AFV Club Tiger I Ausf.E

[Leon]

Hi guys! My latest acquisition from Armorcon.I've wanting to build a Tiger for a long time.Just need to learn how to apply zim now.

034 by Leon Dorak, on Flickr

Thanks for looking.

[dupes]

Mmmmmmm...nice! Oddly enough, I don't have an AFV Club Tiger in the stash, and don't think that I've ever seen one in person. Should be a cool build!

[Leon]

Thank you Dupes! Popped the lid on the box and it looks like it's going to be a nice clean build.I may shoot for some AM tracks for this instead of the rubber band ones.

[Tojo72]

FSM had a review a few years ago,you should do a nice job on it.

[bbrowniii]

Mmmm.. AFV Club. I've had limited experience with their kits, but my impressions are of a high quality kit with plenty of nice detail.

Can't wait to see you tackle this one Leon!

[sturmbird]

I have the AFV mid Tiger kit in my stash (think it's a mid anyway). I liked what I saw in the box, contrary to what the "lizard king" has to say about it. I think ATAK and Cavalier make Zimmerit for the kit. Tracks are all over the place, but I'd replace the sprockets and idler as well.
gary

[Leon]

Thank you Anthony!

Boyd,I've built a few AFV kits and really impressed with their quality and detail!

Gary,thanks for suggestion on the zimmerit and replacing the sprockets and idlers!

[dierk]

My memory isn't what it used to be, but that doesn't look like a BTR to me
Atak Zimm is lovely, BTW

[panzerjager2]

I am quoting from a MSCF build that was posted say 4 months back....It was that very cool 1/32nd Monogram PZIV.

Before I could go much further, I needed to apply some of the zimmerit. Let me say up front, that this is only the second time I have applied zimmerit to a model. The first time was in '88 or '89, and the method I used was far different than the method I wanted to attempt this time. The method I used before involved drawing the zimm pattern on the vehicle, applying a liberal amount of liquid cement, letting the cement soften the plastic, then scribing the zimm into the softened plastic. It worked really well, but was very time consuming and tedious.



This time, after seeing a Youtube video, I decided to give putty a try. I tried Squadron Green stuff years ago and hated it. The putty skinned over in very short order making it impossible to work with. So, upon the recommendation of the person in the video, I decided to use a water based wood filler. It is nice in that it can be thinned a bit using water, and is easy to clean up. Also, if the zimm doesn't look right, it can be washed off with water leaving perfectly clean plastic. This would be impossible with solvent based putties.



Here is my materials list:

1. Bowl of water for cleanup and/or thinning

2. Wood filler

3. A wide, flat applicator (more on that in a minute).

3 A tool for making the zimmerit pattern.

4. Napkins for clean up.



The wood filler is available at any hardware, or home improvement store and is cheap. The applicator is dependent upon what size the surface is where the zimmerit will be applied. In my case, I used a flat blade for the larger Xacto knife for the vertical hull surfaces. The larger putty knife will be used for doing the zimmerit on the side skirts. The tool I used for the zimmerit pattern is a gauge used for measuring thread sizes on nuts and bolts. It comes with a number of sizes, so you can pick the size you need. It could be used for a few different scales of models. It is set up like a feeler gauge in that you only expose the blade you want, while tucking the rest back into the handle. I could have ordered an actual zimmerit tool (like the Tamiya vers

[Leon]

Dierk,the BTR is first on the bench! Will start it after i get some yard work done.
Stay tuned in for a new thread.

PJ,thanks for the tip for applying the Zimmerit!

[armorguy]

Hi Leon, AFV's Tiger kit is a very detailed one, take your time and you'll see how it turns out.

[totalize]

HI Leon,

I will follow along on this one. I am doing the same kit. Was working on the rear plate and will post some pics. My kit will be a mixture of epoxy applied zimm and the tamiya zimmerit.

Here's the link to my build.

modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/thread/11466/tiger-211-ss-abt-102

Dave.

[Leon]

Guy, thank you my friend! I plan on trying to find some reference pics to help me along.

[Leon]

Dave,thanks for your link! I'll check it out and be following your progress.

[sturmbird]

Sept 25, 2016 21:12:06 GMT -5 Leon said:

Thank you Anthony!

Boyd,I've built a few AFV kits and really impressed with their quality and detail!

Gary,thanks for suggestion on the zimmerit and replacing the sprockets and idlers!

I'm certainly no Tiger expert, and really my knowledge is bits and pieces I've picked up over the years. I've said many times over that the Dragon zimmerit just doesn't look right to my eyes (I've seen real zimmerit). The best is ATAK, and followed by Cavalier. Wild Bill is big on ATAK, and he's right. Forget the Eduard stuff! (I probably have some to give if I look hard enough!)

Now for some good news! Voyager has just came out with tracks in several styles for the Tiger. Similar to Model Kasten, but probably better. Still Tigers are known to have used four different track sets in combat. Early, mid, late means little here as it's what was on the tank at the time. I think there were even some late Tigers without zimmerit.

My next Tiger will be the Rye Field Furman kit. I saw it over the weekend, and just gotta have it!
gary

[wing_nut]

SWEET!

[Leon]

Thank you Marc!

[wbill76]

Should give you a good challenge there Leon! Can't go wrong with a Tiger.

[Leon]

Thank you Bill! Really looking forward to building this.

[armorguy]

I expected an update...come on Leonmeister, hit it !

[Leon]

Guy,this is on hold till i get the other two builds on my bench finished!

[sturmbird]

cats got into the storage room, and knocked over about forty kits. So I'm cussing them, and picking up a few kits.
Then I see I have two AFV Tigers! One is a late like yours, and the other is maybe a mid. I can't get to it yet. I did see kits that I'd forgotten all about. Several Dragon Shermans, and enough Panthers to start WWII. By the way my rough inventory of Tigers is about nine. I own zero King Tigers.
gary

[armorguy]

OK my good friend, I'll wait with patience...