Tiger 1 2021 no. 13

[Søren Sandvold]

Very nice work Gary
I really feel the itch to get back to my build, but still have my hands full reworking some rooms on our house. Hopefully done in a couple of weeks.
Nice to follow your progress , and will shamelessly copy/steal some of you ideas/work

[Gary Richardson]

Very nice work Gary
I really feel the itch to get back to my build, but still have my hands full reworking some rooms on our house. Hopefully done in a couple of weeks.
Nice to follow your progress , and will shamelessly copy/steal some of you ideas/work

Hi Soren

Thanks for your kind words, I get most of the ideas for modifications from other peoples builds or their direct input. I am lucky enough to be able to get to Bovington for Tankfest, model shows , etc so get to see plenty of really good builds and chat to the owners. Feel free to use anything I post and you can PM me if its not obvious how I went about something. Be good to see you adding to your build soon.

Best wishes
Gary

[Vince Cutajar]

Excellent job on those loader's hatch hinges.

Vince

[Gary Richardson]

Loaders Hatch Part 2...

I could not resist trying the Dremel to enlarge the hinge cut outs on the turret top. I must admit it was with some trepidation and the results need tidying up but overall I am happy with how it went.....note to self, get a proper milling machine .
I intend to make two hinges out of aluminium similar to the last attempt but to the correct scale and with properly placed fixing screws. This time I will drill all the required holes before I start filing and shaping the blocks.

Regards
Gary

Removed 1mm at a time with the Dremel

Just need to tidy the edges up.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

The continuing saga of the Loaders hatch hinges....
As previously stated I was not happy with the first attempt as the hinges were too narrow. I also wanted the hinges to be bolted in place so after a day spent cutting, drilling and filing two new lengths of aluminium plus one remake after the drill went off track I have finally got something I am happy with. They just need a final sanding and a coat of Mr Surfacer , the rebate will be tidied up with car filler.
For any other newbies/ prospective Armortek customers I would definitely consider investing in a small drilling/milling machine if ypu plan to modify or make your own parts. The hinges were very time consuming and a pillar drill is just to big for drilling 1.5mm holes. Any recommendations for a small milling machine will be gratefully received

Regards
Gary

drilling the bolt holes

just need to tidy them up.

[John Clarke]

Super work Gary, feel the empathy with the tooling side. But It's surprising what can be achieved with the basic tools to hand.
I've borrowed a couple of items that might come in handy from DW, (little jobs) DV (big jobs) and he who shall not be named (impossible jobs).
Great work, keep pushing!

SAM_3732.JPG (167.37 KiB) Viewed 1910 times

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

Thanks for the encouragement John.
I have one more photo of the loaders hatch and I am now happy with the result.
Also having a good day as I received the invoice for the Tiger option packs, I am really looking forward to installing the motors as my next job is to install the drive case assembly. I have acquired some gasket paper in sizes 0.15, 0.3 and 0.4mm as I intend to make gaskets to give a fraction more clearance between the toothed drive and the hull. It will also ensure the pinion does not foul the casing. I will use a very fine coat of Rocol dry lube on the drive cog teeth and surfaces to protect against corrosion and spooling.

Regards
Gary

hinges need aligning as nuts not fitted yet.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

Looking forward to tomorrow as the option packs are being delivered, thanks Kian and Monique
I wanted to get the drive casings fitted today but first I made some gaskets from 0.4mm oil and waterproof gasket paper. The holes were made using a sharpened brass tube and a toffee hammer. This will hopefully keep the drive cog/pinion and bearings dry and also give slightly more clearance between the final drive cog face and the hull side as well as providing a bit more distance between the pinion gear end and drive casing. It is a lot easier than milling the casing and the thickness can be increased/reduced as I have bought 3 different grades of gasket paper.
I also used Rocol dry Moly lube on both surfaces of the drive cog and the teeth, once it had dried I used a lint free cloth to remove the excess so only a very thin film remains. If it is good enough for RN submarines then I am sure it will work on the Tiger.

Regards
Gary

Water and oil proof gasket paper

Using Rocol dry lube on the gear surfaces

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

After over 50 years owning Futaba radio gear for my model aircraft I have bitten the bullet and purchased a FrSky Taranis X9D Plus transmitter and Archer R8 Pro receiver and an aftermarket manual on setting the Tx up, programming and using Open TX. UPS are delivering them today . This transmitter will just be used for AFVs so that should make the programming easier. It does mean I may buy more tanks to justify the purchase
The option packs have also arrived so the only thing missing is the battery, I will re-read the knowledge base topics especially the latest one by Stephen / AT but I am leaning towards a 24v LiFePo4 battery.
In the meantime I have completed the work on the rear deck, especially the engine hatch. Any sundries such as tie downs will be added later as will the weld lines on the engine deck hinges once I have the turret mounted and checked the clearance.

Regards
Gary

Engine hatch faux latches

prepping for fittings

Made sure they were central using masking tape and a torch

Added a coat of primer

Just the hinge welds and tie downs to add later

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

I have now installed the axels using a jig I made out of scrap right angled ally set to 30 degrees and a bit of epoxy glue. It worked really well and with the help of my friend Pat it was completed in about an hour. We turned the hull upside down afterwards to allow me to do some more weld lines and use car filler to hide the floor support screws. Next step is to sand the screw holes and give the underside a coat of paint and dirty it up.
I am in the process of programming the Taranis X9D Plus 2019 transmitter after getting some helpful advice from the more experienced forum members. I only have the battery to get now which will likely be a 24v LiFePO4 and I can get the modules set up.

Regards
Gary

Simple aluminium jig used to get the 30 degree angles

[Phil Woollard]

Lovely work!

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Thanks Phil for your kind comment.
I was up early this morning so I managed to get a coat of paint on the hull underside as I completed the hull floor welds last night. After a couple of hours for the paint to harden I did a test fit of the wheels so that I could check their alignment. I used a rod as suggested in one of Phil's builds which was simple and quick. I have one axle that needs adjusting about 1.5mm but all the others were spot on.
I am thinking about putting a fine coat of Rocol dry lube on the axle ends where they go into the wheel bearings as they are already showing slight signs of surface rust just from being in the garage.
I am also assuming the rear idler wheel alignment is not too critical compared to the road wheels and drive sprockets as mine are slightly different on each side.
I will be going to the Yeovil model show tomorrow so may get to chat to other tank owners and get some more inspiration.

Regards
Gary

First wheel test fit for alignment.

[Vince Cutajar]

It starts to take shape once the wheels are on.
What are you using for the base coat. It looks just like mine.

Vince

[Gary Richardson]

It starts to take shape once the wheels are on.
What are you using for the base coat. It looks just like mine.

Vince

Hi Vince
I used Upol acid etch, then Halfords red primer and finally Tamiya TS3 Dark Yellow as the base coat.
I am hoping to use MRP RAL 7028 Variant 1 Dark yellow (MRP215) as the final coat with hints of MRP 7028 Variant 2 (MRP216) to accentuate shaded areas and give a bit of depth followed by general dirtying up and washes.
The MRP RAL 7028 Variant 1 is less yellow ( more of a brown tone ) than the Tamiya TS3 and from what I managed to research and read on line is a more realistic colour match for June 1944 Tigers. Variant 2 was, I believe, in use after Nov 44.
The reason I used TS3 for the base coat was down to the cost and convenience of using the rattle cans. I am not sure how many bottles of MRP I will need but I have 6 of each, mainly because I ordered variant 2 then realised it is too dark and the wrong era. Oops. The paint looks quite thin as it is ready for airbrushing but I want a fine coat so not as to obscure any detailing on the smaller parts.
I inherited a compressor and two air brushes from a friend so will need to do some testing before being let loose on the Tiger.

Regards
Gary

[Vince Cutajar]

My first experience using an airbrush was on my Tiger so was a bit nervous. Spent two days practicing on paper to gain some confidence in using an airbrush.

Vince