Takom Jagdtiger

[BlrwestSiR]

The new bench needs a new build. So I took this out of the stash. It's going to be OOB, which should hopefully make it straight forward. We shall see...

The kit looks fairly uncomplicated with a minimum of PE bits, those mostly relegated to the engine screens. 

So first step was the bogie arms. 

The arms are keyed to make sure they go in the right spot.  Takom gives you a jig to make sure the arms are all aligned and you don't get a wobbly tank. 

I got the rest of the arms on as well as the rear idler arm and the drive housing. 

I then started painting the road wheels. 

So things are moving along nicely. 

[Ryan]

Annnd they're off!

[Martinnfb]

I wanted to say "Squirrel !", but then .........

[BlrwestSiR]

Grabbed a quick break and hit the rest of the road wheels and lower hull with Dunkelgelb.

One nice thing about some of the late war tanks is the lack of rubber rims.  Saves on masking and painting. 

[JeroenPeters]

What a cool kit!!

[harv]

Oh boy, another target !!.....harv 

[SapperSix]

I am looking forward to this build with this kit.  

 

As I have a few German kits waiting in the wings, I am wondering what brand/color Green are you using for the camouflage?  I would like to use something very similarity for a Panther Kit I have.

[BlrwestSiR]

7 hours ago, SapperSix said:

I am looking forward to this build with this kit.  

 

As I have a few German kits waiting in the wings, I am wondering what brand/color Green are you using for the camouflage?  I would like to use something very similarity for a Panther Kit I have.

Thanks! 

Here's the paint I'm using for the green:

It's AK Real Color RC 047.

 

[BlrwestSiR]

8 hours ago, JeroenPeters said:

What a cool kit!!

Jeroen, so far, it's been a fun build. There's very few ejector pin marks to clean up. In fact, none of the track links have any so those should go quickly.

8 hours ago, harv said:

Oh boy, another target !!.....harv 

Yup, can't have too many. 

[Bomber_County]

Carl, new desk new model..........it looks like the tidy desk is doubling your build speed...........more stash I hear you say........

[BlrwestSiR]

Thanks Phil! It's more the kit than anything.

[BlrwestSiR]

Poker anyone?

The road wheels only needed a quick cleanup of the sprue attachment point. No mould seams. Not sure how they pulled that off but it saved more time. 

I then got the wheels onto the hull.

Here's the idler and drive sprockets.

The tracks are link and length.

As I mentioned earlier, there's no ejector pin marks on them either. 

To assemble the tracks, you use the same alignment jig for the axles. The drive and idler sprockets are slipped onto it and then you add the tracks. 

 

[DocRob]

Nice progress with the JT, and indeed, lots of wheels. Seems to be an enjoyable kit, always good for inaugurate a new bench.

Cheers Rob

[BlrwestSiR]

Thanks Rob! The kit is moving along very nicely. Definitely great for breaking in a new bench and certainly a great first armour kit for someone who hasn't built one before. 

Carl

[BlrwestSiR]

Onto the time consuming bit of the build. I painted the track parts in XF-84 Dark iron mixed with a bit of hull red. 

I then clipped them from the sprues and cleaned up the attachment points. Fairly straightforward except for on the longer lengths where some of the attachment points are between the track pins. 

Then I started the assembly on the track

guide.

The guide even has a couple notches on it so you know where to place the longer single piece runs. 

 

[[CAT]CplSlade]

You might find that time consuming, but let me tell you how lucky you are Takom provides a track guide for assembly.

My Dragon build did not include a guide nor Magic Tracks; not even DS. It was the old school 'every single piece needs clipping and cleaning' kind. 

[Martinnfb]

To paint them first was a smart move. Good show Carl.

 

[BlrwestSiR]

9 hours ago, [CAT]CplSlade said:

You might find that time consuming, but let me tell you how lucky you are Takom provides a track guide for assembly.

My Dragon build did not include a guide nor Magic Tracks; not even DS. It was the old school 'every single piece needs clipping and cleaning' kind. 

It's definitely world's easier than the old school tracks. I think the worst still are Sherman tracks.

 

[BlrwestSiR]

Here's the track sets all finished.

The lower run of track is added after they're installed onto the tank.

Once the glue set, I removed the tracks from the jig. I then carefully pried them open a bit to remove the idler and drive sprocket.

This way I can now do the touchups . I then started on the other side. 

 

[BlrwestSiR]

Here's both sets of tracks done and the paint touched up. 

I then installed the tracks onto the lower hull. I placed the drive and idler sprockets into place on the tracks and then mounted the subassembly to the hull.

The remaining lower track was then added. 

Here she is with both tracks installed. 

A dry run with the upper hull in place. 

[BlrwestSiR]

I've worked on the kit over the last couple of days in drips and drabs. It seems every time I get to the bench, one of the boys is killing the other one. So not a lot of progress as a result. 

I assembled the gun barrel. It's a two part barrel like of yore but I managed to eliminate any seam by careful glue application.

I then assembled the gun mount and the barrel to it. 

This is then installed onto the lower hull. 

From there, I assembled the rear loading hatches. These can be made to work I'd you're careful with the cement. But then again, there's no interior of any kind.

I then put the engine deck together. I found that the upper hull was slightly warped underneath so I had to clamp it while the cement dried. 

With the rear bulkhead in place, I installed the PE screens over the grilles.

With most of the upper hull details on, I gave the hull a coat of paint. 

Once the camo is on, I'll add the periscopes, fenders and tools.

Carl

[BlrwestSiR]

I spent the last couple of days on the camo. 

I started with the olivegrun and then the rotbrun.

I painted the periscopes.

 

These along with the bow MG were added next. 

Finally the upper hull was glued to the lower one.

Next, onto the tools, front and rear fenders. 

[harv]

Wow, your fast ! I like it......harv

[GazzaS]

Dude, that looks fricking amazing!

[DocRob]

12 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

I spent the last couple of days on the camo. 

I started with the olivegrun and then the rotbrun.

The camo looks perfect, is it freehand? The borders look overly equal, great job, but you definitely has to to do your German language homework .

Cheers Rob