Hi All,
Quick Update 18 Apr 24
(Progress on several fronts)
Engine
A change of scene...having put Ivan’s HL230 kit aside for more than a couple of years(!) and with the engine bay nearly complete I was ready to continue that build. Following advice from a fellow model club member, my first task was to enhance the core plug detail on the engine block. This required Plasticard discs of 10mm diameter, which are too small for a rotary cutter but too large for the standard micro punch and die sets.
Therefore, I made my own punch and die using some scrap aluminium bar stock and brass rod...
Surprisingly this cut neat discs in 20 thou Plasticard. (I am not sure how quickly the aluminium die will wear but I need only about 20 discs.)
Modified engine block - before (with the circular indentations trimmed by hand using 10mm end mill)
After, with plug detail added. Bottom right one needs a little filler...
Mesh Screens
D.W. to Tiger 1 shows images of Fgst.Nr.250031 (Nov 42) when it arrived at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fgst.Nr.250122 (Tiger 131 Feb 43) when it was repaired after its capture. There is no evidence of any mesh screens on 250031 however; they are present on 250112. This suggests that the hull of F01 (Fgst.Nr.250158) would have been supplied with the screens installed. An image of F01 taken after it was knocked out that clearly shows a badly bent left radiator inlet screen provides evidence that it had the screens when it went into action in April 1945.
It is my view that these screens were not sufficiently robust to withstand 2 years of driver training and would have been removed. In addition, images of Stadtgas powered Tiger 1s show that the four compressed gas cylinders were fitted over the radiator grill work (two on each side) so that the engine hatch could still be opened. Installation of the cylinder support brackets would have been much easier without the screens. I am going to assume that the screens were refitted when F01 was converted back to use petrol rather than Stadtgas. It is highly unlikely that the original screens would be used, more likely they were taken from a donor vehicle: perhaps the one that supplied the turret (possibly Fgst.Nr.250245 or 250273). Consequently, the screens will be painted in a different ‘shade’ of Dunkelgelb and may even have remnants of a red brown and green camouflage.
More Research
I have decided to have another go at identifying the donor vehicle for F01’s turret. As it is an early version but with the final configuration of track link stowage it comes from a vehicle with a Fgst.Nr. in the range of 250192 (week of 17 Apr 43) to 250391 (introduction of new turret). During this period, 7 Tigers were issued to Pz.Ers.Abt. 500 at Paderborne, one on 27 May 43 and six on 6 Jun 43. Therefore the possible range shrinks to between 250192 and 250280 (week of 29 May 43) of which 48 out of a possible 89 have been identified. These include 250245 and 250273 for which there is photographic evidence that they were used for training. As Fgst.Nr.250245 was completed in the week of 15 May 43, I am assuming that this is the vehicle issued to Pz.Ers.Abt. 500 on 27 May 43. Likewise, Fgst.Nr.250273, completed in 29 May 43, was one of the six received in early June. Many of the tigers produced in the second half on May 43 went to s.Pz.Abt 502 who received eighteen in week of 15 May 43, thirteen in week of 22 May 43 and seven in week of 29 May 43. Of the 30 vehicles completed in the weeks of 22 May and 29 May 43, only 11 have been identified of which 250256, 250259, 250263 and 250268 were issued to s.Pz.Abt 502. If it is assumed that the intervening Fgst.Nrs. formed part of the same batch then a further nine can be allocated. Likewise, if the other five Tigers issued to Pz.Ers.Abt. 500 were part of a batch containing 250273, we can imagine that these vehicles might have been taken from the remaining vehicles completed in week of 29 May 43: that is 250269, 250271, 250274, 250276 to 250278 and 250280.
The other area of fruitful (?) speculation is working out how 250158 was selected for Tiger-Gruppe Fehrmann. When the Panzer-Lehr-Abteilung was formed at Bergen it had 6 Tiger 1s all of which appear to have formed the Gruppe (F01, F02, F03, F04, F05 and F13). By early January 1945, twenty three Tiger 1s had been issued to Pz.Ers.Abt. 500 at Paderborn but only eighteen were available to form Panzergruppe Paderborn in 28 Mar 43. Similarly only two of the three Tiger 1s sent to Putlos in Mar 43 were available to form Panzer-Lehr-Abteilung Putlos in April 45. The difference neatly matches the number at Bergen and so I think it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that five Tiger 1s from Paderborn and one from Putlos were sent to Bergen. Either way if 250158 was used at Putlos or Paderborn in the period March 43 to early 1945 there is an explanation for it being available for service in Gruppe Fehrmann.
Front Hatches
Started to detail the front hatches by adding the hinge bolt detail...
These images highlight the need to add some Mr Surfacer to hide the print lines.
Functional Locking Bolts
The tow cable, track cable and gun cleaning rod holders all feature locking bolts that have wing nuts. I wanted these to be functional which necessitated the creation of eyelet bolts. These have been made by threading 3D printed brass parts...
Roof Detail-Front
Have added small headed M2 bolts to simulate the bolts that were used to secure the S-mine launchers and the lamp bases...
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Had a go bending some thick-walled 2.0mm tubing to represent the electrical conduit that fed the front lamps. This was made much easier by annealing the brass with a hot air gun set to 650 degC!
Quite a productive week...that's all for now.
. Pity I didn't dress up for the occasion 
.