Introduction

Released in late 2010, Trumpeter's 1/16 King Tiger '2 in 1' is essentially a re -release of their earlier 'Porsche' and 'Henschel' kits. It differs from the previous kits by providing both turret types in the same box, allowing you to choose which to build. Some things have been lost in the transition though, such as the clear hull and turret parts, metal gun barrels, metal drive sprockets and idlers and the pre-assembled tracks. The biggest difference however, is the price, which has been almost halved. Average retail price is anywhere from £170 to £225.

So, just exactly what do you get in the box? Well, approximately 1250 parts, broken down as follows

46 plastic spurs
2 rubber spurs
4 bags of individual track links
2 separately boxed turrets
1 separately boxed upper hull
1 separately boxed lower hull
5 PE spurs
3 springs
1 bag of metal track pins
Zimmerit tools
Instructions and markings for 10 tanks

General moulding quality is good. However, there are numerous pin marks to contend with as well as some sink marks that will need to be filled. Having dealt with this kit before, I can say that some areas are much better than others with filling and sanding being regularly required. The rubber parts are difficult to work with and are best scratch built.

The kit also has a number of inaccurate or missing parts which will have to be built or replaced along the way. Overall it is still a fantastic kit and is still unmatched today. While it may not be perfect, it certainly builds into an impressive model, even if only built from the parts in the box.