Dragon has come up with an extremely exciting combination for Item No. 6866. It features a Tiger I Mid-Production tank, a famous vehicle that needs no introduction. What makes the kit special is the accompanying Borgward IV Ausf.A heavy demolition vehicle, which could drop off a 500kg explosive charge. Operated via radio by its German crew, the remotely controlled Borgward IV was the heaviest type of Germanys demolition vehicles used in WWII, with the Goliath and Springer representing the light and medium segments. It was introduced in 1942, with 616 of the 3.65m-long Ausf.A variant produced. This reusable demolition charge carrier wasnt a great success, however, it was unreliable and expensive. The Tiger I was introduced as the control vehicle for the Borgward IV in 1943-44. There were three companies that operated the Borgward IV. One of these, Panzer Kompanie (Fkl) 313, was subordinated to s.Pz.Abt.508 in December 1943. It had 14 Tiger Is, and its first combat was at Anzio in early 1944.
The Tiger I has Zimmerit, in keeping with that period of the war and for s.Pz.Abt.508, and it has suitable modifications for its control vehicle role. This includes a new antenna and base on the right side of the turret, with this antenna being used to communicate with the demolition charge-carrying vehicle. The well-detailed Borgward IV has not been on the market for a considerable period of time, so its release is much anticipated. Of course, its inclusion with the Tiger I to represent a combination used by C Company of s.Pz.Abt.508 makes it all the more explosively appealing!
DRA6868, Pz.Kpfw.VI (7.5cm) Ausf. B
We are proud to release the first ever 1/35 scale kit of an unusual German tank from the WWII era. Known as the Pz.Kpfw.VI (7.5cm) Ausf.B, it was a prototype tank that never made it into mass production. Krupp was ordered to produce six Waffe 0725 turrets, while Henschel was required to modify its existing VK 36.01 hull to accommodate this turret. To be crewed by five soldiers, the resulting vehicle would have weighed 40 tonnes. However, Hitler ordered that the project be scuttled when it was learnt in 1942 that not enough tungsten was available. This Pz.Kpfw.VI (7.5cm) Ausf.B was a direct predecessor of the VK 45.01 (H), which eventually led to the famous Tiger I.
This new kit of the Pz.Kpfw.VI (7.5cm) Ausf.B is brand new, indeed it uses 100% new toolings! Mounting a 7.5cm gun, it has a Krupp-designed turret installed, which looks similar to a Panzer IV turret. Built to 1/35 scale, it is the very first kit of this vehicle to appear in plastic injection form. It is extremely well detailed, with a full interior for the fighting compartment. The tracks, which feature individual slide-molded links, are also well detailed. It is a unique-looking tank, and the ancestry of the Tiger I can be clearly discerned. The Pz.Kpfw.VI (7.5cm) Ausf.B led to the highly regarded Tiger I, and thus the kit is of huge significance to everyone seriously interested in the development of German WWII tanks.