Prefab model 1/35 tank destroyer Sd.Kfz.186 Jagdtiger Early/Late Production 2 in 1 Takom 8001 Yagdtiger Based on the highly successful King Tiger, the 72-ton German Sd.Kfz.186 Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. The B, or Jagdtiger, was the best German tank hunter of World War II. Two prototypes were built, one by Henschel and one by Porsche, which differed mainly in wheelbase and suspension systems, with the Henschel suspension system eventually being chosen for series production. An order for 150 cars was placed and production began at the Nibelungenwerk in St. Valentin (Steyr-Daimler-Puch) in July 1944. Production was slow due to the bulky weight of various elements of the car, as well as the fact that the plant was the target of strategic bombing by the Allies. By the end of the war, only about 80 copies were produced. The Jagdtiger was armed with the most powerful anti-tank gun in Germany's World War II arsenal, the Krupp 12.8 cm PaK 44 L/55, capable of out-ranging and defeating any Allied tank it encountered. Additional armament consisted of a single 7.92 mm MG 34 Rheinmetall, fitted with a ball mount in the port side of the hull, as well as means to mount another of these guns externally on the engine deck for anti-aircraft defense. The main gun mount provided a very limited turning angle of 10 degrees, so if targets were out of range the entire tank had to be turned and re-aimed, which put a lot of strain on the engine and often put the gun out of action. The car's biggest flaw was its powerplant, a 690-hp V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 gasoline engine. Due to the heavy weight and high fuel consumption, the operating range was only about 120 km (75 mi) on road and 80 km (50 mi) off-road. The huge casemate had 250 mm of armor at the front, and the glacis plate was the same thickness as the King Tiger, 150 mm. This heavy armor added serious weight to the vehicle, and the engine was severely underpowered, resulting in a poor power-to-weight ratio. This stressed the components and caused low speed and poor off-road handling, as well as unreliability and inefficiency. These problems were so severe that most vehicles were lost due to these problems rather than enemy fire. Both on the eastern and western fronts, only two battalions of Jaegers of heavy tanks received the machine. These were the 512th heavy tank battalion and the 653rd heavy tank battalion. About 20% of the Jagdtiger supplied to these units were lost due to lack of fuel and mechanical unreliability of the machine.
