Customization Build Log and Tutorial: Heng Long King Tiger

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Customizing a King Tiger

The Tiger II (“King Tiger”) is one of my favorite tank subjects. In this build log, I will document my process of upgrading and customizing a Heng Long 1/16 King Tiger.

This is not an attempt to build a perfectly accurate King Tiger –if I wanted to do that, I’d start with a Trumpeter kit and convert that to RC—but rather this is simply my effort to show what can be done with a basic RTR Heng Long Tiger that looks good but remains sturdy enough to be IR battle-ready. As such, I won’t be installing super scale PE brass sets for the wingnuts to attach the various pioneering equipment, since those fragile parts would be the first to break off when plowing through the bushes, which I plan to do with this machine.

To begin, here is the BEFORE, a stock Heng Long 1/16 scale RTR King Tiger. This happens to be the basic version with plastic wheels, tracks, etc.

The plan is to install metal tracks/wheels/idler/sprocket/bearings/idler arms from the Professional edition. If you already have a Professional edition, you can skip ahead to the cosmetic texture/paint/weathering steps.
To better handle the added weight, I’ll install red motors for higher torque/output and a larger battery to compensate for the motors’ higher consumption.
Let’s begin!

STEP 1: Bodywork

Based on reference photos from WW2, I wanted to depict a King Tiger that was missing some of its side skirts. After removing the side skirts, you’ll need to cover the resulting gap. I used the removed side skirt, sanded flush, to reconstitute this area.




I also removed the rear engine cover from the rear hull and the driver’s hatch from the forward hull. I then designed and 3D printed fairings to be glued inside the hatches, and glued a magnet in the corner to secure them. The driver’s hatch pivots on that magnetic, to stow itself in the open position.

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STEP 2: Motor Upgrade

I like that Heng Long’s 2020 era tanks include steel gears for all editions except the most basic edition. Motion RC is only carrying editions with steel gears. For the general tanker, I think the stock motors and gears are more than adequate. I try not to dump too much money into my RC machines unless/until I need to. In this King Tiger’s case, I made an exception and opted to install red motors. This is a simple “upgrade” that bolts right in with zero modification to the tank. It takes about five minutes to do:

1) Unscrew the stock motor gearboxes and unplug them
2) Remove the hex screw holding the sprocket to the shaft
3) Wiggle the sprocket off the shaft. This makes swapping easy because you don’t need to separate the tracks.
4) Reverse the process to install the new gearboxes




I also installed a servo driven recoil and elevation unit. More on this later… Subscribe to this thread for future updates!

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STEP 3: Upgrades: Running Gear

With the steel gears and red motors installed, I opted to install the complete metal running gear set that is used on the Professional Edition of Heng Long’s 1/16 King Tiger. This running gear set includes
1) Metal tracks
2) Metal road wheels with two internal bearings each
3) Metal road wheel hub covers
4) Metal idler suspension arms
5) Metal idler wheel
6) Metal drive sprocket with two internal bearings

Normally, I don’t like installing metal road wheels, since they just weigh down the tank. But again, I made an exception to my usual preferences.
All the screws and springs remain the same, so swapping these takes about 20 minutes per side. It’s easy work. Shown below is the progression from left to right of the stock plastic road wheels mounted, then removing the wheel to show the arm, then swapping the arm to metal (while retaining the original spring), then mounting the metal road wheels.

The metal parts are finished well in general, but I did take a few minutes to deburr the road wheels. This ensures they run evenly along the tracks.

Note the metal wheels arrive unpainted. I etch them with Gun Bluing fluid, then primer and paint with enamels. I use the hairspray method and four different colors of undercoats to achieve the layered weathering as seen below, followed by filters and washes applied in various techniques along the surface, followed by three coats of lacquer. I don’t get *too* finicky about weathering on the running gear of an RC tank, because practically speaking the first run in with a pile of gravel tends to wear down the paint quickly. I prefer natural wear, anyway.

After installing the new wheels, spin them with your finger to ensure they spin freely for several seconds. Adjust the screw tightness to ensure the wheels spin without binding. The bearings, two per road wheel as seen below, help reduce rolling resistance throughout the system. They do benefit from a cleaning every now and then if you plan to run through muddy or sandy surfaces.

Finally, before remounting the track, I adjusted the track tension by use of the adjustable idler. Note that the Heng Long 1/16 scale King Tiger, in ALL of its Editions, includes a metal adjustable idler as shown. This is not an upgrade I purchased separately –it was factory-installed on the tank. A very thoughtful feature!

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STEP 4: Surface Texture

A fun way to quickly add some personality to your RC tank is with surface texture. I cover this in more detail in the Surface Texture thread, here. I used that same technique for this King Tiger. I also loosely represented the surface welds based on reference photos, using Tamiya two part epoxy putty applied directly onto the surface after being scuffed with 220 grit sandpaper. Additional texture on welded joints along the turret was embossed using a flat needle file. While a small detail, I also built up some putty to represent the real tank’s casting seam line on the mantlet.



Most of this gets covered up in primer, but the texture does give surface washes something to grab onto so I think it’s worth the effort. Despite being a large tank, this entire surface texturing process can be completed in about an hour or two at most.

I also filled in the sink marks on the stock plastic tracks that hang on the turret. Because they’re so visible on the turret, this was worth the effort, about an hour in total, to resurface. I did two passes: First, I filled in the sink marks with Tamiya Quick Type and filed them flush. Then, I added texture using Mr. Surfacer 500, stippled on with a Q-tip.



While I was at it, I glued on Heng Long’s steel PE detail sheet of intake/vent grilles. Technically, some of them are the wrong pattern (they should be square hatched, not diagonal hatched), but for this specific project, I’m not being a rivet counter.



Comparison so far with a stock Heng Long King Tiger, below. Note that I didn’t add texture onto the side skirts, because this was a different type of steel and tended to not have a visible a texture on it compared to the thicker armor slabs that composed the main hull and turret.

Primered and ready for paint!

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STEP 5: Painting

Airbrushing relaxes me. It’s one of my favorite steps of any build. After suitable enamel primer and sealing phases, I begin with the outer paint colors. The entire model is basecoated in Primer Red, as used in 1944. Note, remove the bearings from the road wheels to prevent paint build up.

Spot check the texture after subsequent coats of primer under both indoor and natural light. In 1/16 scale, or any scale model for that matter, “weathering” is often exaggerated for visual effect. So too it is with texture. I try to find a balance between being enough that I can see it, yet not so prominent that it looks comically overdone.



Dunkelgelb is painted over the primer red. What is not seen is the intermediate hairspray coats that I’m applying between each color, both between red and yellow, and yellow and yellow. Stitching colors together in this way develops a varied tonal based for the colors, which is a precursor to the weathering steps of filters, washes, oils and gradations, etc.

Dunkelgrun is painted next. I opted to loosely depict a camo scheme that modern modelers refer to as “Ambush Camo”. These were often painted in the field (well, depending on the time period and from what factory the tank was delivered). Suffice to say there are many variations, so it’s the artist’s choice, within certain guiding principles.

I used mostly Ammo by Mig’s “Late German 1944” paint set. These are acrylics and easy to spray with good attributes in hardness and colorfastness.

The assorted bits also get base coats depending on their respective "real" materials. Manganese alloy, steel, wood, etc.

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STEP 6: Weathering the Lower Hull and Running Gear

Weathering is really fun. It can easily be overdone, but with Armor, there’s more leeway for interpretation. I begin with the lower hull and running gear:

1) Black base the entire hull
2) Hair spray
3) Brown coat the primer red coat immediately after
4) Chipping step
5) Seal
6) Repeat steps 2-5
7) Hair spray
8) Dunkelgelb coat with top coat of brown, dusted for shading
9) Chipping step and washes
10) Seal




A lot of this won’t be seen on the final tank, and it will quickly get covered up by real dirt, but I like knowing it’s there. I can also spray down the tank with a jet of pressurized air after a hard sortie and return the tank to looking “dirty” while still being spotless to the touch, which is how I prefer to store my tanks.

At this point, I’d call the surface about 70% finished. Being someone that doesn’t have a lot of free time, I like to return to a model every few weeks to add something else to it. Another detail, another color wash, etc. Never be afraid to paint over something. It’s just plastic and metal.



I lightly weather the tracks to help set the color space of the overall model, but beyond that I am content to have nature weather the tracks during actual driving. Note, the real King Tiger’s tracks weren’t made of steel, so you wouldn’t see deep rusted pits on them. Being manganese alloy, even preserved King Tigers to this day don’t show extensive pitting or copious amounts of red rust. The real King Tigers didn’t serve long enough to build up some of the rusting seen on them in some scale models. I point this out simply to make it easier for those wanting to leave the metal tracks “as is” –I think whatever you want to do, you’re free to do.

Here is a before and after of one of the road wheels, just to demonstrate the end result of the layers of chipping and a few basic washes/splatter/sponge. No pigments have been applied yet. Maybe next month!

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Subscribe to this thread to be notified of future updates as I meander through the processes of further customizing this King Tiger!

[Two tanks]

This is amazing job and shows us all the possibilitys of what can be done.

[Alpha]

STEP 7: Weathering the Upper Hull

Weathering the upper hull is fun because these are the more visible areas of the tank and also the most likely to surface scuffs and damage during an average RC lifespan of transporting and driving and bashing.

I repeat the same process as specified above for weathering the lower hull and running gear. An additional step is added for spalling and rain spots, both of which are almost impossible to photograph since they represent the slight shift in sheen caused by dried water lines running down certain areas and pooling in certain areas of the tank.

A semi-scale representation of the accumulated wear beneath one of the side skirts that I removed. This is done to partially obscure the seam, which I might eventually paint to match the upper hull area.

Being a different type of steel, the cables are painted and weathered with slightly different shades. The idea is that the “core” colors would age differently than the painted areas of the tank. Both areas would still share the “surface” colors that accumulate on all areas of the tank uniformly (dust and dirt from the tank’s environment). The materials would also react differently to the sun, which is why there is a saltier gray-based gradient on the sheathed tow cable eyelets, compared to the yellow-based gradient on the wood shafts.

I also found a more accurate headlight enclosure to replace the stock unit. I cut off the stock unit at its base, then rewired the cast metal version. If there's interest in stocking these, let me know and we'll look into it!

I also 3D printed an internal base to support a cut down figure for the driver. A magnet allows him to be removed easily if I want to run with the hatches closed. The hatch pivots along a circular magnet that is strong to hold it in either the closed down position or the open position, without shifting around. Simple and effective!

[herrmill]

Nice work, Alpha!

[Vaseline]

I personally would love if Motion carried all the scale metal bits and bobs like the headlights. would be nice having a US based one stop shop instead of having to go to 3-4 over seas vendors. I dont have a problem ordering from the other side of either mud puddle but when you have to break your order up like that shipping cost ends up being a killer. Loving your weathering Alpha! Random question, what color do you use for the pink piping on your german uniforms? Ive been using Model Master Panther Pink and it looks alright, but I think it should be a smidge lighter.

[Alpha]

Vaseline I have high hopes over the next several days as the first shipment of tanks goes online, because like you I too see the advantage of having a one stop shop for the smaller accessories created by the sea of cottage-industry shops out there.

[HDMM]

Very Nice Work Alpha!

[sfcfury]

Where does one get the HL metal grill covers at?

[Beeg]

Where does one get the HL metal grill covers at?

https://www.forgebeartanks.com/store/c13/King_Tiger.html

https://www.axels-modellbau-shop.de/...s-accessories/

http://www.aber.net.pl/catalog.html

[Merry Boozer RC]

Wow incredible job on the repaint and customizing I’m still very new in my tanking experience but weathering and customizing has been my favorite part of tank ownership. Currently I have two Hong long tanks and have really been enjoying them. Definitely planning on picking up a few more as stock arrives back in. Keep up the great work I plane on doing a similar thread in the near future

[sfcfury]

So I see the HL and the Aber grills... is one better than the other?

[scott5870]

Where did you get the servo driven recoil and elevation unit?

[Vaseline]

Its either a prototype part of the 6.1S system, or my bet is the unit was 3D printed and hes using one of the hobby grade MFUs like a Clark board that supports servo inputs. On closer inspection, yeah the elevation and recoil mech is 3d Printed, Ive never seen that particular STL file set though.

[hypersloth]

This is an awesome, inspiring mod! I pulled the trigger on a 6.0 HL King, metal pro (plastic road wheels) version. I love it out of the box but been working on it over the past 3 weeks since it arrived.