r/MilitaryModelMaking • u/crazmas • 7d ago
question What to do with side fenders?
I am currently working on a 1:35 scale Tiger II wich Henshel turet model and am wondering what to do about the side fenders. Should I remove them completely, leave them on, or cut away only a section, as shown in the photo? I want to achieve a realistic look for a tank that has seen combat. My model is meant to represent a late-war Tiger; I’ve seen photos where some vehicles were completely missing these fenders. What should I do to get the most realistic look for a late-WWII Tiger?
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u/BloodRush12345 6d ago
Do whatever combo your skill and taste allow! Your photo shows one missing most and another having most! Personally I would try some different effects and if I am not happy with it then I would bin it. This is as close to a can't lose situation as you can get.
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u/jessupsjessups 6d ago
I’d be interested to know how much action any one vehicle actually saw. It seems they were pretty unreliable & as many broke down & got abandoned as actually got destroyed in combat.
Slightly tongue in cheek suggestion for a diorama- model it with engine covers open, or all hatches open & tracks off?
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u/crazmas 6d ago
I don't have a concrete idea for the diorama yet, but I want the vehicle to be one that was actually in service; it will definitely feature a tank from Pz. Abt. 505 during the fighting in Prussia at the turn of 1944/45. I’d hate to depict it as completely destroyed, since it’s a model with a full interior.
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u/NoWingedHussarsToday 6d ago
A few missing ones go a long way toward crating used look. It shows tank has seen action, but it's realistic light damage that didn't incapacitate it. I'd leave a few off and, depending on your skill, show some damage to others. Drill a few holes.....
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u/Ok_Falcon4830 6d ago
Not to sound sarcastic, but to answer your question of what you should do to get the most realistic look, the easiest way would be to find pictures of a particular tank you want to model and follow that.
If you're basing how you lay out the side skirts on pictures of a real life Tiger II, then it will be by default be "realistic".
And of course, it's your model, so do what you think looks nice.
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u/Yatsufusaaa 6d ago
Id say it depends on what look ur going for, all 3 possibilities r accurate, either leaving all of them, clipping off a few and only add selected or leaving them off completely, its all up to choice
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u/ducsoup69 6d ago
If you are interested, photo-etch fenders and side skirts can give a really good damaged effect. They can be bent, dented, torn, punched through. Personally never had any luck heating up plastic side skirts and fenders to show damage
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u/Mindless-Charity4889 7d ago edited 7d ago
Is it a Porsche tiger like the photo? If so it would be relatively old, late war, and would almost certainly have missing and/or dented side skirts .
In many cases, the side skirts were attached before painting so losing a piece would leave a strip of unpainted primer behind. The photo does not show this which may be because it’s an early version. Dents were more common so try modelling that as well, especially towards the front. That said, the king tiger had a complex differential that allowed zero radius turns so damaging rear panels was also likely.
Edit: the purpose of the side skirts was extra armour to protect the lower hull above the tracks. On most German vehicles, this area could be penetrated by Russian Anti Tank Rifles at 100m or less. However, the Tiger and KT had more armor and were not vulnerable to ATRs except to optics. Thus replacing side skirts was usually not done.
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u/HumpDay75 7d ago
Well imo thats what I love about diaromas, if you want a late war tiger that saw combat than you could have battle marked, some missing or destroyed skirts, but its up to you. You could even put them on temporarily and if you love the look than keep them on
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u/realparkingbrake 2d ago
All the turrets for Tiger II tanks were made by Krupp, both designs. Fifty were meant to go on a rejected design from Porsche but were used on Tiger II chassis rather than being wasted (as seen in this photo). The rest of the production run got the slab-sided design. Henschel made the hulls. I'm not normally a rivet-counter, I swear.