Dragon King Tiger WIP

[Eusi]

Hey Guys,

Kicking off my first build thread with more of a paint thread than as build as most of the model is already built. The kit if the Dragon 1/35 Ardennes Offensive King Tiger. My original plan with this was to make it a simple build and maybe use two or three of the figures that come with the kit to give it some character, had no plans to do any type of base. The overall build was,pretty straight forward and went together quickly. I had no fit issues, minimal flash, and the " to be expected" instruction manual issues that Dragon is so well known for were not too bad.

Where I did run into trouble was because of my own inexperience and lack of patience. The first issue was making the right side tow cable too short. The instructions call out for a length of 240mm of tow cable on both sides. I first cut the left side cable to size and quickly realized it was too long by about 40mm. Having adjusted that side I wrongly assumed the right side would be the same and shortened the cable. By the time I realized it was too short I had used all the cable provided in the kit and do not have any spare. So the right side is a bit on the short side.

The big issue occurred with the Magic Tracks. My only other experience with them is my SU-85 build. Although a bit finicky I didn't have any issues with those. The tiger ones went together well as can be expected. Where I messed up is I glued the drive wheel to the tank before installing the tracks which made threading them through nearly impossible. The left side I managed to pull through but the right ended up coming apart on me and after an hour of further attempts, I gave up.

So my tiger is now a tracked tiger. The idea is that the track came off during the opening stages of the Ardennes Offensive. The figures that came with the kit are Fallshirmjager, all in relaxed poses so that actually works well. I did however need a few crewmen so I ordered the Master Box German Tank Crew MB3507.

Having rambled enough, long story short. Build went from what was supposed to be a tank with a couple of figures, to a 8+ figure diorama.

Anyway, here are a couple of images of the build so far. Tank is done. Hoping to get the figures assembled this weekend and everything primed.

[mick]

looking good

[Coen]

Sounds like a fantastic project Eusi. I'll be looking forward to seeing how it turns out for ya.

[Kevinzane]

Looks good! I got a dragon King Tiger with transport-tracks on my shelf. It is gonna be my next projekt. So your build will be intresting to follow.

[PaulAyrey]

Nice, love it, eagerly waiting for more.....

[AchtungPanzer]

Good work mate. I look forward to more

[psydeviant]

awesome i made that that king tiger about 5 years ago, it was the first kit i made after a good 20+ year break and the kit that got me hooked on modelling

[Eusi]

awesome i made that that king tiger about 5 years ago, it was the first kit i made after a good 20+ year break and the kit that got me hooked on modelling

That is an amazing looking Tiger. Love the warn, subtle camo. How did you achieve that? I have heard Tamiya buff is a good start for toning down camo like that. I have had mixed results with it when I tried. Usually comes out too stark or too splotchy. This Dragon kit itself is such a wonderful kit. I am not sure how accurate the tank is but the kit itself goes together very quickly and easily. With the additional PE detail and turned aluminum barrel, it's a great kit. Picked up a second one of these a few weeks ago on eBay for $40.

Sorry for the long break in updates. Life has been keeping me busy and when I have been able to find time to sit at the bench, have found myself working on figures, trying to finish some long over-due commissions.

Non-the-less, some progress has been made on the tiger, although not very much.




So got the basecoat/camo down, along with the camo dot pattern. The dots I am not 100% happy with. I feel like it is a mix of me painting them on too big and too uniform. Hoping I can tone them down a bit. Thinking I will give it a very light coat of buff. As I mentioned above, I have had very much mixed results with the stuff. Any tips and tricks to using it would be appreciated. Especially how much you guys suggest watering it down.

Also got the first wash down. I use the Flory clay based washes. I know it is not the best product for tanks and there are many simpler alternatives out there but I have grown quite fond of the stuff. Something very relaxing and zen-like for me to be able to brush it on and then spend time with a cotton swab removing it (and eating a good portion of it in the process!). Also I find I have greater control over placement. I can streak it quite easily. I have started removing the wash off of the turret, the hull has not been touched yet however, hence the large splotches. Next to the tank you can see a few of the figures I started assembling that will eventually find their way into a dio along with the model. Mix of the Dragon set that came in the box and some MasterBox German Tank Crew.

Other than that, here is quick peak of what else I have sitting on my bench. It is the HobbyBoss 1/35 Swedish CV-90. Total impulse buy a few weeks ago. Loved the way it looks and wanted to try my hand at a UN vehicle. Kit was an easy assembly. Only problem I found was that the decals were very thick and fragile. The big UN one fell apart on me, in large part due to the very pronounced anti-slip surface of the tank. I have more UN decals on order and will end up using them to create stencils using Tamiya tape and airbrush the UN symbols on.




Anyways, going to try and get some work in on the tiger tonight. Hopefully the next update won't take as long this time around.

Thanks for looking and commenting everyone. I appreciate it.

[Coen]

Excellent progress on the KT!
That CV look amazing too... WOW!

[PaulAyrey]

You're doing a fine job on the KT, looks great!

[Donkeywalloper]

Fine work Eusi mate, fine work.
By the way great write ups
John