DRAGON ARMOR

UML Exclusive Ltd Edition

DRR60143 (DRR 60143) - King Tiger (Sd.Kfz. 182) w/Production ("Henschel") turret, MG on a commander cupola and w/Zimmerit coating.

sPzAbt 501, tank #213 “White Tiger in Hungary”*

Die Cast

Store status - very limited quantity on hand

Market status - very difficult to find one retails up to $140.00

Unlike on regular releases of Dragon Armor King Tigers w/Zimmerit coating that are stripped from any assesories and tools mounted on sides this model has tow cabels on sides

UML (Hong Kong) – Cyber Hobby with cooperation with Dragon issued their Exclusive lines including in ARMOR Series.  Models from this line become very popular and enjoyed price appreciation from the moment as a model had announced

This particular model has standard display case (no tin box) with carton insert with printed picture of snow covered ground and two snow covered trees.

ABOUT The King Tiger Tank 
Royal Tiger - Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf B (Sd Kfz 182)
Other Designations: Tiger II, VK4503, Konigstiger, Pz Kpfw Tiger Ausf B.
Type: Heavy Tank
Manufacturer: Henschel
In production: January 1944 – March 1945
Production: 489 and 3 prototypes.
Engine: Maybach HL230P30
Speed:(km/m) 35/21.75
Range:(km/m) 105.6
Weight:(tons) 68
Size:(m/foot) L10.3/33.8'; W3.76/12.34'; H3.08/10.10'
Crew: 5
Armament: One 8.8cm KwK43 L/71 Two 7.92mm MG34
Ammunition: 72 Pzgr & Spgr
ARMOUR (mm/o) Front / Side / Rear / Top/Bottom
Turret: 180/9; 80/21; 80/21; 40/78-90
Porsche Turret: 60-110; 80/30; 80/30; 40/77-90
Superstructure: 150/50; 80/25; 40/90
Hull: 100/25; 80/0; 80/30; 40-25/90
Gun mantlet: Saukopfblede

HISTORY
A new Tiger was ordered in January 1943, with specification to have a turret large enough to mount the 8.8cm L/71 gun, increased front armour to 150 mm. This gun had maximum effective range of 10km / 6.2 miles and firing certain type of ammunition was able to kill most of allies tank at a distance over two miles.
The turret designed and manufactured by Krupp for the Porsche VK4502 (p) was chosen, which was commonly known as Porsche turret. Latter the order to redesign a turret was issued due to the fact that curved front plate created a shot-trap.
Krupp redesigned the turret and gun manflet for Henschel in such a manner as to decrease the frontal area and incorporate a bell mantlet. Though known as Porsche and Henschel Turret in fact all turret were design and manufactured by Krupp.
First Fifty Tiger II had Porsche turret, which was equipped with monobloc gun barrel, the rest were supplied with Henschel type (also known as Krupp or Serial production) turret with two-piece barrel gun. Firings at high velocity created a high barrel wear; a two-piece barrel variant allowed relatively easy replacement of faster wearing part
The Tiger II had a hull similar in design to the Panther series with well-slopped armour to increase protection. This technique was fist used by Russian on their famous T-34 tank.
The suspension consisted of nine sets of interleaved road wheels sprung on torsion bars. Tiger II had two sets of tracks – battle tracks were 800mm (31.5”) wide and transportation tracks 660mm (26”) wide.
TIGER II designation was never used by Nazi German official papers.

COMBAT HISTORY
First Tiger II were issued to training units in February and May 1944, however first saw action on Eastern Front in May 1944 near Minsk – capital city of Belarus, USSR followed by another action in July 1944 in Poland. All Tiger II with exception of five issued to the Feldhernhalle division in March 1945, were issued to the independent schwere Panzer detachments of the Army and the SS.
On the Western front the only effective countermeasure against Tiger II was aviation. On the Eastern front Russian had heavy tank IS 2 and assault guns ISU 122, SU 122 and ISU-152. that could fight Tiger II
Probably the most successful single Tiger II engagement had place in April of 1945 in East Germany, commanded by Karl Korner the tank engaged and destroyed 11 IS 2 tanks that stood on a road and on the edge of a village were around 120-150 tanks in the process of being refueled and rearmed. His personal score of enemy tanks destroyed in this action was 39.
In May 1945 Soviet Army received a superior to King Tiger tank IS 3 but by that time Germany was defeated. There are no records to prove that frontal armour of Tiger II was penetrated during combat.
Though well-protected and equipped with very effective gun, a heavy price was paid - increased weight even farther reduced maneuverability, engine and transmission overstressed that required constant maintenance; it also had very high gasoline consumption of 2 gallons per mile.
Russians effectively used those weaknesses in July of 1944 during the Battle of Sandomierz Bulge, Poland. Germans made a great attempt to eliminate the dangerous Bulge. During the operation Germans used 20 Tiger II tanks.
After the marsh to the area near villages of Szydlow and Ogledow most of 20 Tigers II were broke down and only 11 were fixed and operational on the morning of August 11. Next day at 700 hours Tiger II started their attack. Two Russian T-34/85 under command of captain Ivushkin ambushed slowly advanced Tiger II, three were destroyed by direct hits in the side armour, they blocked the road and the rest Tiger II retreated. Two hours later German started attack on the northern flank. One Tiger II was knocking out by ISU 122 and other three were force to retreated because sandy ground significantly reduced their maneuverability. After that Russian infantry entered the village of Ogledow without strong resistance but were suddenly attacked by seven King Tigers. Lt. Udalow ISU 122 that was covered flank opened fire from a distance of 700m (about 0.42 miles) destroyed one and damaged one more Tiger II. Other tanks can’t retreat due to very low speed on a light ground. The ISU-122 crossed the forest, came into a flank of this group and engaged it again, opened fire and destroyed one more Tiger II. Germans attacked again but well camouflage ISU 122 commanded by Lt. Beliakov from a distance of 1km (about 0.63 miles) destroyed one more tank. Another 4 Tiger II tanks were lost to fire of Soviet IS-2 tanks at range of 700 to 1000 miters. Fourteen King Tigers in total were destroyed, three were captured, two were broke down but repairable and one in full running condition.
The Kingtiger No.102 was tested at Kubinka proving grounds. The results of tests made in 1944 were as follows:

1. Unsatisfactory reliability of the engine and transmission;
2. Complicated mechanical components; low range and average speed of 20 km/h;
3. Armor quality was lower than on Tiger I and Panther, after 3-4 direct hits there was significant damage and fragmentation but no penetration; welding was of poor quality;
4. The front armor plate cannot be penetrated, but heavily damaged by 152mm and 122mm armor piercing / high explosive shells fired by artillery pieces. The result is the damage of the tank’s mechanical components;
5. The armor-piercing shells of anti-tank guns BS-3 (100mm) and A-19 (122mm) can penetrate the front armor plate of the turret from 1000 to 1500m;
6. The sides armor plates can be penetrated by Soviet 85mm and American 76mm anti-tank guns from 800 to 2000m; it was reported that American ammunition was more effective;
7. Soviet 76mm Zis-3 and F-34 guns were unable to penetrate any of King Tiger's armor;
8. The Kingtiger’s KwK 43 gun performed very well and can be compare to Soviet 122mm gun of the IS-2 tank.

One of the captured King Tiger (#.502) today on display at the AFV Museum in Kubinka
It had been proven on Eastern and Western Fronts, that King Tiger was a perfect tank for defense, but during offensive they suffered high losses.
Less than 500 units were build by the end of the war, production was partially delayed because Germans were working on tank parts standardization (for the same reason Panther II tank didn’t go into series production). Interesting to mentioned that continuous bombardment by Anglo-Americans never effected the production of Tiger tanks.