Hi again,Phil! I guess you wanted to say 'Welcome and salute, my tiger fan fellow' right? I wish I could reply earlier to say thanks for your kind words and for the images of the AFV kitty. I also know that its barrel is short and is often replaced with better proportioned AM offerings, rubber band tracks, thick turret walls and 'flat' grilles are some more issues. Some more ideas about the tracks...WWII links are much more to scale than Friuls or those Lion Marc 'shorties' (it seems to me that their size can only be seen when compared to others). It might be a stupid idea,but wouldn't it be interesting to try LM's pins (which are a bit too long for their purpose kit) on WWII links? Of course, it makes no sense if click method is reliable enough and pin ends are worse representation of the actual thing in comparison with cast ones.And did you notice that WWII set guide horns are a little flat? Why do you use them as a standard?
Enough about tracks now and let's take a look at this:



My question is why does this part on the left look different on Dragon, AFV Club,Tamiya(and probably Academy) models (maybe Dave Byrden knows)?

Some more pictures:



It looks like an attempt to replace travel gun lock used on mid tigers and is pretty much alike on all three vehicles as if it is factory-fabricated. Size,material and the volume of production are unknown to me.And seeing this ‘device’ on one of the Wittmann’s tigers we have a stimula to find out, haven’t we? Any suggestions?
BTW,your clamps look fabulous!!!
P.S. Are you going to show a full build of your AFV Tiger here on your blog?

Having never seen that gun support elsewhere, I would assume it's made of wood and made by the unit's mechanics.

The different shape of the radiator cover arises from the fact that it's a casting. The original model wears out and has to be reassembled.

David

Hello again all!

Hi Dan! We will have too see if we can conjure up an illustration, with the cartoon Lux, overlooking 'your handy work' on the thermal sleeve.

Welcome back Paul. (I will dispense with trying to use Russian, before I say something to offend the whole Russian speaking world by accident )
The idea of using the Lion marc pins in the WWII productions links is an interesting one, I have had a go at drilling a few of the WWII production links, and it is not as easy as say, Friuls or MasterClub, that already have a guide hole and no 'click' nub! I think that as far as a standard track link system to use, it is going to have to be MasterClub (WWII are very simple to put together, but as you say a the guide horn is a little flat, and rather hard to get hold of! )
The casting of the filler plates and grilles, on the engine deck, is an interesting point. David has mentioned this 'casting mould dropout' before (in relation to the cast armoured exhaust covers) I would imagine that a compressed casting sand mould would have been used, and any 'deep dropout' would be repaired by locally re-impressing additional casting sand with a plate. Rather than continually re-impressing the full mould box after each cast.
Now that barrel rest! Very interesting, it gets my mind turning over, obviously this piece of large block wood, is more common than previously thought (three images... That's more than those profiled track/hanger clamps! ) Another thought beyond David's idea of a Werkstatt produced piece, perhaps later Tigers without the rear hull mounted travel lock, were rail transported with this ad-hock rest, direct from Kassel, and on occasion it would survive the journey (not end up on the crews fire1!) and be used into the early part of service... Before somebody forgot about it being left someplace, and drove off without it! All the Tiger that you posted the images of all appear to be quite fresh.
Will I be blogging the AFV club Tiger... Maybe, depends which one (I have a couple! ) I have utilised one barrel from a kit for a destroyed hyrdrid of s.Pz.Kmp 'Hummel', as depicting the barrel without the mantlet sleeve, could only be done with the AFV Club barrel... It's the only one that extends completely beyond the mantlet. I tend to use JB model or similar multi-part barrels, so the barrel length never really mattered, but there is an awful lot to go at when detailing up an AFV Club Tiger, so when the 'Time' arises I shall blog them... Perhaps one OOB and one tinkered with!

Hello there David! How are things with you? Initial,Early or Mid? Thanks for dropping by, with your timely insights on these above quandaries. I'll bet that you have already got the specs and drawings done for the block eh? I'll be posting some updates on the stuttering Tiger projects shortly...

Now then benchtime!
I have been mostly occupying myself with preparing the PE ready for fitting upon the growing list of Tigers, that have taken over the house. Firstly the side fenders/skirts/mudguards, whichever you prefer to call them. I will put together three different manufactures sets, Aber, Voyager and Lion Roar.

Now all three are similar in construction (unlike Eduards!) comprising of the main sheet piece and its strengthening fillets. Although Abers does not have the middle fillet, unlike the other two?
Aber and Voyager being almost exactly the same size, and Lion Roars being a fraction larger.

Now Aber and Voyager have a very similar look and supply all eight mudguards with the same etch part, with the smaller inside guard fillets and larger end plates. Whereas Lion Roar supply two differing fender plates (four of each) with the etched location slots on the underside differing between the two parts.


I am not sure as to why the two vary so much in their endplate brace/fillet location, as I had always believed that from January 1943 the side mudguards/fender construction did not alter until the Tiger 1's final variant. These 'early' side fenders are going to be used on a SSTK 'Early-Mid' Tiger.
The folding was done on an etch mate, and they were 'glue-tacked' with CA prior to soldering. It is relatively easy to acquire the correct angle for the mudguard/fender by using a larger end brace/fillet as a template. I didn't anneal the parts as being etched with fold line, I could see no real need.

Now another bit of essential AM for the DML Tiger... Heavy towing cables, whilst being a welcome addition to any kit, DML's metal haulage is a bit on the scrawny and springy side. Even annealed and clamp twisted, they really do not give a great representation of the actual cable. So here for your consideration today, are three differing options... S,M,& L The smaller being some scale chandlery copper rope, the middle sized one being Karaya (usually the benchmark for Big Cats in 1/35) and the slightly larger one from SKP, with the snazzy eyelets cast in blue resin.


Now the thing with these are the actual towing/attachment eyelets... Karaya's are enormous, and would not fit even slightly in the Voyager cable clamps, with SKP's being slightly smaller (and shorter!) but still on the large side, the best fit for the Voyager (and DML) cable clamps being... DML's mounted on the Generic Copper Cable!
Now back to '121' and another round of fettling! With some worn Zimmerit areas being accentuated with a touch of lightened Tamiya 'Dunkelgelb' Dark Yellow XF60 being lightly brush applied to mounting areas and any place on the top lip of the application liable to a bit of hammer! Also alittle more work at removing some of the excess Mig pigment (courtesy of my wonderful helpful daughter Freyja! ) it now looks as though it has endured a prolonged couple of road marches, rather than a 'Thomas the Tank Engine' style calamity at the quarry! !
Well I'll leave it to you good folk out there to decide (I know David still not enough wingnuts... Still awaiting some Bronco ones) I'm thinking a slight splatter of mud on the rear portion (not as heavy as '112') and it should be 'Goodnight Vienna' for this Kitty (at least until a portion of the N175 is completed)








Well that's all for today folks... Cheers Phil.

Lion Roar is wrong. The end fillets are always outside the bolts.
The middle covers have three small fillets, it's true, but the main part should be the same as in the end covers.

David

Hello, Phil Nice to get to know your opinion about my concerns (the same goes to Dave Byrden).To prove your and my opinion as for the wooden block for barrel support I should mention that the three images shown are from Italian, Western and Eastern front. There are some more evidents from other units like 'GD' division and others which I think there is no need to show.
Comparative images of side skirts and tow cables you show here are one more feature I personally like your blog for . Sometimes it seems that buying AM stuff is more like a pig in a poke rather than doing the trick just because not everything you can buy is reviewed or available for personal aquaintance. If it is a problem to choose between different tow cables, knowing the size of the actual thing we may simply measure the kit items diametre to select the best. Of interest, SKP shackles are shorter early pattern.
What do you think about Voyager and Eureka XXL (can be seen on AirConnection or The Barrel Store sites) offerings?
P.S. Your Russian is not that bad

121 looks great Phil, very nicely road marched.. Can't wait to see these all together on a piece of the N175... Got a panoramic lense?

"What do you think about Voyager and Eureka XXL (can be seen on AirConnection or The Barrel Store sites) offerings?"


If I may but in.. I use EurekaXXL cables on all my builds. With Tigers, Panthers etc. I don't buy the specific sets just their 50cm cable lengths and use the tow-eyes from the kits, it's much cheaper that this way. They're the best/most realistic cables I've used.
The Voyager sets are novel with the loose the tow eye parts but the cables themselves are not the best.... IMO.

An EurekaXXL cable; lovely weave:

That is absolutely true about Eureka and here is one more offering from Lion Roar (didn't try it myself yet)

Phil, we are waiting for your comments and WIP photos!!!

Greetings my friends and a thousand apologies! A little girl at this end needed a bit of TLC!

Hi Dan Been looking at Abrams... Reminds me of a flattened out KT If you tell me the variant specifics, I will try and realise 'Strychnine' on board for you...

Hello Paul! sorry for not replying sooner, things a bit hectic at the moment. I know what you mean about choosing and purchasing AM, so much to go at, yet a lot to not bother with again in retrospect! The Eureka cable looks very similar to the SKP copper one, rather heavy but very pliable. I am waiting for some LionRoar FMH, this does look a rather good solution to extremely accurate towing hawsers for the Big Cats. I have been playing with stock styrene, and craft wood in the odd spare moment I have had, and I am thinking of producing the 'Ersatz Wooden Block Barrel Travel Rest' I should be back up to full speed with the rest of the Tiger builds shortly.

How are you doing David? Once again thanks for stopping by and keeping this thread on the straight and narrow... And fairly near to reality and far from the realms of Tiger
fantasy!

Good day to you Grant, How is sunny Groningen today? Thanks for coming to the rescue, great clear shots of that Eureka cable on that KT by the way! Is that from one of your finished collection or a WIP? Looks a crispy clean build to me!

Well let us not shroud thinks in shadow any longer...
I have been slowly bending, fettling and pondering with some more of the etch for these infant Tigers. One for David here I expect, the AM manufactures as a whole appear to differ from DML with regards to the height of the Tigers sheet steel exhaust shrouds! Voyager are the closest being just over a mm taller than both DML's styrene and brass offerings. Aber and Lion Roar being between 1.75mm and 2mm greater than DML's benchmark? Perhaps these were aimed at the Tamiya kits rather than Dragons kitties?



A little annoying but I suppose that I can live with a 'small' scale difference from the actual vehicle, I won't be able to sleep though!

Now do you remember those 'chemical warfare' Friuls destined for '234'?



Well I think that after some serious considerations, they are going onto the 'doppelganger' field repaired '211'




Now this is a Tiger of the s.SS.Pz.Abt.101 that has generated a lot of forum space over time! Often being cited as a combination of separate turret and hull parts from two different Tigers. The hull is definitely from the 1st Kompanie, the turret... I think also the 1st Kompanie! It has the finer Zimmerit pattern, large muzzle brake, 40mm two part turret roof, binocular gun sights, long hinged loaders hatch, and 'sculpted' hull side front end plates. (Have I missed anything David? )
And has a seriously sloppy field repair on the turret roof, in front of the commanders cupola.











All I have to decide upon now is the state of it's appearance... Ko'd and abandoned... Or relatively intact prior to it's appointment with fate! Rob...

Righto then, back to the trenches! Cheers for your enduring patience! Phil.

Phil:

I believe your exhaust shroud parts should be exactly 32mm tall.

David

Hey Phil
I've been quietly watching and reading your posts, fantastic as usual.

Well Phil you know my opinion, torch that baby. Well maybe a little. The one pic looks appropriate, not too much destruction but still KO'd. It'll will be mainly painting to make it look right, and that you will have no problem with.
What ever you decide it will still be an awesome looking Tiger.

Looking forward to the next post.

Rob
www.scratchmod.com

Hello out there! Well I am back again! I have managed to wrangle a bit of time back at the workbench.
Hello David, thanks for the conformation on the shroud dimensions


On the ruler and the Vernier ... Voyager come in closest to the '32mm' DML '31mm' Aber '33mm' and Lion Roar a whopping '33,3mm'!



Thanks again for the confirmation David.

Hi Rob! How is everything at 'Scratch Manor'? All nicely corroding and decaying hopefully? A very nice website you have on the boil now Rob.! I am really looking forwards to gleaning as much of your vast knowledge of destruction,demolition, and distressing AFV's as possible. The 'Doppelganger' '211' and '234' look like prime candidates at the moment... Then a couple of 's.Pz.Kmp. Hummell' Tigers! All the best on your new site project.

I instantly jumped back onto the accumulated PE that is strewn about waiting for building and affixing. The next logical step after the side mudguard/fenders is the front and back fender/mudguards.

Now for these I will be using Aber,DML(from #6253) and Voyager.
These all differ slightly from each other, with the method of construction of the main fender and hinged side panel being produced in multiple parts.




I think that the general construction of the Voyager set, isthe most logical, with inserts for the underside frame of the mudguards boxed lip, whilst Aber has incorporated a very nifty catch retaining loop within the front mudguards main piece ( a lot easier than glueing a minuscule piece of PE on!)
DMl's are a fair representation, but are hampered by self igniting brass, that does not care for crisp folding at times... However much it is annealed... Before melting! Actually though if you are going to produce a Tiger, hot off the Kassel line! DML's excellent moulding on the upper and lower planes of the Bow/Glacis Apron that incorporates the mudguards/fenders, is some of the finest moulded detail I have ever seen... Not quite sure why the rear mudguard/fenders are lacking any of this superb detail to their undersides?




Maybe it is to do with the slide moulding procedure on smaller parts? Still a shame, as we know DML can produce some jaw dropping detail most of the time.

Well I should be back again tomorrow... Day of rest and all that, so goodbye from me,take care and hopefully see you all on the morrow!


Cheers Phil.

Evening all!

Today I fully intended to make up the hinges for the bow and stern fender/mudguards! As we all know intentions come and go!
...So I decided to start pasting the 'Doppelganger 211' , this blog has finally come full circle, way off the mission statement... But I guess that's how things continue?
Now this Zimmerit job is a bit different, being a wrecked (yes Rob... WRECKED) a little more thought on the application is essential! Firstly the areas devoid of the finer pattern of Zimmerit were marked out in pencil.





The putty being used is once again, Tamiyas Epoxy putty (White extra smooth) I like this medium as it has a natural 'stiffness' yet is easy to spread with a palette knife, and can be lightly warmed, giving it a long working time. And good old water is all you need to stop it sticking to the applicator.





The pattern was then 'rolled' onto the thinly spread putty, with vertical strokes up and down, being careful to slightly reposition the tool, to break up any uniformity. Also once again please take note that the turrets forward edge dictated the 'path' of the Zimmerit pattern around the lifting pintles.





There are we have to do is let it cure fully overnight, and we can start adding some more parts and 'dodgy' field welds! I noticed nearly too late that the AA ring mount on the commanders cupola is positioned a lot further back than a factory job, perhaps due to it being re-shaped after the roof damage, or it being a field replacement?



Well then back to the stretched sprue and stock styrene then?

Back real soon, thank you all once again for your incredible support... Cheers Phil.

Lots of detail there to capture Phil. I like the idea of the beat up tatty zim, should look good.
Looks to be a bit burning torch 'slag' around and below the forward periscope cover.
And is that a hole in the backside of the rear periscope cover?

I'm a little confused though, because of the fully zimmed turreted Tiger five posts up, with the roof patch. Was this not 211?

Looking forward to the next installment,
Grant.

Hello Phil Nice to see you are having progress with the 'beaten beast' and '121' has a truly fantastic look! Don't you feel angry about the AM mishmash? Odd to see such a noticeable difference in dimensions of one and the same part which was actually not hand made but of mass production.
A short question: what is so good about Adlers Nest spare tack pins and what do you use except them?
Waiting for your posts and images, especially wood block!

The wooden gunbarrel rest is also seen on a number of Tiger-Bs. I remember reading in one of my books that after the travellock was discontinued, this wooden block was used during railroad transport and road marches. I believe it was a standard issued piece and not fabricated by units as they all look very very much identical.

As to the rest of your work.... just drool-tastic. I find a lot of very useful techniques and also some very interesting Tiger-E info here. Keep on trucking... I mean Zimming...

Good evening people!

Well I managed to get a tiny bit of damage done to the unfortunate Tiger!

Hello Grant! ...Your confused, you want to try being in my Tiger addled head! Sorry about the fog bank with the '211' Doppelganger! I was just that I needed a turret shell, to place the field repaired roof of the 'replacement 211' and '234's just happened to be nearby... I shall mark up the images with their assigned tactical numbers for clarity from now on.
Good spot on the damaged rear of that periscope cover. One thing that I did not spot at first on this is that, the penetration that has pushed the metal outwards appears to either have come from inside the fighting compartment or from a projectile/shrapnel strike from the rear of the turret. With further thought and another re-take on this I think I will replace the styrene rear of the periscope cover with some foil,in order to give the torn hole a little more sharpness. I would have never thought before how fragile that part of the cupola was! Thanks for dropping by Grant.

Hi Paul! Thanks for your kind appreciation on the 'Beaten Beast of the Bocage'! Hey that's kind of catchy!
I know what you mean about the confusing and illogical differences between some of the AM for Tigers! I have always put some of it down to some of it being aimed at the Tamiya kits, that do vary a little in proportions to the newer DML Tigers. Some of the PE construction seems logical, yet on the other hand some comes over as over awkward and not overly thought out in comparison to other items.
The wooden block will come to fruition shortly. It should just be a case of drilling a suitable hole in a rectangle of fine grained wood, cutting it in half through the holes diameter, and you should have two Ersatz travel locks!
On the issue of Adlers nest track pins... It was just a case of acquiring some at a low price, I generally tend to use ground down and cut down dress making pins. These can be kept nice and shiny fresh from the oil cloth, or darkened over a flame or with bleach. Have you ever come across the Fukuya brand of brass Tiger accessories? At present they produce some spare track link pins, turret lifting lugs, and a set of turned cleaning rods. a little cheaper than Adlers nest but still a premium layout for small AM parts. Thanks again Paul for keeping looking in.

Hi there Herbert!
Thanks for underpinning the theory on the 'barrel transport block' It does make sense for it to have been produced at Kassel perhaps? As part of the Tiger's travel kit.
I think that most all of the tips and techniques have be 'gleaned' from other modellers over the years, and I am very happy that they still have a place in the modern world of scale models. I might add that I have learnt a lot from your recent Panther builds. It never ceases to amaze me how many different tricks and skills are used by the modelling community to achieve an end or solve a problem. Thank you for your kind thoughts on the builds Herbert, much appreciated.

Right then, what has been done on the Tigers? Not a lot really, though I have been pasting up the '211 Doppelganger'! I have tried to copy the pattern as closely as possible to the images, and this is where it is up to.







As you can see the patterns matrix has suffered massive damage, and very little of the Zimmerits top surface has survived the impacts on the mantlet and glacis plate.



Another interesting point with the Zimmerit is that under the impact on the mantlet, you can see what appears to be the smooth under layer of Zimmerit, that was purportedly applied prior to the surface textured application... There for on this particular injured 'Big cat' I expect that there would have been less 'Rot Oxid' showing through, as a lot of the kitties hide on the front gives the impression of the armour plate still having a degree of pastes still adhering to it! Though those residual surface pattern marks are going to be a learning curve I expect?

Well I'm of to my pallet for the evening, thanks once more for dropping by...

Cheers Phil, back ASAP!

Well, we are all here to share our knowledge with each other, aren't we?

The "ghost image" of the Zimmerit in the pictures looks interesting indeed. I was thinking, instead of an underlaying layer of Zimmerit, could it be that the ridged surface of the Zimmerit left an imprint due to the chemical working of the materials used in it on the primer?? The thicker ridges areas have more Zimmerit and thus, could have had more of a chemical reaction than the thinner depressed areas? Just a theory

That zim looks ace Phil. Looking forward to seeing how you handle the shell impact 'marks' and that battered bosch.
Q: Were the hits from an actual encounter? ..or did they come later from some target practice?
Grant.

The hits are close to weak(er) points in the Tiger-E's frontal area. The Kugelblende, the visor and the MG-opening. So I think they were fired in anger.

Hello All... Just a quick check-in!

Hello Grant, thank you kindly my friend for the nod on the Zimmerit damage. I roughly marked out the still pasted areas from the images with a technical pencil, and then picked away with a #11 scalpel blade, so that the edges (on the turret mantlet shots) have that 'fractured and flaked' look to it.
You must have read my mind about the possibility of the frontal shots not being fatal or fired during the fatal encounter that put the '211' Doppelganger out of action.
From what I can see of the hull from the available images, the most catastrophic damage appears to be on the right hand rear corner of the hull and turret. There is a lot of fire damage to the rear plate we can see and upon the rear right hand side off the turret... Though none on the hull sponson plate. Perhaps a fire in the fuel tank? Another thing that struck me is that it appears to be missing the right exhaust muffler whilst the armoured cove looks still to be attached. And if the images were taken at a time close to '211's demise, it may well have been knocked out a few metres at least away from it's final resting place, as none of the foliage behind the Tiger appears to be burnt.
It is possible that some of the frontal hits were 'target' shots. Aimed at 'soft' spots on the frontal aspect. '114' also has similar strike points. Coincidence or opportunity perhaps?

I think I will take the Dental burr and liquid cement approach on the AP gouges. What do you make of the hit penetration on the Kugelblende, is that an undetonated shell that has embedded itself?
Thanks for giving this one a 'detailers eye' once over, always handy having another set of eyes on the case eh?
The Bosch headlight looks like it might give me a run for my money! ...Err any AM ones available with a detail underside to the base plate that you know of Grant?



Evening Herbert! I can fully agree with you on the Zimmerits 'reaction' and 'imprinting' on the primer, but if you look under the gouge on the mantlet, you can discern that there is a good few millimeters 'step' between the cast plates paste bare surface and the smooth initial under layer of Zimmerit. But on the whole I will paint this Tiger with the imprint of Zimmerit on primer where not delaminated or burnt.


Thanks a lot for giving me more to think about, seriously lads, thanks you for putting the time and effort in with your insights, really appreciated. Nearly finished the 'pasting' , that is the only trouble with this 'superfine' Tamiya Epoxy Putty, it does have long curing time, so handling is out of the question, until around 12 hours, still it gives you lots of time to get the Zimmerit how you want it!

Cheers Phil!

Phil,
About that shot by the bow MG-remember that AP is solid (in most AP rounds-and probally all Allied AP rounds) and has no HE in it. In those days AP rounds aren't much different that a big rifle-much different than modern cannons/APFSDS rounds.
Dan

"The Bosch headlight looks like it might give me a run for my money! ...Err any AM ones available with a detail underside to the base plate that you know of Grant?"

Hi Phil, being the AM search junkie I am ...I think the M.A.Mori resin set has the nicest ones I've seen;
MPG17 3 with the blackout cap fitted & 3 open:

Closer look:


Tasca include a few in this styrene set:

I've not seen them 'in the flesh' but they don't seem to look much finer than the ones in the Dragon kits? :

I recall having a resin one somewhere, from a PE set I think, Voyager? Though it was very fragile.

I think cutting one up will be the most difficult process. In your photo it looks as if the outer edges of the bosch base have stayed bolted down as the rest was blasted away...


Very tricky to copy but it would look excellent if you managed it.
Good luck if you try it.. but I wouldn't blame you if you didn't

Grant.

A method I've read about for making impact gauges goes as follows:

- Cut a hole where the impact is in the kit larger than the impact will be
- Add plasticcard on the inside
- Grind away enough of the plasticcard to get the proper impact depth
- Fill this grinded dent with putty
- Use a properly shaped brush shaft and push this into the still soft putty
- Let it cure

Good Evening my fine fellows!

Hi Dan! Good catch on the AP hit! Good job we have an armour Vet along for the ride. You have had me collating some images and info on M1's, that old 'Strychnine' mount of yours has really got the pencil hand twitching! I wonder which round put pay to this kitty? A APDS, APCBC, APC, or just a good old fashioned AP? I'll bet that a loaders job in an Allied Tank was a confusing one at times? Thanks again for the information Dan.

Hello Grant, How ya doin'? Great and timely saver with those images of the Mori and Tasca Bosch lights. I think that the Mori set will be on the 'must' list. I think on the mangled bracket, some scrap cut PE brass should do the trick. It's the dented blackout cover on the light itself that will take a bit of brain power. Perhaps if I used some thin lead foil, and formed the cover over a light, and beat it up? I was thinking of using a bit of lead foil on the tear damage to the periscope cover on the rear of the cupola also, as I would like it to be quite 'sharp' looking. Many thanks again for the images Grant.

Hi Herbert! Thank you also for the technique on the gouges,penetrations, and hits, I will have to give it a go on the hit that has cracked the drivers armoured aperture pillar. I just have to think about how to replicate the embedded AP shot in the Kugelblende now... All I have available in brass is '88mm'
Thanks again Herbert.

Well back to the Zimmerit on '211' Doppelganger...
One thing that I have been looking at very closely, is the variations in the Zimmerit's pattern and it's application relating to the Tiger 1. As you can see here where any mounted stowage points are encountered, or contour and confine would hinder the standard applicator (roller perhaps!), the pattern changes from a uniform column of ridges to a more open and irregular applied ridge(spatula or giant screwdriver) Most often this can be seen to a greater effect on the rear hull plate, as the pattern moves inwards to the various covers, mounting brackets and clamps.

Now as a large area of Zimmerit has been burnt and sheared away from '211's rear hull plate, I have decided to try and depict this change in pattern application and formation, in order to add to the visual effect I am hoping for on this Tiger. Here is how it turned out... First the damage and Zimmerit were 'mapped' out, with a technical pencil.

Then the pattern was imprinted into the putty with the Lion Roar Tool, and a 3mm jewellers flat head screw driver.

I actually am very happy with the result! And as for the rest of the hulls paste, this was just a standard application with the good ol' Lion Roar Tool.



This is really starting to look like a battle weary beast now eh?

Thanks once again for keeping interest in this 'novella', now it's back to the damage and building of these three Tigers.

Cheers Phil!