Custom Tiger I Project: UPDATED 05/10/2009

PanzerArm · Post by **PanzerArm** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 8:27 pm

So while my Panzer III ausf. N is off getting painted I decided that I better start on its counterpart, the s.pz.abt 501st tiger I. I started about a week ago, and spent the balance of that time smoothing off the zimmerit, which I am glad I bought the dremel b/c I think I would have bee SOL without it. I then cut off various things with the dremel as well, like the cupola and the mud-guard side flaps. I just finished constructing the early style commander's cupola, minus a few holes that need to be drilled around the circumference of the upper part. It's not modeler accurate (I couldn't really fathom fabricating some of its tiny details), but I'd say pretty darn good job.

The pictures aren't the greatest quality, I am admittedly a terrible photographer, but I think you can get the idea:

Here is a side shot, notice the awesome banana background

Same view, maybe a little better lighting

Front

Opposite side

Cupola

Front again

There is still much work to be done, I have to make the exhaust covers and the fiefel air cleaners, the pistol ports on both side of the turret, and the new close in defense weapon the goes in the early position aft of the loaders hatch. There's surely other little things as well, which I will conquer as I get to them.

-Kevin

Der Kommandant · Post by **Der Kommandant** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 10:17 pm

Good going!
You might want to smooth out the patch of armor reinforcing the gunner's sight. I don't think the early-production models had that slab of metal.

pickelhaube · Post by **pickelhaube** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 10:17 pm

Looking good. Are you using metal to cover everything or is that a primer coat ?

Der Kommandant · Post by **Der Kommandant** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 10:52 pm

It's the Tiger's bare metal, isn't it?

Panzer_M · Post by **Panzer_M** » Sun Oct 19, 2008 12:51 am

foil(lead foil?) maybe?. I think the turret was plastic on the FOV tiger, and the hull was metal..or maybe the whole thing is metal I don't remember.

I remember that tiger from somewheres...

keep us updated.

Yoxford · Post by **Yoxford** » Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:08 am

Off to a great start Kevin!

Panzer M...nope not foil... the 1/32 FOV Tiger 1 has a cast metal turret.

PanzerArm · Post by **PanzerArm** » Sun Oct 19, 2008 9:21 am

The shiny metal you are looking at is just the metal that FOV used to construct the tank. The hull superstructure and the turret and gun were made of metal, the remainder of the tank was plastic. And the reinforced gunner's vision armor is on my list of things to do. I got pretty tired of just smoothing/grinding/cutting, and I didn't have a drill bit small enough to re-drill the vision holes after I smoothed it out so it will get done eventually. Right now I want to start fabricating the parts I needed so it could look like I was actually making progress. Next on my slate are the close-in defense weapon, pistol ports, exhaust covers and feifel air cleaners, in order of difficulty. Plan on getting at least one of these done today, maybe more if I can get certain creative perplexities figured out.

pickelhaube · Post by **pickelhaube** » Sun Oct 19, 2008 9:58 am

I thought that this was a 1/18 project. One of the reasons I do 1/18 is that it is bigger/ easier to see for us semi old guys. You have a lot of work ahead of you my XD brother. Keep up the good work.

Panzer_M · Post by **Panzer_M** » Sun Oct 19, 2008 3:48 pm

pickelhaube wrote:I thought that this was a 1/18 project. One of the reasons I do 1/18 is that it is bigger/ easier to see for us semi old guys. You have a lot of work ahead of you my XD brother. Keep up the good work.

I know what you mean, those 1/6 kits are looking better and better every year. I don't know how I used to paint 1/285 armour.

immeww2 · Post by **immeww2** » Sun Oct 19, 2008 8:52 pm

Looking good so far.

PanzerArm · Post by **PanzerArm** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:05 pm

Well, after a holiday that did not allow for much time to get any work done on this project, I finally go the chance to tackle the most difficult part of this custom, the feifel air filters. They were quite the pain in the butt, and it took me two days of just working on them to get it done. I also got the new older version exhaust guards installed. All I have left now is to install those smoke-dischargers, and then it, along with a zimmerited porsche king tiger and a corrected panzer III L, will be on their way to Cabe for some painting. Without further ado, here are the photos.

Hopefully I'll get those smoke dischargers done tonight or sometime this weekend and then send it off for painting within a week.

-Kevin

Der Kommandant · Post by **Der Kommandant** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:37 pm

Great job.

mediump · Post by **mediump** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 7:20 pm

very cool

Rogue 01 · Post by **Rogue 01** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 9:23 pm

Looking great, i can't wait to see it finished

immeww2 · Post by **immeww2** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 11:16 pm

Nice!

PanzerArm · Post by **PanzerArm** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 2:56 am

Thanks everyone for the compliments! I can't wait to ship this thing off and get it painted! I've been practicing my painting skills more and more,lately and also buying little essential here and there so that eventually I'll be able to paint these things in house and not have to ship them off. At this point though I'm not near good enough to try and paint one of my customs I work so hard on, only to see my paint job transform it into a piece of crap

Anyway, I got the smoke dischargers mounted tonight, now all that is left is to re-build a little of the mantlet with putty and then mount the head lights. All the other accessories I leave off so that Cabe can paint with out them on, then paint and put them on without causing an issue.

Here are the latest pics:

Here you can see the smoke-dischargers and the feifel and old-style exhaust covers I put on earlier today.

This is a closer shot of the smoke-dischargers, and you can also see the other changes I made to the turret roof

Finally, here is an in-front view of the tiger. You can also see how i driller out the barrel.

Is there anything else I'm forgetting? I have just about every tiger reference source available and I've been relying on them heavily during this custom, and without going so far as being a rivet counter, I've tried to stay as accurate as possible.

I'll finish this thing Monday for sure, for now I'm taking a break, going snowboarding with the wife this weekend.

Thanks again for all the positive feedback!

-Kevin

hworth18 · Post by **hworth18** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:32 am

Great job PanzerArm!

PanzerArm · Post by **PanzerArm** » Sun May 10, 2009 4:51 pm

Here is a preliminary picture that Cabe sent me a few days ago. Figured it did the tank enough justice so that you all could at least get the gist of it. It's still lacking all the regalia like tow cables and some stowage, and hasn't been given some of the washes Cabe says he wants to do. Right now he's working on doing all that and getting the color to match the Panzer III ausf. N that he did for me last year. Let Cabe and I know what you think, as I think at this point in the game this is more a collaborative work than just my custom alone.

-Kevin

pickelhaube · Post by **pickelhaube** » Sun May 10, 2009 6:33 pm

This looks great !!!

SGT. ODDBALL · Post by **SGT. ODDBALL** » Mon May 11, 2009 4:57 am

Wow is that a banana in your picture or are you happy to see me?

this tank is taking shape quit nicely, good job!

PanzerArm · Post by **PanzerArm** » Wed May 13, 2009 9:45 pm

Here are a few more I got today from Cabe:

Small Scale Military Headquarters

Custom Tiger I Project: UPDATED 05/10/2009

Custom Tiger I Project: UPDATED 05/10/2009

Tiger project

Update!

Update

Update

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