I wasn't going to, as there is a great deal included with the kit.

But please recommend one if that's what you have in mind

Voyager, Lion Roar, nuff said.

But that wasn't why I asked. I was wondering how PE would work on the Zimmerit.

Herbert - there are very small raised flat sections in the zimmerit where the PE is to be attached. I'll take a photo to explain (later).

Yes, the lower hull is new (and has four mysterious lugs on the inside of the hull tub, as if to support a floor plate or something). The tub allows for the thickness of the reverse slope plate on the bow, so dimensions are the same. The part is separate so the part can be molded flat and the Zimmerit ridges will be easier to depict. No problem, as the fit is perfect.

Catch looks great! What kind of scheme are you going to paint? Does anybody know of a shop stateside that has the Porshe version yet?

A Dutch online shop has this kit at 30% off for their 5th aniversary.

I'm gonna get this one ASAP.

Catch, are those flat areas on all spots where one would expect PE-replacements?

err there are a great many for tools on the sides, but none on the turret or rear plate IIRC.

That's a creative sag jig for indi-tracks. I usually construct one out of some scraps of balsa - I guess scraps are scraps as long as you get your correct sag.

Right, that's gonna be a place to use a very small chisel then.

Thanks.

Obviously I've never seen what you do with your wooden jig (good name for it!), but how do you allow for track-teeth to project downward?

That's why sprue is good for me - not only is there lots of it about, and you can bend it a long way to get your shape WITHOUT it breaking, but you can separate two parallel sprues specific to the track width... I know this photo is not clear, but there are 2 parallel sprue 'lengths' (and a 3rd sprue underneath holding it all together), and the track-teeth drop inbetween the 2 upper sprues.

I usually replace tracks with FM ones, but on the Panther-F for instance I used the kit tracks.

What I do is build the kit with it's tracks and basecoat the whole thing Nato Black. It works well for shadows and is a good base for tracks colors as well.

I make my runs for top and bottom, use some liquid glue per link and allow the runs to dry for 30 minutes, and then wrap them around the wheels.

OK - time for some decisions, and parts matching, and therefore my 3 mistakes.

Obviously the below guidelines are just that - with the possibillity of 'earlier' parts being fitted to 'later' tanks, and 'earlier' tanks being retrofitted with 'later' parts.

This kit has only the 40mm loaders hatch (part O11), and according to our old friend Jentz this was officially introduced in 'early July'. So this puts the tank OOTB between early July and 9th September.
The example at Aberdeen (280243) was completed on 11th Sep, with no zimmerit.

Also the cupola was bolted onto the turret roof from August, and the kit has the weld lines, so you should remove the weld lines around the cupola if you want to make this an Aug/early Sep build, like 280215 (2nd Sept) the example at Thun

But as I suggested above, rules are made to be broken, and Fgst.Nr 280105 had a 15mm loaders hatch, and was completed on 27 July.

Anyway, conclusions:

OOTB this kit represents a tank produced between early July and 9th Sept 1944.

You should not include the armoured cover over the engine vent, as that makes it 10th Sep onward build.

If you include the 3x poison gas tabs, and the armoured guards over the rear-hatch torsion bars, that makes it August onwards, but the cupola was bolted from that time onwards, so if you include the tabs/guards, you can remove the weld around the cupola base... if you want.

The armoured covers over the exhausts - well Jentz/Doyle seem to have missed this difference that DML have included (there I've said it) - Doyles diagrams all show the C4 C5 parts, and yet the photos in Jentz/Doyle book p107, p127 (production turrets) looks like O30 O31, and p31, p77, p79 looks like C4 C5, on 'Porsche' turreted examples.

Interestingly, the tank in the photo on p116 looks like it has one of each!

So I'm going for O30,O31 - however DML seem to have missed a couple of bolts on the side of these?

I have not found any written references to the other DML options:-
drivers periscope cover O29/D6 (mislabelled as D7 IMO)
front vent cover O19/O20, though this photo shows O19


any ideas?

Interesting Catch.

Mine is coming one of these days, and reading this, I'll take a good close look at what parts you mentioned.

But also realize, Jentz does it by the book, meaning documents. Actual production, even with the Tiger-B being assembled at one plant, differed much and different combos are likely.

One of my favourite Jentz-asynchronic pics is that of the knocked out Panther-G with Zimmerit and Kampfraumheizung pictured near Elst around September 17th 1944.

a few more points;

1) the missing-from-instructions handle for the rear hatch is probably part O5.

2) here are my finished tracks, in my method, you have to fit the last few around the idler pretty much one at a time. I'm not convinced that Dragon allow the idler to 'drop' down as low as the real thing.



ps here note IMO Dragon have missed off the zimmerit that can be seen on most photos at the bottom of the turret front/side join, the small angled section

3) the hinges on the front trackguard look way too big - in any case I've decided to damage my model here on the left as you look at it.


4) back to exhaust armor - here is the Bovington example (280093), which BTW is actually PERFECT for this kit, with welded cupola, 40mm loaders hatch, and no gas tabs and no armor on the torsion bars - completed on or about 27 July.

Again it looks like there are different casting shapes on these, the left one looks like part C4, and the right like part O31 - note the bolts on the sides that are missing from the Dragon kit.

ps the red towing eyes you can see on that (poor) photo are 'modern army' - they'd just pushed the Tiger into the museum on the day we visited, which was amusing to watch!

I've got mine now, and with each Tiger-B from DML, they up the ante in terms of what's in the box.

This one is really a very complete offering, with much nice other extra apart from the Zimmerit.

Some bits that earlier were part of the Premium Tiger-B are now "regular" items like the metal tow shackles.

It's a very nice kit, not just a simple re-hash with a single addition.

This looks like a great model i got mine the other day keep up the good work

tracks completed; all glued except for two breaks between the main section, and the short section that wraps around the idler.

Before fixing, I spray paint my tracks earth brown, then roughly dab the teeth in this case with silver. I've also applied a base primer coat, then some dunklegelb.

I glued the main section to the wheels (not the drive sprocket as I thought that would show), then the next day glued in the short section and idler at the same time.



Now to the PE - the enginedeck mesh fitted OK, but the rest! groan
There's so many, and many are NOT labelled in the instructions.



only things to watch out for here is the mesh over the central vent; I drilled out the centre of part D25, then added PE MA-11 and 12 - I found it really difficult to get these central on D25.



but the clasps - this is the best photo I could take, with a piece of track for scale.



You have to make up 7 of the central clasp, and 4 of the right clasp, but the instruction don't mention where the 4x clasp goes? DML also seem to use capital A to describe everything
hey ho.

NB in the instructions the clasps for the jack are made from MA16,17 and MA42 - I think MA42 is wrong wrong WRONG - for the jack it should be MA25, but as the instructions DON'T tell you what most of the PE is for, I'm guessing.

Track hangers.

Well in the end I studied loads of photos, and guestimated where the top right hanger was fixed, drilled a few holes to allow fixing. Then once dried, I hung a track-pair on this single hanger, and drilled through this 'template' where the other two hangers were to go. It's worked in that the tracks 'hang', but in '44 I'd be fired from Henschel for my sloppy work I'm sure.





and now for some light relief (from PE for me!) I test-sprayed 2 Panthers, one with Dunklegelb, and one with Olivegrun - what do you think (my camera variations included!) of the result of the Olivegrun for a realistic colour?

Looks great Catch-22 ....I've been following this build since you started it with much interest and you're doing a fantastic job on it!
Looking forward to more!

About the trackhangers, DML's decision to NOT have the locations open in the Zimmerit is perhaps due to the molding technique, but now it presents 2 problems:
1- Location, location, location
2- Zimmerit pattern continuing underneath the hangers.

The first is easy to fix, the second is a lot more complex. Looking at pics, I see that the zimmerit has been applied around the hangers, and some show a gap running up to the top of the turretside from the upper hangers.

It's difficult to correct that neatly.

Wow ...thats kinda screwy that Dragon didn't leave an open area for the track supports.
Seems that they rushed this one out without proper research 1st.

yes - I thought 2) just after I'd drilled the holes

I might try cleaning the zimmerit away from an area around the hangers, or I might just pretend that someone with the same attention to detail as you or I applied the zimmerit in 1944, and they left no gaps
e.g. look at p113 of Jentz/Doyle TigerII where there is a photo of FgstNo 280105, turret 280066 - that's how I would have applied the zimmerit (and that's how it'll probably stay on the model).

As far as 1) goes, DML could provide a turret side-view template in the instructions. The modeller could then cut it out, place it against the turret, and drill. Easy.

DML - if you are reading, I'd be very happy to supply you with revised instructions for this kit, or indeed any future kits if you want to post them out to me before they go to production

ps - I forgot to say when you make the track-pairs to go on the turret track hangers, they should not be made 'flat'.

The larger section of track lies at an angle on the turret, and the smaller section hangs from this vertically.

See p.123 of Jentz/Doyle TigerII, or wait for a photo from me

Excellent job!
I just hope the cat didn't get drunk after the beer treatment!

If you have completed your PE on this kit, look away now.

If not, look on the back of sprue TA.

And here are 7 clasps completed - I need a rest now