Happy New Year. Here is my entry for the campaign. It is the Tamiya Konigstiger kit with Friul tracks. The tracks were a challenge, each pair of links required 9 pieces to assemble. I used Blacken-it and Rustall to finish the tracks. Some Aber photo ethch was used. Base coat is MM dunkelgruen with Tamiya dark yellow.
I look forward to your comments

Hi Mike,

Thats a mean looking cat I really like it.

How did you make the rainmarks?

Maybe an idea to remove one link on the left track? (second photo)

Jurjen

A beautiful looking Tiger. I agree with Jurjen about removing a link . The tracks still look fabulous though. Good job and good build. Whats Blacken-it ???

Hi

Your Tiger looks absolutely amazing, vey good job, but was this camouflage scheme used in the Ardennes? I've never seen it before on Ardennes vehicles but this is a entry for the Ardennes Campaign right....?

Grt,
Martin

Thanks for the comments. I agree with the track recommendation but the way these tracks go together the removal of one link takes away any of the characteristic sag. Blacken-it is a chemical mixture that tarnishes metal. You can check it out at
http://www.hometown-hobbies.com/inc/pdetail?v=1&pid=25835

Martinn,

I don't have any color pictures of Tiger IIs from the Ardenne. They were painted dark green at the factory in late 1944, I believe. I added the small amount of yellow using "artistic license".

Ok, I was just wondering whether you knew something about it that I don't yet know :-)

Btw, details like the battle damage are great too! Very nice build!

Jurjen,

Thanks for the comments.
The rainmarks that I think you are referring to on the turret are very diluted ModelMaster rust enamel applied with a brush.

That's a winner.

Beautiful Tiger Mike! You have done very well through out the build, congrats on this one mate!

Now this pace off a distents, Your Tiger agaist my Sherman. LOL!

Good job!

Garry

Frag -

Outstanding build and thanks. I got the Tamiya "Ardennes" King Tiger from Santa and plan to us it as my OOB build for "AGE 2" Campaign. How did yours go together? Any "watch out" areas? From the looks of the end result of your project, you certainly put together a very convincing and well detailed "Big Cat". Sure would look even sweeter with a couple of Fallschirmjager Paratroops riding. Top notch job!

Blade48mrd

Thanks Blade,

The kit went together very well. No complaints at all. Good luck on your build!

Thanks Frag -

The "AGE 2" required a strictly OOB, but I wanted something that would also work as a possible input to my "Ardennes" Campaign. I building a two part diorama as I detailed in my "Ardennes" Campaign Journal. Part 1 is US and Part 2 is German, and Part 1 is taking longer than anticipated. I was hoping to find a subject for the Part 2 that had sufficient details and accuracy to do OOB and work as a "two for one" approach for the Part 2 portion. Your build has helped a great deal as I'm thinking the King Tiger would fit this very well. The Panther "G" will go as a detwailed build later. Thanks again,

Blade48mrd

Hi Mike

if you ever get the chance pick up the book
Battle of the bulge - then and now by after the battle

isbn 0-900913-40-1

it shows a whole host of pictures of the king tiger 222 as it seem that a camera crew followed it around.

pages 141, 154 and 161 show some of the best pictures as well as the history of it

Nice model by the way

cheers

keith forsyth

Hi Mike ...Nice looking model you have there ...You are really going to hate me after I tell you this ...especially since they were such a pain to build ...These are the wrong tracks you put on this tank ..Those are for the early Porshe tigers with the 18 toothed drive sprocket..
Other than that ..if you were not making a specific tank from the battle of the Ardennes it looks great ,but id you were really trying to do the number 222 from the Battle of the Bulge your camo is no where near right ..it had a soft edge 3 color ambush scheme and there is a debate whether or not the numbers were just yellow or blue and yellow ..".I still say just yellow"... I don't think any of the Dark Green based vehicles were around for the BOB, but who knows...Would be more primer based vehicles i'd think.
I'd tone down the metal color a bit on the tow cables a bit ...
All in all a super looking KT ..I love the finish ..

Rick

Rick,

Thanks for the info. I guess that I'll have to build a Porsche KT now!!

Hi Mike ... The only tank on the market that can use these tracks is the Dragon Porshe Jagd-Tiger.

all the best
Rick

Awesome Tiger Mike

Great weathering and those tracks look great.