Looking at the build, painting and weathering process, following my previous unboxing & review of Airfix's brand new 2020 tooling of the Tiger 1 tank in 1/72 scale (ref A02342).

The main bulk of the kit went together without major issues in well less than an hour (and this included plenty of time for sanding and test fitting). Immediately it became apparent that the floor pan needed a little sanding to ensure it fitted into the side walls, but this was the only major issue.

Once the body was complete I must admit that I was a little disappointed by some of the fit. Though the prototype would have been hastily welded together using thick steel plate, it still looked as so some of the panels didn't fit as flush as I would have expected with noticable overlap.

Although the pre-mould tracks and wheels will be a useful additional for a Starter Kit, they do seem overly simplistic and lacking detail. I can only conclude the detail was deliberately lacking as it would have been easy for the sharper detail to be moulded on the wheel front and track. I made the detailed version, though I did have problems with the track. I had removed the track parts from the sprue for painting so it's likely that I may an error in assembling, but relied on assembling these parts like a jigsaw puzzle rather than using the instructions.

The model was primed using AK Interactive Primer & Microfiller. I used white as the base colour (sandy yellow) would be light. The base was a mix of Vallejo paints. The green and brown were Tamiya paints, and I deliberately used lighter shades knowing that the colours will darken during the weathering process.

I initially planned to use an airbrush to the camouflage pattern, and realised this would be too small to freehand. I explored options of using masking tape and Blu-Tak sausages (as I would with a model plane) but this was impractical.

It was at this stage I realised that the painting guide was just a guide, not a set camouflage pattern to copy. I first noticed that lines on the side side profile projection were not matching with the top-down view. Essentially the lines were not continuing as they wrapped around the corners. On comparing this with the box art is was apparent that the artwork was different to the painting instructions. I concluded that this was more of a guide, in that the tiger strips go vertically up the sides and across the top of the tank.

The camouflage was applied by brush, with the painted heavily diluted with IPA. After the first coat the paint looked patchy, but following a second coat the lines were more solid. This occurred for both the brown (applied first) and green.

Though some details (such as spare track and tow ropes) are added on afterwards (and are optional, as require holes to be drilled prior to assembly), some smaller items were pre-moulded. Though I can understand this for a Starter Set, I personally feel that some of this would have been possible to mould and fit separately, and that would have made painting (both the camo pattern and the detail items) a lot easier and more effective.

To tone the colours down the model was given a very light spray of very thin Tamiya XF-57 Buff colour. Once cured it was sprayed with Pledge floor polish to seal the paint and give a semi-gloss surface for decals.

The decals were few and went down very well. There were a few lumps and bumps on the sides of the turret, but with a few applications of MicroSol this bedded down and the backing was invisible with no silvering.

The model was then brushed with Flory Models Brown wash, and the majority removed with a damp paper towel, leaving it in the recess areas where dirt would accumulate. Further details were picked out using Tamiya Brown Panel Accent, and a Tamiya Mud Weathering Stick for the tracks.

Overall this gave the look of a Tiger Tank that shows signs of use, but not excessively dirty or muddy. Essentially one that is used in real operations.

The resulting Tiger 1 Tank is an accurate representation in 1/72 scale. The model feels solid and went together easily. I would imagine that most armour modellers would prefer to build in a more detailed Tiger 1 in 1/35 scale, but for those perhaps making a diorama I can see the benefit, especially once the option for a Starter Kit (or at least simplified track building process) is taken into account.

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