Tamiya continues to develop its 1/16 R/C Tank Series. The fourth full-option kit to make its appearance is the German Heavy Tank King Tiger. Not only can the model move forward and backward and turn with a great sense of power, but the turret can be rotated and the 88mm gun raised and lowered. To imitate the firing of the main gun and of front machinegun, light flashes while sound is heard. The sound of the engine has been recorded, with the assistance of the French museum of Saumur, from a real Maybach HL230-P30 engine of the only King Tiger kept in working condition in the world. Not only all stages of engine sound (idling through full throttle) but also all the metallic clanking of the tank tracks have been thoroughly recorded.

During the second half of WWII, Zimmerit coating was applied on German tanks to protect them from the threat of magnetic mines. For this kit, the Zimmerit coating has been replicated with a unique relief printed seal. Thanks to this seal, you can now represent accurately a late war King Tiger with great ease.

The German Heavy Tank King Tiger made its appearance during WWII in 1944. The chassis front armor was 150mm thick with 80mm thick side armor and powered by a 700hp Maybach HL230-P30 engine. The Henschel and Porsche companies came up with rival turret prototypes. The first 50 tanks produced had Porsche turret whereas subsequent tanks were equipped with the Henschel designed production turret that featured many improvements over the first model. The King Tiger was armed with a 71-caliber 88mm gun that had enough power to pierce 150mm thick armor from 2000m away. Between The beginning of production in Summer 1944 and March 1945, 440 units were completed. Due to the havoc wreaked by the King Tiger during the final German offensive on the Ardennes front in December of 1944, the Allied forces that moved in on Berlin would fear the King Tiger up until the very last day of the war.

Besides using electric motor starter in general conditions, the King Tiger's engine was started using a crank starter on cold days to save batteries power. This model realistically replicates both of these procedures. When switching on transmitter first, the crank starting sound is heard, but when you switch on the receiver first, electric motor starting sound is heard. You can now feel like you are part of the tank crew as you decide which procedure to follow based on temperature conditions.

The only King Tiger kept in working condition is displayed in the Musee des Blindes in Saumur France. In order to record the actual Maybach engine sound, Tamiya's staff crossed half of the planet to come to Saumur. Hearing the 700hp Maybach V12 engine sound when running your King Tiger will provide you with an even more striking feel of realism.

Turret can rotate 360 degrees with real moving sound.

Rear view

The 88mm gun can be raised up to 15 degrees and lowered down to 8 degrees

To imitate firing, light flashes and the powerful sound of firing can be heard at the same time.

Suspension comprised of die-cast arm and stainless steel torsion plate for efficient shock absorption over rugged terrain.

One tank crew chief figure looking forward is included.

Control Unit efficiently loaded in the tank. Speaker unit that performs impressive sound is loaded in the back of the tank.

DMD Multi Function Unit MF-01
Wired to DMD Control Unit T-03, it adapts sound with tank actions such as running or rotating turret. It also controls main gun, machine gun lights, main gun recoil and movement of hull when shooting, all in an impressively realistic manner.

DMD Control Unit T-03
Composed of an FET amplifier part wired to the two running motors as well as a control part coupled with an independent amplifier that controls turret rotation and gun movement. With the DMD Control Unit, you can control R/C tanks as easily as R/C cars.

The interior part of gun turret features a gearbox to simulate recoil. The gun jerks backward rapidly as firing sound is heard and then comes smoothly back into position.

Gun barrel precisely rendered with aluminum to eliminate parting lines and provide great accuracy.