Early Tiger 1 from sPzAbt 503

[Björn Johansson]

Looking real good you´r work.

The Bosch lamp is it a Winstone?

Been thinking off order some stuff from him.

I bought some small wrench set from Elfa when
they had a shop in Malmö.

[cahlfors]

Thanks!

Yes, the headlight is from Steve Winstone. Forgot to give him credit - sorry about that.

When choosing parts supplier I would say that if Steve makes it - choose him. He works only in steel and brass - quite solid - and he has a reasonable delivery time.

The wrench I use is actually from Elfa. Looks like a screwdriver, but the walls are too thick for this purpose.

Thanks,
/Chris

[Björn Johansson]

Ok I see,yes I agree they are a bit too thick
in tight area´s . Not sure if Knuppfer has something
you could use

Very often I have too use a small pointed plier
I have one straight and one 90 degrees.

For my US bolts I bought a Nutdriver set from
a company Micro-Mark they have a lot off smart
stuff for modell builders. Not sure if they have
something in mm could be worth a look around.

[cahlfors]

Ended up using a pvc hose...

Thanks for the tip about Micro Mark. I remember they had nifty tools when I was doing trains.

/Chris

[cahlfors]

There is lots of activity in the workshop, although things don't go very quickly anymore. The headlight installation is completed and I am currently working on connecting them. However, I just blew up a transistor and a fuse when testing...
I have also upgraded the smoker to a better design. Hopefully, it will last a bit longer now.
The rear plate has been looked over and the hinges for the mud flaps inverted to correspond better to the prototype design and to allow the track tools and jack holders to be fastened in the proper location. Room for the jack is very tight as you can see in this picture. It is also the wrong type of jack, which probably makes the situation still worse. A longer jack would rest better on the brackets and have the bulge for the gears more to the left of the air cleaner.



The brackets are from Steve Winstone.

Thanks for checking in,
/Chris

[cahlfors]

A little scary that a dollar fuse can immobilize a 200kg model! It feels good to finally have that jack mounted! A set of spare fuses is now included in the tour box.
Today's electronics work has been more successful, as the following photo can testify. The dangerous end:

I now realize that a somewhat calmer background would greatly enhance the photo...
But wait - it gets worse!

Hail to the autofocus:


Yes, Fahrer Gefreiter Schmidt actually now has a real, working periscope, which greatly enhances vision over the previous one-piece "opaque" white metal casting:


This is the "clear" resin version (as opposed to optical glass), which is quite adequate for the time being. It is a bit smudgy, but a giant leap forward. Maybe one day, the interior holds a standard that I dare expose through an optical glass periscope...


Santa has been good to all of us this year and the loader got a periscope as well. The armored cover didn't fit, so I made a new one out of sheet aluminum. Actually, I'm not sure Tiger 131 had a loader's periscope, but I am more confident now that the tiger I am building actually is nr 131 and that it was produced in March '43. That's something!


The loader didn't just get a periscope, but a working hatch as well. I am immensely proud of this one as I attached it all by myself. Mike Stannard made it, though.


He also got a ventilator to vent out the powder fumes. As you can see, there is a hole in the roof that is not quite covered by the ventilator. Because my lathe died, I have been unable to make a suitable plug for this hole.

Down the hatch!
/Chris

[Hans K]

Mycket snyggt jobb, ser helt fantastiskt ut.

Hans K

[cahlfors]

Thankyaverymuch!
That coming from an avid scratchbuilder is very flattering indeed, but I must confess that most of it is merely the attachment of parts that others have made. Very good looking parts, though.

The model is now assembled properly to check everything before the show at the labor museum in Norrköping that it will be attending at the end of January. Here is another smoke test (!) with the improved unit. Please note the almost professional portrait backdrop this time...


Looks okay in these lighting conditions, but in some light, the smoke is hardly visible. The outdoors also has a tendency to make smoke disappear before it gets out somehow. On top of that, I have found that it's better to have a little too rich smoke for the audience to see it from where they are standing. It's a little bit like theater makeup or the good old Swedish drinking proverb: A little too much is about right.

Bottoms up if you can still see me!
/Chris

[pepppe75]

Hi chris!!

that is absolutly brilliant with all the details!!could you tell me wich date and time you are in norrköping at the labor museum,i have 3 minutes to the museum
from my home,it would be nice to check it out and say hi


regards peppe

[cahlfors]

The planned weekend is Jan 26-27th. I will post details in the events section when the details are confirmed. It sure would be nice to see you too Peppe, and any other people who would like to stop by for a chat! That's what makes this whole thing worthwhile.

Cheers,
/Chris

[cahlfors]

The weather forecast has been very promising for this weekend. It was supposed to get cold and clear and we already had plenty of snow, which makes for perfect tanking weather!
It started out -25C when I took it out to cool it down before running. Warm tracks in the snow will melt it and freeze back to ice, so I let it sit on a sheet of plywood for half an hour before letting it touch the snow. Meanwhile, I got my gear ready.

To the left is not the German Panzer uniform it might look like, but rather the Polartec microfiber underwear. Then comes not parachute straps, but rather straps for the radio control unit. To the far right is the control unit in its tray. The tray and straps are an excellent help to hold the unit. I often get a sore arm and cold fingers on that hand when trying to hold it with one hand while handling the camera with the other. Heartily recommended!
Ready for combat!


Cold start in -22C (yes, it did get "warmer" as we went along)


Coming out from the hideout


Look at that smoke!


Starting up again after a short break. The track is too loose, as you can see when it turns around


Charging through the snowmounds! Look at the ease at which 200kg tank moves through the deep snow! Imagine, that's where we sat last summer fighting the hornets.


Look at these tracks!


Testing the gun and moving forward toward the front


Testing the headlights


Charging forward again. The one-handed photographer is so, so...


Full speed ahead!


The squealing sound you hear is not from the running gear. It comes from so called "birds". You can also see that, despite its getting a bit "warmer", the gunner is deep frozen and very clumsy with the controls. Same with the photographer...


A still in the sun with the engine running. The pistol port is still a bit primitive.


And one from the front


Tracks tensioned. The engine is smoking less now that it has reached operating temperature. Or more truthfully, because the micropump has difficulty pumping smoke oil for some reason, it turned out.


Oh no, that poor flowerbed again... :shifty:


Guess, what! The flowerbed again. Backwards! Let's hope for more snow before our war crimes are discovered!


Charging over a small ridge


Posing for the photographer


Hatches open


There is plenty left to do on the rear


The sun is setting slowly in the west and it's time to find shelter for the night


It's been a great outing and thanks for coming along!

/Chris

[Hans K]

Den är otroligt vacker i snön, fantastisk fin gång , mycket bra jobb med röken.

Hans K

[Pressylta]

I just love your work, with all the details, i noticed that the fan you are using for the exhoust, looks excactly like the one you use in a cellular base station module called CTC, have you worked at Ericsson?
Keep posting pictures and movies, making the rest of us tankers yealous.....Superb work!

[cahlfors]

Thanks guys - much appreciated!
I believe the fan is exactly that. It's surplus stuff from a manufacturer I believe made parts for base stations. I consulted for Ericsson in the eighties, but that's about it.

Thanks!
/Chris

[cahlfors]

Today, I finally had the opportunity to head off with a venture I have been contemplating for a long time:


I know, it's just a hole, but making a reasonably circular hole without proper tools has had me stumped for quite a while. Finally, I was able to find a circular saw with the proper diameter! Then I realized that perhaps just putting it in an electric hand drill would not be such a good idea. Then, today, I was able to borrow a proper drill press and make that longed for hole!

This is what it is for:


Finally, I won't have to drive around with that ugly hole in the turret and instead have something more finished looking!

The rear will also receive a makeover:


Looks like a hedgehog with all the bolts sticking out.

The mufflers have been drilled out to a better size. I expect this to have a positive effect on the smoke flow. Lifting lugs have also been added to the armor covers.


Some square distances have also been added to the exhaust shields.


That's all for today - thanks for stopping by!

/Chris