In January 1943, a new Tiger tank was ordered by the Waffenamt, this time with a turret large enough to mount the fearsome 8.8cm L/71 gun. Besides improving its tank killing capabilities, the new Tiger was also intended to be more survivable on the battlefield. To achieve this, the thickness of the frontal armor was increased to 150mm, while the side armor remained constant at 80mm. A wooden mock-up showing the immense size of the vehicle was displayed on October 20th, 1943 and immediately became the center of attention to all that saw it. Production of the vehicle began soon thereafter in November 1943 although the first 50 vehicles sported the Porsche turret with its curved front plate.

On December 6th, the Waffenamt deemed that the shot-trap formed by the turret be eliminated. This was achieved by Henschel re-designing the turret and gun mantlet, in such a manner as to decrease the frontal area while at the same time incorporating a bell-shaped mantlet. By March 1945, 489 Royal Tigers (a.k.a. Konigstigers or "King Tigers") had been produced. Apart from five vehicles issued to the Feldherrnhalle division, all of the Tiger II heavy tanks were assigned to independent schwere Panzer detachments due to the tank's staggering size and weight, as well as its relatively slow rate of maneuver.

This particular limited edition 1:72 scale replica of a German King Tiger is outfitted with a Henschel turret and bears the insignia of schwere SS Panzerabteilung 511. Only 999 pieces produced. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 5-1/2-inches
Width: 2-1/4-inches

Release Date: June 2004

Historical Account: "Under the Crooked Cross" - Schwere Panzerabteilung 502 was renamed the schwere Panzerabteilung 511 on January 5th, 1945. The last thirteen Tiger IIs produced by Henschel were picked up by the crews of the 3.Kompanie/Tiger Abteilung 510 and 3.Kompanie/Tiger Abteilung 511 direct from the factory on March 31st, 1945. That day, they reported that each company possessed eight Tiger IIs for a total of sixteen. Of these, twelve were brand new models produced by Henschel along with three older Tiger IIs from the Waffenamt at Sennelager and one older Tiger II from the Waffenamt at Northeim. The next day, they joined up with seven Tigers in Kassel then engaged the advancing Russian forces. Soon thereafter, they reported that three Tiger IIs had been lost due to bomb damage but had caused grievous losses to the Russian units. The battalion continued the struggle on the Eastern Front until the end of the war.