History
of the VK4502(P)
This vehicle has never really existed and was only a drawing-board
concept.
Porsche and Henschel were once again in competition on this project.
Porsche offered two versions of its prototype VK 4502(P), one with
a turret at the front as the Tiger(P), the Type 180, the other with
a rear turret, the Type 181. The turret was developed by Wegmann.
Both versions retained the electric transmission developed by Porsche.
Very confident in himself and in its success, Porsche immediately
began to build a batch of 50 turrets. This was hardly prudent in view
of the harsh realities of war with respect to the supply of raw materials.
Indeed, Germany at that time was already cut off from everything and
shortages were frequent. Copper needed for any electrical equipment
did not escape that reality, making it impossible to mass produce
the Porsche design.
Packaging
The kit is packaged in a strong cardboard box (20x13x6 cm).
- There is an instruction sheet that shows the kit parts and build
instructions.
- The color picture on the box can be used as a painting diagram.
- The kit is cast in a hard yellow resin and contains 34 parts.
- The parts are separately packaged in sealed plastic bags.
- There are no decals.
- There are no separate tools.
The Kit
The kit is available by the manufacturer www.5mhobby.com
and from several online model shops.
New
reworked hull
The kit contains a new reworked hull with correct layout and dimensions.
Note: It’s possible that some boxes still contain the old, wrong
hull. Ask for the version with the correct hull and/or check the box
before you buy.
Dimensions:
(source German Tanks of World War II – F.M. von Senger und Etterlin)
Overview:
|
Original vehicle |
1/72 |
Kit |
Length |
6.80m |
94.4mm |
94.4mm |
Height |
2.97m |
41.2mm |
41.2mm |
Top hull to ground |
|
25.0mm |
25.0mm |
Width |
3.43m |
47.6mm |
47.0mm |
Note that the height of the hull itself
ought to be around 19mm.
Other
parts:
The hull and turret are cast upside down and have a casting block
The other parts as turret, gun barrel, tracks and wheels are nicely
cast.
Few small air bubbles are possible, but these are easy to fill.
Most of the parts contain some flash which is easy to remove.
My
opinion
This kit with the reworked new hull is a correct kit and interesting
for several modelers.
Thanks to 5Mhobby for the review sample.
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