URBI-ET-ORBI……My Bucket List Journals.: My King Tiger (KT) Build Proper: Kit Inventory and General Planning

Thursday, November 8, 2012

My King Tiger (KT) Build Proper: Kit Inventory and General Planning

Kit: 1/35Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret) Dragon - Nr. 6208.

Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret) Dragon - Nr. 6208.

Inventory.

a. A total of 525 parts on 12 sprues plus tray, moldings: 22 and one 420 mm long twisted steel cable rope to represent the tow ropes. Zimmerit is not available and have to be applied. Parts photos from The Wettringer Model Forum:

a. One decal sheet with markings for 2 versions:

i. sPzAbt 505, Russia 1944

ii. sPzAbt 501, Ardennes1944

b. 1 photo-etched PE board with 8 PE parts for the fan grill/guards.

c. Instruction sheet or booklet.

2. General Planning.

A Kingtiger, captured by Americans, riding for battle. Notice the U.S. markings on the tank....

Tiger II from 2.Kompanie/schwere Panzer Abteilung 506, captured by American troops and
restored to running condition by Company B, 129th Ordnance Battalion by 15 December 1944.

a. Above is my model for the King Tiger I planned to build. I initially wanted to build the German tank as is but I was more partial to building the Allied forces. As a compromise, I decided to build the KT- captured by allied American soldiers! Below are the historical references for the plan:

i. King Tiger is from s.Pz.Abt. 506.

ii. Tank is painted in a three colour camos.

iii. The numbers on the side of the turret look like the original German ones. It's 2+11

iv. The markings look like US stars on flags. The color of the flag is not clear but the star is white.

v. There's a slogan on the mantle which reads "Dang mined” repeated on the right fender and loaders hatch.

vi. It has zimmeritt all around.

vii. The US unit which used the tank is the US 129th Ordnance Battalion. Captured near Geronsweiller on Dec 15, 1944.

b. Thinking ahead, my plan was to place the finished kit in a diorama which would require model figures to complete and complement. I eventually chose also to build the Dragon Military Figure Model Kit below after much consultation with the more experienced modelers at the IPMS forums considering and consulting them on:

i. the right figure scale for the KT tank- 1/35 (same as the KT)

ii. the propriety of the figures apt to the captured KT scene in terms of the U.S. Armored Infantry's uniform at that time, etc.