Dragon Tiger I Late 3-in-1

[remarc777]

Hi there Bill,

As said before by others, you can't see the idler wheel is from a scrapbox-kit. I also like the roadwheels very much. Nice light tone, so enough "comfort zone" to go out of your way with detailling. A job well done, looking forward to the washes and/or filters!

greetings, Richard.

[wbill76]

Tobi, the PaK 75/3 'Brenda' is a devastating weapon at close range! It's not the round but the slobber that does you in!

Richard, thanks for the comments, once the tracks are fitted the only way someone will be able to tell the difference is to get up very close and then count the links to realize one side is longer than the other, so the 'field repair' is a success IMHO! Glad to have you along for the ride, more progress will be posted up later today of course.

[bigjohn]

Nov 23, 2013 11:59:19 GMT -5 wbill76 said:

A minor mishap occurred in the Tiger's progress today. It seems that one of the idlers managed to go missing and as I was searching for it, my 75 lb. Boxer named Brenda found it before I did. Here's all that was left after her adventure!



Thankfully the kit includes the larger idlers as additional parts but doesn't provide additional mount arms. Old kits in the closet to the rescue! I salvaged a mount arm off a previously built Tamiya Tiger and made some slight modifications to it so it would fit the Dragon parts. Installed the rear-most outer wheel to help serve as a guide for the idler's placement and did a test-fit with the MK track run. As expected 1 more link was needed due to the larger idler. Once that was added, the idler was glued permanently into position and left to set up and will get painted later to match the rest of the suspension. So now my Tiger has a little extra character courtesy of Brenda's 'assistance'!



Now back to work and what was actually scheduled for today...the markings.

That was some fast recovery work Bill. Glad to see you got it all sorted out quickly as I'm enjoying this build!

[deafpanzer]

You sneaky sly boy! Was not expecting an update until later today! Good save... it pays to save all spare parts!

Safe to say the dog is with the Allies... good to know there's a balance in Plunk's house but we have to know which side your wife is on? LOL

[wbill76]

BJ, thanks! Was a close one for a little bit there!

Andy, not really an update, more an 'alert' and a close shave. That's exactly why I keep old kits and spare parts. Never know when you might need something! I think Brenda's a double-agent, the cats I'm sure are firmly Allied. My wife's Switzerland!

[Deano]

Nice save on the idler Bill , makes you really appreciate the spares box when things like this happens . Looking great with the tracks on , awaiting next weeks update now

Deano

[ceresvesta.]

Sooo, you feed your dog spare parts Hmmm, kind of a classy meal, if I may say.

[wbill76]

Deano, thanks will have an update here in a bit as soon as some glue sets up.

Phil, don't know about classy but could definitely get expensive depending on what she chooses! Unlike the carpet monster, she can't be appeased by random items or the occasional left-over sprue burnt offering.

[wbill76]

Despite the minor disruptions yesterday, there was a planned effort on the program that dealt with getting the markings on. First up was a sealing coat of Future to protect the paint work from the weathering stages. This was allowed to air-dry for about an hour or so and then the markings were applied. The kit-supplied markings provide the turret numbers as individual numbers so you can create your own chosen vehicle, mine is 213. Decals were treated with multiple passes of Solvaset and gentle prodding with a wooden toothpick where necessary to ensure they settled down correctly into the zim pattern. This is a time-consuming process that involves lots of waiting for the Solvaset to do its work. If you rush it, you can easily damage a decal beyond repair so lots of hurry-up-and-wait involved.







In between some of those hurry-up-and-wait sessions, I worked on the road wheels some more. They had gotten the Future treatment as well so I had the chance to apply a pin wash of enamel Burnt Umber to bring out their details before installation.



With the decals set and ready to go, the wheels were installed on both sides and a 2nd sealing coat of Future applied to get things ready for the weathering stages ahead.



The Future will be allowed to fully cure for at least 24 hours before moving on. Since this is a holiday week, expect more updates sooner rather than later hopefully.

[panzerconor.]

I like how the red numbering stands out without looking out of place, really works well. I've got solvaset on my bench, never had an occasion to use it yet. I'd probably foul it up on my first attempt, but that's irrelevant. So you're breaking the Sunday night schedule? Terrific, I was just beginning to catch on lol

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Man those decals really made it pop.

Ataboy girl
Tony lee

[wbill76]

Conor, Solvaset's good stuff, I've yet to encounter a decal set it couldn't handle. It's powerful stuff though and you have to be patient with it. The first time you see it start to wrinkle up the decals your first thought is that they've been ruined but it's just the solution doing its job...the decals will smooth back out as the solution dries out and the decal hardens back up. No worries about the schedule, it's still a 'regular' Sunday occurrence, just sometimes you get a bonus here and there in between!

Tony, just don't call me Shirley...

[deafpanzer]

WOW! Love the decals... it is screaming RED... blood it wanted I bet.

[Deano]

Mucho mucho like this ! really coming together now Bill.

Deano

[wbill76]

Andy, it wanted revenge for the lost idler!

Deano, thanks as always, this is where the fun starts.

[Leon]

Nice work on the decals Bill.She's really looking proud.

[Deleted]

thank goodness for the spares box eh? good save from the jaws of disaster, or should I say dog! Decals look really nice will add a little colour to the finished model

[bullardino]

Nice decaling, adding decals to a zimmed surface must be a real nightmare...

[ceresvesta.]

Real beauty you got there Bill! Ditto Luigi`s comment. Used some setting product?
Phil.

[wbill76]

Thanks Leon and Pete!

Luigi and Phil, adding decals to zim does require patience, no question about it! The key is the setting solution. Solvaset is perfect for the job but it does take multiple strategic applications and treatments with the toothpick to get everything to settle in properly into the zim so it looks painted on. Worth the effort though in the end for sure.

[fightnjoe]

bill i echo the earlier comments. that red just makes it pop for sure.



joe

[wbill76]

Thanks Joe! Always neat to get the markings on, to me that's when it starts to come alive as a finish.

[bullardino]

No interaction between solvaset and future?

[wbill76]

Nov 26, 2013 6:07:38 GMT -5 bullardino said:

No interaction between solvaset and future?

I've never had an issue with it Luigi. I always let the Future set at least an hour (more typically though it's overnight) before I start applying the decals with the Solvaset. The Solvaset is always allowed plenty of 'finish time' as well before the over coat of Future is applied to seal things up for the weathering.

[bbd468]

Decals look SEXY Bill! You like Solvaset better than Microsol? Ive never tried Solvaset before.

[wbill76]

Nov 26, 2013 19:28:26 GMT -5 bbd468 said:

Decals look SEXY Bill! You like Solvaset better than Microsol? Ive never tried Solvaset before.

Thanks Gary! I've never tried Microsol so can't compare. The Solvaset bottle I have was purchased back in 2006 and is still over half full, a little bit goes a long way!

[wouter]

Nice update on the Tiggy, Bill. With the decals she's getting more and more character. And good thing you got spare idlers, can't have too much

btw, it strykes me that, although you applied future, your model has no sheen in the photos. Very nice!

Cheers

[armorguy]

You worked those decals neathly into the zim structure mate, nice one !

[wbill76]

Thanks wouts! The spares box and graveyard have bailed me out before and am very glad it kept this one rolling along! The zim pattern helps disrupt the Future sheen a bit too so can't take full credit for that.

AG, thanks as well, glad to have you stop by!

[wbill76]

Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family, so I thought my Tiger needed some 'company'. After reorganizing my stash and storage closet the last couple of weeks, I came across a small kit that I had acquired in the distant past, Dragon's 'German Engineers with Goliath Demolition Vehicles'. Since I had a few hours here and there the last couple of days, I decided to throw together one of the Goliaths and finish it up as a little diversion/fun exercise since I couldn't get a big enough chunk of time in one piece to start on the Tiger's weathering (that should change tomorrow!). 'Goliath' is an ironic name choice...and dealing with the link-and-length tracks would try anyone's patience, but was still a fun little project.



And just to show scale size, here it is with its much bigger brother/cousin.



Hope everyone had a great holiday!