1:35 Sd.Kfz.182 Tiger Ausf.B King Tiger (Standard Version)

The Tiger Ausf.B, the so-called King Tiger, in 1:35 scale

This kit covers the heavy tank with the service designation Sd.Kfz.182 in the form with the Henschel turret, that is, the one that went into series production after the first vehicles with the early rounded turret. The addition Standard Version in the name distinguishes this box from the other boxes of the same type that the manufacturer carries alongside it and that have a different range of equipment.

The real subject

The Tiger Ausf.B was the heaviest German series-built tank of the war. Its steeply sloped frontal armor gave it exceptional resistance to fire from the front, and the long-barreled 88 mm gun was among the most effective anti-tank weapons of its day. The price for that was high weight, demanding maintenance of the running gear and a fuel consumption that the German army could barely cover at the end of the war. The vehicles deployed from the summer of 1944 in Normandy, on the Eastern Front and in the Ardennes were therefore more often put out of action by a breakdown or by a lack of fuel than by an enemy hit.

Practical notes on building

• Finish the running gear and the suspension before you close the hull up.
• Fit the tracks after the underside has been varnished, otherwise it is hard to reach under the fenders.
• Spray the camouflage freehand in soft transitions, because hard edges look unnatural on this type.
• Build the dust and mud effects up in layers, from the bottom upwards.
• Apply the wear on the edges and on the access steps only at the very end, because pigments would otherwise cover it.

Who to recommend the kit to

• Anyone interested in German hardware of the final phase of the war.
• Those who want to practice multi-layer weathering on a large surface.
• Builders of dioramas from 1944 and 1945.

You get the tank as a set of unassembled parts with no paint applied. Obtain glue and varnishes according to your own choice.