Sd.Kfz. 186 Jagdtiger German Heavy Tank Destroyer Porsche Suspension 1945, 1/32 Scale Model

The Jagdtiger ("Hunting Tiger") is the common name of a German casemate-type heavy tank destroyer from World War II. Its official German designation was Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B, this vehicle having been built upon the (slightly lengthened) chassis of a Tiger II. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 186. The 71-tonne Jagdtiger was the heaviest armored fighting vehicle (AFV) used operationally by any participant nation of WWII and is the heaviest combat vehicle of any type to achieve series production during the conflict. The vehicle was armed with a 128 mm PaK 44 L/55 main gun which was capable of outranging and defeating any tank or AFV fielded by the Allied forces. It saw brief service in small numbers from late 1944 up until the end of the war on both the Western and Eastern Front. Although 150 were ordered, only between 70 and 88 were produced. Due to an excessive weight and a significantly underpowered drivetrain system, the Jagdtiger was continuously plagued with various mobility and mechanical problems. At present, three Jagdtigers survive in different museums around the world.

The conventional way to implement a suspension system utilized torsion bars, a ver reliable design that could withstand more add-on weight.  The downside, however was the amount of space occupied inside the chassis compartment.  Each torsion bar would be laid down one after another from the first to the last road wheel. The crew compartment flooring would be built upon these cylindrical bars and as one can imagine, the remaining space for the crew to carry ammunition their daily-living possessions, and other equipment would be compromised.

Many engineers saw the inconvenient side of the torsion bar but few ere bold enough to reject it until a visionary, a mechanical genius, Dr. Ferdinad Porsche from Austria designed the famous suspension for his Type 100 model tank.  Later commonly known as the “Porsche suspension”, it changed many impressions towards suspension design.  The “Porsche” suspension was mounted externally to the hull, each side installed with 3 bogie assemblies and 2 road wheels.  The manufacturing cost according to certain historical references were believed to be lower than with a torsion bar system, and was also easier to reapair.  The suspension in fact resembles the character of a torsion bar design. Unfortunately through various filed testing indicated that the “Porsche” suspension was prone to breakage due to the heavy weight burden while driving off roads.

This Waltersons Forces Of Valor model represents a Jagdtiger #314 with Prosche suspension from 3^rd Company, 653^rd Heavy  Panzerjäger Battalion (Schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653.) 1945.  One of the very distinctive features with the 1:32 scale Jagdtiger is playability.  Compare to traditional plastic model kits, which only allows a visual appreciation, Forces of Valor offers a great interaction between collectors and the model itself, for instance, the gun barrel can manually elevate, spinning road wheels, working suspension system, many open hatches and partial interior details.

Also included a 1/32 scale Myabach HL230 engine along with the Jagdtiger.  Waltersons throught it would be interesting to make a full scale HL230 engine as a desk top display.  In real life, the HL230 was a powerful V12 gasoline engine that could produce nearly 700 PS, it had been one of the major power plants to propel monstrous German heavy armoured vehicles including the Panther, Jagdpanther, Tiger II (known as the King Tiger) and the JagdTiger etc...

This FOV Jagdtiger model is a great addition to your historic tank collection.