Friday 14 October 2022

A Tale of Two Tigers

While I wouldn't call myself a collector I do have a tendency to be a completist, which explains why several years ago I bought a box of two "E-Z Build" Tiger II kits from Pegasus Hobbies. I was building the German force for games using Chain of Command and naturally I wanted to be prepared to cover all eventualities. Makes sense? Well it does if you're a completist, but two Tiger IIs, was that really necessary? After all this is for a platoon level skirmish game. How often is one Tiger II, let alone two, going to turn up in one of those?

Sensing I may have made a purchase too far the models remained unmade in their box. In fact they did so for so long that when I had a chance to do a bit of a clear out for a bring & buy event at a local convention I thought it was probably time to let them go. Well, as it turned out, no one else shared my enthusiasm for two Tiger IIs in 1/72 scale. The box was one of very few items that didn't sell. No matter, it was returned to the stash.

Fast forward to December 2021 and I download the pdf of the most recent Lard Magazine. I'm pleased to see there is much in it that interests me including two campaigns for Chain of Command. One of which, Bazooka Town, is set in 1945 and I can hardly believe my eyes when I see that the campaign includes provision for the Germans to have a force with....wait for it....two Tiger IIs. Well, how fortunate is that? Cue a hunt in the stash to see if I still have that Pegasus box with the Tigers, which I do. I don't know if I'll ever get around to playing the campaign (although it is appealing), but suddenly here was the incentive I needed to make up those two models.


Being quick build kits they are short on detail but I've kept things simple and the only addition is a tank commander from AB for one of them.

I decided to paint them in a late war tri-tonal ambush camouflage scheme. I'll often do the tri-tone colours using the airbrush freehand, as I've done with the PzIV below.

However this time I wanted the camouflage to have a hard edge. For this I make a mask using Silly Putty which I find does an excellent job and is easily removed without lifting any of the paintwork. 


The dots for the ambush scheme were applied afterwards using a paintbrush.

I use a filter of a pale yellow oil paint to fade the colours and tie them together. I then do all my usual weathering. Overall I think they've come out well considering the simplicity of the kits.

Now the story doesn't end there, that would be too easy. The Germans are fighting the Americans and while I have a good collection of US vehicles the campaign has support options that include a M26 Pershing and a M36 Jackson tank destroyer. I didn't have either one of those. I hardly need to tell you how this one ends other than to say a couple of packages came through the post not long after.

The Pershing is a kit from Trumpeter. They have more detail than the quick-build ones from Pegasus and involve a bit more time putting together but the reward is a more attractive finished model. If there is a downside it's that they use rubber tracks which are not as robust for gaming as hard plastic ones. The crew figure is from AB.





The M36 Jackson is from Armourfast. Like Pegasus these are quick build and lacking in detail but I find adding extras like crew and stowage can really make a difference. Once again the crew for this one comes from AB Figures.



While I was working on those two I took the opportunity to finish off another American tank destroyer that had been sitting half completed since last year. This one is the M18 Hellcat built on the Chaffee chassis and is also from Armourfast, with crew once again from AB.


So I guess there's a moral in here somewhere, although I'm not sure exactly what it is - never get rid of anything, you'll only regret it later? Buy things even when you can't see a use for them, because hey, you never know when you might? If you buy one thing it will lead you down a rabbit hole that will involve buying more? I suspect the answer is probably all of the above but, if nothing else, at least I've satisfied the completist in me. 

37 comments:

  1. They all look pretty good to me and you're right, don't get rid of anything. I've made that mistake a few times and always regretted it down the line.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I think every gamer I know has at least one or two tales of regret about doing this!

      Delete
  2. Lovely paint jobs, I like the fast build kits, one of the great innovations for wargamers, but as you say, they do benefit from a few additions of kit / crew. I also find the tracks a bit simple, but a splash of mud here and there does much to disguise that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Norm. I think you’re right about the tracks, often the weakest part of those kits, but, as you say, there are ways to overcome them.

      Delete
  3. Fabulous brushwork mate, I possibly have more than two, but I know I have three pairs in different camo schemes.

    Cheers
    Matt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Matt. It seems we can never have enough, even those tanks we know we will rarely use.

      Delete
  4. Splendid work Mark, I like the nice clean finish, if "clean" is the correct work for an AFV but you know what I mean🙂

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful additions to your collection. I really hope you go ahead with the Bazooka Town campaign.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Pat, it looks very tempting, it’s not very often you get to put so many late war tanks on the table.

      Delete
  6. Never throw anything out! You never know when you'll 'need' them. I've just found a 'need' for some Airfix French Foreign Legion figures I bought in the 60's!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL. Yes the current vogue for decluttering suggests if you haven’t used something for a year or two you don’t need it, but I don’t think they’ve ever considered the likes of us and our strange little hobby.

      Delete
  7. Nice job on the Tigers - they'd sell for sure now. I think the Pershing is probably the pick of the Allied crop although the Hellcat looks great with the entire crew fitted and on display - nice one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. The Pershing has a very distinctive look and is a nice change for the Americans from the endless Sherman variants that normally make up their force.

      Delete
  8. I find that after hanging on to something for "future use" for years, I never find that "future use" until the week after I threw it out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes indeed. I think it’s the same law that applies to those new units that you’ve just painted and their ability to be killed quickly and easily in the first game they appear in.

      Delete
  9. Beautiful tanks. I do like the extra detail on the Trumpeter kits, and the perfect amount of oil, dirt and grime.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I remember reading on a modelling forum that the moment you think you’ve done enough weathering or chipping is probably the moment when you’ve done too much. It took me a while, but I’ve learned to hold back the urge to do a ‘bit more’ and overdo things.

      Delete
  10. Funny Mark, I saw the Tigers on the table at MOAB and thought to my self, no one is going to buy them, but you're done a great job of painting them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’m glad no one bought them in the end, some things were obviously meant to be!

      Delete
  11. Sounds like someone write a campaign just so they could have the BIG tanks on the table. 😀
    Nice job on the tanks and etc…
    And I’m the rare exception where I have tossed stuff and never looked back. 😀

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stew - your final comment just proves how weird you are!

      Delete
    2. I’ve cleared out things for projects I ‘thought’ I’d want to get into but realised I just wasn’t that interested in the period. No regrets there, but I should know better when it comes to WWII in 20mm given the extent of my interest and investment in the period.

      Delete
  12. They all look great - I too appreciate the simplicity of the quick build kits - Armourfast, Italeri, PSC - whoever. I have built a couple of "real" models in the last year, and they tested my patience and fortitude to its limits! And as far as I am aware, the Germans built a lot more than two King Tigers, so I am sure a few turned up together on many occasions - Battle of the Bulge for a start?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ive always been a modeller and so don’t mind making a more complex kit, but most of the quickbuilds have good enough bare bones that they can be made into something very presentable. I’ve enjoyed making the Tigers and now I have them I’m sure I’ll be on the lookout for more ways to use them.

      Delete
  13. Everyone needs a break, I get that, But your break is over and you have to get busy with what you do best - writing Battle reports that inspire the rest of us! Your modelling and kit bashing and paint is all top drawer, but you have no equal in writing Battle reports.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Dick, I’ve been playing one-off games but Dave has been busy lately and we’ve had trouble locking in plans for our next PSC. I’m keen to get started again!

      Delete
  14. Very nice, I like the cleaner look--personally I am a little skeptical of some of the models I see online which look great but seem to have a LOT of chipping and dirt and rust. You would think the regimental sergeant major would have something to say to the tank crews who let their tanks get that beaten up!
    Great work anyhow, and yes--never throw anything away!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I tend to agree on overdoing the chipping and rusting, it looks good and is fun to do but seems a long way from reality. If it's going to happen it's likely to be on those extremities like track guards or skirting but on a small scale like 1/72 you're not likely to notice much.

      Delete
  15. I used to have a lot of 'quick build' kits when I was doing WW2 in 20mm, and found the quality varies widely. S-Model for example, do some lovely and highly detailed kits of rare vehicles, Armorfast are very much at the opposite end of the scale, but your Tigers go to show you can get a very nice result with a basic kit.

    As for 'Royal Tigers' I originally had the Bandai 1/48 kit - which is absolutely massive. And purchased more for the kit than wargaming. Then I picked up the Warlord plastic Tiger II at a bring and buy for £8 - so bought for completeness. Then Rubicon released theirs and it was just such a fantastic kit, so that ended up in Winter camouflage. https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XJnkKtq2kqk/X_X9-nI7OCI/AAAAAAAAFPs/FTekXlYLp0cSoavxFi5FasjN390b6WmIACLcBGAsYHQ/s1431/tigerIIb.png

    In 20mm - the Revell Tiger II is a lovely kit... https://aleadodyssey.blogspot.com/2014/07/big-cats-king-tiger-next-to-jagdtiger.html

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm a fan of S-Model, I think they strike a perfect balance between quick build and detail. That Revell Tiger looks great, a lot more detail on it than my one from Pegasus, mind you, a lot pricier too, I think my box of two Pegasus Tigers came in at about 2/3 the cost of the Revell kit. That said I have their Panzer IV H and it's a great kit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the Revell kit wasn't cheap, but in COC you aren't going to need squadrons of tanks. And I always think that given the amount of work to build, paint and weather, you may as well start with a decent kit. It helps that I'm fortunate enough not to have to worry about saving up to buy a kit. This of course brings the opposite problem of way more purchases than I can reasonably build/paint in my lifetime.

      Delete
    2. Same but my issue is not the cost but being a completist. I also tend to snap up things if I see them at a bring & buy or if a supplier has a sale even if I can’t see an immediate use. I had tried unsuccessfully to sell those Tigers at one point.

      Delete
  17. just a question, I see you were using silly putty, was there a particular brand? I ask because i have had bad experiences with masking compounds lifting paint, or leaving greasy marks. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It’s the original Silly Putty that comes in a plastic egg shaped container. I bought several from a toy shop in the US. Not sure its availability elsewhere. I’ve had no problems with it at all, it masks well, leaves no residue, doesn’t lift paint and can be reused multiple times.’

      Delete