panzer aces 01.pdf

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69 Ton Signpost

1



nspiration can come upon you quite suddenly. I

had always liked an image of an abandoned

Porsche King Tiger with its turret turned to the

rear when I came across another picture of the

same vehicle with 2 boys sitting astride the gun.

Very quickly I had managed to uncover a further

series of pictures giving an all round view of the

tank and showing that the vehicle had been used

as an improvised signpost by the advancing

Allies and I was inspired.

The particular Tiger had served with the 3rd

company of PzAbt 503 and has been tentatively

identified as ‘311’. It appears to have broken

down during the retreat from Normandy and to

have been scuttled by its crew. Given its

thorough photographic coverage I would

speculate that it must have been one of the first

examples that the advancing Allies came across.

The release of Dragon’s new Porsche King Tiger

was all the excuse I needed to begin and at

about the same time Andrea released their figure

set of the two boys which seemed ideal for my

purposes.

Dragon’s Porsche King Tiger Modelled by David Parker

Photo Bovington Tank Museum

Photo IWM via Barry Crook

Photo Bovington Tank Museum

I



The welded shell

port would

normally be

hidden by the

zimmerit. GREEN

STUFF putty was

applied around a

circle of plastic as

a guide.The rivets

are from MODEL

KASTEN

The interlock on the

rear armour is too wide

and must be narrowed

The leverage point on

the hatch is drilled out

FRIULMODEL tracks

replace the kit parts -

these are the old style

crimp together type

The muzzle brake is

rotated slightly to

replicate the

photographs

With an open hatch

MORI comes to the

rescue by providing

all the internal details

on their replacement

cupola.

Zimmerit is applied using

MILIPUT which can be

chipped off easily before it

completely cures.

The Pistol port on the turret hatch was

drilled out and an ABER plug from their

Ferdinand set was fitted.

MR SURFACER was used to add

texture to the hull where zimmerit

is missing.

Construction



Photos 1 to 3

The initial painting sequence with a dark

brown coat applied before the base coat of

sand and finally the camouflage pattern

along with some rusty tones on the turret

and engine deck.

Photos 4 to 5

Areas of rusted bare metal are picked out

in mottled tones of enamels and the

engine deck gets a base coat of dark

brown.

Photo 6

The remnants of the zimmerit paste are

picked out on the turret using a fine brush.

Photos 7 to 8

I cut down a small chisel brush to the

width of the zimmerit pattern and stippled

on different toned ribbed patterns to the

areas where the zimmerit had been lost.

Areas of red oxide primer were also

applied to areas of more conventional

damage.

Photos 9 to 10

These close ups show the application of

rust stains and chipped paint around the

hatches. Note that a wash has been

applied to the whole vehicle using a mix of

oils and enamels.

Photo 11

An overall view of the tank with the

chipped zimmerit looking very prominent.

Photo 12

The same ribbed effect was also applied to

the areas of flaked zimmerit.

1 2

3 4

5 6

5

Painting



7 8

9 10

11 12

13 14



Painting

16 17

18

15

19



252423

8

Photo 13

The engine deck is given a top coat of

assorted rust tones using enamels.

Photo 14

Although they are not visible on the period

photos turret numbers were hand painted

on the rear and right side of the turret

Photo 15

Areas of rust were oversprayed with tones

of red brown gouache to unify the

underlying enamels followed by areas of

black soot staining around the burnt areas.

Photos 15 to 20

Scuffs and chips are applied to areas of

high wear along with rain streaked stains

on the vertical surfaces. At this point the

heavily weathered appearance is really

starting to work.

Photos 21 to 22

Weld beads are picked out in a Gunze

Colour silver which can be polished when

dry.

Photos 23 to 25

The tracks are sprayed with enamels in a

chocolate brown colour before getting a

wash of rust toned enamels. Next earth

toned pigments are brushed into all the

recesses followed by some diluted rust

pigments. After fitting the tracks they are

given a light wash on the raised surfaces

with more enamels.

Photo 27

Because the tank has been at the roadside

for some time I added areas of dust to the

horizontal surfaces. This shot of the engine

deck shows it around the turret ring and air

intakes.

20 21

22

26 27



Painting26 27

28 29



30 31 32 33

35 36

34

Photos 26 to 27

With close reference to the photographs

the lettering was applied to the turret using

white enamels which was dirtied with

Humbrol No.72.

Photo 28

More debris was applied to the decks with

small stones and sticks scattered around

to add to the feeling that the vehicle has

been sitting at the roadside for some time.

Photo 29

Similarly the tracks are sunken into the

base and accumulated debris is added to

the inside of the tracks and strands of

grass are growing up through the tracks.

Photos 30 to 34

The Andrea ‘Rascals’ figures were ideal

and required only minor adjustments. I

chose to remove the seated boy’s hat an

sculpted a new top to his head using

Magicsculpt. These were the first children's

faces I had painted and it required a

slightly different approach - no 5 O’clock

shadows but pink cheeks instead.

Photos 35 to 36

Details of the debris on the upper deck

and turret, notice the bird droppings on the

turret roof.



Finishing touches

A simple base was made using

polystyrene ceiling tiles into which the

drainage ditch was cut to replicate the

groundwork in the photographs. Whilst the

layer of filler was still wet the tank was

positioned on the base projected by a

layer of cling film. This allowed me to sit

the tank into the filler for that realistic

sunken appearance. The ‘footprint’ of thetank tracks were then cleaned out of any

remaining filler before it set.

Once dry, the tank was repositioned and

the grass matting was torn into irregular

sections and glued into place around the

vehicle, checking all the time that the

positioning looked natural. I kept the longer

grass close to the hull as people walking

around the vehicle would tend to wear

down the foliage. When the grass has

dried the tank was again removed and thebase was sprayed using gouache. The

vehicle was then glued into position and

the grass was adjusted for a final fit around

the running gear and the figures were

glued into position. The final touch was the

fitting of the muzzle brake which I had to

leave separate in order to slide the boy

down the barrel. This was fitted at a slight

angle as seen in the photographs.



TAMIYA’S PALM

TOP PANZER

modelled byLucianoRodriguez

31



Introduction

In the current modeling market, military vehicles have appeared at

some apparently unusual scales, and the traditional scales (1/35 or

1/72) have been improved to unexpected limits in recent times.

Nowadays, scales as diverse as 1/144 or 1/16 are firmly established

and have many fans though a few years ago this would have been

hard to predict.

In this period of constant development, it was only a matter of time

before a company tried to fill the gap for military vehicles in quarter

scale. Well, the fact is that the idea is not new and some

companies have tried it before with some success, but regrettably

there was never the demand or the production to popularise the

scale as 1:35th was. Since then, quarter scale has been mainly

provided for with die-cast replicas and a few resin kits for aircraft

fans. Fortunately, it seems everything is changing now with this

wave of new releases. Tamiya has restarted producing kits in 1/48

scale, and they may have the influence to settle down a "new"

industry standard into the modeling market. We will know soon after

the reaction of other modeling brands and aftermarket companies.

Some more kits (M4, Stug III, Hetzer, M4 A1, M-10…) will be

available by the time this article is published



Inside the box

We find a very nicely detailed Tiger I early

production model molded in dark gray

plastic with die-cast chassis. The design of

the kit is coherent and simple, sacrificing

the number of optional parts in exchange

for a good average quality and a really

easy assembly, something Tamiya excels

at. In order to avoid handling small or

fragile parts, it is surprising to see how

some parts are moulded on, like some

tools on the upper hull or the solid handles

in the turret hatches and engine access

cover. This may be surprising for

experienced modelers, but do not get it

wrong. No one is trying to replace 1/35

scale with these smaller kits, although I am

sure we will see outstanding detailing work

in the future from the hands of talented

modelers. This is one nice & easy kit or an

excellent base for super detailing.

I cannot imagine the reasons for including

a die-cast chassis, maybe lower production

costs, but I must say it makes our modelheavy-a strange but nice sensation for this



size of kit. Fitting is almost perfect all the

time and mixing metal with plastic parts is

no problem at all, even for a beginner. In

addition, the metal chassis comes primed

in matt light gray lacquer, something really

helpful for assembling & painting.

The kit provides a good combination of link

by link and track sections that I would love

for its 1/35th scale series. The tracks can

be assembled over a guide included in the

"A" sprue. The system works well and one

can easily assemble the tracks even with

the right sag. The kit also includes the two

different drive sprockets used by early

Tiger versions.

Once on the workbench, I assembled the

model following the instructions almost

from the box totally. I simply refined some

parts and other minor details to give it a

better presence. For that, I divided the

pipes of the air cleaners that come

together in the kit, and hollowed their

exhausts with a drill. With thin copper wire I

replaced all the handles in the hatches

and made the light connections along the

upper hull, and I made the attachments of

the spare track links to the turret sides with

styrene sheet . After that, all that is left is

to decide if you want to leave the crew



hatches open or closed. Tamiya have

recently released a panzer crew figure set

to populate these kits.

Painting

Tamiya included four very interesting

marking & painting schemes in this kit. The

early Tiger I is a really fashionable subject

at the moment so Tamiya have taken

advantage of this and provide four quite

unusual -but well known and attractive-

options. After studying color schemes

deeply, I decided for this one (s.Pz.Abt.505

, Russia, Summer 1943) , mainly for its

interesting pattern. Also, it seems that for

some reason dark yellow/red brown

schemes are not actually very popular

among modelers for this cat . Don't ask me

why!

The camouflage is painted copying the

pattern from the instructions sheet using

airbrushed Tamiya acrylics. First I applied a

plain coat of dark yellow (XF-60) and after, I

free hand airbrushed the stripes with red

brown (XF-64). I first mixed both colors with

flesh (XF-15) instead of white. This made

them lighter and it also helps to get some

subtle harmony among them. Once the

camouflage was finished I sprayed the

model with Future, and applied the decals.

Following this, I painted all the tools and

accessories with several Vallejo colors. This

includes the tow cables, the tracks, and all

the wheels were painted in earth brown

color directly before painting the rubber

tyres. I finally lacquered again to seal all

the previous work for the last time.

From that point I first painted some

chipping and mapping with Vallejo colors,

following no specific pattern. The trick is to

use similar –lighter or darker- tones to the

camouflage colors, and to get a small

chips to scale. I enhanced all the shapes,

recesses and engraved lines with a dark

wash with very dilute Tamiya enamels,

black (XF-1) and red brown (XF-64). I also

blended all over the vehicle small drops of

other vivid colors like olive green (XF-58) or

hull red (XF-9) that I faded with a wet clean

soft brush, acting as filters, and changing



the appearance of the color in areas.

For dust and weathering, I made some

light washes with buff (XF-57) mixed with

red brown (XF-64) in enamel. The trick is to

watch it while it dries, and correct it while

still wet when necessary. Do not apply a

thick coat, and repeat the process –totally

or partially- as many times as you wish. I

also applied some washes with Vallejo red

brown and orange to the exhaust guards,

and to the tracks over a very dark brown

base. For the wheels I applied some

washes with buff (from the acrylic range

this time) to highlight their details and give

a dusty and dry appearance.

I added some rust to the spare track links

with Mig Productions pigments. To

enhance the main shapes of the hull and

turret, using some different grade graphite

pencils. I picked out all the edges carefully.

It may take time, but this redefines all the

basic lines of our model, regaining it's

complexity. I also used pencils to give a

heavy metallic appearance to the tracks.

Conclusion

Finally, in my honest opinion, I think quarter

scale kits can be a very enjoyable

alternative and modelers can have a very

good time in the company of these new

kits to come.. Let me wish a long life to

1/48th!

36



tiger(P)Zimmerit, Love it but Hate it.

I have always loved the appearance of Zimmerit on the Tiger I

tanks. Zimmerit adds a rough uncomfortable look to this already

ominous Vehicle. I built half-a-dozen Tiger tanks during my early

modeling days. Most of the examples I wanted to construct had

Zimmerit and at the time I was hesitant to replicate this because of

my limited modelling skills. I knew that I would not be able to

dodge the Zimmerit “ball” for ever. This ball finally hit me when I

started constructing Dragon’s new Sd.Kfz.181 Panzerkampfwagen

VI (P) or Tiger (P)

After loosely fitting some of its major components I immediately fell

in love with this kit. I decided to put my two current projects aside

and around two weeks later, the model was assembled, complete

with Zimmerit, and ready for painting.

During this article I am going to show you how to construct and

paint Dragon’s new Tiger (P) model. I will explain how I painted and

assembled the model to represent one of the Panzerkampfwagen

VI (P) tanks sent to Russia with the s.Pz.Jg.Abt.653 during April of

1944. The construction phase of this article will focus primarily on

how I applied the Zimmerit. I placed much emphases on the

Zimmerit application because I found this phase of the model to be

the most time consuming and tedious. Applying accurately scaled

Zimmerit is a very important ability for all Second War armour

modelers. Zimmerit included, I found Dragon’s new Tiger (P) kit to

be a joy to assemble.

This model was a bit unusual for me. I would not only be simulating

chipped paint, but chips onto the Zimmerit as well. The unique

surface of the Zimmerit would also make weathering this model

a bit different.



Adam Wilder Models Dragon’s Tiger (P)

55



1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

56



10 11 12

13 14 15

Construction

During my past articles I have always

encouraged modelers to use photo-etched

brass (PE) fenders and other components

onto their scale models. For this this

article, I decided to construct DML’s Tiger

P primarily out of the box. Being partially a

review, I wanted the readers to see the

different parts of this nice kit. I also wanted

to focus on the application of the Zimmerit.

Photos 1 to 3

I started construction by assembling the

seven major components of the hull top,

as seen in photo no. 1. One of the only

assembly issues I found during this was

ensuring the corners of the hull top line up

with the sides. Make certain the front

corner of the full top is properly aligned

with the sides as seen in photo 2. Align the

two corners and let the rest of the hull top

and sides fall into place. Flame cut edges

were added to the hull sides using a hobby

knife.

Photos 4 to 8

I exchanged a few E-mails with the well

known modeller Lester Plaskitt. He

recommended that I use Milliput to

replicate the Zimmerit. Although he

recommended the grey/green type Milliput,

I only had the super fine white type given

to me while in Japan. I decided to have a

go at this task using what I had to hand.

After practicing my zimmerit application

skills on a scrap piece of plastic, I was able

to perfect my method. I started by

constructing a Zimmerit tool from sheet-

styrene as shown. I filed a bevel on a piece

of .060 thick styrene. I then cut the beveled

piece of styrene into lengths roughly 4mm

wide and glued the beveled lengths

together, making sure the bevel on each

length is facing the same direction. Align

the beveled edges on a flat surface before

gluing them together.

I chose to use some tap water to soften

the Milliput during mixing which makes it

easire to work. The brand of Milliput used

on this model took about six hours to set

allowing plenty of working time.

Photos 9 to 13

With the Miliput mixed I was ready to start

adding the Zimmerit to the model. The

front and rear plates are moulded as

separate parts. Applying Zimmerit to these

areas is difficult because of all the bolt

heads. I started applying small amounts of

miliput randomly around the panel and

then pressed the Milliput flat with a

modified paint mixer. I used the paint mixer

because I did not have a spatula small

enough at the time to fit between the bolts

as seen in photo nine. A small amount of

Milliput will go a long way when using it to

replicate Zimmerit. I worked the Milliput

evenly over the entire surface of the part,

then used a toothpick to remove some of

the excess Milliput from around the details.

and any areas where I felt it to be too thick

and out of scale. After this I used my

finger, moistened with tap-water, to

smooth the surface further. Use a sharp

hobby knife blade and tap-water to

remove Milliput from small crevasses and

other difficult to reach areas. I used an old

wet paint brush to eliminate any remaining

unwanted Milliput .You may need to

perform these steps two to three times

before the Milliput is ready to be pressed

with the Zimmerit tool.

Photos 14 to 15

I brushed some more water over the

Milliput and started embossing it with my

Zimmerit tool which was also wet, making

sure the bevels on the tool are facing

downwards. I wrote the word “up” on the

top of the tool to avoid any mistakes. I

used a single spare bevel to form ridges

around the details and areas too small for

the Zimmerit tool.

Photos 16 to 17

I then moved on to the model’s sides and

I decided that it would be best to

assemble details like the tool clamps and

fender supports. I felt that it would be

more realistic to place the Zimmerit

around these details than to cut the parts

into the uneven surface. The fenders will fit

onto the assembled hull without needing

glue. Attaching the fenders to the hull



16 17 18

19 20 21

22 23 24

allowed me to locate and glue all the

supports in place onto the hull. There are

some details, intended for Ferdinand and

Elephant models, which need to be

removed at this time using a knife.

The kit includes wire cables and photo

etched cable clamps to use as an

alternative to the injection moulded parts

also provided. I located the cable clamps

and hooks before the applying the

zimmerit. One of the only areas lacking in

detail on the kit are the tools. The two

shovels and axe are all moulded as one

piece onto what must have been a piece

of flat bar. I decided to cut the three tools

apart then later reattached them using

Aber PE tool clamps. The piece of flat bar

used to mount the tools was replaced with

a piece of sheet plastic.

Photos 18 to 21

With the details fitted to the hull sides, I

was ready to continue applying the

zimmerit using the same techniques. You

will be handling the model extensively

during this process so apply the Zimmerit

to one side of the model and let it dry out

before handling it to do the other side.

Photos 22 through 23

I broke down the turret zimmerit into four

parts - the gun tube, the mantlet, the right

side of the turret and the left side. Once

again, give the Milliput about eight hours to

solidify between each section.

Applying the Zimmerit to the mantlet was

tricky. I applied the Milliput in small

amounts using my hobby knife then spread

it out before using the Zimmerit tool as

seen on photos 22 and 23.

Finishing the Zimmerit was a bit of a

milestone during the construction of this

model and with this done I was now ready

to complete the model’s assembly.

Photos 24 to 28

I made my own handles using the

Grabhandler from Mission Models. I have

always liked the even, seamless, circular

appearance of brass handles over the

plastic ones provided with plastic model

kits. The detail of the 88mm gun on DML’s

Tiger (P) is the best I have seen included

inside a plastic model kit. The suspension

on the DML Tiger (P) kit is also designed

with limited movement as you can see in

photo no 27. I also decided to wire the

lights using stretched sprue.

The two sets of single length vinyl track

included with DML’s Tiger P are also well

detailed. You can glue the vinyl track

together using regular liquid plastic

cement and the join is so good that after

gluing the track it was difficult to see

where the two sides connected. To my

surprise, I was actually quite happy with

vinyl track. The only problem was that

some of the teeth were bent as a result of

their packaging. I simply clipped the bent

teeth away using Xuron snips and glued on

replacements cut from plastic. This is the

first model I have constructed in over five

years where I did not resort to a set of

workable Fruil model metal track. I would

certainly consider using the one piece

Dragon Styrene track again in the future.



25 26 27

28 29 30

31 32 33

Photos 29 through 33

Photos of the s.Pz.Jg.Abt.653 Tiger (P) in

action show some screens over the rear

louvers of the engine deck. Judging by their

appearance, I would guess that these

screens were a field modification and they

are not included in the kit.

To begin to make the screens I made the

frames using brass rod. I did not have any

material that resembled mesh so I decidedto construct my own using a spool of brass

wire. I carefully marked the frames and cut

the wire into lengths and soldered them to

one side of the frame as shown in photo 29.

I used a 6” scale to help me hold the frame

in position while fixing the wire and soldered

the other end of the wire to the frame and

trimmed it. I then wove perpendicular wires

into the first set using a fine pair of

tweezers. This was a very tedious task and I

alternated from each side working toward

the middle of the screen and it becomes

harder as you work toward the center. With

the screens completed I filed the wire flat on

the frames allowing the screens to sit flush

on the louvers.59



The Assembled Model

Dragon’s Tiger (P) is one of the most

enjoyable models I have constructed in

years. The fit of the parts, for the most,

was good. After completing the model it

was brought to my attention that a large

circular hatch is missing from the rear of

the kit turret. This hatch was also absent

from the 1/35 scale line drawings I

referenced by Hilary Louis Doyle. Other

than this I found the kit to be quite

accurate. Now let’s move onto painting the

model.

Painting

Applying the Base-Coat

German three-tone camouflages are

always fun to apply. This Tiger was also

going to be the first model with Zimmerit

that I had painted.

Photos 1 to 2

I always paint the base coats on my

models using Tamiya and/or Vallejo acrylic

paints. Acrylics are easy to spray, less

toxic and stand up well to the enamel and

oil washes I apply during the model’s

weathering stages.

Tamiya acrylic paints dry quickly and I have

discovered that Tamiya acrylics can

sometimes dry before hitting the model

resulting in a rough sandy appearance. To

help avoid this problem try reducing your

air pressure. Before airbrushing I first paint

the inner parts of the model’s hatches.

With the inner part of the hatches painted,

I can place them on the model in the

closed position allowing me to paint the

models exterior more easily.

The Tamiya paints I used to mix my dark-

yellow were XF-60 with a bit of XF-57, X-8

and X-2. I also added some X-22 clear to

improve the airbrushing qualities of the

paint.

Photo 3

I added some more white to some of the

dark yellow used for the base-coat. With

the aid of some different sized pieces of

cut paper, I carefully airbrushed some of

the models extruded components such as

the large cover on the hull rear and louver

housings. The top of the turret and upper

side of the gun was also airbrushed with

this lighter shade of dark yellow. This

breaks up the individual components

making the model more interesting.

Next I added a small amount of blue to

some of the dark-yellow. I airbrushed this

darker shade under the hull, on the lower

part of the turret, and under the gun. Photo

10 shows the model after these two steps

were completed. Although these colors

look a bit exaggerated now, they will be

come less evident once we start applying

the weathering steps.

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

60



10

11 12 13

14 15 16

Photos 4 to 5

I decided to airbrush the dark green part of

the three-tone camouflage first. I increased

the PSI on my air source from 15 to about

27. I kept my green paint to thinner ratio at

about two parts paint and three parts

isopropyl rubbing alcohol.

I mixed the green using Tamiya XF-5 with a

bit of XF-60 and X-8. Airbrushing the red-

brown part of the camouflage was quicker

and easier to apply than the green. During

this step I could simply use the green as a

guide to make sure the red-brown was

balanced. I airbrushed the red-brown,

again at random thicknesses, alongside

the green.

Photos 6 to 7

The markings for the s.Pz.Jg.Abt.653 Tiger

(P) were applied using Solvaset to soften

the decals allowing them to conform to the

uneven surface. Some areas were pierced

with a sharp knife to avoid air pockets.

I then applied a coat of Tamiya X-22 clear

over the entire model including the running

gear. This coat of clear serves two

purposes. First, it helps to protect the

base-coat from the oil and enamel washes

that will be applied during the up coming

weathering stages. Second, the clear coat

will give the model a glossy finish. During

the next step we are going to be adding

artist oils to the model. The artist oils will

reduce the glossy finish giving the model a

realistic finish.

Photos 8 to 9

The artist oils you apply during this stage

will depend upon the color of the base-

coat and camouflage. The colors I use for

a German three-tone camouflage are

white, yellow and burnt umber. You will

61



17 18 19

20 21 22

23 24 25

need to break the model up into imaginary

parts then apply and blend the oils onto

one area at a time. Using a brush, I apply

the different colored oils in dots then blend

them with turpentine. Adding differing

amounts of colours to different areas will

give diverse hues over the model. For

example, I added more white to the

model’s horizontal surfaces while adding

additional burnt umber the model’s sides.

Photo 11

After letting the oils dry for 24 hours, I

mixed the some lighter and darker tones

using the same oil colors I applied the

darker tone around various details such as

around the hatches. Dampen the brush

with a bit of turpentine to help you spread

the oils during this step. It is important to

note that a small amount of artist oil will

spread over a large surface.

Photo 12

The artist oils wil l need about three days to

dry. This is a good time to start painting

the model’s various details such as the

tools and cables. I use pieces of cut paper

to help prevent unwanted paint on the

model’s base-coat during this task.

Photos 13 to 14

General washes are the fist washes I add

to the model during its painting. General

washes are another way of adding fake

shadows around the model’s finer details. I

mix the washes at different paint-to-thinner

ratios when applying them to different

parts of the model using both enamel and

artist oil paints which gives the spreading

properties of the oils combined with the

opaque characteristics of the enamels.

Photos 15 to 16

Simulating chipped paint onto a 1/35 scale

model can be a bit tricky but chipped paint

can add an incredible amount of

authenticity to a scale model. It is very

important that you use the correct brush

during this step. The first thing we need to

do during this step is add areas of scraped

paint where the paint has been worn but

not entirely down to the red-primer and

steel underneath. Using Vallejo Model

Color acrylics I mix, a colour a few shades

lighter than the paint on the model. I

usually focus the chipped paint primarily

around the corners and edges of the

details. I also added random areas of

scrapes onto the zimmerit.

Photos 17 to 18

With the lighter colored scrapes painted I

started adding chips of primer using

Humbrol enamel No.100. As part of the

chipping process, I mixed a zimmerit

colour using a light grey shade. Ashes-

White pigments were also mixed with the

Humbrol paints.

Photo 19

For the final step of the chipping process I

added areas of rust onto some of the



chips of exposed primer. I also added

streaks of rust by applying vertical lines of

paint onto the model using a fine brush.

Wash the lines of rust colors downward

using the same fine brush dampened with

turpentine.

Photos 20 to 22

Graphite was randomly brushed onto the

tools and cables. Graphite was also

rubbed onto parts of the model polished

clean by the crew such as the cupola and

edges of the hatches. Black Tamiya

acrylics were also dry-brushed onto the

tread plate of the fenders.

Adding the Earth Colours

I wanted this Tiger P to have the dry-dusty

look seen in photos of the vehicle. The

recent models I have painted have also

been wet and muddy. I wanted this dusty

model to add a bit of variety to my display

case.

Photos 23 to 24

For the first part of the weathering process

I airbrushed a coat of Tamiya Buff onto the

lower chasses and fenders. Cut pieces of

paper were used of mask certain parts of

the model that I wanted to remain clean.

Large random areas of buff were

airbrushed onto the top of the model

where dust would collect.

Photos 25 to 26

Applying rain-marks onto a model using

thinned Tamiya Buff is a great way to add

subtle streaks of rain-washed dust onto a

model. You will want to make a wash of

about 90% water and 10% Tamiya buff. You

will need to place the wash onto the model

using a small brush. Place the rain marks

onto the sides and slopes of the model

using vertical strokes.

Keep using vertical strokes until the water

evaporates then repeat the process. Apply

the thinned buff to the horizontal surfaces

of the model. This step will also add a

slightly scuffed appearance to the

airbrushed areas of Buff applied during the

previous step.

Photos 27 to 28

I then added areas of dry-mud using a

concoction of buff and dark-earth Tamiya

acrylics. I then add some light dust and a

little Europe dust pigments. The final

ingredients added are some plaster and

sifted sand for texture. This was applied to

the underside and lower parts of the

chassis using an old brush. If the dry-mud

mixture starts to get too hard simply add a

bit of water and mix it thoroughly.

Photos 29 to 30

After giving the dry-mud time to set I

started adding a second layer of dust to

the model using pigments. I mixed a dust

color using three parts light-dust and one

part Europe-dust. I brushed light amounts

of the dust mixture onto the model. I then

blended the pigments using Humbrol

thinner as shown in photo 43. Pigments

mixed with Humbrol thinner were also

26 27 28

29 30 31

32 33 34



35

36

37

38

brushed under the model onto the dry

earth.

Photo 31

I was ready to apply the fresh earth using a

similar mixture this time I using Humbrol

Chocolate 98 as the base. I then added

Russian earth colored pigments, brown

artist oils and gloss varnish.

After the fresh mud had some time to dry, I

lightly brushed more earth coloured

pigments onto the model.

Photos 32 to 33

The tracks were treated in a similar way. I

started by spraying a coat of Tamiya Dark-

Earth to serve as a base. A heavy coat of

dry-mud mix was then applied to the outer

side of the track. I wiped the outer edges

of the track clean with my fingers.

Fresh-earth was applied to the center of

the tracks and worn steel was dry-brushed

to the outer edges of the track using a

combination of Humbrol metal coat

colours. The metal colour was also added

to the inside areas of the tracks, drive

sprockets and idler wheels.

Photos 34 to 35

The outer edges of the roadwheels were

painted in the same manner and graphite

was rubbed onto them. After finishing the

tracks and running gear, I glued them to

the model. I needed to super-glue the

tracks to the tops of the road-wheels to

give them a realistic heavy appearance.

Photo 36

Refined areas of fresh mud were also

blended into corners and around details on

the upper hull and turret.

Photos 37 to 38

An acrylic gloss varnish was used to add

some streaks of moisture onto the vertical

and angled parts of the model. Lubricant

was added to some of the running gear

using a mixture of oxide enamels, artist

oils, gloss varnish and pigments.

Graphite was added to the tread-plate over

the areas I dry-brushed black in the

previous steps. The final step was applying

a mixture of Ashes-White and panzer grey

pigments to some of the areas of chipped

zimmerit.

The Finished Model

Constructing and painting DML’s

Sd.Kfz.181 Panzerkampfwagen VI (P) was

one of the most enjoyable models I have

constructed in years providing a much

needed break from any added details such

as brass and styrene components.



T he first time I saw the Fehrmann

Tiger’s was in the book “Tigers on

the Western front”. The pictures of

F 13 caught my eye especially. The

hand painted turret numbers, the

extremely battle-damaged appearance, the

flaked zimmerit and the half open engine vent

hatches made it an exciting challenge to make in

scale 1:35.

History

This Tiger, together with five others, belonged to

Companie Fehrmann (identified by the letter F in

the turret number) of Kampfgruppe Schulze.

Companie Fehrmann was established in January

1945 in Oerbke Camp in northern Germany. They

set off from Fallingbostel towards the Weser and

ended up in the sector of Wietersheim, where on

the 11th of April the last Tiger was lost. All six

Tiger’s were early or mid 1943 versions with the

early rubber tire road wheels replaced by late

steel rimmed wheels. The tracks were also

replaced by late tracks with ice cleats.

The Kit

The most suited kit for this project was Tamiya’s

early Tiger kit 35216. It is the best of Tamiya’s

Tiger kits as you get a lot of good extra parts

from the spare part box. (Early and late drive

sprocket and Feifel filters, etc.). It also has the

correct asymmetrical turret.



Tiger F13of Companie

Fehrmannby Jens Kronvold Frederiksen



Getting started

After assembling all the major parts of the

hull and turret, I filled all location holes and

made the rolled steel texture. I did this by

adding plastic cement to all armor steel

surfaces. (Do this in a ventilated room)!

When the plastic was softened, I rubbed a

toothbrush on the surface. ( Do not use it

for tooth brushing after this! ) After a day

or so, I cleaned the model with fine

sandpaper and I achieved a very

convincing rolled steel texture. If you try

this, take care not to get cement on any

details or panel lines etc.

The torch cut edges of the armor plates

were made with a small dentist’s drill. Next

step was to add all the weld seams. I did

this with a pyrogravure (actually it is a

small soldering iron with a homemade tip

of copper rod and I control the heat with a

dimmer).

Some of the original seams on the kit are

very deeply recessed, which is not correct,

so I glued thin plastic strips on before

”welding”.

Lower hull details

There is a long flange on the underside of

each pannier, which is missing in the kit.

I made these from plastic card with plastic

rivets, which were added from

Modelkasten.

The front fenders were cut and small loops

of copper wire were added to represent

the hinges.

The underside front of the panniers and the

front armor plate were built of styrene strips.

It is important to get it right if the Tiger is

without fenders and side skirts. The rear

fender attachment points were replaced

with Aber parts glued on 0.5mm plastic

card. The plastic card was for adding weld

seams around the etched brass part.



Running gear

I wanted to give my Tiger’s suspension a

“tired” look by lowering the rear of the hull.

I did this by removing the small location

pins on the hull, except the first one on

each side. So the first torsion bars could

be glued on as per the instructions. The

last torsion bars on each side were raised

about 1.5 mm. (Don’t overdo this as you

might end up with too little space for the

tracks)!! All the other torsion bars were

glued on and aligned with the front and

rear ones.

The road wheels were taken from

Tamiya’s late version Tiger. The tracks

are from Modelkasten - by far the

best on the market but time-

consuming to assemble. To add a

little extra detail, I sanded away the

ice cleats on the inside of each

track link to show wear of the

tracks. This feature can be seen

on the preserved Tiger in

Vimoutiers, France.

Zimmerit

I have never been completely satisfied with

my earlier zimmerit attempts with putty

and Milliput, so I decided to try a new

method. An extra challenge in this instance

was also to get the flaking as accurate as

possible.

I decided to try with thin styrene sheet and

the pyrogravure. I used 0.3mm Evergreen

styrene, drawing each panel, the zimmerit

lines, and the exact flaking pattern onto

the plastic sheet with a pencil.

The flaking was cut away and the styrene

sheet was glued onto the model with small

blobs of superglue. (DON’T use plastic

cement, as the styrene will act like cheese

on a pizza when you use the pyrogravure)!

The Pyrogravure needed new tips as wide

as the zimmerit on the hull and a bit

narrower on the turret. I made these

from copper tube hammered flat and

filed into shape like a small

screwdriver. Then it

was simple to add

the zimmerit pattern, just avoid touching

unwanted places and details with the

pyrogravure, as it has to be really hot.

This styrene zimmerit has many

advantages; you can work as slowly as you

want. If you are not satisfied, just melt a

new pattern in the same styrene. When

you need to glue details on, just add a l ittle

cement to the area and you can squeeze

the detail through the zimmerit to sit on

the “steel” surface.

The flaking is also easy to accurately

achieve; I even got the exact amount of

zimmerit rows on my model according to

the reference photos.



Upper hull details

The driver’s splashguard received five

recessed bolts, by adding a strip of styrene

with holes made with a punch and die set.

Small recessed bolts were also added to

the driver and radio operator’s hatch

hinges.

All the tool clips were added empty. The

only tools on the model are gun cleaning

rods and the engine-starting handle. As I

believe these items are essential! The

Bosch light was scratch built from styrene

with a small piece of copper wire added

inside.

The track cable retainers and towing

hawser holders are included in the ABER

set but cannot be used. In reality they are

not hollow and are made from thin metal.

So I scratch built them from small pieces

of styrene strip.

The antenna socket was drilled to

accommodate a small length of brass tube

with a wing nut added. The engine fans

were taken from an On The Mark photo

etched set. Their centers were made from

modified Panzer IV wheel hubs. The

housings were constructed from styrene

with tube turned in ABS on a lathe.

The half open engine vent hatches took a

lot of work. I first cut off the hatches from

the engine deck (in the hatch hinge itself),

and scratch built a new one to fit the

engine deck. The ABER engine grilles were

super glued on and rubbed down with a

brush handle to simulate that the crew had

walked on them (on F 13 one of them is

apparently missing). The underside of the

hatches had to be thinned down with a

small recessed edge added. The engine

hatch received scratch built hatch jams;

intake duct and feifel hose clamp bases.

The small keyholes were taken from a The

Show Modelling Stug III set and glued into

drilled holes.

All the small flanges with screw holes for

holding the side skirts, Feifel air cleaners

and exhaust shrouds are included in

Modelkasten’s Tiger transport track set SK

3. But I made these myself from 1x1mm

styrene strip. They were glued on a slightly

larger piece of 0.1 mm styrene strip to add

material for the weld seam. You can do the

same with all the small brass details. It

gives you the advantage of being able to

glue these parts on with plastic cement



(they are a lot easier to position and

align).

The final detail like the small tie downs

and S mine discharger brackets etc. had

to be scratch built. The small lifting lugs

on the exhaust manifolds are included in

the Modelkasten set. The casting

numbers were carefully cut off a sprue

frame and glued on all cast parts.

The single rear fender was from an ABER

set. Add the rear fender to your Tiger at

the end of the build as they are very

fragile. I glued mine on several times!

The turret

The turret was assembled, welded and

styrene strip details were added behind

the mantel.

The rear lif ting lug was cut off and glued

on a small disc for adding the weld. The

brackets for the storage box were made

of thin brass strips and welded on. Upper

track hangers were the Tamiya parts

modified and detailed. The lower hangers

are included in the Modelkasten track

set.

The smoke discharger brackets were cut

off with a torch on the real Tiger, so tosimulate this; I glued on the Tamiya parts

and cut them off with a dentist’s drill.

The Commanders cupola needed some

extra detailing. Fine Moulds clear glass

blocks were added, and the bracket for

holding the hatch in open position were

replaced by a homemade part. The six

drain holes were drilled with a 0.3 mm

drill.

The gun

The gun barrel is from Fine Moulds. It fits

the mantel perfectly. The muzzle brake

was the Tamiya part. It is fine but benefits

from a little detailing: recessed slots,

screw holes and a small slotted ring were

glued inside.

The coaxial machine gun was taken from

a Tamiya infantry equipment set.

Battle damage

Finally I wanted to give my Tiger a battle

damaged appearance. The real F 13 had

several shell impacts, especially on the

turret. I made these by grinding away

plastic with a dentist’s drill and/or using

the pyrogravure. And then it was ready to

paint!



Painting

There has been a lot discussion about the

colors on the F 13. One source claims

that it was dark gray overall with

red/white numbers. I find that hard to

believe. By studying the pictures, it is

clear that it has more than one color, and

the area on the turret back has a very

light color. Possibly sand yellow?

The turret markings are not red, as red

will appear black on a black and white

picture. The idea behind my colors is

therefore:

• The Tiger was originally painted dark

gray.

• It received a coat of zimmerit and got

painted sand yellow. The turret storage

box may have been replaced, as it had

sand yellow paint underneath it as well.

• The Tiger had a coat of green color.

(Green was used widely on German

vehicles at the end of the war).

• The commander’s cupola was replaced

as it has a different camouflage pattern.

• It has seen a lot of battle action, as the

zimmerit is much damaged.

• Finally, it was assigned to Companie

Fehrmann and had the F 13 turret

number painted on it.

Of course, this is all purely guesswork,

but it explains why my model is painted

like this.

I started the painting process by spraying

two white spots onto the sides of the

turret. This was to be the white outline of

the turret numbers. To accurately get the

turret numbers, they were drawn on a

computer using a picture of the real

vehicle. This was transferred to masking

tape and cut out, and these were added

on the white spots on the turret. The

model was then painted Humbrol 67 Dark

gray overall.

The areas where the zimmerit had flaked

off were masked with Maskol. Thereafter,

I painted it sand yellow. (Humbrol 94 with

white added). This meant that the gray

paint was visible in some areas.

I then masked off the rear of the turret

and the areas that the fenders and side



skirts had covered, and sprayed a final

coat of dark green. (Humbrol 86 with sand

and white added).

This layer was added in big soft spots so

the underlying colors were visible in some

areas.

All small details were picked out in their

respective colors and I added a thin light

grey line on the edges of the flaked

zimmerit.

The green in the turret numbers were hand

painted with a fine brush with the same

paint mix as the green for the rest of the

tank. The metallic areas on the road

wheels tracks etc. were painted with

Humbrol polished steel.

Weathering consisted of some heavy

washes of brown and black and some

gentle dry brushing with lighter colors.

Much weathering was also done,

especially on the suspension and tracks

with MIG pastel powders. These powders

are really messy to work with, but the

result is well worth it! It can really bring

your model to life.

Parts used

• Tamiya 35216 Tiger I Early version.

• Tamiya 35146 Tiger I Late version (Only

the steel road wheels).

• Modelkasten SK 1 Late Tiger tracks.

• Modelkasten SK 4 Late Tiger spare

tracks. (There are NO spare tracks in set

SK1).

• Modelkasten A1 Bolt & Nuts set

• Modelkasten A2 Round head rivets.

• Modelkasten A4 Wing nuts.

• Modelkasten M7 Bosch lights (I only used

the sockets).

• ABER 35014 Tiger I early photo-etched

parts. (Not many parts used on my model).

Next time I will only by ABER G03 engine

grilles and ABER A20 German clamps and

clasps instead.

• ABER 35A10 Front and back mudguards

for Tiger.



• On The Mark Models TMP-3526 Tiger

photo-etched parts. (Only the engine

cooling fan blades).

• Fine Moulds Tiger I turned aluminum gun

barrel.

• Fine Moulds MG-23 Clear periscopes.

• Hornet HGH8 heads SS officers.

• Wolf WSH 21 Figure.

The figure

The figure is from Wolf (WSH 21 Officer of

the LSSAH Kegichevka 1943). It was

heavily modified. The legs were cut off and

re-sculpted to fit into the commander’s

cupola. The binoculars were ground away

and replaced with a pair from Tamiya. The

hood on the jacket was also re-sculpted.

The figure was painted with Humbrol

enamel except for the face; it was painted

with Winsor & Newton oil paints.

Conclusion

Building and painting the F13 was really an

enjoyable project. It took me a year to

complete! The actual build took me about

three months, but the model stood on my

shelf for quite some time before I decided

how to paint it.

I find it very interesting to build an exact

vehicle from photographic references, and

with the excellent Tiger kits from Tamiya

and the huge number of books with

interesting Tiger’s, this is definitely not the

last one I will build!

Reference

Tiger’s on the Western front. By jean

Restayn

Tamiya’s steel wheeled Tiger I. By Angus

Creighton

Tigers at the front. By Thomas L. Jentz

Tiger. By Feist and Culver.

www.missing-lynx.com

panzer aces 01.pdf

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