TIGER I LATE/COM. w/ZIMMERIT Sd.Kfz.181 Pz.Kpfw.VI

Plastic model kit to build a late German Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. E Tiger I
   2-in-1 (Standard or Command Version)  

• Scale 1:35
• with extras
• All hatches can be displayed open or closed
• segment tracks with auxiliary gauge
• Clear, metal and photo-etched parts included
• Four marking options
• with embossed Zimmerit
• Figure not included
• unbuilt, unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. E Tiger I in its late production version was among the most powerful tanks of the Wehrmacht in World War II. The vehicles were armed with the 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 tank gun and featured heavy armor, giving them considerable combat effectiveness on the battlefield.

Among the most noticeable features of the late production version were the removal of the Feifel air filter system, the replacement of the rubber-tired road wheels with steel ones, and the improved commander's cupola with all-around vision slits. Various simplified manufacturing details were incorporated to accelerate production and reduce material costs. A characteristic feature was the Zimmerit coating, a grooved protective layer designed to hinder the adhesion of magnetic mines, which was applied to many of the vehicles.

The command version was intended for commanding armored units and featured additional radios and enhanced communication equipment. Externally, these vehicles were often identifiable by their additional antennas. To make room for the radio equipment, the amount of ammunition carried was sometimes reduced. Despite these modifications, full combat capability was maintained, allowing the command vehicles to perform both command and combat roles.

Later Tiger I command vehicles with Zimmerit saw significant use, particularly in 1944 on the Eastern Front, in Italy, and after the Allied landings in Normandy. They combine the distinctive features of the late Tiger production – steel road wheels, improved commander's cupola and Zimmerit coating – with the enhanced radio equipment of a command vehicle and are therefore among the best-known variants of the Tiger I.