Takom 1/35 WWII King Tiger SdKfz 182 Late Production Heavy Tank (2 in 1) Kit

The Tiger II or King Tiger (never an official name) was the successor to the equally famous Tiger I, and combined elements of that tank, together with a sloped hull design reminiscent of the Panther medium tank. It was a heavy old thing, weighing in at 80 tonnes, and armed with the infamous 88mm gun. Developed and manufactured by Henschel, the tank entered front line service in 1944 and first saw limited use in the aftermath of the D-Day landings.  The development of a heavy tank had begun a few years earlier with proposals from both Henschel and Porsche, with Henschel winning the final contract. The turrets for both of these designs were produced by the Krupp company, with their initial version having a rounded profile at the front, which resulted in a prominent shot trap (where an incoming round could get trapped, rather than being deflected). This initial turret design has since been known (somewhat incorrectly) as the 'Porsche turret' and was used for the first 50 King Tigers, after which Krupp designed a more simplified production turret which also removed the shot trap. This version has come to be known as the 'Henschel turret', despite both designs being produced solely by Krupp.

The King Tiger was heavily armored, with up to 180mm on the turret front, and as such was essentially impervious to just about anything the Allies could throw at it. The tank's own 88mm gun was one of the most feared weapons during the war-making the King Tiger a very potent adversary, however, initial unreliability and the fact that the tank simply couldn't be produced in large enough numbers meant that it ultimately was unable to turn the tide of the war for Germany. Despite that, it's gone down in history as one of the most iconic tanks of WWII.