Global Scale Modeller

Yes, you read that right; I'm actually building this "horrible" kit!

I think this particular kit has gotten a lot of unfair criticism; all of the issues (so far) are nothing any average modeler can't handle. And I think the parts have some wonderful detail, and so far I haven't had any fit issues. The only annoying thing is the parting line on every part(where the molds came together) that I have to remove.
I'll post pics of my progress as soon as I can.

Okay, progress so far:

I decided to follow the kit's instructions (sort of) and start with the turret. Everything from the "B" sprue was glued in place or assembled to be glued in later. I assembled the drive sprockets and idler wheels and the inner double road wheels. Everything fits good and tight; so tight I almost didn't need glue.

I've also assembled the gun barrel, though I have an aluminum barrel on backorder. The kit's barrel looks good enough to use, but I want to make this model the very best it can be.

On a side note, last night was karaoke party night, and to give me some motivation I chose "Eye of the Tiger" by the band Survivor. I don't have a video of my performance,thereby your ears are spared from that agony.

Here's some of the wonderful detail I mentioned:

Some of the aftermarket items I plan to use.

This update is LONG overdue; my MG Gundam Epyon is closer to completion and I've been trying to finish it before school starts, so this project is kind of pushed to the back burner for now.

Anyways,

Turret: Slapped some white paint on the interior and started painting/gluing the smaller bits in place. Assembled the turret's roof, probably paint that tomorrow. I accidentally ran over part of the commander's cupola with my chair wheel but I was able to glue it back together with only the barest hint of a seam. I assembled the turret hatches and tried to make wire grab handles, but they weren't coming out right and just ended up using the kit's plastic ones.

Hull: I removed the little square fender brackets (I'll make new ones later) and PSR the left side sink marks on the lower hull. I glued the rear hull panel to the lower hull; it fit perfectly but the sides needed a little clamping to coax them into place. I test fit the upper hull to the lower; it's a little warped but glue will handle that problem.

So far, no major fit issues; a little flash here and there, but everything is falling right into place. Just hope it stays that way.

Also, the aluminum barrel is in the mail as we speak; should be here in a few weeks.

Looks beautiful mate, how much did you have to pay for the basic kit?

Now that's how you polish a turd! Well done bud. That's a bit of a stinker of a kit, looks like you're pulling out the old modellers skill book and kicking this one right into shape.
Well done!

Daishi12 wrote:Looks beautiful mate, how much did you have to pay for the basic kit?

If I remember correctly, this kit cost about 45 USD at Squadron mail order.

Thanks for the compliment, also, and sorry it took so long to reply back; been going nonstop with work and life in general

Looking great so far and there's some really nice detail in there!

Time for an update!!!

First off, though, I want to thank you guys for the compliments; it's really spurred me on to finish this!
I got the turret all painted and ready to be closed up. I used a black oil wash to "grunge" up the interior a little









I glued on the suspension arms; fit was good and tight (that's what she said ). Some of the arms had BIG sink marks on the back (I forgot to take pictures, though) but they wouldn't be seen once on the hull, so I didn't bother filling them. I've got enough of that to do already, anyways.



I also assembled and painted the engine bay details. I scratchbuilt a firewall out of styrene sheet, mostly to create a sense of separation from the engine bay and the crew compartment; it's not a perfect fit, but it does the job. I gave this a black oil wash, too, though I went a little lighter in this area.



I've also been putting together subassemblies, mostly just so I wouldn't have to do it later. The exhaust pipes are all put together, along with the Feifel air filters. All of these are dry fitted; I'll glue them once I get the upper hull on. It might just be me, but I think the exhaust pipes sit a little crooked; not too much, but just slightly.



And this is a detail I noticed when I was cutting parts. On the headlight cover, there is a small series of numbers or letters; I can't tell which, exactly. This is as close as I could get before the picture started getting blurry. This will probably get covered up with paint later, but the fact that this detail exists is amazing. Good job, Zvezda!!



And finally, I've been putting this off for as long as I could, but I've decided to just bite the bullet and get it over with. The front glacis plate is completely sunk in; I hope, pray, beg and plead that filling and sanding will take care of this.
On the plus side, though, from line drawings in "Panzers at War" by Michael and Gladys Green, this actually looks like a mid-production Tiger instead of an early production (early to mid-production, maybe?) so you could possibly get away with a layer of Zimmerit.



And that's it for now. Till next time!

Some damn nice detail there, both kit and added (aftermarket & painting). And, i'll have to get the ipod on soon or "Eye of the Tiger" is going to take hold.

Russ72 wrote:Some damn nice detail there, both kit and added (aftermarket & painting). And, i'll have to get the ipod on soon or "Eye of the Tiger" is going to take hold.

That's become my theme song lately!!

You are doing a great job with this kit, love the interior, well done

PaulAyrey wrote:You are doing a great job with this kit, love the interior, well done

Thanks, Paul!

Latest update:

Everything was going so smoothly...too smoothly, maybe. I got the glacis plate all filled and smoothed out.



After that, things started to go downhill I cut off the two grab handles for the engine access door and dropped one on the floor. I followed it with my eyes and saw where it landed, but when I crawled down to find it, it was just GONE!! There must have been a momentary rip in space/time because I just couldn't find it anywhere. Easy fix, though; I just bent new ones from wire.




But then I went to assemble the bow machine gun in the glacis plate and lost that too!!! I have found a metal replacement but I need to wait for some "fun" money to start coming in first.

Putting a positive spin on the situation, all of my best builds have had at least one major pitfall at some point, so that's given me a bit of hope.

Since I want to build this beast with all the hatches open, I've been scratchbuilding a partial interior for the front based on photos from the internet and "Panzers at War." The figure is from ICM's "Soviet Regimental Horse-Drawn Artillery." The little box thing is from Trumpeter's 1/32 A-7E Corsair 2. This is my first attempt at scratchbuilding an interior; comments or suggestions are appreciated.





And I got my metal barrel, too! It's made by Metalim and I think it's meant for the Platz kit; at least, the package has the Platz logo on it. Side by side comparison shows that it's a bit longer than the kit barrel (minus the end part) so I don't know (or care, really) if the kit barrel is too short or this one is too long.



One piece muzzle brake.



School's gonna be starting soon; I'll get done what I can before then, but I don't think this kit is going to be finished anytime soon, so I've been building a Tamiya Panzer 2 to satisfy my treadhead side. Next update might be an even longer wait than this one was!

Till next time!

Ah crap! Just when it was getting really interesting too!! You really had me with that interior dude.
That was some really nice work.
Oh well, patience is a virtue.... A highly overrated one though haha
Great work bud.

Coen wrote:Ah crap! Just when it was getting really interesting too!! You really had me with that interior dude.
That was some really nice work.
Oh well, patience is a virtue.... A highly overrated one though haha
Great work bud.

Thanks for the praise, Coen, it really means a lot to me. I will try and work on it here and there, and school is only one month; after that I can really get down to the nitty-gritty.

Update time!

I haven't gotten much done lately; been busy preparing for school and my dogs had a litter of puppies that we finally got sold. Most of the subassemblies have already been put together, so now it's just come down to waiting for missing parts.

Anyhow, got the metal barrel on the turret. It took some major surgery on both turret and barrel to get it to fit I actually had to cut the mantlet in half to get rid of a small "tooth" that was meant for the kit's barrel. It's a real improvement, but it's also a lot heavier and so it drags the mantlet down. It's not a huge issue; the barrel rests in the vertical position when it's fully dropped, but I may try to glue a counterweight on the bottom of the shell ejection bin to see if it takes care of the problem.




I also assembled the crew. They didn't come with the kit, but I like the way they are posed, so I decided to use them in the scene I have planned. The figure with his hands up will actually go on the tank; he's supposed to be holding binoculars, not gouging his eyes out.



One figure is holding a pipe as if he's trying to light it, so I may add some scratchbuilt cigarettes to a couple of the others. Yes, I know it's a bad habit, but that's how they look on the box art.

I wanted to give this model some heft to it, so I got some Revell Pinewood Derby chassis weights. Basically, they're solid cast-metal weights that you glue in place where you need it. I mean, the Tiger is a "heavy" tank, right?



And I've been doing some work on my front interior. The bezels are made out of wire that I wrapped around a piece of round styrene rod to make a loop, then cut the ends off leaving a circle that I glued in place. One turned out kind of oval-shaped, but I think a layer of paint will disguise it enough to not be too noticeable.



The only thing I measured on this were the seats, in order to give them some realistic proportions; the rest of it has been guesswork and estimation, so some of the proportions are a bit out of whack, but I'm making this more for effect than accuracy. I know that box looks WAAAAAYYYY too big.

I still have a few days before school starts, so I'll hopefully finish up my interior and get it in the hull before then. I may just go ahead and paint the crew up during school; that's a long enough process that I could stretch out for a month or so. Anyways, that's the update, see you next time!

That's an excellent piece of work there bud. Really nice additions J.
That through the hatch detail will really pay off after painting.

Coen wrote:That's an excellent piece of work there bud. Really nice additions J.
That through the hatch detail will really pay off after painting.

Thanks, Coen!

I DID IT!!!

I got the interior installed and painted, though I didn't get too detailed in painting because not much is visible once the upper hull is on.
So here are some before painting pics:





http
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And here are the painted pics:



]http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u49 ... 3f7376.jpg[/IMG][/URL]



And here is a mock-up of the tank:



I don't like to brag about myself, but I think I did a really good job on this interior; to be honest, I never thought I could do something like this. I'm not going to do this on every single tank model I build, but some could benefit from some internal details like this.
And I also went ahead and ordered a set of MG34 gun barrels from LionMarc; they should be here soon. I really want to get this thing together and ready for paint as soon as I can.

Till next time!

I'd love to know how you get on with those workable afv club tracks. Just ordered some.

mannloon wrote:I'd love to know how you get on with those workable afv club tracks. Just ordered some.

Well, I've looked them over; some have ejector pin marks and some have ejector towers. I probably won't bother with the ejector marks(maybe) but the ejector towers gotta go.
But test fitting them shows they'll fit perfectly on the sprockets, so no worries there!
One other thing; they're molded in an almost translucent plastic; don't really see the point in doing that. So, be careful cleaning them up.
Hope this helped!

You should be really proud of that work J!
Not everyone has the courage or the inspiration to try something like that.
Well done bud!

trekfanj wrote:

mannloon wrote:I'd love to know how you get on with those workable afv club tracks. Just ordered some.

Well, I've looked them over; some have ejector pin marks and some have ejector towers. I probably won't bother with the ejector marks(maybe) but the ejector towers gotta go.
But test fitting them shows they'll fit perfectly on the sprockets, so no worries there!
One other thing; they're molded in an almost translucent plastic; don't really see the point in doing that. So, be careful cleaning them up.
Hope this helped!

I'll be adding them to my Tamiya Early Tiger, but from what I've read they fit those sprockets well. Translucent huh? I wonder if the should be painted before clean up? I've heard of people doing that with indie and link and length tracks on sprues. Either way this build is most impressive man. Well done.

mannloon wrote:

trekfanj wrote:

mannloon wrote:I'd love to know how you get on with those workable afv club tracks. Just ordered some.

Well, I've looked them over; some have ejector pin marks and some have ejector towers. I probably won't bother with the ejector marks(maybe) but the ejector towers gotta go.
But test fitting them shows they'll fit perfectly on the sprockets, so no worries there!
One other thing; they're molded in an almost translucent plastic; don't really see the point in doing that. So, be careful cleaning them up.
Hope this helped!

I'll be adding them to my Tamiya Early Tiger, but from what I've read they fit those sprockets well. Translucent huh? I wonder if the should be painted before clean up? I've heard of people doing that with indie and link and length tracks on sprues. Either way this build is most impressive man. Well done.

It's mostly on the guidehorns; maybe the it's just because the plastic is so thin. Also, they're already detached from the sprues. A layer of primer would probably be a good idea.
Thanks for the compliment!

Okay, so as it turns out I will have time to work on this project; the class I was supposed to take wasn't compatible with my work schedule, so I will take it in the fall. In the meantime, I should be able to get this project done before then.

So, I finally got my brass MG34 barrels. For the turret I used LionMarc's "MG34 German Tank Version" and for the bow I used Aber's "MG34 with PanzerMantel." Both fit perfectly with a little careful drilling, and both sets come with two barrels, so I can save them for my Tamiya King Tiger.








These pics are a bit out of sequence, sorry for that.

Anyhow, so I got the barrels installed and the upper hull interior painted and finished.




Before the hull is closed up forever.



I also got the engine deck grills in place, along with the filter system and exhausts (well, MOST of the exhausts, anyway)



And so, here is how she's looking now!



And for the latest batch of screw-up reports, the AFV Club tracks I had planned to use...eh, that didn't work out. Each and every link needed cleanup; ejector pin marks, towers, and sprue nubs. So I cleaned up one side and started putting it together, and the entire run ended up as a perfectly straight, flat, unworkable run of tracks. Instead, I ordered a set of Friulmodel Tiger 1 Early tracks; metal tracks, metal barrels, metal hull weights-this is gonna be one HEAVY model!

So, that's where things are now. Should have the tracks sometime next week; in the meantime I can get this project ready for paint.
Till next time!

Really good build :thumb2. now having seen your problems I will go ahead with mine I'll be using an RB models gun barrel and Fruil tracks and I think I have the same crew stashed away some where.

Ozzie21

Superb work with interior ! I like this . I look forward the next stages of this work.

Coming along really well, great job

Ozzie21 wrote:Really good build :thumb2. now having seen your problems I will go ahead with mine I'll be using an RB models gun barrel and Fruil tracks and I think I have the same crew stashed away some where.

Ozzie21

Thanks, Ozzie!

I kept reading how "terrible," "unbuildable," and "worthless" this kit is, and I just didn't see it; with a little TLC this kit can really shine.
Good luck with your build!

Coen wrote:You should be really proud of that work J!
Not everyone has the courage or the inspiration to try something like that.
Well done bud!

Thanks, Coen! I never knew that scratchbuilding could be so much fun!

AchtungPanzer wrote:Superb work with interior ! I like this . I look forward the next stages of this work.

Thanks!
Next stage should be painting; when the real fun begins!

PaulAyrey wrote:Coming along really well, great job

Thanks, Paul!

Hi, everybody! Update time!

Well, we are all ready for paint!



I borrowed the sponge idea from Hamilkar Barkas (a.k.a. Micheal) and it really does work! I also tried twisting and bending up the side fenders, just to give it a little damage.

So, up first was a layer of Krylon primer gray:



After that was a layer of Folk Art "Flat Black" to create shadows (also borrowed from Hamilkar Barkas):



And finally, a layer of Folk Art "Buttercup" (I know it's really bright in the photos, but I'll weather it down later):



Then things started going downhill I tried using Silly Putty to create my red-brown camo scheme, and it mostly worked, but it came out kind of funky, and the Silly Putty stuck to the PE grills, pulling up the corners and getting stuck in the spaces. There are still smaller bits of Silly Putty stuck in them that I can't get out.

I think next time I do a camo scheme like this I'll spray the red-brown first, then mask off the areas to stay red-brown, then spray the "buttercup."
Anyways, here's the finished paintjob (before weathering):



It's pretty close to the original paint scheme, though, so it didn't turn out so bad:





I had originally planned to leave both the driver's and radio operator's hatches open, but I decided to paint first and then attach the hatches later, which resulted in them not being able to fit properly. I was able to (mostly) attach the driver's hatch, but I broke the attachment for the radio operator's hatch, so I had to glue it shut.

When all this happened, it was just...FRUSTRATING! Now that I see it in print, though, it doesn't seem so bad; just "you live, you learn" stuff. Even still, I'm gonna put this aside for a few days and work on other stuff in the meantime; that way I can come back at it with fresh eyes. I need a little break from tanks, anyways.

Till next time!

You are doing a great job! I love this camo pattern! Cheers!

felisbarcinonensis wrote:You are doing a great job! I love this camo pattern! Cheers!

Thank you! It looked really weird at first, but I'm starting to like it; sort of makes it "my" Tiger!

Quick update.

I got my Friul tracks...



...and have already started putting them together.


I've fallen in love with these things already; they are just so ridiculously easy! I've been marking a run of ten links with a red Sharpie( I did start out with blue but my count was off ) My plan of attack is to build one side, wash it, then use a drop of gel superglue on each pin to hold it in place. After that, I'll probably just paint them like normal plastic tracks-unless someone's got a better suggestion?

Till next time!

There's a few ways to paint metal tracks. You can blacken them with an acid solution like AK's metal burnishing fluid or Blacken It in the US if you can get it.
It will chemically stain the tracks a dark grey or brown if you soak them in it for a while. Then you can just weather them.
I'm not much of a fan of that method myself.
I usually prime them flat black, then heavy drybrush Humbrol's Metal Cote polished steel (buffable) over them.
Then I'll stain them with an oil wash of a rust colour.
I'll touch all the raised spots with a metallic coloured pencil after all that is dry.
Once they're installed on the tank I'll add the appropriate pigments for the soil/mud/dirt.

I am enjoying the description of this build - challenges and all! Great looking Tiger too

looking nice
especially the camo

Coen wrote:There's a few ways to paint metal tracks. You can blacken them with an acid solution like AK's metal burnishing fluid or Blacken It in the US if you can get it.
It will chemically stain the tracks a dark grey or brown if you soak them in it for a while. Then you can just weather them.
I'm not much of a fan of that method myself.
I usually prime them flat black, then heavy drybrush Humbrol's Metal Cote polished steel (buffable) over them.
Then I'll stain them with an oil wash of a rust colour.
I'll touch all the raised spots with a metallic coloured pencil after all that is dry.
Once they're installed on the tank I'll add the appropriate pigments for the soil/mud/dirt.

Tanks(not a typo )for the info, Coen! I did come across the Blacken-It method, but it sounded risky; I read that the Blacken-It solution can actually EAT the tracks away if left in too long! So I'm just gonna stick with painting.

warpedcrisis wrote:looking nice
especially the camo

Thank you!

Rob wrote:I am enjoying the description of this build - challenges and all! Great looking Tiger too

Thanks, Rob!
It's actually kind of depressing that it's almost over but I learned a lot from this project and hopefully I've been able to sway a few opinions about this kit.

trekfanj wrote:

Coen wrote:There's a few ways to paint metal tracks. You can blacken them with an acid solution like AK's metal burnishing fluid or Blacken It in the US if you can get it.
It will chemically stain the tracks a dark grey or brown if you soak them in it for a while. Then you can just weather them.
I'm not much of a fan of that method myself.
I usually prime them flat black, then heavy drybrush Humbrol's Metal Cote polished steel (buffable) over them.
Then I'll stain them with an oil wash of a rust colour.
I'll touch all the raised spots with a metallic coloured pencil after all that is dry.
Once they're installed on the tank I'll add the appropriate pigments for the soil/mud/dirt.

Tanks(not a typo )for the info, Coen! I did come across the Blacken-It method, but it sounded risky; I read that the Blacken-It solution can actually EAT the tracks away if left in too long! So I'm just gonna stick with painting.

Nah.
I let my Panzer IV tracks sit in it for two days... I forgot all about them. No damage.
I did it to a set of King Tiger tracks with the AK stuff ... it was all fine.
I wouldn't worry about that.
I'd worry about getting it on your pants though... not a great idea. haha.

Coen wrote:

trekfanj wrote:

Coen wrote:There's a few ways to paint metal tracks. You can blacken them with an acid solution like AK's metal burnishing fluid or Blacken It in the US if you can get it.
It will chemically stain the tracks a dark grey or brown if you soak them in it for a while. Then you can just weather them.
I'm not much of a fan of that method myself.
I usually prime them flat black, then heavy drybrush Humbrol's Metal Cote polished steel (buffable) over them.
Then I'll stain them with an oil wash of a rust colour.
I'll touch all the raised spots with a metallic coloured pencil after all that is dry.
Once they're installed on the tank I'll add the appropriate pigments for the soil/mud/dirt.

Tanks(not a typo )for the info, Coen! I did come across the Blacken-It method, but it sounded risky; I read that the Blacken-It solution can actually EAT the tracks away if left in too long! So I'm just gonna stick with painting.

Nah.
I let my Panzer IV tracks sit in it for two days... I forgot all about them. No damage.
I did it to a set of King Tiger tracks with the AK stuff ... it was all fine.


I wouldn't worry about that.
I'd worry about getting it on your pants though... not a great idea. haha.

Huh...well, I suppose I could give it a shot, though I might just stick with painting the Tiger tracks for now.
"Don't get it on your pants," spoken from experience, I presume?

Not telling
Hehe.

It's been a while...a LONG while.

Anyways, here's what I've been up to. I painted the pioneering tools and glued them on the hull. I still need to paint the brackets to match the camo.



I also reworked the shovel on the front upper hull. I didn't take any "before" pics, but it was just really square and "blocky" looking. I took my trusty motor tool and sanded it into a somewhat "shovel" looking shape, then took my X-acto and finished it off. The end result is a more "shovelly" looking shovel.

And I finally got around to painting the road wheels; all 48 of them. This was one of those tasks I put off as long as I could, mostly because I had no idea how I was going to do it. Finally, I just bit the bullet and got to work.
First was a layer of cheap Wal-Mart brand primer gray:


Then a layer of flat black:


And finally my most favorite part; rim and tire separation! I decided to try the method of using a circle template to mask off the tire area and spray only the rim.



It actually worked, to some degree.


Some needed a bit of touch-up (not my greatest talent) but I decided to only work on the outer-facing wheels. I mean, what's the point of touching up what's not going to be seen, anyways?
So here we are, all the road wheels on:


I also put the spare track bracket on the front. I planned to use some leftover Friul tracks as the spare tracks, but I was worried that just gluing it on wouldn't make it strong enough to hold the heavy Friuls (yes, they are heavy!) so I drilled holes with a .55mm drill bit and inserted .020" music wire into the attachment points, then drilled corresponding holes in the tank's front hull, then used CA glue to hold it all together.



You can also see the reworked shovel; I REALLY wish I had taken "before" pictures to show you how it looked at first but, well, you live, you learn.

So, that's where I am now; just need to paint and put on the tracks and some other details, then decals and weathering. I also found out that Eduard makes a PE set for this kit, so if anyone has this kit in their stash, it would be something to look into; PE will really make this kit stand out.

Till next time!

Great job so far, Trek!

Looking good man, making me want to finish my 131 build