project DRIVEN IGER encountered in the course tireless research for my models, I by chance on this project, which at that time it has done not on the drawing board stage of a draft out. Nevertheless, exactly, these studies are excellent opportunities to try out famous models.
Nowadays it will probably take us to model farmers, the traces of former designers and engineers where their actions ended - at the local crafts table. Such a (according to WJ Spielberger) unrealized project is also mentioned here, a model of a Rams Hilfiger dar. on the experience of the local and urban warfare in Stalingrad was to bring such a vehicle building with entrenched soldiers simply collapse. As a basis for this should be a Tiger by Porsche are used. Through the rear horizontal engine, a generator was driven, in turn, supplied power for the two to the driving wheels mounted electric motors.
to me from reliable sources but not quite yet have been at least three vehicles for test purposes, provided with a driving cap. Ultimately it is true, is probably lost in the fog of war. Nevertheless, the model represents a worthy challenge for modellers, especially since with appropriate paint a true Hingucker sein dürfte. Da ich bei meiner Suche nach Vorbildfotos (dies bezieht sich nicht auf Original-, sondern andere Modellbaufotos), nicht zweifelsfrei klären konnte, ob die mutmaßlich für diesen Zweck herangezogenen Fahrzeuge bereits mit einer Zimmeritschicht belegt waren oder nicht, entschloss ich mich kurzerhand für den
Bausatz des Porsche Tiger von
Arsenal M . Dieser ist bereits mit Zimmerit versehen, was letztendlich aber auch egal sein kann. Sobald das stählerne Gefährt unter der Haube ist, ist eh kaum noch etwas von diesem zu erkennen.
Der Zusammenbau ist, wie auch bereits beim
Jagdtiger von Arsenal M easily described, and fast, because many components have already been cast with the hull.
Since the tower and the main weapon of the Porsche Tiger in this particular case can not be used to disappear all these parts safely in the domestic spares box. The opening in which the turntable of the tower has found its place was a model closed by a washer from a hardware store. In the center of the bore of said disc, was also taken from the grab bag, glued the hatch cover of a tiger. After the glue has dried, mounted with which the washer, I have a small tool of the big "C" Cautiously a little filler around the edge of the Disk-draped and pressed with a toothpick a slight wave structure in the fast-curing compound. Voilà! Finish was a tentative opening welded together on the tower hatch cover.
Otherwise, the construction of the lower hull continue as before rebalancing. Only on the front armor plate, between the bow machine gun and driver's perspective Luke I placed another large Tarnscheinwerfer from local spares box. I put it right before me weird, would have given this vehicle and actually it would be really in the twilight or even in the dark by any clogged by debris and junk Streets rolled up, while the Bugöffnung the driving cap seems a narrow beam of light that illuminates the surrounding weak ...
Even if the fact that one later, once the driving cap is put on, no more would see, I have yet the details, that is, tools, tow ropes and the like, painted, and later, as the rest of the vehicle, using techniques (drybrushing, pastels and pigments, etc.) accentuated. Painted, the hull and drive rollers in the way German Grey (Color Model), accented by neutral gray (MC), and a little iron 91 (Revell) to the corresponding Corners and edges. Even if he as he was conceived, has never been used, so I thought it would be not yet, take up the bathtub for a little dust and dirt (especially where later will be the opening of the driving cap - provide to the Bug-MG/Fahrersichtluke). Finally, such Rammfahrten were not so entirely without effect on the vehicle itself ...
We come now to the most prominent of the model - the driving cap. This consists in this case entirely of the joined, prism-shaped plastic parts with a thickness of 1.0 mm thickness. Since I the time of construction but not enough polystyrene in the desired thickness had in stock and would have an order with Rai-Ro me in this moment (a Saturday) but clearly took too long, had to be a fast alternative. Said and done. I still remembered it, I had one of my railway guns of its time built from plastic sheets, which I bought at the hardware store - in the Department of warning and information signs. At that time I had smeared some glue (Uhu) to the finger and was taken with the blob going to check the said signs on solubility. As I had hoped, dissolved the glue in the plastic, it's something meant for me, he was also with this same verkleben konnte. Kurz und knapp kaufte ich mir zwei grün weiße Notausgangs-Schilder und machte mich zu Hause daran, die Rammhaube zu gestalten.
Zunächst hatte ich mir eine Zeichnung ausgedruckt (ist bei mir zu bekommen), den dortigen Maßstab ermittelt und diverse Längen, Breiten und Winkel abgenommen und ggf. auch umgerechnet. So gewappnet fertigte ich aus stabiler Pappe (Rückseite eines Zeichenblocks) die benötigten Einzelteile an. Mit Hilfe dieser Schablonen übertrug ich die Formen der einzelnen Teile auf die Rückseite der Notausgangs-Schilder, schnitt diese aus und fügte sie im Anschluß daran und nach erneuter Überprüfung der Passgenauigkeit zusammen. I made myself from the same cardboard small triangles, which corresponded to the angles, was set in which the hood together, stuck them using wood glue to the inside of the parts and then added, added after curing of the glue on the joints of the plastic parts liquid model glue. So fixed and stabilized, all parts of cure alone.
The parts for the roof of the flanks, as the tail were fast and, above all to very simple. The discipline is king here, probably the production of the bugs on the driving cap. This is not that, like the tail plan, on the roof-edges design, but is itself in still bent outward. Although I can orient myself using a three-view, but this mask I presented a real challenge. After more than three hours and throw away like senseless cardboard and Papiergeschnibbel, customize, and the same number of blanks, but then I had been able to achieve the vermalledeite part and glue it to the rest of the hood. Thereafter it was only once in the bed to the next day with fresh vigor and developed accordingly to go back to work ...
Another highlight in relation to the makeup of the driving cap, was the introduction of the viewing aperture. I decided, however, that take only come after all splices were filled and sanded. Using numerous illustrations I created a template, transmitted by means of these the outlines of the cut on the mask and then began to cut the frame. With sandpaper, nail file and a scalpel this rough cut was brought into its final shape and smoothed all the edges. To later, however, give an impression of which consisted this hood really thick steel (especially at the point of view excerpt) under fed me that window to the edges additionally with trimmed plastic residues, which were attached with liquid model glue.
As the bow of the hood, I came across during my research on two different versions. First, to which has no separate junctions between side and top, but those that have been manufactured in one piece with the edge parts. Then there were those who just has left and right side at the junction of the top two small triangles, which are then welded as reinforcement. I chose the latter option to choose my battering ram. Not only because it was easier and faster to whittle from thin plastic material two equal triangles and glue. I figured that since Rams Hilfiger was being considered at the end of the war and in the course of development and production so it had to go quite fast, this would certainly be at that time, the faster and more expensive version was. So, in short - thought running and stuck two triangles.
For further detail, especially in the rear area of the driving cap, roughly where the hatch and the like, there are commitments that are probably the reason the sky is the limit. Again, it returns pictures from the net that have a normal ladder and the double-leaf door to to combat domes, storage boxes, fire extinguishers, etc. all show what is possible. I tried, true to the moth less is more approach and left it at a two-wing door hinges and handles together, plus access aids in the form of slightly twisted ladder rungs. For the latter, and the handles on the valves, I used copper or brass wire in a correspondingly low (0.4 - 0.5 mm) in diameter.
At the front, above the view port, I also still stuck on a trapeze-shaped piece of plastic residue. Almost as a reinforcement for the Rammkopf. On other images, this is partly also represented as a two-part door on others it simply as a welded steel plate. What was actually in the end, I leave it to be seen sometimes as a.
The painting of the driving cap may well be called the artistic freedom-loving. First, I flirted so, this simply in rust-red protective coating present and provided only with a few obligatory "chalk mark." But since I already had a
Jagdpanther in 1 / 16 in just want such a dress here, I rejected this idea again just as quickly. After comparison with some model photos mainly those in 1 / 35, I decided to finally own a relatively simple coat of paint. After the driving cap a night previously been primed and the paint was completely dry was followed, via airbrush next a layer of Gunze H404 Khaki Brown.
After this was followed by the camouflage pattern, which quite simply from a wave pattern in olive green clay was H405 (also from Gunze). Emphasizing simple, yet visually to hit very well. Next, it was to affix the decals. Even with this, I used those of TL, although here too the imagination was almost unlimited. After the sealing of the attached images using decals Vallejo Matt Varnish was taken the weathering and aging in attack.
First, a Gently lighten the brown khaki followed at the corners and folds. For this purpose, Beige 314 was used by Revell Aqua Color. Since the "battering ram" However, contrary to the alleged fact that he was never matured for use, should give a still very used and worn-out idea that I took after drying again scalpel, files and other sharp tools at hand and missed the hood - literally - the finishing touch. Here and there were grooves in the Edges scratched. There torn with a file any blemish in the mask and caused almost all the frontal edge in this way small and large wounds. When I finished the result was, was out of my "rust box" Dark Flesh Citadel fetched. Finally came that way of course, the base coat - rust - reappeared. With a relatively short hair brush I gently pulled a couple of lanes over the hood, of course, had explicitly in the places that I previously beaten with a knife and file. But be careful also to a few places untouched by these tools, a little rust-red paint was brushed dry.
was over this procedure, of course, had come also added a bit of metallic shine. After all, in the places that I had mistreated with the file, not just ground off the camouflage, but also deep furrows been torn up in the metal. So gently lightened with a little iron 91st After just a few brush strokes, a first, they felt like could have looked like a driving cap after a few uses.
Last but not least, a few with black (Black Badab; Citadel) and brown (Devlan Mud; Citadel) ink on to action, to continue a little to provide for weathering. Likewise, the hood was a somewhat stronger treatment with Vallejo pigments (a mixture of 73 104 and 73 111 Sienna Light Green Earth, as well as some 73 105 Natural Sienna as a final dust here and there ...). I had initially made me even more concerned about the hold of the hood on the Porsche-Tiger, these fears have already scattered at the first pass samples. The hood is only slightly narrower at its opening, when the tiger is wide and fits sucking on the upper hull. pushed up to around mid of fuel and diffuser, they covered awarded the vehicle and provides a truly grim impression that you throw a look through the opening in the front mask.
As a final summary, I can only say that we really can help with an emergency exit "sign from the hardware store around the corner and a correspondingly good kit which conjure nice. The time invested, especially in the construction of the driving cap (alone 15-20 hours from start to finish), I believe, been wasted in any case. Especially great joy has given me the damage wrought by the hood and I can only recommend it to anyone who wants to call another extraordinary model of his own, to try it on the basis of this example again. It's worth it. Tips and tricks relating to the construction of the hood, etc. are welcome via email are requested from me.
Norman Bushman 11-2010
