Das Werk – Ramtiger 1/35, part 2.

Part 1.

OK, the Tiger is done. It took a long while, but I had a second child, still have to keep the first one alive and entertained, got laid off, and in general, had a lot going on, so there’s that.

I created some impact craters (small-caliber AT rounds I guess) using a drill, which was a first, and quite fun.

I also used silicon mold release agent as a way to create deep scratched paint: it goes between the base (primer red), and the top layers, and you can use a toothpick to scratch the paint away. Another way to do it; I quite liked the results.

When I finally had time to bring out the airbrush I rushed the process, and completely forgot to take the scale effect into consideration, so the color contrast was quite stark.

Fortunately, drybrushing the base color lightly on top helped.

Then came filters, washes and dust. I also used some actual brick dust I collected when I drilled various things to the wall at home, and that went on as well -after all, this is supposed to be used in an urban setting, so it is not impossible it went through some brick walls as well.

I also realized I can subcontract phases of the weathering process. I just wish I could convince my contractor that assembling individual tracks is even more fun.

Das Werk – Ramtiger 1/35, part 1.

So this fictional vehicle has fascinated me since I first saw it fifteen years ago; I was looking at 1/72 conversions, opportunities to build it myself from scratch but never actually progressed with this project. (If you wish to do so, check out this link…) Das Werk issued this model based on Amusing Hobby’s Porsche Tiger, and since it was relatively cheap I jumped on it. (Let it be a lesson about hoarding I guess.)

The model is quick to build, but suffers from a couple of issues.

The tracks are -obviously- same as the Ferdinand kit’s from Amusing Hobby. They are NOT workable, unless you are extremely good with the glue. I simply treated them as “ordinary” individual link tracks, and glue them into place. Assembly was not especially painful, unlike the Grant’s tracks. In fact, I went with gluing everything in place before painting -suspension, drive wheels, tracks – the whole assembly. This is something I normally do not do as it makes painting the lower hull and the tracks somewhat awkward, but in this case I thought I might as well try something new. We will see how it works out.

Same issue with the suspension: supposed to be workable, but the tiny springs are anything but. They are simply not strong enough to have any sort of resistance and spring. As I said I just did not bother with them and glued everything in place. The roadwheels were difficult to install straight, as there was too much play, and as a result, were kind of wobbly. Not ideal.

A big (potential) problem with the kit: the turret ring is not covered -and the empty space is (barely) visible through the gap on the armor. There is a huge gap there, and you do not have the turret ring’s structure, either, so this opening may need to be covered. It is not very visible (the gap is small), so it is really up to the builder.

(Good news: the interior has different raised markings inside corresponding to bulkheads and other internal structures suggesting that the Tiger (P) will be issued with a full interior…)

The top armor is one piece; pretty impressive molding. It seems quite well-done, although there seems to be some slight indentations on the large, flat sides. We will see how much of it is visible once painted.

There is a glaring fit issue: the top of the hull’s superstructure is somewhat awkward to install; most of it will be invisible, fortunately. Not sure how it works in the Tiger (P) model, though, as it left a couple of visible gaps (which are then covered by the armored shield).

Will need to add some battle damage to the shield, and it is ready for the paint. Any and all suggestions are welcome about the color scheme.

Overall, quick build, interesting vehicle.