Tiger 1 2021 no. 13

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning

Yesterday I started installing the escape hatch and realised it needed a working mechanism to keep it shut. I found a couple of photos on page 158 of Germany's Tiger Tanks that gave a good idea how the late Tiger hatches worked and a decent line drawing at https://tiger1.info/vehicle.html
I have order various sizes of aluminium bar due to be delivered today and whilst waiting I made the two handles with 3mm threaded rods that will engage in the central drop bar. I also attached the hatch and hinge to the turret to get it aligned, I will use a small amount of Milliput between the turret and the each end of the hinge when I do the final tightening of the bolts to allow the flat hinge surface to centre on the round turret section.
Another little job I have been wanting to do is distress the jack block, especially making some imprints where the jack would have been placed. My friend Pat and I had a long chat about the best way to achieve this and eventually I made a frame out of hard wire silver soldered together. I only wanted partially imprints such as would result if the jack was slightly angled or the ground was uneven hence the look of the frame. The area of the block to be imprinted was coated with a small amount of water to soften the wood, then I used a vice with another wooden block on one side of the jack block and the frame on the other. The result looks reasonable to me and later I will add the dirt, dust etc.

Regards
Gary

Jack block and escape hatch handles

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Escape hatch part 2.....
The ally bars I had ordered arrived so I marked out the slide bar and the wider bar it sits on with the 45 degree bevels. Cut both to length the drilled a couple of counter sunk holes in the bevelled bar and two 2.5mm holes tapped out to 3mm thread in the escape hatch. A central 5mm hole was drilled through the bevelled bar into the escape hatch and a piece of 5mm steel rod was inserted to interface with the locking bar.
The locking bar had 5 holes drilled along the centre which I then filed out to produce the slot.
It doesn't seem like much for an afternoons work but there was a lot of filing required to match the shape of the bevelled bar shown in the photos (Germany's Tiger Tanks p158), I also had a go at galvanising the obligatory bucket after seeing Bruce obtain one on Combat Dealers and commenting on the fact the ones used on Panthers and presumably Tigers were galvanised.
I first sprayed the inside with gunmetal, let it dry for a day then wet the inside and liberally sprinkled crushed sea salt on it. This has to thoroughly dry before spraying any bright metal paint ( I used a Tamiya platinum silver paint) over the salt encrusted gunmetal. Once again let it dry completely then
brush/soak the salt away and you are left with an well used galvanised effect.

Regards
Gary

Escape hatch mod part done

Galvanised bucket

[Gary Richardson]

Good evening all

Escape hatch part 3.
Had a good day doing the escape hatch locking mechanism, the two brackets at each end of the bar were quite challenging as the only bit of aluminium I had to hand was a 25mm thick rod.
Needless to say there was a lot of filing and double checking measurement required. I used 2mm brass rod pins to locate the brackets onto the central bevelled bar using an interference fit. The pins go 4mm into the hatch as well for extra grip. The locking bar length and central slot had to be adjusted from true scale to enable the hatch to open correctly but the handles with the screw threads work very well. The bottom of the locking bar was adjusted so it sits on the screw thread when the handle is rotated inwards. This avoids the problem of them vibrating loose and allowing the bar to drop when the tank is being used.
All in all I reckon this mechanism took me 14 hours to make, for those of you with a mill it would be much quicker. I still have to add some Milliput to the base of the brackets so continue the sloped section then the welds will be completed.

Regards
Gary

Brackets started out as 25mm rod

Before the locking bar was adjusted in length

Escape hatch mechanism in place, just a few tweeks to do.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

I have finished the escape hatch apart from adding dirt, grime etc. I also managed to get all the interior turret parts sprayed cremeweiss so I can start putting the electronics in and see what room remains. I contacted Steve Winstone to get the convoy light, exhaust shields and reworked starter plate and when mentioning the reworked turret bin he kindly agreed to make me a pair of turret bin hatches with the catches and I will have a go at remodelling the turret bin and do the riveting. Thanks Steve for providing the info I need to do the bin, very generous of you .
I also want to add a light or two to the turret interior to add a bit of atmosphere at night, would they have been ordinary white light or was it coloured to prevent too much light seepage ? If anyone knows the answer I would be grateful for a reply.

Regards
Gary

ready to install

Cremeweiss done ready for the 88 components

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all,

This mornings job was to start adding the zimmerit to the mantlet and Turret. First attempt was using a coarse fibre reinforced tile adhesive into which I mixed a bit of brown paint and some PVA glue. I tried it out on some scrap ally sheet but once it had dried you could see where the grains were dragging in the teeth and it didn't look right. Second attempt was mixing the coarse tile adhesive with a much finer brand which I managed to get in brown. As the course is an oatmeal colour the mix works very well and I think is more realistic than white which will show up as bit get chipped off.
I used a 50/50 mix with a small amount of PVA glue plus water, it went on really easily using a metal tool I normally use for applying filler. I used the 1/6 scale Icons 2nd set of Zimmerit tools to get the patterns ( Thanks Bob for lending them to me ). I like the finish as it has a quite rough appearance and the tiny fibres seem to add to the look. At the moment I have to wait for the Zimmerit to dry then I can use a paint brush to remove the loose bits and see if I like it enough to do the rest of the turret.

Regards
Gary

Mantlet first attempt at doing zimmerit

Second try on the lower hull

[Vince Cutajar]

You started with the most diffcult part - the mantlet.
Although you said you did not like the first attempt on the mantlet it still looks good.
As the saying goes:
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Vince

[Gary Richardson]

You started with the most diffcult part - the mantlet.
Although you said you did not like the first attempt on the mantlet it still looks good.
As the saying goes:
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Vince

Hi Vince

My first attempt was the scrap ally, I did redo parts of the mantlet 2 or 3 times, I think it looks reasonable as I am sure on the real Tigers it would have been hit and miss as to how well it was applied. It must have been a very messy job to apply it. Always appreciate your comments and advice. I will give it another hour to harden, brush it off and see if it is going to stay.

Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Turret zimmerit part 2...
I checked the mantle and am happy with the 50/50 mix of course and fine tile adhesive. It sets like rock so I gave it a light going over with a small brass wired brush to get the lose bits off. Mixed up another batch and set about doing the turret sides, it was a bit fiddly getting the pattern around the track holders so was glad of the small zimmerit tool. The rougher appearance given by the coarse adhesive with the fibres mixed in has grown on me and I think will look realistic once sprayed with the base coat. I have also deliberately made areas of the zimmerit damaged/thinner to give it a used and abused effect. I have left the front edges of the turret without zimmerit until I have installed the canon and mantlet.

Regards
Gary

Done with a 50-50 mix of coarse and fine tile adhesive

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

The turret is coming along well and the Zimmerit has been completed. I wanted to be able to remove the Trunnions that go into the mantlet but still have the Milliput welds around them. I used a thin strip of electrical tape wrapped as close the the turret side as I could get it, this also stopped Milliput filling the gap between the trunnion and hole in the turret. The weld was applied and left for six hours to harden and the electrical tape was teased out. The gap left is very small and I will use a little thickened pain to seal it prior to spraying . I tried experimenting with a darker red oxide as seen in the photos but settled on standard red primer for the mantlet area instead.
I have also started painting the tracks and they have had a coat of etch primer and will also have a coat of dark steel grey once I find a suitable paint source.
Following a discussion I had with Adrian at the weekend regarding axles coming undone I have decided to put 2.5mm spring roll pins into the axles but it is not going to plan. I am having a lot of problems removing the M4 grub screws which were Loctited in place and tighten on the torsion bars and now won't undo without rounding off the grub screws. I have asked for advice but started a different thread so as not to get distracted on here.

Regards
Gary

Electrical tap around trunnion

Tape removed

Trunnion hole is clear

Zimmerit applied

Starting to paint the tracks

[Adrian Harris]

I see what you mean about the electrical tape - seems a good compromise to fixing them together with the Miliput.

After our chat I will be interested to see how the tracks turn out.

Adrian.

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all

The last two days have been spent stripping out the axles and torsion bars from the hull. Turned out to be a lot more involved as the grub screws going into the suspension retainers kept rounding off. I ended up using a hot air gun so as not to damage the paintwork and succeeded in getting all but twelve of the grub screws out. To remove the others involved either drilling out in situ or using the dremmel to smooth the tops off so I could pull the retainers through the bushes. All were eventually drilled out and the threads had a tap run through, all the threads were serviceable
Interestingly the grub screws in the suspension arms and suspension side bars all came out easily, heat was used on the arms and the aluminium expands more then the grub screw so removal was fine.
A good tip when drilling out the grub screws is use a carbide drill, I used a 3.2mm carbide drill and so long as it is centred correctly the remaining thread is relatively easy to remove. I have also heard a left handed drill would make it even easier.
Following the discussion on another thread I set up about removing grub screws I was going to use M4 x 8 hex head bolts instead of the grub screws but then discovered you can get half head HT cap bolts so will probably go down that route as they will be stronger. The reason for the half head height is all the threaded holes in the retainers end up facing the hull floor once the axles/ torsion bars are installed and the clearance is tight, to get them facing up meant the suspension retainers were half a turn loose in the arms.
Whilst waiting for the suspension arms to cool down after heating I added a varied layer of red oxide paint to the tracks, I know working tracks don't show much rust but I wanted some rust in the nooks and crannies as my crew have been a bit lax in Tigers upkeep . I will apply German Grey which is quite dark over the red oxide but leave enough red showing to simulate a little rust, then add the effects like mud, dust etc later.
Well that's enough for now, it's going to be hot in the garage so best to get at it and start filling and painting the holes in the arms, the i can get the suspension back into Tiger.

Regards
Gary

A splattering of red oxide, next the dark grey.

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all

A quick update on the turret progress, I used the electrical tape method to do the welds around the turret top, I scored the area where the welds were to go for better adhesion. If you use this method make sure to leave tape sticking up at each end and try to use one length of tape around the turret top. Once the Milliput has cured you can pull the tape upwards and as it stretches it will come out leaving a very thin gap. The lid fits perfectly so happy with the results.
I have now replaced the suspension retainer grub screws with M4 x 8 hex bolts and reset the suspension and wheel alignment, much quicker to do this time using the rod along the wheels method.
I also received the exhaust shields, convoy light, starter plate and turret bin lids and catches from Steve Winstone, lovely detailed parts and so now I will have to crack on modifying the bin, approximately 200 1/32" rivets to be fitted plus a bit of reshaping, filling, etc to be done.
Lastly, to Adrian, I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Regards
Gary

Weld preparation

Welds added

Taking shape

Some great additions from Steve Winstone

[Gary Richardson]

Good evening all,

I made some progress Zimmeriting the hull front after studying photos in Germany's Tigers, it appears putting the Zimmerit on the vision blocks and machine gun housing was optional as there are photos of 1944 Tigers with and without. I decided to go with the zimmerit on both. Very glad I had access to the little zim tool ( thanks once again to Bob) which made applying it a lot easier around the vision blocks. Just noticed the zim above the MG is not quite right so will amend that tomorrow.
I have also been modifying the turret bin, hats off to Steve Winston as there is a lot of work involved. I ended up using a Dremel with small milling bit to remove the four raised hinge sections and have started squaring off the hatch openings and rear indent. I have countersunk the holes in the steel centre section and will remove the raised parts of the countersunk screws I am using after the main assembly is completed. Then use car filler and sand the bin to get a smooth finish. Looking forward to drilling and inserting 200 x 1/32" rivets
I did a trial fit of the small tow cable on the hull side and will have to heat up the cable the get it to bend and sag easier, then modify the eye ends to give a more realistic shape. The button screws looked wrong so I have replaced then with M2.5 x 12 hex bolts and drilled and tapped a new hole for the rear most clamp, this is the next hull side to be zimmerited so I will need to distress the zimmerit were the cable would have rubbed.
Now pondering how to install the batteries and modules and make best use of the space, I think the smoker needs to go sideways at the end of the tray and I will used 15mm copper fittings from the smoker outlet with just a short length of the clear pipe to connect at the exhaust inlets.

Regards
Gary

More zimmerit applied

Small towing cable

[Robert E Morey]

Looking really good Gary! The Late version is my fav. Your Zimmerit it looking good as is all the details. Nice work!
Best regards,
Bob

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Thanks Bob, I appreciate your comments.
Yesterday I managed to get both sides of the hull covered in zimmerit, it's quite time consuming and I had to make sure I didn't fall into the trap of making it too regular. I added a few scrapes and knocked off bits and will erode the zimmerit where the tow cable is clamped. I only have the rear hull plate left to zimmerit but want to add a few more details first. I am thinking of adding the heater port and wondering if I can make it from scratch so will try and find some photos. I am also adding the convoy light but will have to modify the mudguard opening for it to fit and the mudguard to be raised. I made some square washers out of aluminium to go behind the hinge fittings that the rods go through, this has given me a bit more clearance for the convoy light.
While the tile adhesive was hardening I continued working on the turret bin, I have squared off about half the rounded corners so far but lots more filing to do.
I also added the actuator to the turret and will test it today, I altered the transmitter settings so when I pull back the stick the gun elevates as it seemed more intuitive, just need to work out the stop positions so the actuator does not exceed the elevation / depression limits. I am still learning what the Taranis X9D Plus can do so may need to experiment a bit to get it right.

Regards
Gary

Left hull zimmerit

Right hull zimmerit

Actuator fitted.