Stokesy's Tiger 1 (Early) Production

[Stokesy44]

I don't normally have more than 1 build on the go at the same time, but since I continue to be afflicted by this sinus nonsense, I cant paint Trevor (that's the name I've given to my Tiger II) and I'm desperate to get some bench time.

So, the next cab on the rank is........

Dragon's Tiger 1 (Initial) Production. Its Dragon's Whitman command tiger (except it isn't, check your history), I'm not interested in Whitman but I am interested in the kit. At the time of its release, I saw a very good - and trustworthy - review of the kit which stated, and I quote, 'This is the best Tiger 1 kit I have ever seen'. That was good enough for me so I went for it when I had the chance to pick it up in the Buy and Sell section here on ISM.

The seller even threw in some magic tracks because the Dragon Styrene ones got mangled in the box - Dragon, you naughty boys, what happened to packing a kit properly?

Here it is, big box and seriously stuffed with plastic - its a Dragon so about 1/4 of the plastic isn't used It even comes with the Whitman crew, posed as on the box, but like I said, irrelevant to me.



And the Magic Tracks



Unusually, its not the running gear to start, its the exhausts and rear plate. First impressions are the plastic is stunning, beautifully crisp, no flash, just what you'd expect from a modern tooling. Its beautifully engineered.



Started on the running gear. Strange thing, the kit comes with the torsion bars for the interior but the kit doesn't have a proper interior so what's the point? Like I said, strange.

The lower hull is nicely detailed and again, the detail is pin sharp.



Started on the wheels but called it a day about 7pm. I'm rationing myself and a 2 hour session was just about right. Mojo bank fully restocked I shall sally forth again tomorrow when it will be wheels, wheels and more wheels

[TheNordus]

It comes with torsion arms because it's supposed to be a working torsion suspension (for all your diorama needs!). From my memory of building a Dragon Late Production Tiger 1 they work rather well. Dragon Tigers really are pretty nice, it's a shame that they're priced starting at about 70 euros new. Well, not that you can get ANY Dragon kit for under 50 euros these days. Shame, I would have wanted one of the initial production versions, talking REALLY early, without the standard turret bin and everything. Well, for now I'm really excited to get a Tamiya Tiger 1 Mid production and to doll it up with a Big Eduard set.

For some reason I am really not hot on modelling SS units either. Don't know why.

The history behind that picture of Wittmann is pretty interesting though, apparently they took a squadmate's Tiger for the propaganda photo because Wittman's vehicle was under repair?

[Stokesy44]

It comes with torsion arms because it's supposed to be a working torsion suspension (for all your diorama needs!). From my memory of building a Dragon Late Production Tiger 1 they work rather well. Dragon Tigers really are pretty nice, it's a shame that they're priced starting at about 70 euros new. Well, not that you can get ANY Dragon kit for under 50 euros these days. Shame, I would have wanted one of the initial production versions, talking REALLY early, without the standard turret bin and everything. Well, for now I'm really excited to get a Tamiya Tiger 1 Mid production and to doll it up with a Big Eduard set.

For some reason I am really not hot on modelling SS units either. Don't know why.

The history behind that picture of Wittmann is pretty interesting though, apparently they took a squadmate's Tiger for the propaganda photo because Wittman's vehicle was under repair?

Sounds about right re the photo.

As for the torsion bars, its weird. They are definitely just for show, the instructions even tell you to trim the end so it sits flush inside the hull and doesn't connect to the wheel mounts which are glued on external to the hull. Oh well, its Dragon after all. Its an adventure

[Kevthemodeller]

He's on a roll Stokes's factory moves into high gear

I've got this kit in my stash, I've replaced the tracks with Friul's. Going to watch this with interest

[ElCapitan]

Very nice

[mick]

good start

[Stokesy44]

He's on a roll Stokes's factory moves into high gear

I've got this kit in my stash, I've replaced the tracks with Friul's. Going to watch this with interest

Very tempted with Friuls myself. Got a couple of Ryefield Tigers in the lair so may save getting some Friuls for those two little beasties. They come with workable tracks but they look a right dog to put together.

Saw an interesting vid on Andy's Hobby Headquarters re Friuls. He replaced the wire they came with by using large calibre staples.

[Kevthemodeller]

Very tempted with Friuls myself. Got a couple of Ryefield Tigers in the lair so may save getting some Friuls for those two little beasties. They come with workable tracks but they look a right dog to put together.

Saw an interesting vid on Andy's Hobby Headquarters re Friuls. He replaced the wire they came with by using large calibre staples.

There're several types of movable tracks available, I was very impressed with the Meng tracks I recently built for my Leopard A2. Although plastic they're really good don't quite have the weight of Friuls but they are somewhat cheaper, not sure if they make them for Tiger 1's but they do for Tiger 2.

[Stokesy44]

Very tempted with Friuls myself. Got a couple of Ryefield Tigers in the lair so may save getting some Friuls for those two little beasties. They come with workable tracks but they look a right dog to put together.

Saw an interesting vid on Andy's Hobby Headquarters re Friuls. He replaced the wire they came with by using large calibre staples.

There're several types of movable tracks available, I was very impressed with the Meng tracks I recently built for my Leopard A2. Although plastic they're really good don't quite have the weight of Friuls but they are somewhat cheaper, not sure if they make them for Tiger 1's but they do for Tiger 2.

Kaizen are good too, nicely moulder plastic and go together well. I used a set on an Academy Tiger last year. Only drawback was the guide horns are a separate insert for each link. Final effect is excellent though. Looking through my stash, nearly every AFV I have comes with workable or indy link tracks. Only my Paladin assault gun comes with rubbers. There’s a lot of track work in my future!

[TheNordus]

I love rubber band tracks, they're so little hassle compared to most other types. Only the really old ones from around the 60s, 70s and 80s really give me a headache.
I've got a Sturer Emil on my workbench right now and I got a set of Friuls for it because they looked sad sitting on the shelf of my hobby shop for years and years (it also came with metal sprocket wheels, which seems a bit odd to me, I wonder why). Also bought some to use on an upcoming tiger middle production build. Man the cost adds up. I've got 50€ worth of aftermarket for a 30 euro kit!

[DrSprue]

I am not a tank man (yet!!) but I will be watching this tiger 1 build.

[Stokesy44]

I am not a tank man (yet!!) but I will be watching this tiger 1 build.

Hopefully I can give you a little nudge towards the dark side?

I only got into armour when I came back to the hobby 3 years ago. The majority of my builds are now AFVs. Once you start down the dark path.......

[ElCapitan]

I am not a tank man (yet!!) but I will be watching this tiger 1 build.

Hopefully I can give you a little nudge towards the dark side?

I only got into armour when I came back to the hobby 3 years ago. The majority of my builds are now AFVs. Once you start down the dark path.......

Every Stokesy build nudges me a little further... then it's balanced out by his book that makes me want to build a hurricane!

[DrSprue]

I am not a tank man (yet!!) but I will be watching this tiger 1 build.

Hopefully I can give you a little nudge towards the dark side?

I only got into armour when I came back to the hobby 3 years ago. The majority of my builds are now AFVs. Once you start down the dark path.......

haha! completely understood Stokesy! Those paths have led me down so many avenues, I do tho have a FROG 3 and a Dragon SCUD B Missile Carriers. so I hope to do those someday soon. The Tiger tank tho does look very cool.

[Stokesy44]

Every Stokesy build nudges me a little further... then it's balanced out by his book that makes me want to build a hurricane!

That is very kind of you. You Sir, are a scholar and a gentleman.

[Stokesy44]

haha! completely understood Stokesy! Those paths have led me down so many avenues, I do tho have a FROG 3 and a Dragon SCUD B Missile Carriers. so I hope to do those someday soon. The Tiger tank tho does look very cool.

Wow, I bet the scud launcher is a real beast!

I know what you mean about the Tiger. Its an icon and great to build, just on its size alone. I'm very surprised Trumpeter don't have it in their 1/16 range. I would imagine a Tiger I with a full interior would fly off the shelves. Very strange they don't do it. I'm also surprised Tamiya haven't released a 1/35 version in years, again it would sell like mad

Anyway, back to the subject at hand.

As advised I went on with the wheels today. 16 each side, little bit of sanding on the sprue gates and center seams and it was off to the races. I've said it before but I'm convinced the Germans lost the war because they ran out of wheels





The instructions then took me back to the rear end to finish off. Lots of greeblies but all nicely engineered. Only issue was the bracket to retain the jack handle was in the wrong place - or the handle was too long, the unused hole will need filler. All done and looking suitable busy. Rear mudguards will stay off for now, they'll be in the way when I work on the tracks.





Then I had a bit of a surprise. I'd spotted what looked like radiators when I was going through the box but I was still surprised to find the next step was to fully build the rads and their internal compartments - including some rather spiffy PE boxing. It all looks nice and will need painting but despite the rearmost engine deck grills being hinged, I doubt I will have them open so very little will be seen in the end.



Final task of the day was attaching the side armour. Beautiful subtle texture to the plastic and, again, superbly crisp detail. I've been noticing that a lot during the build, I guess you do sometimes get what you pay for.



Next up is the main deck - hatches and greebly central.

[Stokesy44]

On to the deck we go. The kit continues to impress me. Sprue hunting is a bit of a pain and it sometimes takes a while to find the right parts but everything is going together beautifully.

The main deck fits nicely and just sits in place without any encouragement. Lots of greeblies and still more to come





I've adjusted the brightness in the next pic so you can see the casting texture. Up close its stunning - this kit is really knocking my socks off.



Front end - the vision slit comes in 4 parts but there was a 1 piece alternative on the sprue. For the life of me I couldn't see the difference so I went with the 1 piece option



As I suspected, once the rad covers are on you cant see the interior detail AT ALL. The rearmost covers come in two parts, an upper and lower piece sandwiched together, they're incredibly thick and completely obscure the fans underneath. It was fun to build the interior stuff but since I am still under a paint embargo I am happy to leave them and carry on with the build. I should be able to attach the deck tomorrow now.



Here we are at COB for the day.



Next up will be the engine PE grills then the cables, more greeblies and then the hoses for filters.

[rcfanuk]

Looking good mate, have a Dragon Tiger in the stash so watching with interest

[Stokesy44]

Looking good mate, have a Dragon Tiger in the stash so watching with interest

Thanks mate. My only issue with Dragon is the price of their new stuff in the primary market. Their kits make you work for it but there’s no denying the quality of how they build and the plastic.

[Stokesy44]

Still working on the main deck.

Air filters looking good. The filters themselves are one piece moulds so they look beautiful. The hoses and joints are a bit of a moving feast but I think I got there in the end. Mid deck grills and tow cables also done.



Little bit of sanding still needed to remove vestiges of sprue gates





The filters are just test fitted at this point as I still need to glue the deck down and add the rear corner smoke dispensers



More greeblies yet to do. 4 lots of smoke dispensers, cables for the front lamps and the lamps themselves



Lovely detail on the clamps - and thank the Lord for Tamiya extra thin - the antidote to CGS - Crazy Greebly Syndrome





I finished off the session by gluing the deck down on the hull. Its a really nice fit and once down, the hull takes on a really solid feel - bit like the real thing me thinks.

[DrSprue]

Looking really nice so far! Love the rope and PE detail.

[sthornton]

nice work cant wait to see more

[Stokesy44]

Looking really nice so far! Love the rope and PE detail.

nice work cant wait to see more

Thanks Gents.

Got a bit more done yesterday. Rear deck all done.

Filters and pipe work all attached and the hold down brackets added.



Rear quarter smoke detectors - 5 pieces each They look good though so they were worth the effort.





The whole rear end looks really busy now. I did some research during the build (I like a bit of research, I'm not building completely in the dark!) and I read it took twice as long to produce a Tiger as it did a Panzer IV. You can kind of see why.





Front lamps and smoke launchers still to do then its on to the turret

[Stokesy44]

EDIT - thread header changed from 'Initial' to 'Early'.

My bad

[Stokesy44]

I very rarely (if ever) have more than 1 kit on the go but I couldn't resist a little comparison as I have a couple of Tiggers in the build stage right now.



Man that Tiger II is a beast!

The pic got my inner nerd going so I started looking at the 2 tanks on Wikipedia. First think I learned was the 88 on the King Tiger was a more powerful gun than the one on the earlier model. I had always thought, hey, an 88 is an 88 but NO. Boy was I wrong!

Looking at the numbers I was boggled to see the KwK 43 had a muzzle velocity roughly 20% higher than the Tiger I's KwK 36 and at 1000 metres it's penetration was over 30% greater!

Weight wise, the Tiger II comes in at 69 tons versus 54 tons for the Tiger 1, mostly due to the increase in armour thickness and being over a meter longer.

I do enjoy a good 'Nerd Moment',

Hope to do some more actual modelling later, desperate to start on the main gun and turret.

[Stokesy44]

Finally finished the deck - smoke launchers, front lamps and lamp cables.



Main gun. Its slide molded which is great. The breach is nice but wont be seen. Its a nice counterweight to the gun though.



Its funny, there's a fair bit of interior detail in the turret. Detailing of the turret ring, seats for the gunner and commander, interior work on the turret wall hatch and pistol port - again, none of which will be seen. I can kind of understand the hatch detail but why would you have it open without a full interior? Its nicely detailed but there really is no point to putting it in. I'm not one of those guys who builds stuff just because its in the kit, there's got to be a point to it. Others are different and fair play to them. Its just not my bag.

Its a nice 1 piece turret - way to go Dragon



Test fit of the roof, great texture and weld detail



Starting to look like a Tiger now

[ElCapitan]

Looking good! Lots of excellent detail.

[Stokesy44]

Looking good! Lots of excellent detail.

Thanks Cap, it certainly has plenty of detail to look at. Its taking a while but its all good and well worth it.

Did some more work on the turret this afternoon, hatches and storage bins.





Finished off the front end too



I'm really starting to like the look of the kit now. I cant wait to get it to the point where its ready for paint.



Turret smoke launchers still to do plus the turret mounted spare tracks. Details, details, details

[TommyKillander]

Wow, that Tiger looks wonderful - great job !


Tommy

[Kevthemodeller]

This is looking very good

[digger303]

Sharp as always.
Ryefield are going to produce a panther with clear parts so the full interior can be seen. Right nice addition to those Tigers ??

[Stokesy44]

Sharp as always.
Ryefield are going to produce a panther with clear parts so the full interior can be seen. Right nice addition to those Tigers ??

Thanks mate. As for the Panther........



I'd be tempted even without the clear parts. I've got one of their Tigers with a full interior. If that's a nice build I'd definitely have a look at the Panther.

[Stokesy44]

Wow, that Tiger looks wonderful - great job !


Tommy

This is looking very good

Thanks Guys. Hope to finish the build phase today.

Really impressed with the kit so far but there are tons of bits still left in the box. I guess its symptomatic of the number of Tiger variants Dragon releases where the bulk of the kit is not a brand new tool. I know some people like this as it adds to their spares box but I have to ask myself - when would I use any leftovers? I don't know enough about Tigers to think I should replace certain bits on a new build with leftover bits from other builds. I rely on the manufacturers which is why I don't buy poor quality kits.

It also makes hunting through the sprues for parts a real runaround. Nearly every step in the instructions involves multiple different sprue callouts where they've added new parts to existing bits from the original tooling.

But its all good fun and its not as if its a surprise with a new Dragon is it?

[Stokesy44]

EDIT

I have mentioned the 4 deck mounted smoke generators many times. This is incorrect, they are S Mine launchers, designed to protect against infantry attacks, not smoke generators.

Note to self - do research, don't talk out of arse

[Stokesy44]

Fun with the turret greeblies today

Spare track links needed their guide horns adding - like going to the dentist only less fun



Smoke launchers - and yes they are smoke launchers this time, not S Mine launchers





Lugs for the tracks to be mounted on - there's 2 on the other side of the turret as well.




Very exciting news - I decided to splash out on some Friulmodel Tracks and they've arrived. Going to try the staples method as opposed to using the wire provided so I need to get to a stationers tomorrow.



Nearly there now. Spare tracks need mounting then its back to the hull. Side skirts and rear mudguards then I can start putting the tracks together.

[Quax]

looks great Stokesy! How long is this bronchitis going to last because at the rate you're building you will have about 20 kits to paint....

Paul

[Stokesy44]

looks great Stokesy! How long is this bronchitis going to last because at the rate you're building you will have about 20 kits to paint....

Paul

Thanks mate. I'm well over the worst of it now thank goodness. Still holding off the painting for now, my spray booth extracts out of the kitchen window so while its so cold outside I don't want to chill the place too much.

Building AFVs is new to me and I have to say I really like the build phase where you go from scratch and don't think about painting until you have a fully formed brute of iron on the desk in front of you. So different from aircraft, the bread and butter of my modelling youth.

[Tomcat64]

I dunno - I'm away for a couple of weeks and you've started breeding Tigers!

This is another very good looking kitty, mate - I'm really interested to see what you think of the Fruils and how they compare to the Kaizens.

[Stokesy44]

I dunno - I'm away for a couple of weeks and you've started breeding Tigers!

This is another very good looking kitty, mate - I'm really interested to see what you think of the Fruils and how they compare to the Kaizens.

Thanks mate, and good to see you've sorted your tech problems and have got some time at the bench / forum at last.

I was getting really hacked off with the lack of bench time due to not being able to paint so I thought why the hell not? Why not just get building again on another kit and lay off the painting till its all ok.

As for Kaizen v Fruils, I note the Fruils are pretty much ready to go straight out of the box. Save for a quick run through with a 0.5mm drill to ensure the holes for the pins are clean, they are ready for assembly.

The Kaizens are sprued, require an insert for the guide horns and a small insert for the outer end of the track pin. So for each track piece you've got 3 bits to cut off the sprue, then glue the guidehorn insert and glue the track pin end.

I haven't started on them yet but everyone who uses them loves them. I'm also thinking of getting some Ultimate burnishing fluid unless its really foul stuff as I'm being careful health wise.

[Stokesy44]

Sharp as always.
Ryefield are going to produce a panther with clear parts so the full interior can be seen. Right nice addition to those Tigers ??

Just seen the post from Emodels on the forum

viewtopic.php?f=318&t=23837

Don't know if I like the clear parts idea or not, I wonder about a cutaway?

[Stokesy44]

Build complete - yay!

First up were the spare tracks. The instructions were vague about how they were mounted but thankfully I built a tiger a while back with turret mounted spares so I looked at that for reference. The links sit with their edges against the lower supports so the contact point is minimal for gluing. Thankfully the track sits flush to the turret side so once I was happy the link was upright I ran a line of TET down the join and voila! I nice solid fix.





The clasps are beautiful. They have a cast texture and serial numbers, neither of which show up on my iPhone camera - despite trying



That's the turret done. Last bits were the turret lifting rings - they have cast texture too!



Then it was time to put Tigger's knickers on.



I cut the skirts up so they sit at slightly different angles. I also dinged them up a bit and sanded then edges to thin them out where I had cut them,





Really pleased with how she's turned out. I could be a Dragon convert if I can get their kits at decent prices. Just don't expect me to pay £70 for a STuG or Pz IV! That's bonkers.









AND the good news is the weather's warming up, my virus is history so........

I RECKON ITS PAINTING TIME BABY!

[digger303]

[Tomcat64]

Nice work mate - love the damaged fenders! Looking forward to seeing them painted up now

[Kevthemodeller]

Looking good mate, I'll second the damage fenders, top stuff

[Stokesy44]

Nice work mate - love the damaged fenders! Looking forward to seeing them painted up now

Looking good mate, I'll second the damage fenders, top stuff

Thanks Gents. I kind of went medieval on them in the end. Pliers, grippers, files, knives!



To do them real justice would require buying metal fenders but I'm happy with them as plastic. Its not the cutting that does the trick its gluing them at slightly different angles that causes the effect. You cant really see it in the pics due to the light colour of the plastic. Once the paint goes on, the differences will stand out more. That's what I tell myself anyway

[Stokesy44]

With the Tiger I and II both ready for painting, my virus being history and the weather now warm enough so I can vent my booth without freezing my arse off - All I needed was some paint.

These arrived this morning from Ultimate. Great delivery service given the time of year. No time over the next few days (obviously) so once we get the festivities over with it will be time to fire up the booth and the AB!



And to everyone on ISM

[Kevthemodeller]

Merry Christmas mate.

[Stokesy44]

Finally back at the bench

Its still really cold so I'm holding off on spraying (have to have window open for booth hose...) but I finally pulled my finger out and got started on my Friuls for the Tiger.

A lot of stuff I've seen has lamented about using the wire that comes with the tracks but I found it to be perfectly fine. The only time I had a problem was with a misaligned hole in one of the links, the rest of the time has been fine. My new pin vice and drill bits seem to be working well. I'm using a 0.5mm bit and being careful not to press too hard, trying to let the sharpness of the bit do the work, not my elbow! Couple of times I could see the shaft flexing so it was 'Wo there Tiger, ease down big fella!'

I asked a question on FB about taking precautions with the metal and was told to wear gloves. No problem, out came the serial killer gear and off I went.

Sometime later.....



This the culmination of about 75 minutes work. 40 links. I'm reasonably pleased with the effort in terms of time spent. I think the tracks will take about 7 hours all in. 96 links per side, I think I'll do them in 1 hour chunks as the urge takes me. Its quite therapeutic if, like me, you can switch your single brain cell off when necessary

As for the tracks - well they look stunning.





But beyond that, they fit really well too. I wrapped the length on to the drive sprocket and it sat in beautifully. There's always that question when you work with aftermarket stuff - WILL IT FIT?





Not a massively exciting update, but at least I'm back at it!

[DrSprue]

Wow those tracks look so real. back Stokesy.

[ElCapitan]

I reckon I would find that quite therapeutic too, at least for a while! It'll definitely be worth it though, they're looking great