The German Waffenamt issued an order to design the VK4501(H) (as the PzKpfw VI Ausf. E was then known) in May 1941, just one month prior to the commencement of Operation Barbarossa. Interestingly, Henschel und Sohn of Kassel was charged with building the heavily armored chassis while Krupp, by far the largest munitionwerks in Germany, was given the task of developing the turret. The PzKpfw VI Ausfuhrung E (type E) was one of the first German tanks to feature a torsion bar with eight interleaved wheels, which was designed to support the weight of the mammoth 57-ton tank. The Ausf. E mounted a huge 8.8cm KwK36 L/56 cannon and featured two MG34 machine guns for close support against enemy infantry. By war's end, 1,354 vehicles had been produced, some rolling off the Wegmann assembly line.

Now Minichamps has crafted a marvelous 1:35 scale diecast replica of the late version PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausfuhrung E heavy tank. This stunning recreation features a rotating turret, elevating gun, working suspension, and treads that are made of flexible metal links! This particular Tiger is painted in the standard factory applied dunkelgelb (dark yellow) base coat. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 10-inches
Width: 4-inches
Height: 4-inches

Release Date: April 2002

Historical Account: "Color War" - On February 18th 1943, OKH ordered that all vehicles in Europe should be painted with a base color of RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb (dark yellow) at the factory level. Over this, a coat of Olivgrun (Olive Green) or RAL 8017 'Rotbraun' (red brown) was to be applied in the field by the crews. The scheme in which the paint was to be applied would be set up by the commander of the platoon, to reflect local conditions and colors. These colors were supplied in 2kg and 20kg (4 and 40lbs) packs in a paste-like substance.

Thinning the paste with water or gasoline (other liquids were probably used too, depending upon availability. Water itself was not a good thinner, since it washed off in the rain), and then the paint was applied to the vehicle.

The application schemes were many and quite varied. In most cases, however, the paint was applied in either broad bands of paint (sometimes with smaller dots of paints on them), or in thin criss-cross strokes. Small patches with irregular shapes were also used.

In August 1944, the factories were instructed to paint the vehicles at the plants, because of confusion stemming from the new paints. This created more uniform patterns, such as the ambush scheme, but it also increased production time. In September 1944, the factories were instructed to leave the vehicles in the RAL 8012 Rot (red) primer. About half of the vehicle could then be camouflaged with Dunkelgelb, Olivgrun and Rotbraun by the crews. If no Dunkelgelb could be supplied, Feldgrau (field grey) was used.

In November 1944, a new program was started whereby vehicles left the factory in a base coat of Dunkelgrun (dark green). Armor manufacturers were to paint the components in Dunkelgrun, and factories were to apply the color. The program, however, was never finished when the war ended. (information courtesy of PanzerWorld.com)