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1/16 Scale of Model of the Heng Long King Tiger (U.S. Captured)
This page was updated on
May 3, 2020
About
This model replicates the King Tiger (Tiger II) that was captured by us troops and made (somewhat) operational.
It appears that the bottom left edge of the turret was hit by an unknown round which seems to have rendered the turret unable to turn. The
photos below were still shots from a movie where it showed the tank being towed and a line tied to the barrel forced the turret straight.
The Zimmerit process video link can be found under the heading "External (Cosmetic) Modifications"
paragraph "Zimmerit" - below.
Report: This Tiger II was from the 2.Kompanie, schwere Panzer Abteilung 506 was captured by American troops and restored to running condition by Company B, 129th Ordnance Battalion by 15 December 1944 (Source: Jentz, Thomas L., Germany's Tiger Tanks - Tiger I and Tiger II: Combat Tactics, pag. 119. Schiffer Military History, 1997).
Report: This Tiger II was from the 2.Kompanie, schwere Panzer Abteilung 506 was captured by American troops and restored to running condition by Company B, 129th Ordnance Battalion by 15 December 1944 (Source: Jentz, Thomas L., Germany's Tiger Tanks - Tiger I and Tiger II: Combat Tactics, pag. 119. Schiffer Military History, 1997).
(More photos of the completed model near the bottom of this page.)
Photos of the Real Tank (taken from video)
Photo at the right has been colorized. Even though the German marking (including the iron cross) is still on the tank, canvas
stars were draped on both sides of the turret as well as the front of the tank. This was to prevent friendly fire.Photos below show different views of the tank including the tow/recovery vehicle presumably trying the straighten the turret.
Details for the model were taken from these photos. Notably are the missing track fenders, all on the left side and the forward fenders on the right side.
Watch the actual video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUlcCQ48T2Y
Starting Out - The Heng Long 1/16 scale Operating Model
The best way of modifying a model to this extent is to have some photographs as a reference to reassembling the model.
Internal Modifications
The first modification was to replace the plastic gearbox with a metal gearbox. I
felt the heavier tank with wider tracks would put a heavier load on the gears which appear to universal for most Heng Long tanks.
Below are the internal modifications. Steel gear (left), partition next to gears is to prevent grease from slinging on the
receiver. A new receiver hold down bracket was added and the receiver relocated between the gear boxes and the battery box.
External (Cosmetic) Modifications
Forward Hatches
These are the modifications that will customize the Heng Long model into being King Tiger 118 as
captured by the U.S. Army. First step was to make the two tank hatches on the front of the tank functional.
As one should do, I downloaded some photos of the hatch opening to get it right. 3D printing both
the flanges in the tank as well as the hatches was used. Photo ( bottom left) shows the original Heng Long molded in place
hatches. Photo (bottom right) shows the new functional hatches. They did not hinge but actually lifted up and pivoted on a vertical pin.
(Right photo, right hatch is partial open.)
Track Fenders
Here is how I modified the fender sections removal for the King Tiger.(This tip should help anyone making changes to the King Tiger fenders, as they were commonly removed, one or more sections, from many of these tanks.)
First step is to mark the location of the (molded-in two mounting screws on each end of each of the fenders. Mark this on the side of the tank above where the fender meets the side of the tank. This is so you can add new mounting block(s) which you will have to make.
Next mark and remove the fenders flush to the side of the tank.
Third step is to build up the lower edge of where each fender panel was removed so the side of the upper hull will be flush with the bottom hull. This would normally be under the fender but with the Heng Long model the upper hull sides do not go down to the lower hull as this is beneath the fenders.
Fourth step is to add filler (I used multiple layers of styrene cemented together for the right thickness.) where the fender(s) was removed.
(You can see the last two steps in the photo at the right. The entire left side line of fenders was removed so the entire upper hull bottom had to be extended. On the right side the first two fender were removed and a shorter extension was added to that side.)
Fifth step is to remove some material from the edge(s) in the lower hull to match the upper hull where the fenders were removed and the edge(s) were built up.
Lastly, as the fenders are much thicker on the model than the thin sheet metal on the real tank, you may wish to add a chamfer the inside of any panel edge left exposed (not connected to another panel). This will simulate a thinner fender panel. (See photos below)
If you remove the front corner fender(s), sand it flush to the slope of the front armor on the upper hull. (See photos below)
After the fenders were removed and the sides of the upper hull filled and sanded, the "welded on" fender fastener brackets were added. These are
basically pieces of styrene (.050 inch thick X .100 wide X .250 long) with two holes in the about .055 inch diameter. The locations were based on the simulated bolts on each fender.
You will see these brackets in the photos of the finished model. On the fenders themselves, the smallish simulated fastening bolts were cut off and larger molded bolts (from a model railroad bolt head kit)
were cemented on.
Zimmerit
Definition: Zimmerit
is a non-metallic cement like material that was troweled on to many German vehicles. It was used as an anti-magnetic mine and anti sticky bomb
coating. I developed this process for 1/16 scale models using JB Weld (normal time hardening) which was smeared on the surface of the vehicle and after a certain critical time, 1-1/2 hours for me, troweled (you make the trowel as well) following photos of real Zimmerit modified tanks. In this instance this will look much like the original King Tiger tank this is modeled after. The process can be used for other same scale vehicles that have Zimmerit on them.
The photo at the right shows the Zimmerit applied to the back of the tank body. This is the unfinished raw finish of the JB Weld (not painted). This panel normally comes already mounted on the Heng Long King Tiger but is removable. One modification made here is the removal of the two stiffeners between the exhaust pipe and the back of the tank (not visible here). These were not on the real King Tigers.
The process will be defined in a video which will be linked here: Zimmerit Process (not yet linked).
Although the above photos of the mini-Zimmerit appear rough, the photo at the right show the turret after prime painting with light gray.This is after very mild sanding to remove any high spots. shows the grooves to actually be much milder than before painting. The same is done for the rest of the mini-Zimmerit.
TIP: As the Zimmeritt was also applied over welds, you can fill in those areas with regular JB Weld and sand smooth prior to applying the Zimmerit.
Painting
There are a number of steps in painting this model. The model was first primed with a regular (spray paint
can) of gray primer. This will help the next layer of paints to adhere better. Next, any parts "fixed" to the turret and hull
(handles, jack, brackets, etc.) were assembled and cemented in place with super glue.
The finishing colors were then applied. First a coat of Tamiya XF-60 dark yellow acrylic was airbrushed on the entire upper and lower hulls and the turret. Second, following a camouflage pattern, Tamiya XF-64 red brown acrylic was airbrushed on these parts. This is seen in the turret photo, below left.
To simulate heavy mud, I applied Testors number 79600 Dirt enamel spray, in the photo, below right. This was applied to the underside of the tank near the edges, under the fenders, lower hull behind the wheels, front bottom, rear, and a little "splashed" up where the tracks would sling the mud. I also applied a light coat of the "Dirt" to the outside faces of the road wheels taking care not to get on the track contact surface on the perimeter of the wheels. All surfaces of the end wheels and the drive wheels (sprocket) were coated as seen in the photo, below right.
Next all surfaces of all of the wheels were painted Tamiya XF-10 flat brown
with some Tamiya XF-10 flat black added to darken the brown. This add a "mud look" to the wheels which would cover any regular paint
(the red-brown on dark yellow camouflage colors) so there was no need to paint these wheels the
camouflage colors. The under side of the hull where the "mud" spray was applied was covered with the flat brown and added black.
Summary of the colors added in the order they were applied:
Turret, upper hull, lower hull (including rear panel) Tamiya XF-60 dark yellow, then XF-64 red brown. This was followed by adding Testors 79600 Dirt, then XF-10 Brown thenXF-10 & XF-1 to make dark brown to darken many areas of the bottom side of the hull, sides and under the fenders of the lower hull, fading up the sides and corners as well as the front and rear areas to simulate mud splash.
Photo right, shows the effect of adding brown coming up the rear panel with darker brown toward the bottom. Also notice the mufflers and tailpipe painted two shades, black and dark gray, with a little white "heat discoloring" on the pipes with rust spots.
Wheels
and Tracks. To accomplish the look of a really muddied up set of tracks and wheels without actually have a heavy layer of
paint on thme (to avoid operational problems) I tried to simulate the look of heavy mud. This was done by making the background
(sides of the tank under the fenders, inner edge of the tracks, and the wheels closest to the hull a little darker.
The inner set of wheels (losest to the hull) were painted a flat dark brown (can of spray enamel). The outer set of wheels were painted a flat medium-dark brown.
The tracks were painted a medium-dark brown all over, heavy enough to cover the black plastic but not enough to clog the flexible joints. I then spray painted the Testors "Dirt" to give the mud a little texture and vary the color.
After assembly I airbrushed a very dark brown (Tamiya mixture) lightly too darken the wheels up a bit.
The finishing colors were then applied. First a coat of Tamiya XF-60 dark yellow acrylic was airbrushed on the entire upper and lower hulls and the turret. Second, following a camouflage pattern, Tamiya XF-64 red brown acrylic was airbrushed on these parts. This is seen in the turret photo, below left.
To simulate heavy mud, I applied Testors number 79600 Dirt enamel spray, in the photo, below right. This was applied to the underside of the tank near the edges, under the fenders, lower hull behind the wheels, front bottom, rear, and a little "splashed" up where the tracks would sling the mud. I also applied a light coat of the "Dirt" to the outside faces of the road wheels taking care not to get on the track contact surface on the perimeter of the wheels. All surfaces of the end wheels and the drive wheels (sprocket) were coated as seen in the photo, below right.
Next all surfaces of all of the wheels were painted Tamiya XF-10 flat brown
with some Tamiya XF-10 flat black added to darken the brown. This add a "mud look" to the wheels which would cover any regular paint
(the red-brown on dark yellow camouflage colors) so there was no need to paint these wheels the
camouflage colors. The under side of the hull where the "mud" spray was applied was covered with the flat brown and added black.Summary of the colors added in the order they were applied:
Turret, upper hull, lower hull (including rear panel) Tamiya XF-60 dark yellow, then XF-64 red brown. This was followed by adding Testors 79600 Dirt, then XF-10 Brown thenXF-10 & XF-1 to make dark brown to darken many areas of the bottom side of the hull, sides and under the fenders of the lower hull, fading up the sides and corners as well as the front and rear areas to simulate mud splash.
Photo right, shows the effect of adding brown coming up the rear panel with darker brown toward the bottom. Also notice the mufflers and tailpipe painted two shades, black and dark gray, with a little white "heat discoloring" on the pipes with rust spots.
Wheels
and Tracks. To accomplish the look of a really muddied up set of tracks and wheels without actually have a heavy layer of
paint on thme (to avoid operational problems) I tried to simulate the look of heavy mud. This was done by making the background
(sides of the tank under the fenders, inner edge of the tracks, and the wheels closest to the hull a little darker.The inner set of wheels (losest to the hull) were painted a flat dark brown (can of spray enamel). The outer set of wheels were painted a flat medium-dark brown.
The tracks were painted a medium-dark brown all over, heavy enough to cover the black plastic but not enough to clog the flexible joints. I then spray painted the Testors "Dirt" to give the mud a little texture and vary the color.
After assembly I airbrushed a very dark brown (Tamiya mixture) lightly too darken the wheels up a bit.
Marking
Marking is defined here as "hard" and "soft" marking. The hard marking is the German marking, the
Balkenkreuz (straight armed) cross and the tank number "118" painted on the original tank on both sides of the turret.
The soft marking is the U.S. (allied) white star. That seems to be printed or painted on canvas with wood streachers and applied
to tank. One star banner on either side of the turret, on star banner on the back side of the turret (larger), and one star banner
on the frontal plat of the tank.
For replicating the German "hard" marking water slide (Testors) decals were made using the lettering pattern for similar German tanks of the period. There were applied using Testors "Decal Set" which helped the decal settle into the Zimmerit grooves. Dullcoat was applied afterward.
The "soft" marking was made by...
For replicating the German "hard" marking water slide (Testors) decals were made using the lettering pattern for similar German tanks of the period. There were applied using Testors "Decal Set" which helped the decal settle into the Zimmerit grooves. Dullcoat was applied afterward.
The "soft" marking was made by...
Figures
Four figures are currently used.
The two positioned in the front hatches were 3D printed with head,
shoulders and upper chest with magnets holding them in place. The two in the turret are Verlinden "General" figures that have been
modified. They are standing but the upper and lower portions are held together
with magnets so the can be used in a standing position on an
external surface or in the tank's turret using the upper half of the
figures.
Finished Photos
Configuration prior to capture by the Americans.
.
Configuration after capture by the Americans.
In the photo below the reproduction of the shot hole that disabled the tank is shown.
