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.

Zimmerit coating, realistic and easy to apply
	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.

Action, details and mechanism

Click on pictures to enlarge them and have captions (Pictures show assembled and painted model).

Have a look to the full action video of the King Tiger. 11/7
The video is a MPEG1 file. After saving the video to your disk, you can play it using either Windows Media Player or Quick Time Player.*Save to the disk without opening.
The main gun When shooting, the main gun flashes and recoils. Realistic firing sound can be heard while the hull oscillates. You can shoot every 9 seconds (6 times/min) like the actual tank. (No shells are fired)
14 sec. (2.3MB)	Procedure Push trim on the left side of the right control stick to full front and push the right control stick quickly from central position to full front position.
Search and destroy! Turret turn and main gun elevation accompanied with realistic sound. Locate and lock on your enemy's position. You can control the turret's rotation speed with transmitter control stick. At full speed, the turret can make one full turn in 23 seconds. Main gun can be lowered at a 10 degree angle and raised at a 15 degree angle
11 sec. (1.8MB)	Procedure Move left control stick to the right and to the left to rotate the turret and move right control stick to the front and to the back to raise and lower the main gun
Auxiliary weapon When firing the 7.92mm MG34 front machinegun (flashes via diode), realistic sound can be heard. You can make continuous firing during 3 seconds.
9 sec. (1.5MB)	Procedure Pull trim on the left side of the right control stick to full back and pull the right control stick quickly from central position to full back position.
How to make normal run Not only can the tank move forward and backward and make smooth and sharp turns but it can also rotate. Digital controls will allow beginners to achieve smooth maneuvers. The sound of the engine and the metallic clanking sound of the tracks adapt to the model's movement giving an impressively realistic feel.
Normal run 1, 16 sec. (2.6MB) Normal run 2, 16 sec. (2.6MB)	Procedure Move left control stick to the front and to the front/rear to make tank go forward/backward. Move right control stick to the right/left to make the tank turn.

Check out these high-resolution movies!

We have prepared some broad band specific movies for your viewing enjoyment. Vivid visuals and realistic sound will demonstrate the awesome capabilities of the King Tiger.. Download MPEG1 320*240 pixel approx. 2min. 24sec. (23.3MB) *After saving file to disk open with Windows Media Player or QuickTime Player. *Takes over 1hr. to download using 64K modem. *Saving without opening file.

About the German King Tiger (Henschel Turret)

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.

About the model

1/16 R/C German Heavy Tank King Tiger assembly kit. Overall Length: 640mm, Overall Width: 235mm. The massive form of the most powerful tank of WWII has been accurately portrayed. 88mm gun barrel replicated with aluminum. Intricate tank tracks come pre-assembled. Kit includes 1 tank commander (upper torso), and decals for the portrayal of 3 different King Tiger Heavy Tanks

Required items

Requires Tamiya Ni-Cd 7.2V Racing Pack battery, R/C system (4-channel transmitter and receiver), and batteries for the transmitter.

Package
	Size of package is 745 X 470 X 175mm. The King Tiger logo is featured on the front cover and when you open it, you can see the wonderful illustration and color pictures of the full option kit.

2 types of engine starting sounds

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. Recording the actual engine sound 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. Not only all stages of engine sound from idling through full throttle, but also all the metallic clanking of the tank tracks as well as the crank starting sound and the electric motor starting sound have been thoroughly recorded. Hearing the 700hp Maybach V12 engine sound when running your King Tiger will provide you with an even more striking feel of realism. *Click here to have full report about engine sound recording

Optional parts
	Battle System (for 1/16 R/C tanks) ITEM 53447 This unique optic system that employs infrared light will enable you to enjoy real tank battles with more than 2 tanks. This system featuring LED reproduces explosion and engine failure sound as well as speed loss and hindered movement of a damaged tank. Range of system is approximately 30m. *Click here for information about Battle System
	Tamiya Metal Primer ITEM 87061 Metallic parts like aluminum parts, photo-etched parts, die-cast parts and pressed parts increase realism and strength of plastic models. This is a handy spray can primer to treat metallic parts. It should be applied on metallic parts before paint and it will prevent paint from peeling off the model. As this transparent varnish does not dissolve plastic, you can apply it after assembly of metallic parts.