Tiger 211 SS. Pz. Abt 102 (AFV Club 1/35)

I got the turret together and added the weld seams along the edge of the turret roof. The barrel is slightly longer when compared to the drawings in the Jentz and Doyle book on the Tiger but not enough to make a noticeable difference in my opinion. Tiger 211 had the later smaller muzzle break so I used this option from the Kit. It also had the broad pattern zimmerit on the turret sides. I achieved this by using my 2 part Tamiya epoxy putty and a  brass gear that I had taken from an old mini blind. I got this idea from fellow modeler Phil Appleyard who first used it on his tiger builds.  The gear can't be mounted to a roller so I had to use my fingers instead to roll it along the putty. After rolling I patted the surface down slightly to flatten out the zimmerit but not everywhere as zimmerit was actually uneven in places. This is something you cant get with decal zimmerit or the ATAK resin stuff. They are all too perfect. For the area near the lifting lugs I used my regular Lionroar roller that I used on the hull. Tigers had the narrower, smaller pitch zimmerit in these areas. I think it worked it okay. I did forget to add zimmerit to the hinge on the rear hatch so still need to do that.

out quite well if I don't say so myself.

1/35 Tiger I Late (AFV Club) Tiger 211 SS.Pz. Abt 102

Worked on the tow cables and cleaning rods this weekend and managed to complete this step of the build. I used the Bronco Butterly nuts is various places to complete the tow cable and cleaning rods clamps. On the left side of the tank I changed things up  a bit by putting 2 of the cleaning rods together and securing them in place. Tigers crews would often leave some sections of the cleaning rods together or a complete cleaning rod itself and just secure it to the tank rather than taking every section apart and locking them on place on the tank.

1/35 Tiger I Late (AFV Club) Tiger 211 SS.Pz. Abt 102

I finally got the tools and clasps done for my Tiger. I used a set of Griffon Model Clasps. These are not the traditional 3 part type but rather a 2 part type with the base and clasp forming one part and the locking arm another. I think they are easier to work with then the 3 part type but still a tough go.

One area that was another challenge was the shovel. Here I had to scratch build the mount for it as the kit part just basically has it lying flat on the hull. The actual shovel mount had legs on the part that holds the head of shovel in place and a raised pedestal approximately half way down the shovel that held the clamp. I used some bits of Photo etch I had from another Tiger PE set to reproduce this feature.

During my clean up of the sledge hammer to remove the molded on clamps I managed to snap it in two. Undaunted, I grabbed some 1.2 mm plastic rod and sanded it down on two sides to give it a flatter appearance. Next, I drilled out a hole in the head of the sledge then carved out the area in the shape I needed for the shaft and fixed the new handle to the head. A quick and fairly simple fix. For the bolt cutters there was no way I was going to be able to remove the molded on clamps without destroying the part so I snipped off the end where the locking arm goes, cleaned it up and added said locking arm to the part. The kit part does not give you the the retaining loop that the bolt cutters slide into so I made this with some lead foil.

For the cleaning rods and tow cable mounts and the tow cables themselves, the kit gives you the all in one version which is pretty much standard with most kits. I didn't like these as the detail was soft especially on the tow cables. In looking through the sprues I found that AFV Club gives you the individual mounts/brackets for the tow cables and cleaning rods. This was a nice surprise as I was planning on scratching my own. Definitely a time saver. You can see them in the pics below. Also, I discovered that I had a set of Eureka XXL Tiger I tow cables which I had purchased and forgot about a few years back. Because I had forgot about them I purchased a  Griffon set which also comes with the brass cleaning rods. So, no need to scratch the cleaning rods, another time saver. Of course both sets have the track changing cables as well which is nice.

Tiger 211 did not have its head lamp in place in the pictures of the actual vehicle so I am leaving it off. I punched a disc out from plastic card with my punch and die set to replicate the lamp socket. The lamp conduit is from lead wire. As you can see it has a distinct loop that clears the top of the armour plate. A number of models I have seed have this conduit flush with the top of the armor plate which was not the case. Finally, I added the camo net loops on the sides and rear of the hull.

The C-Clamps on German Tigers had two Butterfly nuts to secure and remove the clamp. Fortunately,  I had some Bronco 1/35  German butterfly nuts so I used these on the top hull C-Clamp.  I am going to add them to the rear C-Clamp as well. Didn't want to add them at this early stage as they would have probably broken off with all my rough handling of the model up to this point.

1/35 Tiger I Late (AFV Club)

I completed the tracks, painted and mounted them to the hull. I also gave the lower hull a spray of Dunkel Gelb as part of this step.

I wanted to add some more detail to the rear hull so I added some Tiger Model armoured exhaust covers which I had in my parts inventory. I really like these resin add-ons as they have the pins sticking out the sides of the covers and have casting marks on the top of them. You won't see these marks when the exhaust shield is added but still nice. I also added an aber clasp to the rear jack arm which is not in the kit but is part of the actual vehicle.

1/35 AFV Club Tiger I Late

In the October 13th update below you can make out the zimmerit on the bow plate and glacis of the tank. For this zimmerit I used the Tamiya stick-on zimmerit. While it doesn't look terrible it doesn't really match the zimmerit I did myself  on the hull and rear using epoxy putty and my Lionroar Zimmerit tools. I think mine looks more accurate. So, I started re-doing this area by working on  the bow plate first. I let it harden for 24 hours then finished off the glacis and lower front hull.

I think it turned out quite well and I was able to get it pretty thin. My technique is to use a tooth pick, water and  ISO Propyl alcohol.

I included a pic of the rear plate to show the look of my zimmerit.

1/35 AFV Club Tiger I Late

One of the issues with this kit is the bolt locations on the turret deflector ring. They are wrong. So, I re-did this area by drilling the correct location of the holes in the ring and filling the incorrect ones. Here's a pic.