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.

Dragon Armors newest 1/72 scale tank represents a Mid-Production variant of the famous Tiger I. It is finished in the markings of s.Pz.Abt.101, a crack heavy tank battalion. From 1943 onwards, the battalions 45 Tiger Is were attached to the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) Division, an elite panzer unit. This division was based in northern France when the Allies launched its massive amphibious and airborne landings at Normandy on June 6 1944. After being brought forward into the battle, the LAH Division fought fiercely in sectors near Caen and Falaise, including the famous Battle of Villers-Bocage. The unit was eventually encircled in the Falaise pocket, and by the time its remnants had retreated from France, it had suffered 5,000 casualties and most of its Tiger I tanks had been lost.

The 1/72 scale model depicts a tank of the 1st Company of schwere SS Panzerabteilung 101 fighting in the Normandy region in the summer of 1944. Its finished in an attractive three-color camouflage paint scheme. Of special note is the realistically applied Zimmerit coating, and this mighty Tiger I is also weathered to a startlingly realistic degree. Detail is delicate and full, including all the typical features of a Mid-Production variant. This Dragon Armor model is a miniature masterpiece! Sold Out!

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

Release Date: December 2011

Historical Account: "Kings of the Wild Frontier" - SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 101 (in German Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101, commonly abbreviated as s.SS-Pz. Abt. 101 was one of Waffen-SS's elite armored units, acting as a fire brigade and a crack assault unit on all fronts. With the introduction of new Tiger II - "King Tiger" tanks in late 1944, it was redesignated Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 501.

It was created on July 19th, 1943, as a part of the I.SS-Panzerkorps, by forming two new heavy tank companies consisting of Tiger I tanks and incorporating the "13th (Heavy) Company" of 1.SS Panzer Regiment. It was attached to 1.SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" and sent to Italy on August 23rd, 1943, where it stayed until mid-October. The 1st and 2nd company were then sent to the Eastern Front while the rest of the unit stayed in the West.