MIKE ASHEY PRODUCTIONS

PRESENTS
BUILDING DRAGONS 1/35 SCALE
PORSCHE TURRET, KING TIGER TANK
BY
MIKE ASHEY
Dragon and DML kits are packed with extra goodies that really enhance the appearance of a
scale model. The magic tracks worked very well and I was able to achieve a good amount of
sag in the tracks around the drive sprockets. The kit has photoetch detail parts to replace the
plastic detail parts and the modeler gets to choose whether to use plastic or photoetch. The
kit also has a turned aluminum barrel, metal toe cable U clamps and three lengths of
stranded metal tow cables. All the extra details as well as impressive surface molding and fit
make this a great model and a joy to build.
I used Testors enamel and metalizer paints for the panzer and green colors and a silver
colored sharpie marker for the steel faces of the road wheels. For weathering I used Testors
silver for drybrushing the edges and protrusions, pencil pastel dust for subtle dirt, dust wear
and tear and exhaust staining and PollyScale rust for the tracks.
Finished photos of this model are posted on the military ground vehicles web page.

The tree stubs on the sides of the upper tank body are very
pronounced. Hold a number 11 blade flat against the surface
and carefully scrape layers of plastic. Sand the surface
smooth with sanding stick.

I used a sanding stick to remove the tree stubs on the road

wheels.

The road wheels have tiny mold lines which I removed by

carefully and gently scraping the surface flat with a sharp
number 11 X-Acto blade.

The wheel suspension parts had tree stubs in a critical area.

I removed as much of the stub from the top surface as a

first step.

I then carefully peeled away the excess plastic from the

lower layer of the step on the part first. Then I sanded the
top area smooth with a sanding stick.

I taped the model together to check for voids. The fit was
very tight between the upper and lower hulls. I decided to
paint and assemble the lower hull, wheels, and tracks first
and then attach the painted upper hull.

This kit had a lot of small parts. I removed all the parts for
one sub-assembly, cleaned them up, and stored them in one
parts bin location to ensure that I did not mix up parts.

I taped the barrel together and then ran a bead of super glue
along the seam lines.

I lightly scraped the glue off the seam line prior to sanding
the surface.

To maintain the round shape of the barrel, I wrapped the

sandpaper around it and rotated the barrel as I sanded. I also
wet sanded to cut down on surface abrasion.

To polish the plastic I wrapped 0000 steel wool around the

barrel and rotated the part as I polished it.

To clean up the muzzle opening I used various size drill bits

to round out the hole. Using small differences in the drill
bit diameters allows you to shave tiny amounts of plastic at
a time and prevents the plastic from cracking.

The sub-assemblies for the gun are complete. I assembled

both the plastic and metal barrels and I decided to use the
plastic one.

I assembled the guns breach and attachment frame first, but I

did not attach the barrel until after the turret was assembled
and the parts were all painted.

I filled the seam line on the bottom of the turret with super
glue and then carefully scraped and sanded the
seams smooth.

There were a lot of photoetch metal replacement parts for

this model, but I decided to use the plastic ones instead.
Except for the commanders hatch and the clear vision blocks
this assembly is ready for priming and painting.

I attached the rear hull section by applying super glue to the

inside area along the seam line. The super glue filled in the
tiny voids on the outside area of the model.

The three main sub-assemblies are completed and primed.

The next step will be to apply the finished coats of paint.

Parts management on any scale model is important. To paint

all the parts I used large, wide sheets of balsa wood. I attach
the parts by doubling over masking tape onto itself.

Since this tank will get a one camouflage color I

attached the small rear parts with tiny strips of masking tape
so that these parts will also get painted thereby
matching the pattern.

The base color is Testors Panzer dunkelgelb 1943 and the

camouflage color is Testors lichtgrun. The green color had a
slight sheen which was flattened out when I gave the
assemblies a coat of Testors clear dullcoat.

To paint the road wheels I attached each one to a plastic or

wood dowel and inserted the dowel into play clay for better
parts management and paint drying.

The road wheels on the king tiger were steel. I paint the
surfaces with silver Sharpie pen. Each road wheel got
several coats. Each road wheel was then polished with 0000
steel wool to smooth out the color.

A silver sharpie also works great to color the surfaces of the

drive sprockets where the paint gets worn off. I flattened one
side of the felt tip by cutting off half the felt to prevent ink
from getting onto the sides of the sprocket.

Drybrushing the surfaces of the road wheels with Testors

silver will enhance their appearance. Always remember that
subtle effects are better so dont overdue the drybrushing.

To airbrush Testors clear dullcoat on all the road wheels, I

slide the wheels onto a wood dowel and used small pieces of
masking tape to hold them in place.

The road wheel and drive sprocket were attached and glued
into place. I left the idler wheel off as I wanted to use it to
help adjust the tension on the tracks.

I discovered that I painted the green color on the inside

wheels surface, but I forgot about the outside surfaces. To
protect the surface of the model I stuffed tissue around the
upper areas and then airbrushed the faces of the outer

The magic tracks fit together very well and although they did
not actually snap together the fit was very tight. I positioned
each link as I built up a length of track.

Next I used the flat cut off end of a wide sanding stick to
push the link down so that it would fit snugly in place.

Then I used the edge of the sanding stick to push the links
tightly together.

To keep the links in their proper positions I cut thin strips of

masking tape and attached the tape along each length of assembled track. Two lengths of track have already
been wrapped around the drive sprocket and road wheels.

I attached the idler wheel and taped the third length. I had
to remove several links to get the correct length.

I removed the third length, reset and repositioned the first

two lengths and then carefully applied small drops of super
glue to each link attachment point being careful to maintain
the proper sag on the tracks.

The individual links on the three lengths of track have been

glued and then are now ready to be painted and weathered. I
used Testors metalizer steel for the base coat and then a
dusting of metalizer burnt metal.

I used PollyScale water based rust color applied with a flat

and round brush to give the tracks hints of rust. I used the flat
brush for the outside areas and the round brush for the
inside areas.

All the sub-assemblies have been painted and drybrushed

with Testors silver and given a coat of clear dullcoat to seal
the silver.

The idler wheel was attached but not glued. I positioned the
forward two track assemblies, glued them together and then
attached the third rear track assembly. I then adjusted the
position of the idler wheel and glued it.

After completing the tracks I attached the upper hull in place

and applied tiny beads of super glue along the seam lines.

There were tiny void lines on the front of the model along
the sides where the tow cable brackets touched the
upper hull.

There were also two voids where the rear hull panel touched
the rear tow cable brackets.

To fill the voids I applied white glue with a thin wire

applicator and contoured it with a damp Q-Tip. I then
carefully primed and painted the areas.

The edges of the turret edges and any protrusions got a subtle
coat of drybrushed silver. The barrels edges also got touches
of drybrushed silver.

I used various shades of pastel pencil dust applied with a

wide flat brush to lightly weather the surface of the model.

The turret got a dusting of streaked gray, white and black

pastel dust. I should have applied the decal first, but that can
easily be fixed. The muzzle got heavier applications of black
to represent gun powder residue.

The tank hull also got streaks of the same pastel colors. I
used a downward streaking motion with the brush and also
blew away any residue. The engine hatches and breather
vents also got heavier coats of black.

I attached the clear vision blocks with white glue applied

through the interior of the turret.

I cut out each decal and also removed all the clear carrier
film from each one to ensure that there would be
no silvering.

The decals were applied to the surface without a coat of clear

gloss because there was no clear film to worry about. I then
gave the decals a dusting of pastel dust to fade them and
then I sealed them with Testors clear dullcoat.

The secret to working with real metal tow cables is to attach

one end of the tow cable ring and then paint the cables and
the other tow ring.

Attach one end of the tow ring and then weave the cable
though its clamps. This will allow the cable to untwist itself
and relax the metal strands of the cable. The other ring is
also attach to its location.

The loose end of the cable is cut to length and then inserted
into the tow ring and glued into place. The wood handles of
the hand tools were inked with a brown sharpie and then
given a coat of clear flat.

The last part I work on was the wood box that sits on the rear
panel of the hull. I painted it a wood color, masked it with
small squares of tape and then painted the metal frame the
proper color. The wood was drybrushed with brown.