"…have that particular feature already molded in place is truly an outstanding concept…"

<full review here>
- Frank De Sisto

"...this is a brilliant idea and now the Tiger fans have a choice between the two Tiger II production models with pre-applied zimmerit..."

<full review here>
- Cookie Sewell

DR6302: Kingtiger Porsche Turret w/ Zimmerit
1/35 injection plastic kit with multimedia accessories and decals

The Kingtigers with the Porsche designed turret that saw front line use were coated with zimmerit with the closely spaced horizontal ridge pattern. Following on from their release of a Kingtiger (Henschel) with zimmerit, Dragon has released a 1/35 model of the earlier King Tiger (Porsche) with zimmerit. In this kit the zimmerit is molded into those parts that were covered with it. This approach not only saves modelers time and cost, but also removes the risk of the risk of making a mistake and ruining your kit when applying your own zimmerit using putty and an applicator. Being integral to the kit parts, the Dragon zimmerit avoids problems with fit, which can occur with PE and resin zimmerit sets.

CONTENTS

This kit is based on Dragon's earlier versions of the Kingtiger and is well endowed in terms of extras including a turned metal barrel, large PE fret, and a piece of pre-shaped metal which is for the electrical cable that feed the front headlamp. As expected it has the varying improvements, such as the upgraded road-wheels, exhaust cowling, hull MG, and tools, seen on the more recent releases.

The pre-zimmerited parts are the one piece upper hull, new turret shell and a sprue containing all the other parts covered in zimmerit including the rear hull, lower front hull (applique), hull MG ball mount, rear turret hatch and the mantlet.

Dragon has used slide-molding to achieve a first rate zimmerit effect which captures the irregularities inherent in the zimmerit being applied by hand. I compared the Dragon zimmerit parts and the best aftermarket zimmerit for the King Tiger (Porsche) to wartime photos and found the Dragon set was more realistic, particularly in terms of its tighter horizontal spacing of the ripples (i.e. the Dragon set is 'in scale').

Features include:

Photo etch fret with all six mesh screens for the engine deck, clamps for the tools including the wing-nuts on the brackets for the towing clevises and the jack, the mesh cover for the vent for the deep forwarding air intake, and interior detail for the rear turret hatch.
The larger anti-debris screens are now one piece preformed metal inserts which eliminates one of the trickier steps in the 2003 release.
The spare track hooks, sometimes seen on the turret of these Kingtigers, are provided with a choice of either injection plastic or PE.
1 piece turned metal barrel with a crisp three-part injection plastic muzzle break. Unlike some aftermarket barrels, this barrel is a drop fit and the muzzle break requires no clean up. It is the earlier one-piece style most often seen on the Kingtiger with the Porsche turret. An injection plastic two-piece barrels is also included.
"Magic tracks". These are the 'standard' combat track Gg 26/800/300 used with the 9 tooth drive sprocket. Each link comes loose, so there is minimal cleanup and assembly is quick.
A choice of two slide molded cupolas, which differ slightly in their profile.
Hull MG with internal detail and the ability to rotate.
Clear plastic parts for the periscopes.
Two sets of on-vehicle tools including jacks are provided of which one has the clamps molded on for easy of assembly and the other which includes all the tools bar one has no clamps and is for use with the PE clamps.
Metal chain for use on the turret rear hatch spent shell port.
Two thickness of twisted tow cable wire, which make the three long tow cables each with a pair of plastic cable ends.
4 metal U-shaped tow hooks.
As with earlier releases accuracy is high and the overall dimensions are consistent with Hilary Doyle's scale plans. The multi-fold instruction sheet has colour step-by-step photos of a kit being assembled. Line drawings show the assembly of some tools and use of PE. I found equivalent instructions easy to follow when I built an earlier release.

That much of the photo etch and several other enhanced features are optional means you can choose your own level of challenge. This flexibility combined with the ease of assembly offered by the zimmerit and Magic Tracks ensures that this kit appeals to a broad range of modelers.

DECALS

A new medium sized decal sheet by Cartograf has markings for six Kingtigers each of which is illustrated with three or four colour views on the instruction sheet. The decals are for turret number black 332 of schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 503 in France1944, which is largely over painted with green and brown stripes (box art). Also from s. Heeres Pz.Abt 503 are turret number 113, which is a dark yellow with a green and brown bands which served in France and the well known 'Anneliese' which has a winter whitewash from Hungary, 1945. From s. Pz Kompanie (Funklenk) 316 in Normandy during 1944 is a solid yellow panzer with turret number 13 in white hand painted billboard style. The other tanks are from s. Heeres Pz.Abt. 506, Arnhem 1944, which is a dark yellow with a green over spray that opposed the airborne landings; and an unidentified Panzer from the Eastern Front 1944 which has green and brown stripes with turret number red 332.

RECOMMENDATION

Given the predominance of zimmerit on the Kingtigers with the Porsche designed turret and the numerous extras included, this new kit has considerable appeal. With the pre-modeled zimmerit this kit will take no longer to make than a kit without zimmerit, yet allows for an accurate frontline Kingtiger to be built out of the box. Highly recommended

- Neville Lord