Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to my build log for the Academy Tiger I (Mid Version) that I reviewed last month.



Since this is a review build log I will be conducting an out of the box build with the exception of adding brass rod for any cables that are missing.

For the most part will be following the instructions but there will be some deviations based on what I can accomplish for that day.

So pull up a chair, grab a cool beverage of your choice, and lets get started.

Getting started with step 1:



Step 1 has 4 steps including adding the plug for the unexplainable hole in the bottom of the hull.



It fit well enough but the bottom leaves something to be desired.



and that is where the good fit stopped for a few steps.

The next event was adding the two rear access points. Here Academy gives you alignment slots.



The problem is they are too wide and the pats don't fit. So I removed the tabs which resolved the issue.

The next step was adding some front hull detail which included the bolts for the drive housing.

This needed some sanding to flatten out the fit. But even then it was a little oversized.



as you can see there is a small gap which will be resolved with a little more cement.

The next was adding all of the idler arms. Here you need to be prepared for some sanding. Not only the sprue connection points but also the mold seams on the sides.

Also with this kit there are pins which lock the idler arms in at the right angle. Some are a little too tall and result in a gap between the hull and the idler arm. A little sanding brought it down and made the parts flush.



Here you can see most of step one complete. You can see there are mold seams still on the idler arms which I will deal with tomorrow. Also I did not complete adding the zimmerit on the hull. I will tackle that tomorrow also after I test out my method on the spare turret.

I have only attempted hand made zimmerit once using putty and liquid cement. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to provide them. At the moment I have miliput on hand and some Tamiya putty.

I diverted here as step two was putting the road wheels together which I didn't have time for and steps 3 was adding the road wheels to the hull while step four is putting together the rear hull. Since I have not added the zimmerit that will have to wait.

So it was on to step five which was adding the drive sprocket housing and the torsion bars inside the hull.

The drive sprocket hub went on with no issues.



Adding the torsion bars was another story. Between the molding seam and the sprue attachment points there was a lot of sanding. You will see in the picture that I still have some trimming to do. But the other issue was that both sides of the torsion bar points have tabs which are oversized on the thinner half of the torsion bar. I resolved this issue by removing those tables also.



It was easier removing the tabs than it was trying to attempt making the slot on the torsion bar wider.

In any case, after that was complete the torsion bars fit pretty well.



Well that is it for todays update for this build. All comments, suggestions, and criticism are welcome but I do ask to keep in mind that I am not a Tiger I expert.

Thanks for stopping in.

Dave

Greetings,

I am surprised to see all the small problems which had to be dealt with so early in the build. I am still waiting for an accurate and well designed Tiger I.

Ken Lawrence

Well I have no idea why they would put that there but I always drill a hole in the bottom of my tanks to mount them to a block for painting weathering. So this saves me the time and the plug can be painted and then glued in once everything is done so those "nice" judges with the dental mirrors and flashlights will not find it... Still a strange thing for them to do.

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the comments. While the issues are there in the end they are small and easily rectified. Only one major issue has appeared which I will discuss here in a second.

Well I continued the build this past weekend starting with step 2 which was putting together all of the road wheels. No major issues with these. I installed all of the poly caps not so that the road wheels will continue to turn but to secure them on the idler arms as I continue the build.



pretty straight forward.

I next jumped to step 7 which was the top of the hull. Here it required removing some molded detail such as the light mounts up front.

Before:



After:





Now I mentioned earlier I was not a Tiger expert so here is where I need some assistance. According to the research I have done the Mid Version Tiger had the lights mounted on top of the hull where the light mounts had originally been located before I the instructions directed their removal.

Along with the removal of the mounts the instructions later in the manual have the light mounted in the center between the machine gun and the drivers vision port. So Tiger experts, is that correct for a Mid Version Tiger?

Ok so on to more of the build. After the removal of the molded detail step 7 has you continue building the rear deck. The detail of the engine vents seems a little clunky but in all the parts fit together well.





And here is the top deck dry fitted to the hull.



Well that is all for this update. I did test my zimmerit application so I know how I will proceed with that starting next weekend.

Thanks for stopping in and as always, comments, suggestions, and criticism is always welcome.

Dave

About the headlights;
it depends on which Mid Tiger you want to model.
At the beginning of the Mid period, there were 2 headlights on the hull; later there was only 1 at the left side, and a welded panel sometimes still remained at the right side; and eventually they were both erased, and a front central headlight was used.

David

David,

Thanks for the reply. I will continue to follow the instructions.

thanks again.

Dave

Hi all,

Sorry for the delay with this build. Between life events and other projects I was delayed.

After this update it will be delayed a little further until an order comes in, unfortunely I am not skilled enough to make homemade zimmerit so I have broken down and purchased some AM. Once that arrives this build will move along quickly.

Anyway, here is the current status. I continued with the upper hull deck and added the PE. The PE provided is sturdy but a little oversized for the rear vents.



I also had to coax it a little to sit flat on the right rear vent. But in the end it looks good and is a good addition to the kit.



I next continued by adding the tools to the upper deck and here is where I ran into a problem.

The instructions direct the builder to add the shovel, part P10.



However the handle is too long and drapes over the ax.



Luckily though this kit has numerous amounts of redundant parts because it is a combination of a few previous kits. So I took part D19 which fit the bill. However part D19 is not as well molded as P10.



So that is where she sits now but as mentioned earlier once the zimmerit arrives I will move with speed.

thanks for looking in and as always comments are welcome.

Dave

Keep up the good work, Dave, I will be right behind you with the Late version. I got the Atak Zimmerit from Poland. Pricy but generally IMO the best Zim on the market.

Bill,

Thanks for the kind comments. I bought the Tamiya summer if knowing it might not fit but figured I could adjust it. Guess we'll see when it arrives

This is a well made kit from my inexperienced position so I hope the late version is as good.

I'll be looking for your build log

Dave

The Late kit has upped its game, but still has some inaccuracies. David Byrden has been kind enough to look at the parts, etc. for me as part of my review.

Hi all,

Well the Tamiya Zimmerit finally arrived so it is time to move forward with this build.

Here is the Zimmerit. It looks good and provides two separate patterns for the turret. I shoes to go with Pattern A which is the narrower gage.



One challenge is the removing of film over the small holes and in tight corners without damaging the detail. Not too difficult but challenging none the same.

So I figured I would begin with the hull.

Here is the front plate before



and after zimmerit application.



Since the zimmerit is for the Tamiya Mid kit I figured I would have some adjustment to make in order for it to fit and I was surprised at how little I had to do. A little trimming but for the most part it was a good fit.

Front slope before:



Front slope after:



again, pretty good fit. A little over sized but that was easily rectified with trimming.

Now the front plate and slope together.



Next I moved on to the sides:



A little long on both sides but a trim fixed the problem.

The biggest challenge so far with application was the rear. It was oversized which required that I slice the zimmerit in a strategic location. It worked and while noticeable it should clear out with the application of some color.



Well that is it for now. Next update will be the turret.

thanks for looking in.

Dave

Academy have done some inaccurate things with that rear wall, if you're interested.

David

On the back wall, at the left...above the mudguard; there's a raised rectangular area.
The instructions tell you to cut it off.

David

Maybe the hole in the middle of the hull as per your first photo was so you could use a T-Screw to screw it into a wooden base for stability when you display it? Just an idea.

I am really enjoying your build, BTW.

EDIT: On second look, that hole is pretty darn huge!

David, I would be interested in hearing about the inaccuracies. Regarding the rectangle, I might have overlooked the instructions saying to remove them. I will check again today.

War modeler, thanks for following. I know it is going slow but I will pick it up here in a couple of days.

Not sure what the hole was for, it could be for a mounting bolt but as you said it is a pretty big hole.

Dave

There's a list of things that are questionable in that kit, most of them related to the decals not matching the parts, i.e. the real vehicle being earlier or later than the kit parts imply.

Bill Cross is writing a review that should cover everything. But meanwhile, I'm working through the issues and adding pages here;

http://tiger1.info/models/products/AC13314

David

The review is in the queue and waiting to be published. David was EXTREMELY helpful.

Hi ya'll,

well now that I am home for a month I will have plenty of time to finish this great model. With that I have an update.

I continued by building the turret in preparation for adding the zimmerit.

Not a bad fit with one exception. A little bit of an offset under the front of the turret. It was easily rectified with a little sanding.







The next step was adding the zimmerit.



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I see I left a couple of pieces off. Will fix during the next session.



The next step was building up the main gun. I just noticed I forgot to take pictures of tis step.

For the main gun I will give Academy credit for finally figuring out how to mold the main gun as tubes instead of in halves. This eliminates that problem of off set halves leading to flattened sides due to sanding.

That being said there is a mold seam along the main gun that was easily removed with light sanding. Also there was some clean up required to remove other molding flash.

Here are pictures of the completed turret







and finally a dry fit overview shot.







A few more things to do and I will be ready to begin putting some color on this beast.

Bill, thanks for the link. Look forward to reading your review.

Well that's it for now, next update will be in a couple of days.

thanks for stopping in and as always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

Dave

Hi all,

I want to apologize for the delay in this build log. Due to some computer issues and real life interruptions I was unable to publish an update. I did continue the build and was able to finally provide some color.

The first order of business was to build the exhaust. This was a little difficult due to the small support brackets. I recommend a little patience as you progress through this step.



Here is a picture with the exhaust finally mounted.



The next step was completing the turret and adding all the peripheral items like the spare track. I found no issues with these steps as the parts fit together nicely.







I admit that the mounted spare track looks a little wonky but that is due to my own issues as opposed to the kit.

The next step was mounting the remaining tools on the deck. Here is where I developed a little problem.

I highly recommend swapping the kit provided tow cables with AM tow cables. The way they are mounted they interfere mounting the rear deck hatch hinges. Due to this problem I left the hinges off. What is great about this kit is that it does provide pre-drilled tow cable ends so that the builder can just add the cable instead of buying a complete AM Tow cable kit.









As you can see in the last photo the tow cables are a little stiff and presents a somewhat unrealistic appearance.





Here I was preparing all of the fiddly parts for painting.



Overhead shot of the completed project.



And some more paint preparation





The next step was applying a coat of primer coat. I applied Vallejo Black Primer using an Airbrush. I like this primer as I can apply it straight from the bottle and it provides a nice smooth coat.







I let the primer cure for about a week. Not because I wanted to but because other obligations interfered.

The next step of the process was applying the base coat of Yellow Sand using a Tamiya Rattle Can. Pictures to follow soon.

Again, I apologize for the delayed. I will have more for you soon.

Dave

Nope, it's the kit's fault.




The real ones had exactly the same problem.

You may also want to read about the shovel position on a Tiger.

David

HI everyone,

I sincerely apologize for the delay in this build, work and personal issues made this go on the back burner.

When I left you last I had finally added a layer of primer. I have now added the base coat of Tamiya Sandy Yellow.

Here is the hull:











and here is the turret:







and the road wheels:



I have some touch up to do once the camouflage is applied but I am back on point and should have another update soon.

thanks for stopping in.

Dave

Hi Dave,
I just completed the Academy late Tiger. I'm glad to see you back at yours. It's looking good! Do you do you rubber road wheels by hand, or do you have a method?

Gary

All of the spare tracks on your turret are upside down.

David

Gary, I sprayed them with primer and then used an artists circle format to cover the outer parts while I sprayed the middle. It worked out pretty well.

David - Its not both sides, just the one side with the two tracks, just noticed it - thanks for pointing that out. In any case, it will stay as is.

Dave