DML 1/35 Panzerkampfwagen VI(P) w/Zimmerit Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

In 1942, Henschel and Porsche were competing for production of the Tiger tank. The original prototypes were designated VK3001(H) and VK3001(P) for the two designs but combat experience against the new Soviet armor showed an urgent need for the Tiger to be armed with the 8,8cm KwK L/56 gun and this gun would be integrated into a turret produced by Krupp and mounted to the winning chassis. This led to the VK4501(H) and VK4501(P) designs and Porsche was so confident that his design would win, he ordered 100 chassis to be built.

When Henschel was awarded the contract, 90 of Porsche's chassis were transformed into the Ferdinand and Elephant gun platforms while several of the completed prototype tanks had been converted to armored recovery vehicles (Bergepanzer VI(P)). Only one of these tanks wound see combat, chassis 150013 which became the command tank for sPzJgAbt 653 with number 003 painted on the turret. You can read more about this vehicle and the Tiger competition here.

DML has returned with another release of this (literally) one-of-a-kind combat tank. Ten years ago, DML released kit 6210 ( reviewed here) based upon mixing and matching parts from their Ferdinand and Elefant kits along with the standard Krupp turret from their Henschel Tiger kits along with some new parts to render the one and only Porsche-built Tiger to see combat on the eastern front. The only complaint offered about that releasse was the lack of zimmerit given that photos show that sole example to have been given a zimmerit treatment in-theater. That compaint has been resolved.

Here is the new version of the Porsche Tiger with zimmerit and all of the nice exterior details found in the original release. This kit is molded in light gray styrene and presented on 17 parts trees (duplicate trees not shown) plus two runs of tan-molded vinyl track and one fret of photo-etched parts. Among the features and options in this kit:

• Distinctive Porsche suspension nicely rendered
• Distinctive non-overlapping road wheels also nicely rendered
• Nice hull detailing from bolt heads to pioneering tools
• Photo-etched grillework nicely done on engine deck
• KwK main gun has detailed breech and shield details inside turret
• Positionable crew hatches
• Nice detailing inside hatches
• No interior detailing aside from main gun and bow machine gun
• Rear turret stowage basket included

Markings are provided for the sole operational example (number 003) with a paint profile depicting the standard tri-color yellow-green-brown camouflage used by later war vehicles.

If you've wanted a kit of this distinctive Tiger but didn't want to deal with applying your own zimmerit, your wait is over. This nice kit will provide a relatively quick build and only requires the painting and weathering to bring this warrior to life (short as it was on the eastern front).

My sincere thanks to DML for this review sample!