Tiger 1 tank Ausf E (Sd Kfz 181)_ premium Lego hybrid (47% Lego)

Description

The Tiger I, perhaps the most famous (or infamous) tank of WWII deployed by the Axis Powers, had its genesis in vehicles of the 30- and 36-tonne weight class which had been developing in Germany as early as 1936. These designs were originally intended to serve as breakthrough vehicles, but after the commencement of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, followed by the Germans’ first encounters with the newer, heavily-armoured KV-1 and T-34 tanks deployed by the Russians, development work on what was to become the Tiger I was hastened. The need for a new heavy tank was apparent because all early-war German tank designs (Panzer II, III, IV, etc.) in 1941 were outmatched by the newer Soviet machines, and so it was decided that the VK45.01(H) (prototype designation for the Tiger I) must have superior armour and armament to the heaviest Soviet tank at the time, the KV-1. It was thanks to these requirements that the Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger Ausf. H1 would receive its signature 88mm cannon and 100mm of frontal hull armour.

With debut of the first early production models of the Tiger I in 1942 on both the Eastern and North African Fronts, the new German heavy tank was to make a name for itself. On the Eastern Front, this identity was mostly associated with breakdowns and teething problems with the design due to its rushed development and hasty production; problems compounded by the poor terrain in Russia. However, on the North African Front, the Tiger I started what would become the “Tiger Phobia” exhibited by the Allies until the end of the war. At the time, the Tiger I (on paper) outmatched all Allied and Soviet tanks in terms of armour and armament, and this was felt most on the North African Front because the North African deserts were ideal tank country; large, open terrain of mostly flat trajectories, where the Tiger I could wield its devastating 8,8cm Kw.K. 36 L/56 cannon to full effect. The 8,8cm cannon was a derivative of the ubiquitous German Flak 18/36/37 anti-aircraft guns, which by 1942 had already been proven and popularized by Field Marshall Erwin Rommel (the “Desert Fox”) as capable in the anti-tank role. This weapon combined with the 100mm frontal and 80mm side armour of the Tiger I demonstrated that it could easily deal with incoming fire from the standard 2- and 6-pounder British anti-tank guns while being able to penetrate the armour of all Allied tanks at the time. It was not until April 1943 in Tunisia that the Allies were able to capture their first Tiger I tank almost completely intact; this particular tank was Tiger 131, possibly the most famous tank in the world today, currently on display in running order at the Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset, South West England.

The best way to judge the accuracy of a model is to put it side by side with the real thing. 

The Tiger I bore a rather distinct appearance throughout the war, characterized by its overall shape and its unique suspension design. On the whole, the armour plates are mostly vertical with some slight sloping in areas such as the frontal glacis plates and the rear armour plate, but not near the level of sloping exhibited by many of the Soviet tanks such as the T-34. This resulted in the very distinct, boxy appearance of the Tiger I’s hull (Figure 1). As for the turret, the sides and rear had a distinct curved shape. This was achieved by bending a single long 80mm-thick armour plate into the shape of a horseshoe by means of a giant press (Figure 2). Additionally, the Tiger I used the complex schachtellaufwerk interleaved and overlapping road wheel arrangement for its suspension. The purpose of this design was to spread the Tiger I’s ground pressure out evenly across its tracks, as the tank weighed in at 54 tonnes in combat, making it one of the heaviest mass-produced tank designs in history. It needed to distribute its weight over many road wheels in order to prevent the vehicle from sinking in mud (a common feature of terrain on the Eastern Front), and so the wheels needed to overlap in order to allow the chassis to remain a reasonable length while keeping the high quantity of wheels (Figure 1).

The Tiger I early production models from 1942 had additional details which distinguished them from the later-war models of 1943-44. From the bottom-up, the first feature was the road wheels, which were visibly rubberized with tires visible from the outside. Late production models replaced these wheels with steel-rimmed ones that had interior rubber inserts, in order to reduce consumption of the ever-diminishing supplies of rubber in Germany. The rear engine deck bore several pipes and tubes which connected to the Feifel sand filters on the rear corners of the back armour plate; these filters were intended to prevent the air intakes from clogging with sand and dust that could accumulate quickly in the deserts of North Africa. These filters were later removed from production after the Germans had withdrawn from Africa. Finally, the early production Tiger I’s were equipped with a tall, drum-shaped commander’s cupola mounted on top of the turret (Figure 1). These cupolas used five direct vision ports protected by bulletproof glass, and the commander’s hatch opened vertically on a hinge. This was seen as a vulnerability as the war progressed, as anti-tank fire to the cupola could decapitate the commander, and small arms fire was a threat while the commander was attempting to close the hatch. Late production variants replaced this cupola with a more well-armoured dome-shaped cupola with periscopes instead of direct vision ports, as well as a horizontally-swinging hatch that all greatly improved the commander’s survivability.

Figure 2. Krupp giant press used to produce the horseshoe curve of the Tiger I’s turret. 

Specifications:

• Quantity produced: 1,347
• Weight: 54 tonnes (combat weight)
• Crew: 5 (driver, radio operator, commander, gunner, loader)
• Engine: Maybach HL 210 V-12 petrol engine, 650 horsepower, 3000 rpm
• Speed: 30 km/h on roads (sustained), 20-25 km/h cross-country (sustained)
• Range: 120 km on roads, 85 km cross-country
• Armament:
  • 8,8cm Kw.K. 36 L/56 cannon
    • 92 rounds of 8,8cm (stored in hull and turret)
  • 2x 7.92mm MG 34 machine gun
    • 4500 rounds 7.92mm ammunition(split between the hull and coaxial MG)
  • Armour:
    • Hull:
      • 100mm frontal
      • 80mm upper side
      • 60mm lower side (protected by road wheels/tracks)
      • 80mm rear
      • 25mm roof/belly
    • Turret:
      • 100mm frontal
      • 85-200mm mantlet
      • 80mm sides/rear (single plate)