Tamiya
Pz.Kpfw. VI, K�nigstiger
Tiger II
1/16th Scale

Kit contents

Tamiya has upgraded and modified their original 1/16th scale model of the Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger II.

On the good side, the Henshel-designed turret has been replaced with the vastly more popular Porsche turret. On the down side, the turret traversal mechanism and the zenon gun strobe have been deleted. However, the Tamiya engineers have modified the chassis to accept the new dual gearbox set that is currently used in the newly released M4A3 Sherman. This also means that the wonderful DMD (Digital Motor Drive) unit is also included.

This model lives up to Tamiya's high standard of quality. There is a copyright of 1981 on the hull, so this kit's higher molding quality as compared to the Sherman is understandable.


The tracks do NOT come assembled. I just assembled mine before the picture was taken

What's in the box? MORE TO COME (pictures, namely)
Track Links 3 separate pieces, links are in two parts, a major link and a minor link. Tracks are assembled using alternating major and minor links with each link attached by a long skinny nail. 90??? links per track. Took me one hour to assemble the tracks. I ended up with four spare links (two major and two minor).
Bogeys Plastic with steel outer disk. Idler bogey has a spring-loaded track tensioning system. Each bogey has a polished steel axle that should last a lifetime.

There are no track return rollers on the Tiger II.

Sprockets Cast metal (pewter?)
Torsion bar suspension The Tiger II's suspension system is a thing of beauty. Each suspension arm is held in place by a bushing bearing which is itself secured to the hull with two machine screws. Inside the hull, the suspension arm has a slot that engages one end of the long rectangular torsion bar. The torsion bar is secured at the other end in a bracket. All very effective, strong and clean.
Chassis Precision stamped 1/16" aluminum. Pre-drilled and tapped mounting holes for the dual gear boxes, suspension brackets and bushings.
Turret All hatches are positionable with the rear escape hatch even hinged. Commander's hatch is intended to be glued on, but could be made to open with a simple modification. The commander's cupola is not cut through allowing the commander figure to set upright.

MP42 (machine gun) mount is made of pre-formed wire.

Hull Upper hull is one piece with separate track skirts. Hull attaches to lower hull with screws and metal clips. Details are crisp and excellent. A mesh screen is provided for the air breathers.

Driver and bow-gunners hatches are molded-in.
Gear Boxes Twin, separate gear drives with 380 motors. Brass and teflon gears. All turning axles have bushing bearings. Gearbox is heavy-duty 3/32" stamped aluminum plate. Gearboxes mount to lower hull with three brass standoff screws, each.
Motor Controller Dual, integrated, digital motor control. Requires two channel radio with one channel for each track. The unit come with a BEC (Battery Eliminator Circuit) which means that a separate battery for the radio receiver is not needed (the propulsion battery pack supplies the juice). The unit is equipped with several MOSFETs (solid-state).

A Piezo chip buzzes when you are close to zero throttle but not quite, and quits buzzing when you hit perfect zero throttle. I presume this is to prevent the motors from overheating when at rest. Twin LEDs on the controller indicate forward and reverse travel of each track by changing color from red to green.


The DMD unit extends battery life and eliminates the need for a separate receiver battery pack. I've run mine for dozens of hours without any noticable signal noise.
Summary
This is an outstanding model! It assembles quickly and the quality is superb. The DMD motor controller, with it's solid state circuitry can allow for runtimes as long as an hour (or more) with stop and start driving habits.

At about $400.00, this is an outstanding value and its durable design features will give years of pleasure.

Email Tom Schmid

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