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I debated about whether to post on the forum about my build or not, but I decided to go ahead and try it. I have a number of friends who inquire how my tank project is coming, so this post can double as a status report.

I have a second-batch KT, so I'm well behind the other builder's posts. This is my first project, but it has already been alot of fun, and I'm just getting started.

I do want to give acknowledgment to the other posters -- I have reviewed and taken notes on all of the various techniques and upgrades, so you will see that I will be incorporating many of these ideas into my build. Hopefully, I can contribute something new before I'm done.

Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated.



Some minor fitting to get the side panniers where I wanted them.



After getting the initial fitting close, I disassembled everything to work on getting the surface texture roughened to simulate rolled steel. I used Kent Wiik's technique to place random dremel tool marks in the plates.

Next, all of the flat plates were cleaned and primed.





After applying several coats of Mr Surfacer 500 and sanding to get the roll-steel effect, it became apparent that I my dremel marks were too deep and didn't look scale. Oh well, just a minor setback. I then coated each plate three times with Mr Surfacer, sanding back to the primer between coats to "erase" the marks so that the ones that remained were very shallow and blended with the surface.

Next, I started to tackle the driver's port cutout in the glacis plate. It needed to be made larger and cut further up the plate. After 1/2 day of filing the cutout, I then filled in the slot from the milling cutter so that the driver's plate and the upper deck fit snuggly. The orange clay was used to build a square dam to hold the JB weld while it setup.



After some more filing, it's starting to get close, although it needs to have more taper on the sides (it actually looks alot better than the photo suggests ). I have a milling machine on order, so I will stop and see if I can figure out how to mill the rest of the cut.



For some late night diversion, I followed Dale Jordan's lead and used filler to fill-in the screen sides. It works very well.



Tim Bowman gave me some tips in applying casting numbers, so I decided to gave that a try. Results turned out well, just wish that I had a little larger font, lower-case dkr, and eyes that were 20 years younger.



BTW, does any know if there is a good source for large scale drawings of the KT I've been using photos and small line drawings from reference books, but if there's a better source for accurate technical data, please let me know.

Mark this is great !!! Just what we need on the forum !! Poor Tim and I plus a hand full of others keep the forum going all the time . Now that the new kits are going out we might get some other owners post their builds on the forum as well .. Plus It's nice knowing that some of our work has helped others .. I notice that Mark has machine the rear plate to a right angle .. Good on you Mark every kit get better ... Dale

Hi Mark

Your efforts to date are looking very good. Like you I only just received my King Tiger last Monday and have spent the week working out all the bits and starting on the turret which has a few alignment problems but are been fixed one at a time. Keep up the narrative and happy building.

Regards

Rick

more posts,more informatoin,i second dales comments,well done mark,looks like you've got the hang of it there,keep the posts coming, simon manning.

Hi Mark,

Nice work there and good to see another saga here on the forum.
You have make good progress in little time coming much further with assembled hull then me and I have been working on my Panther for 2,5 years now...
Yes I am probably the slowest builder in the world.

One thing about my surface treatment.
I use putty instead of Mr Surfacer when I do rolled steel.

http://www.armortek.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32

I only use Mr Surfacer when I try to create the cast surface (cupola, MG ball mount, exhaust covers etc)

Looking forward to see more of your build later.

/Kent

Hi Kent,

Thanks for the info about the putty -- probably explains why I didn't get the desired texture effect that I was after. The photos of your texture effect are exactly what I'm wanting to achieve.

What kind of putty are you using? I had incorrectly assumed that the putty was Mr Surfacer.

Hi Dale,

Plus It's nice knowing that some of our work has helped others ..

Your talented work examples, as well as others, are probably being used by more builders than you think. Thanks for taking the time to post such detailed solutions.

Outstanding Mark! Your Tiger II is coming along nicely. Your parts look great.

Thanks for sharing your project on the forum.

Best regards
Tim

Hi Mark

I use Tamiya putty, standard white one for plastic models.
Any other like the Italeri one will also do.



Cheers
Kent

Mark

For detailed drawings i went to the archives in Freiburg, Germany.
As i believe there should be some drawings left in the States so i think you might contact the Archives in your country.
Maybe they can help you along...?
You can also visit a museum and see what they can do for you, but i have to say it is possible it comes at a price...

Regards

Sven

Hi Kent,

Excellent! Thanks for the pic. I ordered the putty and should be ready to resume texturing next week

Regards,

Mark

Hi Sven,

Thanks for the info. I was at the Deutsches Panzer Museum this last September. I took alot of photos, but didn't actually measure anything. Now I wish I had, since it is difficult to estimate the sizes of welds, fittings, etc without a good reference.

Regards,

Mark

Mark

I know what you mean. I've bin 4 times to the La Gleize Tiger in Belgium and have taken some 1300 pictures with measerments and still i find something missing...
Still its a good reference but not everything is as at was due to restaurations done after the war...

Regards

Sven

It's been awhile since my original build post, so I decided it's time to update the post.

I stopped working on the hull for awhile, and started to work on the turret. The rear turret plate needed some work to get it more accurate. Sven has taken a perfect photo of what I was wanting to modify (Sven, hope you don't mind if I borrow your photo).

The top of the turret rear plate follows the roof recess groove that is cut into the side plates. Also, the rear hatch rests in a milled recess. I wanted both these features to be reflected in my model.





So, taking the kit rear plate, I first trial fitted the hatch before cutting the hatch recess. BTW, there have been many photos of Steve Winstone's rear hatch, but it is even better in real life. Simply awesome!



After milling the hatch recess, I proceeded to cut the rear plate at the same angle as the roof groove.



Here's the final result.





For the turret roof, I want to use either hidden mechanical latches or magnetic latches so that I can lift the roof on and off without using any screws. With that thought, I decided to replace the metal straps holding the three turret roof pieces with a stiffer setup that won't flex when I pull the roof off. I'm planning to use milliput for the welds and I'm concerned that if the roof joints flex the welds will tend to chip.

I milled a couple of aluminum strips at the correct angle and will use to connect the roof together. It took several iterations to get the angles just right so that the roof lays perfectly in the grooves.



With the modification to the rear turret plate, the rear roof plate was now too short. I milled another piece from 1/4" aluminum plate.



I did some adjusting so that all the turret outside parts matched nicely. There were some joints that didn't fit as well as I wanted, so I did some filing to get a nice tight fit.



And here's everything after the screws were tightened down. I'm happy with the fitting.




Regards,

Mark

Outstanding workmanship Mark .. This is good as I was going to have a brake from the hull and have a go at the turret aswell .. I misted the reccess detail on the rear plate where the hatch goes , when I was looking at photos , I'll follow your leed , and do the same , Please keep the photos comming .....Dale