Hi Guys,

I thought I'd share a recent build of the Tamiya King Tiger (Ardennes). It's the kit with the DKW NZ350 motorbike and three figures.

I used a picture frame from a charity shop as the base, then polystyrene sections cut and glued in place to create an irregular sloping surface.

This photo shows the kit in place on the polystyrene as a test placing.



The dispatch rider from the kit has had arms and legs adjusted/replaced to create a hapless fallen figure. The motor bike is a lovely kit in itself. Again, a test placement.



The next image shows the polystyrene faced-over with a heavy filler. A couple of coats were used, with a damp sponge in play on the last coat to smooth the filler a little. Plastic card is used to finish the sides.



Here, you can see the 'trees' added. These are shrub roots, cleaned, dried, and glued in place, following which the whole installation is primed and then coated with matte black. The base will remain in black to set-off the scene more dramatically, while the black on the upper area is simply providing shadow detail beneath subsequent applications.



This photo shows the tank in place again for a re-test of the intended position. At this point, I've used spray-mount adhesive on the trees and terrain, and sprinkled 'leaves' and other forest debris in place. The leaves are in fact birch catkins, dried and teased apart. There is also a little moss here and there for variation, and various greys, greens, and browns have been sprayed in to pull the palette together.



Here is a close-up of the forest litter.



This photo shows the tank now weathered-in and figures added. I used the tank commander from the kit, and the dispatch rider as noted, plus three other Dragon figures.



The next few shots show the scene from other angles. I still have a little touching up to do, and the base needs a tidy-up of the matte black where it was scuffed up a little.





I don't usually model armour, but I thought this was an interesting departure, and allowed me to exercise some creative flair!

Now, that's something to be proud of! The only observation I have, besides a great job on the tank and base, is that the infantries' clothing is too green/yellow.

It looks great Robert, glad you decided to build some armor.

EDIT: Matt I think that's just bad lighting, it's VERY bright in those pictures.

Hi Robert. I like the vegitation and ground cover a lot. Perfect autumn scene. The colours though might be camoflauging the models/figures a bit too much ... it would have been good to tone them down some first?

Hi, Robert, an impressive machine you build.
looks great.
But............please, allow a constructive note........the poles on the side should not be painted red and white. These poles, screwed together, form the brush to clean out the barrel. Gun powder creates a slicky layer on the inside of the barrel, which influences the range and speed. These poles are made of a soft material (wood, aluminum) in order to avoid damage to the barrel's inside structures. At the end there is a brush.
The red and white banded poles can be seen on artillery guns. Here, these poles have a function in the aiming procedure. Not seldom, these poles are red and white at one side and green on the other side to avoid too much attraction from the enemy's side.
Nevertheless: I like your Tiger!
Enjoy your weekend, I start working on my Franziska SLT 56.

There's no flash used, but a halogen backlight on the wall may be creating a false colour effect. The uniforms are generally, green/grey washes over primer, so not 'solid' colours - maybe figures aren't my strong point!

Thanks Paul. I think I picked up the banding from photos of another build and thought it was correct, although thinking back I don't remember seeing it used in other build photos - I'll revisit these when I do my paint touch-up.

Didn't mean to offend. I was just trying to offer some constructive criticism.

no offence taken- always glad of good advice.

nice dio,,,yea its the lighting the greens look lime colored on the uniforms the tank and the vegetation. Good concept most go with a winter like scene with that kit ( at least that is what all I plan with mine) this looks more Heurtigen forest late fall