Global Scale Modeller

Good morning gents,

Welcome to my first ever project update! On the bench is the subject for my next diorama entitled "Sins of the Fatherland": a 1/35 Academy Tiger 1, early production with full interior.


This build represents my first tiger, first use of PE parts, first interior, and first aftermarket barrel.

Unfortunately this will not be a start to finish build log as I've already started! Anyway, I want to show where I'm at and go from there.
First off, I would give this kit about a 6 out of 10 overall. The detailing is OKish, a bit chunky. The molds are obviously fairly old as it seems every part has a mold seam, some making clean-up a nightmare. Also, ejector marks. SO MANY EJECTOR MARKS! Fits are OK. The instructions aren't bad, although they can be vague and misleading at times.

To the build!

An overview of the build as it stands

[imghttp://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t453/SCHANCKSTA/DSCN0159_zps8lssiwgn.jpg[/img]

Hull deck



Lower hull



Turret



Mantlet and main gun



Hull Interior bits



Turret interior bits



Some VERY fiddly hatches







Stowage bin with latches and damage



Exhaust stack (the other is identical)



Thanks for looking! Hopefully by the next update I will be ready to start priming the interior.

Nice work so far, Andrew!
Really like the damage on the storage bin!

Yup... She's not a new kit. I haven't seen one yet, but I think that their new release late tiger is like that too.
Epm's and heavy seam lines are an academy kit thing. Many of the academy kits that I've built are like that. Not just their WWII armour.
Still, they can build up well with the proper care.
You're off to a good start though.

Thanks, Jarod Coen, I have worked on another Academy kit (an M1 Abrams) which was full of those problems, but it turned out alright. I just have to hone my filling and sanding skills I'm sure by the end it will be a respectable Tiger

Well for your first go at etch you're nailing it !
It's a great value kit the ACA Tiger once you get rid of those EP Marks .
your making great progress !

Thanks, Nige I'll try to get some more done and post an update soon. Its slow going to say the least.

Hi all,

A quick update on what little I've gotten done since last time:

I've gotten the photoetch done on the driver and radio man's hatches



and made then workable!





The optics for the inside of the commander's copula have been made (fiddly business!)





Finally, a bag of tracks



This represents about half of the individual link tracks. I've been cleaning 25 or so at a time on nights where I'm too wiped out from work to do any major modeling but I want to get some stuff done. The tracks are better than I thought they might be. they clean up pretty easily.



That's all for now. Hopefully I can get the copula built so that I can start priming the interior this weekend. Thanks for reading!

Looks very cool. I like that PE for the cupola. That's a nice bit of work.

Well...

I've run into the first major disappointment in this build... These guys:



It turns out that Aber decided to make the interior parts for the commander's copula far too big. The optics barely can be squeezed into the copula, let alone the head rests.



I have to use the kit parts.



They're OK I suppose, very soft detail, but they're in a place where they will not be easily seen, and they're pretty well hidden. I also plan to accentuate the detail around them to draw attention.



It's not a deal breaker, but certainly a downer. I really don't know what Aber was thinking. Up to this point they've been spot on for detail and fit. No one is perfect I suppose. I'm ust glad that the engineers at Aber make PE instead of bridges


Thanks for reading, hopefully I'll get back to you all soon with more cheery news... Interior painting perhaps

Hi all,

I'm back and with much happier news...

The interior is primed and base painted! (Note, nothing is glued in place, it's all mock-up).
I started with a black primer ($1 rattle can from Walmart is actually a decent primer if you're careful). Then a coat of hull red. I then applied the creme weisse (spelling?) using the hairspray method. It's a bit overdone, but I'l tone it down a bit with filters and washes.









In other news, I forgot to show the heat shrouds


and the Feifles



in the original post. They've been done and beat to *$#@ for a while now. Also, my newest completed headache: the track-change tool box.



The grey bits are scratchbuilt latches. I would have used the ones from Aber, but seeing as they forgot to include fold-lines on most peices I broke one too many when I first started. Oh well. The box won't win any awards but It's good enough. I'm happy with it.



Thank's for looking, until next time,

That's awesome work Andrew!!
I love that tool box buddy.

Great work so far , I noticed too that Aber can sometimes simply produce something for an "intended kit" and not even bother to measure the donor kit ! I ran into many many problems of this sort in My E-50 build luckily I had a Voyager set ready to pilfer parts from as needed .
looking good mate !

Hi all,

Its been a while so I thought I should give a quick update. There doesn't appear to be much since last update, but trust me, a respectable amount of work has been done. The interior is 98% assembled, washes are applied, some light drybrushing has been applied, and fine chipping has been completed.



















As could be seen from shots of the engine bay, I've started with pigments. I stopped midway to make some more using contee sticks shaved with a knife and stored in daily pill containers (thank you Dollar Tree).



After these are applied I'll add some oil and grease and I think I will be able to call the interior done!

Thanks for listening, talk to you again soon!

By the way...
While waiting for weathering to dry I've been experimenting with these fine gentlemen... More to come

Looks fantastic Andrew.
That chipping is wonderful.

I use conte sticks for my weathering powders as well. They offer nice rich deep earthy colours.
They're hard as hell to grind though. haha.

I really really like the interior hatch detail with all the P/E locking and chipping. And, at least you can show it off by leaving the hatches open.

The interior detail is nothing short of amazing. I love how you did not make one part of it stand out more than another, it blends well and makes it look like its all been used for the same amount of time. I looks "lived" in. Like they were really there and that was home. Taken care of the best they could but it still had wear. Just like its supposed to! I would love to try this, I just don't know the techniques behind it. I'll learn eventually but for now i'll just set back and be amazed and let the pros do it.

BTW. the pill box idea.. I love it. I didn't think of that. Going to Dollar Tree tomorrow. haahaha

That's a mighty fine beast you have there Sir. Awesome work. I just hope as much as possible can be seen from the outside when you're done. the weathering is amazing, it looks so organic. Looking at it, one doesn't think, well he's used this technique, or that kind of wash etc..., it just looks the business.

More updates Sir, more, MORE - please!!!!!

Thanks guys, I'm honored that you find my work befitting praise. I will try to post updates as soon as they become available, but I've found that building this beast is incredibly slow-going due to the fact that: 1) I have no idea what I'm doing, and 2) on weekdays by the time I've gotten home from work, studied for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, and made dinner with my wife, I have little mojo and so the vast majority of progress happens on weekends. I will try, however, to maintain the pace that I have been at. Once again, thank you all for your kind words. It feels wonderful to have feedback, especially positive.

That interior looks superb. Brilliant work!!

Thank you =)

Hi all,

Sorry for the delay, unfortunately life gets in the way of our diversions and I haven't had much time to make progress until this weekend. Either way, here's a quick update on the Tiger:

First, a few bits that I managed to get done in weeks past: texture!

I added casting texture to the mantlet by stippling on "Mr. Knock-Off", my surfacer I make by thinning Tamiya putty in methyl-ethyl-ketone (MEK).



As a side note, MEK is a great solvent for organic compounds such as polystyrene, so it makes a very effective plastic cement and putty thinner. Plus, at $10 US for a quart (about 1L) it sure beats the hell out of TET But I digress...



I also added some weld texture to panel lines using Miliput and stretched sprue. I can't decide which I like better, they both have their strengths and weaknesses.



For this weekend I made two major leaps. The first is the one I dreaded most as it was my first time: individual link tracks!



it occurred to me that it would be advantageous to assemble the tracks before the Tiger gets too riddled with parts for me to knock off so I decided to power through and get it done. I temporarily attached the wheels with white glue. I hadn't realized just how many there are until this point.



For track assembly, I used the method I've seen most often:

1) Lay 'um out



2) Glue 'um up



3) Slap 'um on and sag 'um



For my first time I think it went pretty well. They're not perfect but I'm going to take them as a win!





I even managed to get them off without too much fuss and devised a method of telling which is which





The second accomplishment was a looooooooooooot more fidly... The comander's coupola now has it's double hinge assembly partially built. I haven't shortened the hinge pins or glued everything together yet but it still looks really neat and I've proven to myself that it can be made to work!





Finally, I got a start on scratch building the turret vent, as per Aber's incredibly ambiguous instructions



That's all for now, thanks for reading. I hope next update will come much sooner and as always, comments and suggestions are welcome and encouraged.

Cheers, all!

Absolutely stunning work, Andrew!

Great work on the tracks, they look brilliant. As for the work on the hatch -

This build is EPIC, cannot wait for more.

I'm boggled by the detail on this. I'm watching this one! WOW>

Hi all,

Another long hiatus, I apologize. Since the last update I've been hurting my eyes with a plethora of minutia (how's that for $10 words? )

First thing's first, I finished the commander's cupola:





As well as the roof vent



and loader's hatch





Then I moved onto the smoke launchers



It would seem that Aber had better things to do than give any definite instructions on how to assemble them, so I improvised. I still have some detailing to do on them, and I haven't decided whether to attach them before or after paint.



I cleaned the molded clasps from the tools.



Then I moved onto building the jack which, again, Aber neglected to give explicit detail on. So.... I improvised again













(I realized later that I assembled it backwards. It's fixed now)

[imghttp://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t453/SCHANCKSTA/DSCN0321_zpscdqatkiy.jpg[/img]



Feifles (Sp) are built. They're pretty rough, I may have to hide them with an air recognition banner.

[imghttp://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t453/SCHANCKSTA/DSCN0336_zpskoorcu93.jpg[/img]

Tow cable attachment points



My favorite part of this stretch: The jack mounting system. It's fully operational (although tremendously fragile).



Fire extinguisher



I wove the tow cables myself. I used lengths of wire filament from braided stereo wire. I wound together 5 filaments, and then wound 5 of those together for a braided look.



There you have it, I'm nearing completion of the build! Perhaps I'll move to paint by the end of the year



Thanks for watching and for all your kind words. As always, comments and suggestions are encouraged.

Cheers!

I just realized that I acedentally deleted all my photos I'll repost them

Now you're just showing off! A fully workable jack mount?

GENIUS - brilliant work, this thing just looks awesome.

Hey mate,
just finished this sucker myself. It is a very challenging build - like having two models in one. It took me a while too (3 mths), so stick with it as I am sure you will be very glad you did. I like the Academy Tiger, it is not a bad kit for its age if you want an interior at a good price. The barrel is definitely worth it I must say as the original was just plain bad. Good luck with the rest of it and I look forward to seeing the finished job.
all the best

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

Once again, I'm sorry for the very long wait, I've been incredibly busy for the past month. Thankfully though, it's paid off, I've passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam and am eligible to become a Maine State Licensed Engineer-Intern!!!

Now that I have a little more time I thought I should share some of the few things I've gotten done in the past month.

One word: Photoetch



I've completed all of the tool clamps, toosl, and assorted deck details.









I've also thinned out the side skirts. I plan to leave a few off, leaving in their place the mounting nubs and a lot of rust.



Before:



After:



Also, I'd like someone's opinion. I usually paint tools separately from the main body, but since the clamps are so fragile (although still currently workable) it seems like it may be ill-advised to try to take them off. What do you all think?

Thanks for looking, and as always comments and suggestions are encouraged.

This is an incredible build. Your attention to detail is outstanding.

As far as to leaving the tools on and off - I always paint with the tools on. I find it makes it easier to get realistic shading. Also with the workable clamps, it may become a hassle to have to reprint anything. The brass being what it is, putting the tools on after painting May chip some of the paint. Just my two cents.

Keep up the great work I'll be following this one.

Thank you very much! I am seriously considering leaving the tools on, and I'll let you know what I decide. I haven't gotten to the bench n a while, school has been eating up all of my time and energy and life and soul in the past few weeks. Between designing a highway without any prior instruction, writing a project proposal for my senior design project and being given feedback which is either nonexistent or self contradicting, and conducting a feasibility study of a hydroelectric dam, not to mention other classes and work (sorry, I'm ranting), there has been little if any progress. I hope for some time soon, but it may not come for a while. I'll keep you all updated.

Thanks for your patience, guys. This has been, and will continue to be a looooooong build.

That's is some extremely fine work bud.
Nicely done, very nicely done.

Great work so far mate. WRT tools usually I paint them off then add them unless I get my self into a situation where such fine detail may cause more damage than good. In this case I would have the tools on - I think you carry less risk of spoiling the paint later with a glue incident. Also if you intend weathering the vehicle the gear is best left on anyway as that is where they would be. Best of luck. The Academy Tiger interior is a great kit for its age, the time spent on it will be well worth it