Trumpeter 1/72 King Tiger (Henschel Turret)

The family spent the whole day at home so I cracked open this kit for a fast build.

Assembly was fast but I discovered that I was missing a grill for the hull. The part must have detached from the sprue some time ago and was misplaced. So I left out attaching the grill that I have, maybe until I find a replacement or make one. Trumpeter's casting is a bit light on detail. I didn't like that fact that parts such as hatches, cables and tools were molded on the hull instead of being separate parts.

I refrained from gluing the soft rubber tracks together and instead joined the ends using thread. Putting them on was a chore though. Happily, I didn't break and idler when I fitted them on as I inevitably did with my old ESCI kits.

Attaching the hull posed some problems because of how the hull was designed to attach to the lower chassis. Pegs on both sides should snap on the lower lips of the chassis but doing so would prevent me from disassembling the model again for painting. So I nipped off the pegs and will just glue it on after painting.

The turret assembly was easy but again, I found myself disappointed with the very soft details. I left off the spare tracks until after painting.

The turret easily went on the hull and voila -- a King Tiger in a few hours! Build time, not counting the time I spent lounging around, puttering about and generally just lollygagging was around three hours. I'll be painting this model with some other German tanks I built to save on time prepping my airbrush. Call me lazy but that's how I roll!

Comments

Matchbox 1:76 Sherman Firefly 2-Color Kit

I woke up to a beautiful morning and after a good breakfast and a brisk walk around the house, I decided to work on my scale models. Now, I recently fubbed some paintjobs and I had left the models on my main workbench unfinished. With my airbrush still needing a new needle, painting was out of the question. The 1/35 Jagdtiger and SU-122 would have to wait. I had some 1/35 figures still on the workbench but i didn't feel like brush painting either. What I needed ws a simple, fast, uncomplicated out-of-the-box build. And a good cup of coffee. I eventually headed to my bodega and decided to crack open an old kit that had languished in my bodega for years. Browsing thru my collection of unassembled kits, I decided on the old Matchbox Sherman Firefly in 1/76 scale. I had bought this kit way back in the 70's I believe, part of my early collection of 1/72 and 1/76 tanks. Even though the Matchbox tanks were smaller than the ESCI ones, I liked them because of the mini dioramas

Dragon Models 1/16 Warrior: British Paratrooper "Red Devils"

This is my first attempt at painting a large-scale figure. I like the way the Denison smock came out but the messy inking on the flesh parts bother me. Maybe I'll repaint those next time I break out the paints. This is the first time I tried painting a figure larger than 54mm. I got this model along with 3 other models from Dragon's plastic figures line. Painted with oils, acrylics and inks. The 1st Airborne Division was a military formation that was raised and fought during World War II. It suffered terrible casualties throughout the operations it undertook, especially during the Battle of Arnhem, the operation which made the division famous for its defence of Arnhem Bridge. The division was the first to use the maroon beret, now an internationally recognised symbol of elite airborne forces. The distinctive maroon beret of the Parachute Regiment was first worn by the men of the Regiment when it went into action in North Africa in November 1942. T

Migrating to Facebook

After a tragedy in the family and a slow return to my hobbies, I've realized that I've been posting more on Facebook. It's easier, faster and the audience response is faster. So, posting here might be spasmodic at best for the time being. Bear with me as I decide what to do with my blogs, thanks!

The Model Box

Search This Blog