Heller 79888 Sd.Kfz. 181 Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger I Ausf. E — 1/72 Scale Plastic model kit

Manufacturer: Heller

Kit number: 79888

Barcode: 3279510798883

Subject: Sd.Kfz. 181 Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger I Ausf. E

Boxed scale: 1/72

Actual tooling scale: approximately 1/76

Parts: approximately 66–70

Origin: Airfix tooling, originally 01308

Heller release: principally associated with the 1990s

Kit type: Injection-moulded plastic

Current status: Older/OOP Heller boxing
Heller's history with this kit

This is one of the more interesting Heller kits you've supplied because Heller did not design the original Tiger tooling.

The mould originated with Airfix, where the Tiger I was released as kit 01308. The Airfix tooling dates back to 1964 and remained in production/reissue circulation for decades. It was subsequently marketed by Heller under reference 79888.

That gives the kit a considerably longer history than its Heller packaging might suggest.

The Heller boxing is consequently best understood as a vintage Airfix Tiger wearing Heller packaging, rather than as a purpose-designed Heller 1/72 tank.

This also explains the somewhat unusual scale. Early Airfix armour was generally designed around the British 1/76 armour scale. When manufacturers began competing more heavily in the internationally popular 1/72 military market, some existing moulds were relabelled 1/72 without changing the tooling.
Kit contents

The kit contains approximately 66–70 plastic parts, depending on how the parts are counted in the particular catalogue/release.

The model represents the Tiger I Ausf. E/H with the characteristic:

heavily armoured hull;

large rotating turret;

long 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 main gun;

interleaved road wheels;

rear engine deck;

exhaust system;

separate hatches and fittings;

tracks and suspension components.

A specialist review describes the Heller version as having approximately 70 pieces, with the modeller able to position various access hatches open or closed. The engine-deck ventilation grilles and gun barrel benefit from additional drilling/detail work.

The original Airfix lineage also means the kit is a product of an earlier generation of plastic armour modelling. It is considerably simpler than modern Dragon, Revell, Zvezda or Trumpeter 1/72/1/76 armour kits.

That is part of its appeal to collectors, but it should be taken into account when valuing it as a modelling kit.
The real vehicle — Tiger I

The Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger, commonly called the Tiger I, was Germany's famous heavy tank of the Second World War.

It was developed in response to the increasing effectiveness of Soviet anti-tank weapons and the appearance of heavily armoured Soviet tanks.

The Tiger combined:

very heavy armour;

a powerful high-velocity gun;

sophisticated suspension;

excellent long-range firepower;

and a high level of mechanical complexity.

The result was a formidable tank, but also one that was expensive and difficult to manufacture and maintain.
Development

The Tiger's development began before the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

Two companies were involved in competing heavy-tank designs:

Henschel

Porsche

The Henschel design eventually became the production Tiger I.

The first production Tigers appeared in 1942, and the type entered combat with the German Army during the later part of that year.

The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. E, later simplified in official nomenclature.

The vehicle designation was Sd.Kfz. 181.
Armour

The Tiger's armour was one of its defining characteristics.

The early Tiger had approximately:

100 mm frontal turret armour

100 mm frontal hull armour

80 mm side and rear hull armour

80 mm turret sides/rear

This made it substantially more heavily protected than most Allied medium tanks of the period.

Unlike many later German tanks, the early Tiger used predominantly vertical armour plates, rather than the extensive sloped armour that became characteristic of vehicles such as the Panther.

The Tiger's weight was consequently enormous for the period.
The famous 88 mm gun

The Tiger's main weapon was the 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56.

This was a tank adaptation of the highly effective German 88 mm gun family.

It gave the Tiger exceptional anti-armour capability.

At appropriate combat ranges, the gun could penetrate most Allied tanks encountered during the Tiger's principal operational period.

The gun's accuracy, optics and ammunition combination were particularly valued by Tiger crews.

The Heller model's long gun barrel is consequently one of the most recognizable features of the kit.
Engine and mobility

The Tiger I was powered by a Maybach HL210 in early production and subsequently the Maybach HL230.

The later HL230 produced approximately 700 hp.

That sounds substantial until the tank's enormous weight is considered.

A combat-loaded Tiger weighed approximately 54 tonnes.

Consequently, although the Tiger had a relatively powerful engine, its power-to-weight ratio was modest.

Its theoretical road speed was approximately 38 km/h, but cross-country performance was considerably more restricted.
Mechanical complexity

The Tiger's greatest weakness was not its armament or armour—it was its complexity.

The interleaved road-wheel suspension provided good ride characteristics but created significant maintenance problems.

Mud, ice and debris could become trapped between the closely packed wheels.

Changing an inner wheel could require removing several outer wheels first.

The vehicle was also extremely heavy, placing considerable demands on:

engines;

transmissions;

final drives;

suspension;

recovery equipment;

bridges and roads.

This meant that Tiger units required substantial logistical support.
Production

Only approximately 1,350 Tiger I tanks were produced between 1942 and 1944.

That is a very small production run compared with German medium tanks such as the Panzer IV and Panther.

The limited production figure is important when considering the Tiger's reputation. It was a relatively rare vehicle even within the German armoured forces.

The combination of rarity, formidable battlefield performance and distinctive appearance subsequently made the Tiger one of the most famous tanks in military history.
Combat history

The Tiger first saw combat around Leningrad in 1942.

It subsequently served on virtually every major German front, including:

Eastern Front;

North Africa;

Italy;

Normandy;

Western Europe;

and the final defensive campaigns in Germany.

Tiger units were generally concentrated in specialised schwere Panzer-Abteilungen rather than distributed throughout ordinary armoured formations.

These heavy tank battalions allowed Germany to concentrate the vehicle's firepower where it was considered most useful.
North Africa

A small number of Tigers were sent to North Africa with the German Afrika Korps.

The appearance of the Tiger in Tunisia gave Allied forces a serious new armoured threat.

However, the tropical environment and difficult logistics also highlighted the vehicle's mechanical and fuel-consumption problems.

The North African Tiger units were eventually destroyed or captured during the collapse of Axis forces in Tunisia.
Eastern Front

The Tiger became particularly prominent on the Eastern Front.

There it encountered Soviet tanks including the:

T-34;

KV series;

later IS series.

The Tiger's 88 mm gun gave it a considerable long-range advantage against many Soviet tanks, while its heavy armour could resist numerous contemporary anti-tank weapons.

However, Soviet numerical superiority, artillery, aircraft and increasingly capable anti-tank guns meant that Tigers were not invulnerable.

Mechanical breakdowns and recovery difficulties were also a constant concern.
Normandy

Tigers became particularly famous during the Normandy campaign of 1944.

Heavy Tiger battalions fought against British, Canadian and American forces.

The terrain of Normandy could actually be difficult for heavy tanks because of:

narrow roads;

hedgerows;

soft ground;

bridges with limited capacity;

restricted manoeuvring space.

Nevertheless, the Tiger's long-range gun and heavy armour made it a dangerous opponent.

Some individual Tiger commanders achieved extremely high numbers of claimed enemy tank kills, although individual wartime claims should be distinguished from independently verified losses.
Michael Wittmann

The Tiger is also closely associated with Michael Wittmann, one of Germany's best-known tank commanders.

Wittmann commanded Tiger tanks with Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101 and became famous for his actions during the Normandy campaign.

His most publicised engagement occurred near Villers-Bocage on 13 June 1944, when his Tiger and other German armoured vehicles attacked elements of a British armoured column.

The event became a major part of Tiger mythology and post-war popular history.

However, the exact circumstances and number of vehicles destroyed vary between wartime German accounts, British records and later histories, so claimed totals should be treated cautiously.

Wittmann himself was killed near Gaumesnil, Normandy, on 8 August 1944.
Captured Tigers

A small number of Tigers were captured intact or sufficiently intact by Allied forces.

The Tiger's rarity meant that captured examples were particularly valuable to Allied technical intelligence.

They were examined for:

armour composition;

gun performance;

optics;

engine design;

transmission;

ammunition;

and manufacturing methods.

Some captured Tigers were subsequently displayed or tested.
Surviving full-size Tigers

Unlike many German WWII tanks, several original Tiger I tanks survive.

The most famous is probably the Tiger 131, captured by British forces in Tunisia in April 1943.

It is now preserved at The Tank Museum at Bovington in Dorset and is widely regarded as the world's only operating original Tiger I.

Other surviving Tiger Is include museum examples in France and Russia, although their condition and completeness vary.

The survival of original Tigers is unusual considering that only around 1,350 were produced.
Full-size vehicle values

There is no normal open-market selling price for an original Tiger I because surviving examples are museum pieces and are not regularly offered for public sale.

Consequently, I would not assign a conventional "current selling price" to the full-size Tiger.

For your catalogue, the appropriate entry is:

Full-size Tiger I: museum/heritage asset; no reliable current open-market sale price.

This is very different from a WWII vehicle that still trades privately in meaningful numbers.