Trumpeter Military 1/16 PzKpfw VI SdKfz 182 Tiger II Early Production Tank (Porsche Turret)

In early October 1942, a development plan for the VK 45.03 was released. Two companies provided their designs, one was Henschel and the other was Porsche. Both used turret designs from Krupp, with the main differences being the hull, transmission system, and suspension.

Henschel's version used a conventional hull design with a sloped armor arrangement similar to that of the Panther tank. The engine is rear-mounted, similar to the "Tiger" I tank. There are nine staggered road wheels on each side, installed on transverse torsion bars. To simplify logistics and maintenance, the wheels overlap in the same way as the "Tiger" I tank.

Henschel won the contract and all King Tiger tanks were produced by the company. The vehicle comes in two turret designs. The early model turret was first installed on a Porsche concept prototype, so this type of car is often called the "Porsche turret" type. There is a misunderstanding here. This turret is just one of the two turrets originally designed by Krupp. The front of this turret is arc-shaped, and the sides of the turret are relatively steep. To install the command tower, there is a turret on the left side of the turret. A curved bulge, which made production very difficult, fifty vehicles had such a turret installed on the hull produced by Henschel. The more common later "production" turrets, sometimes called "Henschel" turrets, had a flat front with no shell replenishment openings (as had been used on earlier curved turrets), and a less sloping turret to allow for just To accommodate the commander's tower, the edges no longer need to be raised.

The track system used by the "King Tiger" chassis is unique. Track shoes with inducing teeth and track shoes without inducing teeth are alternately used (also known as the "one male and one female" design) when the track grip is insufficient. Sometimes, you can also use anti-skid teeth.

The King Tiger tank came late in the war and was produced in small numbers. Like other German tanks, it used a gasoline engine. However, the power of the same engine installed on the lighter "Panther" and "Tiger" I tanks was barely enough, and it was indeed a bit inadequate when used in the "King Tiger". This was somewhat like the situation with other heavy tanks in World War II. Similar, and its high fuel consumption results in too short a driving range.

FEATURES:

• The kit consists of over 1500 parts
• The kit w/refined detail
• Multi-slide molded lower hull and upper hull
• Full interior details
• Individual track links
• Photo-etched parts included