This is the 1:48 scale Tiger 1 early from Tamiya (32504 ). I recently discovered 1/48 scale for me. You get very nice details but you can complete the build in 1-2 days. This one was build during a three day model show (Faszination Modellbau 2015, Friedrichshafen).
The build was easy as you would expect from Tamiya. The only thin I don’t like with this kit is the lower hull which is made of cast metal. If you try to fit the upper hull there will remain a small gap. But being of metal there is no way you can press both parts together to get a seamless fit. So you have to use a bit of filler but nothing bad.
Another drawback is that you have to use superglue to mount the road wheels. This does not alow any time for aligning the wheels while the glue sets. Having said this, the kit is still easy to build and a lot of fun!
The Tamiya barrel is split in two halves. This makes for some complicated sanding at the muzzle brake. So I added a metal barrel but can’t remember the brand (RB Model ?). What I do remember is that it did fit the gun mantle only after I drilled it out a bit. I did not add the mesh covers on the engine deck as I had none at hand. But this is a very prominent feature and really should be added.
With this build I tried to glue everything together prior to painting, including the running gear and the link and length tracks. I primed everything with Grey primer from Ammo of Mig. Followed by a base coat in AMIG-010 Dunkelgelb. Then I painted the running gear and the tracks. That went far better than I had expected for the interlaced road wheels. It is not perfect from every observation angle but from the typical viewing angle everything looks right. Then I did some highlighting, applied a coat of future, a pin wash and the decals followed by a coat of matte varnish.
For weathering I gave Michael Rinaldi’s oil paint rendering technique (OPR) a first try. For that I used oil colors from Abteilung in various earth tones, rust and engine grease. Generally I have to say that this technique works quiet well for me and I’m satisfied with my first results. As I wanted to try out this technique the Tiger looks a bit different on both sides. The look on the road wheels is not exactly what I aimed for but I’m still happy with it. I surely will try to incorporate this technique into my next builds.
As last step I prepared a small base for the Tiger. I used a picture frame from IKEA. To that I applied a thin layer of modeling clay and pressed the tank into it. After some drying time I primed the groundwork in an earth tone. The I planted the grass. As I aimed for an uneven look I used three different types of tufts of grass from Mini Nature. Those I planted randomly on the groundwork using a lot of superglue. For this small base this took me an evening but I’m very happy with the result. I feel that it was worth the effort and looks better than of the shelve grasslands.
All in all a quick build that was finished in only a few weeks including the base. It won’t be may last 1/48 scale kit for sure!
Cheers, Ingmar
IG Allgäuer Modellbau Freunde 
Diese 1:48´er Tamiya Panzer reizen mich ja auch irgendwie… Das Gerät ist Dir (Wie immer) ziemlich geil gelungen!
Danke Holger! Sind im allg. ja auch tolle Bausätze. Kosten nicht die Welt, schnell gebaut und trotzdem schon detailliert. Und noch nicht so fummelig wie 1:72. Auf jeden Fall was angenehmes für zwischendurch.