.

I wasn't that convinced by the technique the way people like Mig Jimenez did it when it was first a "thing" - it's a bit like "pre-shading", a bit overdone, when applied to too large an area and maybe not worth the effort?

When I weathered my Centurion, I adapted some of the principles on much smaller areas. I called it "rendering". It worked well using oils after the base coat had been applied, using subtle shading to bring out the depth of parts such as road wheels by emphasising the shadows and enhancing the highlights.

The Centurion stuff starts here:

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3931&start=975

It'll be interesting to see how yours works out and pick up any new techniques. Thanks for sharing your outstanding build.

[Gary Richardson]

Gary, interested that you're having a go at colour modulation. I tried it on my Pz III here:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=970&start=480

and on my Comet here:

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3511&start=75

I probably overdid it and if I ever complete the Comet, I'll tone it down a lot. On the Pz III, it did work a bit better, maybe because the Dunkelgelb is lighter and easier to work with.

I wasn't that convinced by the technique the way people like Mig Jimenez did it when it was first a "thing" - it's a bit like "pre-shading", a bit overdone, when applied to too large an area and maybe not worth the effort?

When I weathered my Centurion, I adapted some of the principles on much smaller areas. I called it "rendering". It worked well using oils after the base coat had been applied, using subtle shading to bring out the depth of parts such as road wheels by emphasising the shadows and enhancing the highlights.

The Centurion stuff starts here:

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3931&start=975

It'll be interesting to see how yours works out and pick up any new techniques. Thanks for sharing your outstanding build.

Hi Stephen

Thank you, I appreciate your input and the info you have added to the forum.
I am not sure if modulation is the correct term for what I am trying to do, Rendering is probably a better term as you suggested. I tried using tubes of acrylic paint but will end up using the Abteilung 502 oils I bought a while ago to add some life to the paintwork. I did find I only needed tiny dots of paint and used a wide flat brush but still had some overly bright areas. Less is more in this case.
I had a go at doing the camouflage this evening but rushed it and I am not happy with how it looks. I will airbrush over it and try again. It ended up looking like an abstract painting rather than the 'tree and branches' camouflage effect I was trying for. It was good practice with the airbrush so I will take the glass half full approach.
I am using Citadel matt varnish as the protective coat before adding paint effects and it works very well.
I am happy with the paint mix for adding the 'shadowing' and my neighbour thought they were real shadows when I asked him if what he thought of the paintwork. The wheels have all had shadowing done but still need a lot more titivating to bring them to life.
I am still hoping to have the Tiger tracks on and ready for Armortek's open day but realise I am rapidly running out of time as I still need to add rubber strips and non-slip tape to the wheelchair ramps and have yet to drive the Tiger. I doubt I will have time to age the wheels and hull and so may bring it slightly naked .

Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all

Well, the first attempt at doing the camouflage was a bit of a disaster and looked wrong, it's all a bit of a learning curve and I overdid the airbrushing, so parts of the camo were too in your face. Yesterday I resprayed over the camouflage ready for another attempt.
I learnt a couple of valuable lessons, the first is draw out or have photos and a very clear idea of how the camouflage should look. The second is do not try and do it all in one go and step back now and then to appraise the camouflage from a distance. I also forgot to empty the water trap on the airbrush which meant some splattering took place.
I did have some success with the hull sides and wheels using the oil paints and I must say I was very impressed with the Abteilung 502 oil paints, I followed the advice on the forum and left the paint on some cardboard for 20 minutes to remove most of the oil and only used very small dots as it spreads quite a long way. I found the sand brown I used actually went a reddish hue as it was worked with the brush, but I quite like the result on the dunkelgelb. I used four colours, burnt umber, sand brown, faded dark yellow and olive green and a 5mm wide flat brush almost dry.
The next step is to add some dirt and grime around the bolted areas, maybe some small paint chips and scratches and the odd grease mark the give them a faint brown wash.

Regards
Gary

Needs a bit more dirtying up.

Trying the oil paints

First wheel using oils

[Gary Richardson]

Good evening all

It's those wheels again...
This time I added some rust, scratches and dings to the wheels, again using oils.
The oils are easier to use than the tubes of acrylic and a small blob of paint is useable for two hours before it dries out. I will add some earth pigment in the nooks and crannies of the wheels then seal them with Citadel varnish and install them on the axles.
I think my driver enjoys crashing through buildings far too much judging by the state of the wheels.

Regards
Gary

Wheels with heavy use effects

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Sorry to ask this question today, no disrespect to our late Queen intended, but has anyone else used Abteilung 502 oils to add effects such as the rust I added to the wheels. The reason I ask is the paint is still wet/tacky after over 36 hours and a going over with a heat gun and being left in the airing cupboard overnight.
Is this normal for oil paints? The paint was put on cardboard for 20 minutes prior to use so soak up excess oils.

Regards
Gary

[Oliver Brüninghaus]

Hello Gary,

I have used oils for artists like Winsor & Newton. Therefore, I can not say anything about paints from Abteilung 502. But in general, oil paints dry much slower also when thinned with turpentine. I have therefore used isopropyl (alcohol) for thinning, which evaporates faster. The main purpose of laying the paint on cardboard is to make the paint more matte. The drying affects this only slightly. When weathering I have always worked in different places so that, depending on the thickness of the paint application, the colors could dry about one to one and a half weeks. You can also use special mediums that make oil paints dry faster.

Best regards
Oliver

[Gary Richardson]

Hello Gary,

I have used oils for artists like Winsor & Newton. Therefore, I can not say anything about paints from Abteilung 502. But in general, oil paints dry much slower also when thinned with turpentine. I have therefore used isopropyl (alcohol) for thinning, which evaporates faster. The main purpose of laying the paint on cardboard is to make the paint more matte. The drying affects this only slightly. When weathering I have always worked in different places so that, depending on the thickness of the paint application, the colors could dry about one to one and a half weeks. You can also use special mediums that make oil paints dry faster.

Best regards
Oliver

Thanks Oliver.
Glad it's not something I have done wrong, I will just have to be patient and move onto the camouflage. I will get some isopropyl and try that.
Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

While waiting for the oil paint to dry on the wheels, I thought I would try and make the tracks look a bit more like steel. They have already had a coat of grey etch primer, then a sprinkling of red oxide and a light covering of dark grey. To get the effect I am after I used Tamiya XF56 metallic grey lightly sprayed over the dark grey, I have also highlighted the track edges and raised horns with platinum silver to give a worn effect.
Jerry Can Holders...
And now a question regarding the jerry can holders that the Panzer Abteilung 301 Funklenk Tigers had on the Rommelkiste. Were they individual racks each holding one jerry can or was it one large bracket from the front left corner of the bin to the rear right corner?
I have photos from Tigers on the Western Front pages 128 -129 but it is not particularly clear. I can see one jerry can was attached on the left bin side and it looks like there was one below each of the bin hatches.
If anyone has any information or photos they could share I would be very grateful. I would like to get the brackets done prior to spraying the camouflage effects and I will use 10BA countersunk screws to attach the brackets then add weld effects.

Regards
Gary

Tamiya XF56 over dark grey, red oxide and etch primer

Highlights added.

[David Battson]

Hi Gary,
Re your jerry can holder query. Alost certainly individual brackets, ie one per can. Don't have my reference pics to hand at the moment, but below is how I believe they, were based on photo evidence. Note the step between the two holders on the LHS, rather than a continuation. Also only one on the back of the bin on the RHS. Hope this helps.
David

Abteilung 301 jerry can holder brackets

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Gary,
Re your jerry can holder query. Alost certainly individual brackets, ie one per can. Don't have my reference pics to hand at the moment, but below is how I believe they, were based on photo evidence. Note the step between the two holders on the LHS, rather than a continuation. Also only one on the back of the bin on the RHS. Hope this helps.
David

Hi David

Now I have seen your photo it makes sense of what I could make out in the photos in the book. Glad you pointed out the step as that makes how to attach the brackets a lot clearer.
Hope to see you at the open day if you are going.

Kind regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all,

After a great day at Armortek and speaking to David about the jerry can holders on the turret bin, I got some brass strips and started fabricating the three holders. I made a simple jig to hold the two parts of each holder together which allowed me to silver solder the parts together. Each holder is different, so it took a while to get them just right. I drilled 1.6mm holes in each of the holder end and they will be attached to the bin using 1.6mm csk screws. The holes have been countersunk and the screwheads will be filled and the welds added prior to a final coat of paint.
I also added a small chain to the loaders hatch after seeing something similar, I think it was on Vinces's Tiger build so thanks to Vince for the inspiration.
The ties downs I picked up from Dave Dibbs at the open day have been liberally added to the rear deck and sides of my Tiger as I intend to add some sundry items for added interest.
I have been a bit distracted over the past week, mainly due to the Churchill I bought at the open day. I can feel an AVRE with Petard and fascine holder coming on......

Regards
Gary

Jerry can holders

Tie downs

Ready for stowage

Don't yank the chain

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning

While waiting for some 1.6mm screws to arrive to complete the turret bin brackets I thought I should let the driver get ready for the initial drive tests of track and motors. I had a go at distressing items such as the jack and cleaning rods, I used Tamiya smoke (acrylic) for the rods and oils for the jack after dry brushing dots of coloured oils to get variation of the base colour.
I will carry on titivating the tools etc while hoping the screws arrive in the post today. Once the jerry can brackets are in place I can get the turret bin in place and start the camouflage.

Regards
Gary

Driver's itching to have a go

Distressing the 20 tonne jack

Cleaning rods aged

[Stephen White]

Gary, just caught up with your very attractive build and the comments on using Abteilung 502 oils. I use them for preference to other brands, some of which can be very grainy unless you buy the exorbitant fine arts types. One tube lasts a lifetime.

The secret I've discovered by trial and error is to use them as dry as possible. The purpose of making up a palette on card is to absorb the linseed oil, which does incidentally also produce a more matte finish. By removing the linseed, you shorten the drying time and increase the adhesion. I leave the oils until there you can see a wide patch of oil around the pigment. I wet a brush with Windsor and Newton Sansodor solvent and then use a paper towel to absorb the excess until it is almost dry (like dry brushing). Then it can be used to blend and work in the oils. If the oil is at all wet, it goes all over the place and doesn't tend to adhere.

You can alternatively use a wet mix as a wash but at one sixth scale, it's much less useful than the rendering process of emphasising the highlights and shadows by subtle altering of the shade (dark/light) of the base coat.

I also try to attack small areas at a time and apply several layers to build up a patina. That way, you can see the final result, it's less boring than attacking the whole model with one colour at at time and inevitably, when you move onto another area, the result will be different, which is good.

All the best.

Stephen

[Gary Richardson]

Gary, just caught up with your very attractive build and the comments on using Abteilung 502 oils. I use them for preference to other brands, some of which can be very grainy unless you buy the exorbitant fine arts types. One tube lasts a lifetime.

The secret I've discovered by trial and error is to use them as dry as possible. The purpose of making up a palette on card is to absorb the linseed oil, which does incidentally also produce a more matte finish. By removing the linseed, you shorten the drying time and increase the adhesion. I leave the oils until there you can see a wide patch of oil around the pigment. I wet a brush with Windsor and Newton Sansodor solvent and then use a paper towel to absorb the excess until it is almost dry (like dry brushing). Then it can be used to blend and work in the oils. If the oil is at all wet, it goes all over the place and doesn't tend to adhere.

You can alternatively use a wet mix as a wash but at one sixth scale, it's much less useful than the rendering process of emphasising the highlights and shadows by subtle altering of the shade (dark/light) of the base coat.

I also try to attack small areas at a time and apply several layers to build up a patina. That way, you can see the final result, it's less boring than attacking the whole model with one colour at at time and inevitably, when you move onto another area, the result will be different, which is good.

All the best.

Stephen

Hi Stephen

Thanks for the information on using oil paints, I was going to add a very thin wash to the wheels, but I don't think they need it and look natural enough. I will add some dust/dirt effects. I do like the Abteilung 502 oils, the colours are realistic and rust effect is spot on. For working the tiny dots of paint onto the base colour I use an 6mm wide flat brush dampened with Abteilung thinners then wiped dry. I will try the solvent you use as an alternative to the Abteilung thinners as it will be easier for me to get locally. I also acquired some Isopropyl Alcohol as suggested by Oliver to try thinning the oils. I did find out that it causes the Tamiya acrylic paint to go glossy when I tested the Isopropyl on the back of a wheel so I will try it over a varnished surface.
I am going to try and apply shadow to the hull and turret using the paint mix I mentioned in my build. I am not sure it is the best way as darkening the areas before adding the base colour is less prone to making mistakes. I will have to be very gentle with the airbrush and thin my paint mix so I get a misting of shadow and then slowly build the layers.
Do you use a matt varnish on the base coat before applying the effects with oils? I have Citadel varnish which I applied over the acrylic base coat beneath the sponsons prior to trying out both tubes of acrylic and oil paints. Both seemed to take ok, and it was easier to remove any surplus paint.
The oil paints are easier to work as the acrylic dried to quickly and didn't spread as easily.

Regards
Gary