6657 VK.45.02(P)H

Kit, DML 6657, VK.45.02(P)H

DRAGON MODELS LIMITED

Product Specifications.

6657, VK.45.02(P)H. 1/35th-scale styrene/multimedia kit. Contains: 351 injection-molded styrene parts (including 20 clear), two lengths of DS100 soft styrene track, one photo-etched fret, one turned aluminum gun tube, two pieces of braided metal wire, one piece of metal rod, two water-slide decal markings/schemes and six pages of instructions in 11 steps.

Introduction.

The VK.45.02(P)H was the second of the Porsche design firms ill-fated entry into the competition to produce what eventually emerged as the Tiger II, or Tiger Ausf.B. An overly ambitious design, the VK.45.02(P)H (Hinten, or rear turret) used two engines to drive two electric motors to power the tracks, and a torsion bar suspension system that was self-contained in three external bogies on each side of the hull. References mention that after the contracts were cancelled, three hulls were still being completed, but that is where the story ends. Nevertheless, the 50 turrets that had already been built by Krupp, for the Porsche design, were eventually modified and fitted to the first Henschel Tiger IIs, leading many to erroneously refer to the turrets as Porsche products.

The VK.45.02(P)H is largely based upon previously-available DML kit components and of course, the very recent Cyberhobby VK.45.02(P)V (Vor, or forward turret). All of the tools and associated fittings, the tracks and suspension system, the turret, main and secondary armament are old while the superstructure and hull, along with their specific fittings are all-new. In addition, the etched brass fret is different from that seen in the VK.45.02(P)V kit. Also in the box is a mystery sprue of clear parts, containing parts from DMLs Tiger I kits.

Tracks.

These consist of single lengths for each side, in flexible DS100 styrene. They can be fixed with standard styrene cements and can also show sag better by being glued to the appropriate road-wheels. This material takes paint very well and when finished will look quite good.

Suspension Syetem.

The torsion bar arms are fully detailed and include separate end caps, while the wheel hubs properly represent both types, one of which protruded further than the other; be careful when you fix them in place. The suspension will articulate to a certain degree after assembly and the idler sprocket can be adjusted, which will help if the modeler opts to install after-market individual-link tracks; this means that the modeler wont come up with too many or too few links at the last moment.

Hull.

The hull molding comes from a slide-mold and has complete details on the sides and belly plate. It is largely based on the Elefant/Ferdinand hulls previously released by DML, but it has been modified to a certain degree in order to fit the new superstructure. The molded-on detail includes weld beads, access plates, drain plugs, panels and various rivets. Aside from the suspension components, various mud scrapers are added. The lower bow plate is also integrally-molded and includes interlocked armor plate joints with weld details. The stern plate is a separate part, which is new for this specific kit. A multi-part jack, jack block, tow eyes, U-shaped tow clevises and trailer hitch are added.

Superstructure.

This consists of a large, completely-new molding that includes integrally-molded track-guards. The glacis plate is well-detailed to include weld beads and armor plate interlocks. A multi-part Kugelblende (ball mount) for the Gen2 MG34 is provided as is a drivers view-port. Two separate parts provide track-guard support braces and there are also separate front mud-flaps, complete with separate retainer springs.

The roof plate has almost all of its details molded in place. These include engine access panels with separate grab-handles and closed grill-work with deep recesses. Since the turret is mounted far to the rear, there are (unlike the VK.45.02(P)V kit) access hatch lids for the driver and radio operator molded in place. These hatch lids loosely resemble those seen on the Pz.Kpfw.IV and I assume that the separate parts next to each of them are some sort of hold-open devices. Also differing from the previous kit, where the exhaust was vented out of the rear grills, this one has separate twin exhaust popes fitted either side of the superstructure roof plate, next to the turret ring. Each is slide-molded with pre-opened pipe ends. What appear to be antennae mounting brackets (if one can trust the box art) are placed on the rear corners of the superstructure plate. These are bare brackets without any rubber base or rod antenna.

Etched brass frames and screens cover the grills. Other molded-on detail includes the turret ring race and what I presume is an all-around turret ring guard, situated at the roof plates perimeter. Back aft, there are more track-guard braces on each side as well as separate rear mud-flaps with separate spring retainer.

As in the VK.45.02(P)V kit, the superstructure side plates are where all the action is. Here, the modeler adds the tools, all of which have three-part etched tool clamps and other etched detail bits as appropriate. The port side gets a bunch of etched brass brackets for a choice of two different tow cables, each of which are made up of styrene end loops and braided metal wire cables. This option is repeated on the starboard side. The tools mounted on the starboard side include a shovel, long-handled axe, long pry-bar, wire cutters and a sledgehammer. Both the port and starboard sides also mount a multi-part Tarnscheinwerfer-Bosch black-out head-lamp, way up forward.

There are a number of extra parts provided, which are shaded as not for use. These include C-shaped tow hooks, tubular distance-keeping tail-lamp (with clear part) and a fire extinguisher. These are all standard OVM for German AFVs, so I would use them as well. Since this is largely a fictional vehicle, their placement, if logical, should be considered by the modeler.

Turret.

The turret is very well done and comes from a multi-part slide-mold. This is necessary in order to properly render the various details, angles and under-cuts. The front plate is molded in place and has openings for the co-axial MG34 as well as the gunners sight. All detail parts are separate and include multiple parts for the loaders hatch lid, two types of fan vent covers and shell ejector port hatch lid. A Nahverteidigungswaffe (close defense weapon) with internal details and closed or open (slide-molded) port is provided. The rear escape hatch is very completely detailed inside and out. It features a removable MP-Stopfen (pistol port plug) that can be shown opened and hanging on its etched brass retaining chain; etched brass parts with metal rod for hinge pins are also given for the plate seen over the inner mechanism. The latter can also be replicated using a styrene part.

There are actually two commanders cupolas in the box; one has rain channels cut into it, the other does not. Each uses slide molds to correctly render the opened periscope covers and also includes a new hatch lid, with internal details, as well as clear periscope heads. There is an extra clear scope head, designated as not for use in the instructions. The modeler can use it in place of the molded-on solid styrene head for the loaders periscope mount. There is also a Fliegerbeschusgerat (anti-aircraft mount for an MG34) for the cupola ring; however no MG34 is provided for it and it is shaded as not for use. Other parts for the turret include a separate piece to fit under the commanders cupola overhang, which is apparently embellished with an etched brass part (the instructions are not absolutely clear in this regard). Three separate parts are given so that if the modeler wishes, Pilzen mounts for the 2-ton Kran can be installed on the turret roof.

There are two 8.8cm L/71 mono-block gun tubes provided in the box; one is a turned aluminum part with a slide-molded, multi-part muzzle brake, while the other is a conventionally-molded two-part all-styrene affair. There is also a conventionally-molded sectional gun tube. The Topfblende (pot mantle) for the main gun can elevate after assembly, but there is one problem here: none of the parts to mount the gun are called out in the instruction diagrams, and most are shaded in the color blue as not for use. They are parts H-3, -4, -5 and -6; the way they go together and where they are fitted should be obvious to all but the first-time modeler. Therefore, any gnashing of teeth, or swearing to the heavens regarding the lack of clear instructions, or the associated headaches, will be largely self-inflicted.

Molding, Fit and Engineering.

Detail and molding is up to the industrys current high standards, while the overall fit of the parts is excellent. Where it counts there are no visible knock-out pin marks; the mold seams are faint and easily cleaned.

Accuracy and Details.

Overall, the kit matches the drawings in the cited references reasonably well, with the caveat that said drawings are of limited use.

Instructions.

This is a relatively simple kit, with a moderate amount of parts. The instructions reflect this in that they are spread over six pages and only have 11 steps, not counting painting and markings information. The line drawings are clearly presented and should not be too much trouble for the modeler who has some experience with DMLs instructions. I have already mentioned where the instructions appear to have fallen short of expectations.

Decals and Markings Information.

The only decals provided are four small Balkenkreuze national insignia in the standard black/white configuration. Coming from Cartograf, the designs are in register, have crisp edges and thin, matte carrier film. Both color schemes are completely conjectural (however, they follow then-current German practices). One scheme is overall Dunkelgelb and the other is Dunkelgelb with Olivgrun patches. Again, colors are keyed to hobby paints from Gunze and Testors, and mixing guides are included. One point to take into consideration is the names of the colors as given in the instructions, since they can easily confuse. For instance: Khaki-Green on a Panzer?

Conclusion.

To those modelers with an interest in almost-built Paper Panzers, this kit will compliment the recent Cyberhobby white box limited edition release. In addition, it helps complete the story of the Tiger IIs development by allowing for the replication of Porsche and Krupps also-ran submission to the design competition.

- Frank V. De Sisto

Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited '39-'45 Series No. 6657; VK.45.02(P)H; 465 parts (330 in grey styrene, 107 etched brass, 23 clear styrene, 2 twisted steel wire, 2 DS plastic track runs, 1 turned aluminum barrel); pre-order price via Dragon USA Online US$49.99

Advantages: may be first kit of this vehicle in styrene (depending on competitor release dates)

Disadvantages: unknown

Rating: Recommended

Recommendation: to all "Panzer '46" and Tiger II fans

One of the problems with very long tank guns is that they tend to cause problems when crossing rough terrain or moving in cities. Studies by all armor producing nations show that too often a long gun barrel digs into the ground with unpleasant results for the crew and the tank.

The solutions were either use a shorter gun - which then tended to limit the firepower and armor penetration capabilities of the tank - or move the turret farther back on the chassis. This solved the problem of overhang but also caused problems with balance and visibility, creating larger "dead ground" spots in front of the tank that the crew could not protect with turret armament.

Towards the end of the war when the Germans had moved to bigger and longer guns they began to experiment with rear-mounted turrets. The two design iterations of the VK.4502(P) prototype tank looked at both versions dubbed "V" (for "vorwarts" - forward ) and "H" (for "heckwarts" - rearward). While neither version ever appears to have gotten into more than early production and testing, it shows the design evolution of these tanks (and why the "Maus" and "Loewe" tanks used the rear mounted turret).

Part two of the latest DML/cyber-hobby.com "Paper Panzer" kits has now been released, and it models the other prototype version. This kit is nearly identical to the earlier cyber-hobby.com kit with two major exceptions. First off is a new hull sprue for the "H" design turret mounting and a matching fret of etched brass with the different vents and covers. Secondly it comes with a modified set of DS Plastic tracks - on this set every other guide tooth has been removed, so if you have both kits you have two different sets of tracks.

The rest is identical with the earlier kit. The turret is based on the Tiger II turrets but has a new shell with an insert on the side of the commander’s cupola bulge for a detail found on the prototypes (it appears to be a pistol port). The model comes with two plastic barrels as well as a turned aluminum barrel with a generic 8.8 cm L/71 muzzle brake. It also comes with two different commander’s cupola castings, each of which can hold clear styrene viewers (the original Tiger II cupola with single piece viewer ring is also included).

The kit has a relatively large set of etched brass covering all of the radiator intake and exhaust screens and all of the external tool and fittings mounts. (Note that formers are located on one of the T series sprues for the tool clamps and locks.) This vehicle now comes with two sets of twin exhaust pipes (parts A29-A30) which mount on the upper hull decking; thanks to slide molding the bores are opened out.

Tom Cockle and Gary Edmundson are listed as the technical consultants.

Your choice of finishing is simple: overall sand brown or a two color red brown/sand finish, both of which are presumptive. Four small crosses are provided on a tiny Cartograf sheet.

Overall if displayed with the first variants it provides an illustration of the direction German tank design was taking in the latter half of the war. As it compliments the first one, it also should fit in with a collection of Tigers very well.

Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.

- Cookie Sewell

6657: VK.45.02 (P) H
1/35 injection plastic kit with metal barrel and PE

Surviving scale plans reveal that in WWII Porsche designed a heavy Panzer with the turret mounted on the rear. This tank had an 88mm gun and shared many hull, suspension and turret features with other Porsche proposals for the Tiger series. Typical of tank designs with a rear turret the (petrol) engine was mounted in the middle, which in this case was to be connected to an electric motor, a configuration that was too complex for the 1940s. Like with the related design featuring a forward mounted turret (recently released by Cyber-Hobby) this design did not enter series production.

CONTENTS

This new kit is from Dragon and depicts the Porsche design with the turret mounted at the rear (the H in the kit’s name stands for Hinterseite being German for rear) and is the first 1/35 kit of this AFV from a mainstream manufacturer. It has new tooling for the large upper hull as well as the extended exhaust pipes. As expected, it shares most parts with the recent Cyber-Hobby release of the VK 45.02(P) V which in turn drew on parts from Dragon’s Premium Edition Tiger (P) and King Tiger (Porsche Turret). This kit has one-piece DS tracks, photo etch, twisted metal wire for the tow cables, a metal strand for the hinge pins (excess length would work well for an aerial), and a metal barrel.

Like with the Cyber-Hobby release, a sizeable PE fret is included. The key parts are the three large mesh screens on the engine desk and the separate parts for their frames. Other parts include brackets for tools and tow cables, commander’s sight vane, chain for the spent shell port and an inner flap on the rear turret hatch, and the hand wheel on the inside of the loader’s hatch. Many of the smaller PE parts have injection plastic alternatives for modelers wishing a quicker build.

The instructions are clear line drawings and run to 11 steps. Test fitting of the hull parts was very favorable and I know from past projects that the turret and suspension fall together well. The inclusion of Magic Tracks and the metal barrel will also help ensure a pleasing build.

The upper hull is new tooling which captures the effect of repositioning the engine to the middle of the hull and the turret to the rear. The upper hull is based on a large single-piece which mates to the lower hull. This part has three slotted metal grilles over the engine bay which have inbuilt recessed lower blanking plates and PE mesh screens with separate PE frames which sit on top of them. Small detail on the hull is sharp and includes hinges, countersunk screws, base for the turret ring, and the weld marks on the interlocking plates. The upper hull has captured the raised step on the top of hull which was made from armor plate and intended to protect the turret ring.

With the engine in the middle this kit, like in Porsche’s design, has extended exhaust pipes running along the top rear sides of the upper hull. The hull MG with internal detail and separate plastic and PE parts are used for small attachments such as cable stays, hand-tools, rear fender flaps, Bosch headlamp, and fender springs. The front fenders are integrated into the upper hull with the rear flaps are separate parts. Separate parts are used for all fender tension springs. PE is used for the tow cable stays and clamps on the hull sides.

The lower hull is based around a single piece hull tub with detail on the lower hull and integrated sponsoons and will be familiar to those who have the Cyber-Hobby VK 45.02(P) V. The suspension has three sets of paired steel rimmed road-wheels per side with each set mounted on an external horizontal torsion bars. The suspension arms, road wheels and drive sprockets are from related Dragon Premium Kits such as the Tiger (P). The one-piece Dragon Styrene tracks have single V chevrons and guide horns on alternating links. The tracks have crisp detail on both faces. The multi-part jack is fitted to the hull rear which is a new separate part which also has mountings for two aerials and towing points.

The turret has the distinctive curved look of the Porsche King Tiger and being based on the Dragon King Tiger has a high level of accuracy and tooling with small part, including some option PE, used to capture detail. This prototype has an extra port on the protruding base of the commander’s cupola (I expect this was either a pistol or (paper) communication port). There is a choice of two slide molded cupolas tops, which differ slightly in their profile; both are fitted with clear plastic parts for the vision blocks. The turret includes a one 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 design fitted to most of the Porsche turrets. Injection plastic one and two-piece barrels (as seen in the box art and Porsche’s drawings) are also included.

PAINTING

The instructions present two paint schemes both of which are profiled in colour on the side of the box. The one on the box art is dark yellow with green camouflage. The other is solid dark yellow. Both are dated 1945 in Germany as suggested by the box art being in Berlin. As the VK.45.02 (P) H was a paper panzer, you have considerable discretion in how you present it. The decal sheet has four Balkan Crosses.

RECOMMENDATION

I had been really looking forward to this release and was definitely pleased with what I found. For me it ticks the three important boxes of being crisply tooled, able to be built out of the box and the first 1/35 scale release of this kit from a leading manufacturer. With the Porsche designed turret at the rear, the VK.45.02 (P) H will certainly stand out from other WWII tanks. Definitely recommended.

- Neville Lord

VK.45.02(P)H
Manufacturer: Dragon models
Scale: 1/35
Material: Styrene, photo-etch & aluminium
Serial Number: 6657
Price: TBA

Introduction
Hot on the heels of the Cyber-Hobby version, Dragon have now released the other one!
This one is also basically a kit of an imagined or paper Panzer, i.e. based on development work actually performed, this kit represents what could be reasonably extrapolated from that work...or unreasonably extrapolated some think.
At this point I could go into some detail about where the vehicle design came from, etc. In fact I have a book all about it open in front of me, but instead of doing what all the other reviewers do....I'm going to show you what you get. If you need to know more about where this vehicle came from....Google it. :)

Kit Contents
The kit contents are nearly the same as for the Cyber-Hobby release of the VK.45.02(P)V, kit #6613. Of course this one is the version with the turret sitting towards the rear instead of towards the front. That kit consisted of just four large sprues of grey styrene, two medium-sized ones, plus ten smaller ones. There are also two transparent sprues, a separate one-piece lower hull, two cupola's, aluminium barrel, large photo-etched fret and tiny decal sheet. There are also two runs of DS100 vinyl tracks. So does this one.

Of course there are differences. Well.....a couple. The large Sprue A holding the main vehicle deck now holds a new main vehicle deck. Also, another sprue...this time called 'A'.... just to differentiate from the other sprue 'A' holds a new rear hull wall, to allow for the new deck, and also two new pipe exhausts for use leading from the engine compartment along the top of the deck to the rear. The only other change is the new photo-etched fret, which now has grills to fit the new engine air intakes on the new engine deck.
So, from that review.....
The first thing that strikes you about the kit is that is gives the impression of almost being a premium kit release, this is probably because some of the sprues are quite old ones, coming from kits such as the old Dragon Elefant, kit #6126, although there is a brand new sprue containing the main deck of the vehicle along with some other smaller parts. The photo-etched fret and lower hull are brand new too.

The instructions begin in the conventional manner, with the construction of the running gear onto the lower hull. As mentioned, the lower hull is a completely new tooling, and it sort of shows when compare to the running gear. Parts such as the roadwheels and the suspension bogies are cleanly moulded, and yet there's a fair amount of flash on the sprues themselves. Whilst I understand that this flash doesn't interfere with the parts, it just adds to the premium kit feel, and removes that initial enthusiasm that most modellers rightly feel when opening or beginning a new Dragon or Cyber-Hobby kit. Although this kit comes with the one-piece DS100 vinyl tracks, as anybody who has used these will know, they will still probably need adjusting once installed, so with that in mind, it's best not to cement the idler in position at this stage. It can be adjusted by virtue of an off-centre location, and some modellers will be tempted to cement this, even if they're fitting the tracks later in the build, purely because if they don't, it will keep dropping off, but they can be easily secured by positioning them, and cementing a strip of styrene to their centre, on the part that's inside the hull, so leaving them free to rotate, but still fixed to the hull.

Once the running gear is complete, assembly moves on to the new deck, which itself is brand new, along with most of its smaller details. This stage also involves installing a fair amount of photo-etch from the brand new fret supplied, including all the various brackets for holding the tow ropes, which are supplied in the kit in the form of springy wire...I always like to replace these with aftermarket ones, which have been shown to help reduce blood pressure. Mind you...the wire ones do too...but usually by puncturing your circulatory system somewhere. There's no internal detail whatsoever provided with the kit, barring a fully detailed MG34 and mount for the co-driver...I'm not sure why, since absolutely none of this detail can be seen unless you take the turret off...and if you do that you'll probably notice a few other things missing. There are three very nicely etched grills for the engine deck provided on the PE fret too.

All the on-vehicle tools for around the model are provided in two forms, with or without moulded on clamps. The ones without have photo-etched ones provided on the PE fret, which I find is a huge bonus as it means lots for the spares box, no having to source your own replacement clamps, and not having to shave off the moulded ones. Happy days.

Moving up, the commander's cupola is next, in preparation for installing it on to the turret. Two slide-moulded examples are included, differing in that one has three tiny slits moulded into it, and I imagine these are drainage channels? Whichever one you use, it's a nicely detailed construction, with separate transparent periscopes, and AA gun ring mount. The turret itself is supplied as a large one-piece slide-moulded part, with excellent detail, the weld detail around the roof being particularly well done.

When it comes to the main gun, we're offered three alternatives. There's the one-piece aluminium one that's supplied, or a choice of two plastic ones, both supplied in two halves with integral muzzle. One of these represents a one-piece barrel, the other a two-piece one with lower sleeve. Interestingly, the parts for fixing the gun into the turret shell are all supplied on the 'N' sprue, but no reference at all is made to these on the instructions? It's not difficult too difficult to work out though. The supplied fixing and breech are heavily simplified, and so if you do choose to fix them, you'll probably want to close the hatches anyway so that nobody will see them!

The rear loaders/escape hatch is a extremely well detailed, being supplied with photo-etched parts to detail its inner surface, and a removable pistol port plug with tiny etched retaining chain.

Markings-wise, we're only offered a tiny decal sheet with four Balkancreuz, although the instructions do depict two different schemes, one in a two-colour striped scheme, and one in overall dark yellow.

Conclusion
Basically the same conclusion as for the other one! Actually....no. There's just something about this one that looks so cool compared to the version with the turret at the front. I mean....just look at those profiles in the marking schemes. It's so...mean looking, and will probably look just as good when it's built. I love it!

- Vinnie Branigan