King Tiger Production Turret by Tamiya USA

To counter the growing threat of Russian tanks late in World War II, Germany initiated the development of a new heavy tank in February 1943, officially designated as the Panzerkampfwagen VI-B Tiger II, but widely known as the King Tiger. This tank boasted thick armor and a potent main gun. Henschel and Porsche, both with prior experience in heavy tank manufacturing, presented rival prototypes with varying turret configurations. After testing, the Henschel design was chosen for production. The King Tiger was equipped with the Type 43 L71, an 88mm high-velocity main gun capable of penetrating 170mm thick armor at 1000 meters. Auxiliary armament included two 7.92mm machine guns, one on the front hull and another on the turret. The turret's front armor was an impressive 185mm, with 88mm on the side panels. Powering this massive tank was a Maybach HL230 P30 V-12 cylinder, liquid-cooled engine producing 700 horsepower. Mass production began at the Henschel factory in August 1944, following the delivery of the last Tiger I tanks. Despite its advanced technology and sophistication, only 430 units with the Henschel turret were produced, with less than 500 total available for combat.