Hi All,

Back to my favorite subject...armour for my next dio D-Day +3.

I've never attempted zimmerit using Tamiya putty so this is my first try. Pretty messy. I used hack saw blades for the serated detail common on Tigers in the Normandy campaign.

I intend to put this Tiger in a diorama being disabled by a bazooka fired by a paratrooper. His lucky shot has thrown off the track stopping the Tiger in its tracks hence the title "David and Goliath"

If anybody knows the story...in ancient times, no army could stand up to Goliath, a giant of a man until a boy stopped him with a stone from his sling shot.

Here I've skipped the assembly part and have gone straight to the application of the zimmerit on the turret.



Spare tracks have been added here.




Let me explain the toothpicks. When I first assembled the kit, I mistakenly over retracted the suspension on one side of the tank and glued it. Realised the mistake and decided to simulate it sitting on rubble at a tilt angle resulting with all the weight concentrated on one side of the tank.



The toothpicks helped give the tracks an uneven ride over the rubble. I glued the track to simulate it left behind when the wheels have rolled over them being severed just before the drive sprocket.



Did the same on the other side....





Next will be the side skirts and the engine screens. Please note that tanks for my dioramas normally are built stock standard with the bare minimum...what can't be seen is left off...so no interior lah.

Q and C are welcome.

Richard.

Ah. Richard's back with a new project (hey it rhymes!) :)

The zim looks good.

This will be interesting to follow.

Rhymes doesn't it...thanks Pooh...I'll know the result of the zimmerit is successful after the first coat of paint.

Anyways...this is what I've done so far.

Added the mesh and mud guards. Also the cables and what not as these Abteilung's were being re-fitted while resting at the time od D-Day.



Notice the damage to the fender from the bazooka hit. It probably didn't penetrate but damaged the tracks.





This guy got a new loaders hatch with no zimmerit.



The tilt is very apparent here.



Close up of the attachment plugs for the mudguards...the tracks are all stuck up.











Have to wait for another long holiday to continue with the rest of the build...in the meantime enjoy.

Q and C welcome.

Richard.

wow..looking good master of dio....

cant wait to see the tiger got bazzokaed..........

RTFOE.... Nice done but if I may add...

Since your tiger had been Bazooked...Why not having the tank turret "off aligned" abit and all panel should be "force" open.... with some "burned effect" at all opening.

The Bazooka is a "Shape Charge" producing "Hot Liquidized Metal Needle" that can cause "Fire" when contact with combustible material

just my 2 kupang

Regards
Mej®

Hi Major,

Thanks...no doubt the bazooka fires a shaped charge, its reputation for stopping a Tiger was never legendary as it was still being developed. The 9mm round could only penetrate between 60mm to 100mm of armour in perfect ideal conditions.

This lucky round probably hit the transmission missing amunition and fuel, fouling it up and of course the poor radio operator...that's why his hatch isn't open. The other hatches will be open because the occupants want to make a speedy exit...eventually surrendering to the paratrooper with the bazooka and his overjoyed buddies. (Incidently this Tiger has made the biggest mistake of not having support infantry...so confident were these tank crews who thought nobody could challenge the Tiger)

Normally I don't reveal the whole scenario until the last stage as in Dio making there will be many adjustments to the layout. But visually this is quite clear. It's been in my head for quite a while.

My challenge is to get the angles, atmosphere and proportions right. Also the right amount of rubble and the correct architecture of the Norman town and streets.

Your comments are well taken...I haven't the courage yet to display a fully knocked out tank with all compartments open showing the interior...it'll take a lifetime for me. :lol:

Sil, the bazooka is like a mosquito bite that carries a bigger bite called denggi. :lol:

Richard.

...imo the radio operator would be okay..nothing but some splitting headache as the round had hit the track...enough to put it out of comission, as you had put holes on the side fenders and nothing on the front, it means the charge had moved upwards . the tracks has taken most of the impact and nothing serious is gonna happen to the side hull..probably some fire...thats all.



the zimmerit are okay...but the fenders are not okay...they looked unnatural, hope you dont mind that i say this and they have to be rebuild if you really want this tiger to turn up good.
one way of doing this is to thin out the fenders from the reverse side, or rebuild from thin plastic cards. thin enough for you to bend them without using heat. same with the battle damage, yours looks too neat but if your fenders are thin enough you only need to cut a crossing section then push it in or outwards using a small screwdriver...one thing you must remember is sharpenel hits are never round, they come in all shape and sizes but never round...unless its a hit from a 30 or 50 cal round.

keep it up bro...good work, just take your time ya..and dont rush, model kits are expensive nowdays :wacko:

Thanks for the comments Ari.

Was thinking of replacing the fenders with metal sheet. Now it looks like it's made from rubber. :lol:

Will definitely take my time as usual and savour every moment of the build...although I got these two tigers and two Panthers for free (competition days...if only the Famo came out earlier) :D

Richard.

Richard

Maybe this comment is kinda like 'too many cooks spoil the broth' ,but i think the tracks shouldnt be in the way that you had depicted.

Once the track breaks, the sprocket would continue to bring the tracks forward and the tank would slew towards the broken track side. So,instead of collecting the tracks at the rear of the tank,i think the tracks should be at the front.



sllim

I think Richard made the track break topside between the sprocket and idler. If the tank was going forward, the sprocket would have pulled what's left of the top front to fall under the tank and without traction the back ones will just 'bump' along the road wheels until eventually dropping off at the back. If it was reversing, the track might get all fouled up in the road wheels.

Not sure about the slew though. Maybe the track teeth would keep it going straight as long as the wheels don't leave the track?

I Think what Richard did is correct but the track should not have come out that long although if there is a momentum becoz the track that break is just a few cm from the traction wheel. Nothing pile in front but the leading broken track should lead down or "bunching" a few track on the most forward road wheel.

just my 2 kupang...

Mej®

Rich,
from all the comments on the tracks, time to pick up a set of Fruilmodels tracks from HHQ! Flew in 2 weeks ago!
:lol:

Hmm maybe we could start testing track break theories using Loo's 1/16 Tiger. :D

waaaaaaaaa...didnt know HHQ stock Fruil now...

ya la rich...just use the fruils tracks and u will never come back to plastic tracks again...huhuhuh

the tracks are okay as you build it brader...so no worries

Great subject and idea for diorama.The zimmerit is realistic :)

Erm...This model looks like a Tamiya Late Tiger. Doesnt it come with indy links plus the normal rubber band tracks? No need to buy Fruil tracks and you still model realistic looking bunching of tracks and the sag.

sllim

Hi Everyone,

:lol: :lol: Thanks for all your comments which I'll study and decide whether it needs altering.

I made careful assumptions with how the tracks would be after a hit just before the sprocket:

1. The severed top track would either stop dead or continue to be pushed along by the road wheels. Tracks being heavy would get jammed under or between the sprocket and pile up jamming the drive transmission.

2. Because of the tilt and the pushing down of the suspension, the top sponson practically minimises the pilling up of the tracks. So it only piles up at the rear.

That is as much I can assume. :D :D

As for the tank going straight...it would for a short distance until the road wheels hit the dirt. The traction on the good track will drive the tank making it turn but by then the driver would have stopped the tank to minimise damage.

This kit is Tamiyas first venture into individual track links which I found very easy to build up and create the sag. Mine didn't come with the rubber tracks.

Can't afford Fruimodel track links unless my tank moves then I'll consider them. I hear they work like the real tracks if assembled properly. It's a waste if it stays static. :P I would consider using them on Italeri tanks as their tracks are horrendously stiff.

I'll definitely will consider replacing the mud guards with metal sheet.

Richard

Richard, wouldn't the vehicle had sheered a bit if one of it's track broke? The good track (left side) would have continued moving forward slightly while the right side of the vehicle came to a halt (i.e. the left side would move at a faster rate than the right). This would cause the vehicle to sheer towards the right. Not claiming to be an expert. Just wondering if that's possible.

Alpha, that's definitely possible and should happen. The tank would veer right. In my diorama I needed the tank to hit a building and come to rest on a pile of rubble. This means it has to veer left.

I would have to re-think the scene happening in a town square where the left side of the tanks buildings would be in a curve and not a straight set of buildings.

The other possiblity is the assumption that the driver out of the sudden reaction to the bazooka impact has kicked his levers to turn left. (long shot but possible) :lol:

I'll do a rough sketch and let you guys give feedback.

Richard.

Hi Guys,

I've got the composition right this time. The scene happens in a town square with a fountain in the middle. I placed some polysterene blocks to simulate the buildings and have determined how they are going to look.



This fountain is an old Verlinden plaster cast which I painted many moons ago but didn't know where to put it in a diorama. Now its got a purpose.



There'll be a park at the bottom corner next to the fountain fenced up with a wall and iron gratings. Most of the paratroopers will be huddled behind the fountain and the park wall. Only David will be alone standing with his bazooka obviously stunned that he stopped the Tiger.



The extra lines in red will determine the pavement and the surrounding structures. Notice that I've skewed the position so that it doesn't run parallel to the edges of the base.

Next I'll show how I replaced the plastic fenders with metal ones.

Cand C welcomed as usual.

Richard.

Hi,

I took Ari's advice and changed the fenders using copper sheets and bending them to shape.





These sheets were cut with a blade and steel ruler. The steel ruler doubled up as a shaping tool to bend the straight edge into an S shape and then sharpening the corners with the help of the existing fender as a guide.





I stretched some sprue and cut them to make bolt heads that fasten the fenders to the tank sides.





All these were secured with super glue.





Close up of the damage caused by the bazooka splatter.







Can't wait to dirty up the tracks...but before that I'll have to plug up the gaps with simulated welding for the front super structure joining the side and also glue the turret top on.

Next is the part I hate to do and that is painting and weathering...delicate balance is the key to it to get it to scale and just right for the dio.

Richard.

Richard,

splendid, I can foresee this will be another stunning work, keep us updated.

thanks

great progress richard.... your styrene mock-up greatly explain what you're planning. i'll love to see how the simulated damage will look like... :)

Hi,

Thanks BV...I'll try to make my progress more frequent...juggling work and family commitments and maintaing a hobby very time consuming. I'm more a closet builder and only emerge when I've completed my build. Sometimes I forget to photograph the progress and other times I do too much of it and slow down the build. I'm as anxious to see my own progress too. :lol:

Thanks Jimbo,

Below would be examples of the kind of buildings I would be fabricating. I prefer making my own and rely on pictures that I can find like the recent pictures of Normandy buildings I found in Armorama that somebody had contributed. It'll be a great help.

These are from my Pegasus Dio.









This progress will switch from here to the 'others in progress' thread. The tiger's progress will remain here until it's ready for the Dio.

Richard.

splendid work Rich....

it's hard to see a good dio in local scene these days....

The fenders are Awesome! I m drooling just looking at them ^_^

Thanks Sil,

Don't say like that...some of the member have come up with good ones lately...or are you saying I'm really slow :lol: :lol: :lol: ...don't know where to hide my face. :P

Thanks Enghui,

For those who want to work with metals I'd recommend copper sheets. They're easy to cut and shape. Cheap cheap some more.

Actually I've added weld seams to the top turret edge after gluing the top of the turret down. Also added more zimmerit to section joints in the front and sides.

Next is to dirty the tracks and wheels and then to paintin.

Richard.

Rich..

Excellent work so far, I like the fenders too and can you advice where to get the copper sheet and what is the thickness you used??

Thanks masterqq,

I got the copper sheet from the local hardware shop. Don't know what size stocks they have. The one that I used is between 0.3 - 0.5 mm and is normally used for copper tuling, a form of art where you press the copper sheet against a raised detail like a portrait. Copper is quite plyable and can stretch a little.

They sell it by length.

Richard.

Local hardware shop as in TTDI Jaya?The one next to 7-11? hoho I m on my way!
^_^ :) :lol:

enghui,

I know which shop you mean but I think its the other one next to the Indian DVD shop with the awfull purple pink interior, opposite Maybank. That's where I bought mine but I guess any local hardware shop should stock it.

Richard.

Hi,

Some progress shots of the weld beads on the turret roof made with stretch sprue and bevelling with a motor tool. Actually the turret roof left a gap which let the sprue fit it neatly.





Added the zimmerit to these spots on the front leading edge...



...and the two thick armor plating joints.



Oops! Close up shot reveals I have to get rid of the seam line on the axe. :P



Thanks for looking.

C & C welcomed.

Richard.

Wow! This is gonna be a cool diorama! Great idea! Have always loved Tigers and paratroopers..can't wait to see it completed... :D

Keep up the good work bro!

ah bos...finally this tiger starts to look like a tiger. nice work on the fenders and battle damage, you got the plate penetrations spot on. you could improve by adding splitters cause by those that fail to penetrate..
,hahaha guess after this you will not be doing anymore battle damage on your future models using heat and screwdriver ...rite
btw...if your doing a hit on the main body by an ATS...it will be a neat round hole...no burn marks no nothing as the explosion will only occur after the round had penetrated..if it fail to penetrate, then there will alot of burn marks and a badly dented armour

From Ari

Add some pertinent point from Ari:

1. AP (Armour Piercing) produced neat round with silvering effect fired from Tanks and AT Guns and not from manpad system like Bazooka, PIAT, Panzershrek or Panzerfaust due to High muzzle velocity where no human can stand the recoil effect. If this round is not properly "stop", NO EXPLOSION occurs becoz this round does no carry any high explosive, only carving effect.

2. HEAT (High Explosive Anti Tank) round produced bigger but not neat round with "bursting star" burn mark due to explosion from high explosive. Fired from all AT wpn sys.

3. HESH (High Explosive Squash Head) round produced dented or concave armour with burn mark but produced "spalling" (inner armour lining fall off) which produced secondary explosion. Fired from all AT wpn sys.

Hope this help other modeller to understand in building "downed" tank in their dios...

mej®

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the kind words and comments especially those on the projectiles performances.

Always wondered if the projectiles of the present day are the same as those in WW2, performance wise that is.

What I've read is that the bazooka was like a peashooter and didn't pack much punch. At least it was propelled from a charge rather than the British Piat which was discharged by a recoilled spring although if well placed could disable a Panzer MKIV as at the junction of Benouville during the night of 6th June 1944.

I'd like some specifics of what a bazooka round would make if there wasn't a penetration of the armor... I should think there should be a blowback of some sought.

Anyone with picture reference?

Richard.

all credit to the author

rich , some reference and maybe some new ideas perhaps for you ?