Tamiya 1/35 DAK Tiger 731, "Norbert" Kit 35227

[OliveDrab]

So this one was purchased in early 2015 and of course just a few months later the Rye Field Tiger and then the Dragon DAK Tiger were announced After some thought about putting the Tamiya kit up for sale in favor of the newer Rye Field and Dragon releases, I finally just decided to build it!

Thanks to these Tiger Fanatics endless time and research, and then some updates to the kit, I'm thinking the Tamiya kit can be built into a very nice Tiger.
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 09&t=10898
http://tiger1.info/
http://www.tiif.de/


I'll be using a set of Dragon DS tracks in place of the kit tracks, as the Dragon tracks have much nicer detail, and with no engine grills included with the kit, Eduard Zoom photo etch grills were added. Other than the tracks and engine deck grills, everything else came out of the box and a few bits of plastic strip and rods, also some brass sheet for spare track brackets. Oh, and the tow cables were made from picture hanging wire.








The front hull needed some surgery to accurately represent the DAK initial Tiger. The hull extensions which mount the tow shackles were reworked with some plastic strip and a razor saw, a new tow shackle hole was drilled to move the tow shackle higher, and the old hole was plugged with stretched sprue. Photos of Tiger 731 Norbert also show brackets welded to front to hold spare tracks, so these were made from .010 brass sheet.



The tow cables and their mounts were updated to match the references mentioned above, with 3 cleaning rods right and 2 rods left. The cable ends were also re-positioned.





Some minor battle damage added to the turret bin. You might notice a few other spots with some minor battle damage. This was kinda fun to add



The spare track brackets on the lower rear hull were made from more .010" brass sheet.

[Coen]

That's a nice clean built OD. Good choice with swapping the original tracks for the DS. Those originals are pretty bad.
Nice little modifications too,

[Nige201980]

Looking good so far mate

[JoeKundlak]

Nice one!

[OliveDrab]

Tiger 731 found his way back to bench after being set aside for a few months

The painting was done in the RAL8000/RAL7008 camo scheme. A Tamiya mix of XF-4 (4 parts) + XF-52 (2 parts) + XF-60 (1 part) was used for the RAL8000, and Vallejo Model Color Russian Unif WWII was used for the RAL7008.
Decals are done, Model Master Gloss Acryl clear coat is done, let the weathering begin (and a little more detail painting too)

[burnie43]

very nice job....
thanks for sharing but your neatness scares me...lol
Mark

[mick]

great work

[Stokesy44]

Very nice Tiger. Camo looks top drawer

[Kevthemodeller]

Looking good

[TheTroyster]

Wow nice - Ive never built one of these tanks before (I know I know - just too many other cool tanks to build). This is building up nicely.

[AgentG]

Beautiful!

Great job on that camo.

G

[InitialProduction1]

Fantastic build olivedrab, I'm a fan of Tamiya kits, but I do wish they'd add some goodies in there kits, grills, wire, tracks updated, better barrels, just something that would help in the over all out come of there kits, again awesome build,

[OliveDrab]

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the input and comments

[ForTheWatch]

it is like watching my own Tiger 1 put together! very cool!

[OliveDrab]

Tiger 731 received its tracks! I used a set of Dragon DS tracks robbed from the orange box Early Tiger I. They are glued to the top of the roadwheels and there's one pin behind the sprocket to improve the look of the track sag. This was the first time I've used the DS tracks, and they look pretty good. My only issue with them has been they tend to curve or 'bow" around the idler wheel. The tracks are very soft, and the Tiger I idler wheel is located towards the inside of the track (not centered on the track). With natural tension on the track, they tend to bow around the idler, nothing too serious though.

The weathering is getting very close being done. It's going to get a coat of Testors Dull Cote next, then some mud and pigments should finish it off.










The crew just needs some Dull Cote and maybe a little pigments, and they should be ready to go also








The goal is to finish this one up soon to make room on the bench for the start of the Pacific GB.

[Smiffy]

Great work, the figures a wonderful.

[Stokesy44]

Fantastic Tiger. Looks really good. Crew is awesome too.

[OliveDrab]

Tiger 731 "Norbert" is complete
A very fun build and being Tamiya, the kit practically fell together without much issue.


More pics can be found here in the Land Gallery: http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 46&t=17895

[SergioSolo]

Amazing result! Can't wait to start mine

[OliveDrab]

Amazing result! Can't wait to start mine

Thank you, and have fun with your build

[Oddball007]

Great Work, awesome detail.

[Kevthemodeller]

Very nice

[InitialProduction1]

Really great build OliveDrab, love the colors they really make that kit pop, but I'm a sucker for Dak builds, lol. Hey, do you or anyone think that olive green color would be good to use for tiger 148? I've always wanted to build that tiger after seeing verlindens Build of that tank, but every time I've sprayed the greens they have never looked right. But heck I might be going green color blind haha. anyway, great build my friend.

[Stokesy44]

Love the outdoor pics mate. She looks an absolute beauty.

[OliveDrab]

Great Work, awesome detail.

Very nice

Really great build OliveDrab, love the colors they really make that kit pop, but I'm a sucker for Dak builds, lol. Hey, do you or anyone think that olive green color would be good to use for tiger 148? I've always wanted to build that tiger after seeing verlindens Build of that tank, but every time I've sprayed the greens they have never looked right. But heck I might be going green color blind haha. anyway, great build my friend.

Love the outdoor pics mate. She looks an absolute beauty.

Thanks for the comments all, you've made my day

Hey Initial, I'm not familiar with the Verlinden Tiger 148, are you referring to the olive green believed to be used by some DAK Tigers? I tried to match the "olive green" as seen on Bovington Tiger 131, or more specifically RAL7008. I simply picked Model Color 924 because it looked like a good match and I already owned the paint, although it turned out a bit darker than I would have liked. If I were to do it over, I probably would go with Tamiya XF-49 or Model Master 2138 Israeli Armor Sand Grey as both seem to be a good match for RAL7008.

[NorthernModeller]

Amazing work

[Plukenstein]

That is mind blowing! I am so impressed with your figures eyes! I'm still scared to start my tank figures but I'm studying up!!