AFV Modeller - Issue 24 - 7 - Tiger (P).pdf - AFV Modeller - robaczek696

tiger ( P )

Zimmerit, Love it but Hate it.

I have always loved the appearance of Zimmerit on the Tiger I

tanks. Zimmerit adds a rough uncomfortable look to this already

ominous Vehicle. I built half-a-dozen Tiger tanks during my early

modeling days. Most of the examples I wanted to construct had

Zimmerit and at the time I was hesitant to replicate this because of

my limited modelling skills. I knew that I would not be able to

dodge the Zimmerit “ball” for ever. This ball finally hit me when I

started constructing Dragon’s new Sd.Kfz.181 Panzerkampfwagen

VI (P) or Tiger (P)

After loosely fitting some of its major components I immediately fell

in love with this kit. I decided to put my two current projects aside

and around two weeks later, the model was assembled, complete

with Zimmerit, and ready for painting.

During this article I am going to show you how to construct and

paint Dragon’s new Tiger (P) model. I will explain how I painted and

assembled the model to represent one of the Panzerkampfwagen

VI (P) tanks sent to Russia with the s.Pz.Jg.Abt.653 during April of

1944. The construction phase of this article will focus primarily on

how I applied the Zimmerit. I placed much emphases on the

Zimmerit application because I found this phase of the model to be

the most time consuming and tedious. Applying accurately scaled

Zimmerit is a very important ability for all Second War armour

modelers. Zimmerit included, I found Dragon’s new Tiger (P) kit to

be a joy to assemble.

This model was a bit unusual for me. I would not only be simulating

chipped paint, but chips onto the Zimmerit as well. The unique

surface of the Zimmerit would also make weathering this model

a bit different.

Adam Wilder Models Dragon’s Tiger (P)

Construction

During my past articles I have always

encouraged modelers to use photo-etched

brass (PE) fenders and other components

onto their scale models. For this this

article, I decided to construct DML’s Tiger

P primarily out of the box. Being partially a

review, I wanted the readers to see the

different parts of this nice kit. I also wanted

to focus on the application of the Zimmerit.

After practicing my zimmerit application

skills on a scrap piece of plastic, I was able

to perfect my method. I started by

constructing a Zimmerit tool from sheet-

styrene as shown. I filed a bevel on a piece

of .060 thick styrene. I then cut the beveled

piece of styrene into lengths roughly 4mm

wide and glued the beveled lengths

together, making sure the bevel on each

length is facing the same direction. Align

the beveled edges on a flat surface before

gluing them together.

I chose to use some tap water to soften

the Milliput during mixing which makes it

easire to work. The brand of Milliput used

on this model took about six hours to set

allowing plenty of working time.

the excess Milliput from around the details.

and any areas where I felt it to be too thick

and out of scale. After this I used my

finger, moistened with tap-water, to

smooth the surface further. Use a sharp

hobby knife blade and tap-water to

remove Milliput from small crevasses and

other difficult to reach areas. I used an old

wet paint brush to eliminate any remaining

unwanted Milliput .You may need to

perform these steps two to three times

before the Milliput is ready to be pressed

with the Zimmerit tool.

Photos 1 to 3

I started construction by assembling the

seven major components of the hull top,

as seen in photo no. 1. One of the only

assembly issues I found during this was

ensuring the corners of the hull top line up

with the sides. Make certain the front

corner of the full top is properly aligned

with the sides as seen in photo 2. Align the

two corners and let the rest of the hull top

and sides fall into place. Flame cut edges

were added to the hull sides using a hobby

knife.

Photos 14 to 15

I brushed some more water over the

Milliput and started embossing it with my

Zimmerit tool which was also wet, making

sure the bevels on the tool are facing

downwards. I wrote the word “up” on the

top of the tool to avoid any mistakes. I

used a single spare bevel to form ridges

around the details and areas too small for

the Zimmerit tool.

Photos 9 to 13

With the Miliput mixed I was ready to start

adding the Zimmerit to the model. The

front and rear plates are moulded as

separate parts. Applying Zimmerit to these

areas is difficult because of all the bolt

heads. I started applying small amounts of

miliput randomly around the panel and

then pressed the Milliput flat with a

modified paint mixer. I used the paint mixer

because I did not have a spatula small

enough at the time to fit between the bolts

as seen in photo nine. A small amount of

Milliput will go a long way when using it to

replicate Zimmerit. I worked the Milliput

evenly over the entire surface of the part,

then used a toothpick to remove some of

Photos 16 to 17

I then moved on to the model’s sides and

I decided that it would be best to

assemble details like the tool clamps and

fender supports. I felt that it would be

more realistic to place the Zimmerit

around these details than to cut the parts

into the uneven surface. The fenders will fit

onto the assembled hull without needing

glue. Attaching the fenders to the hull

Photos 4 to 8

I exchanged a few E-mails with the well

known modeller Lester Plaskitt. He

recommended that I use Milliput to

replicate the Zimmerit. Although he

recommended the grey/green type Milliput,

I only had the super fine white type given

to me while in Japan. I decided to have a

go at this task using what I had to hand.

allowed me to locate and glue all the

supports in place onto the hull. There are

some details, intended for Ferdinand and

Elephant models, which need to be

removed at this time using a knife.

The kit includes wire cables and photo

etched cable clamps to use as an

alternative to the injection moulded parts

also provided. I located the cable clamps

and hooks before the applying the

zimmerit. One of the only areas lacking in

detail on the kit are the tools. The two

shovels and axe are all moulded as one

piece onto what must have been a piece

of flat bar. I decided to cut the three tools

apart then later reattached them using

Aber PE tool clamps. The piece of flat bar

used to mount the tools was replaced with

a piece of sheet plastic.

to one side of the model and let it dry out

before handling it to do the other side.

kits. The detail of the 88mm gun on DML’s

Tiger (P) is the best I have seen included

inside a plastic model kit. The suspension

on the DML Tiger (P) kit is also designed

with limited movement as you can see in

photo no 27. I also decided to wire the

lights using stretched sprue.

The two sets of single length vinyl track

included with DML’s Tiger P are also well

detailed. You can glue the vinyl track

together using regular liquid plastic

cement and the join is so good that after

gluing the track it was difficult to see

where the two sides connected. To my

surprise, I was actually quite happy with

vinyl track. The only problem was that

some of the teeth were bent as a result of

their packaging. I simply clipped the bent

teeth away using Xuron snips and glued on

replacements cut from plastic. This is the

first model I have constructed in over five

years where I did not resort to a set of

workable Fruil model metal track. I would

certainly consider using the one piece

Dragon Styrene track again in the future.

Photos 22 through 23

I broke down the turret zimmerit into four

parts - the gun tube, the mantlet, the right

side of the turret and the left side. Once

again, give the Milliput about eight hours to

solidify between each section.

Applying the Zimmerit to the mantlet was

tricky. I applied the Milliput in small

amounts using my hobby knife then spread

it out before using the Zimmerit tool as

seen on photos 22 and 23.

Finishing the Zimmerit was a bit of a

milestone during the construction of this

model and with this done I was now ready

to complete the model’s assembly.

Photos 18 to 21

With the details fitted to the hull sides, I

was ready to continue applying the

zimmerit using the same techniques. You

will be handling the model extensively

during this process so apply the Zimmerit

Photos 24 to 28

I made my own handles using the

Grabhandler from Mission Models. I have

always liked the even, seamless, circular

appearance of brass handles over the

plastic ones provided with plastic model

AFV Modeller - Issue 24 - 7 - Tiger (P).pdf

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: