1/600 German VK 65.01 (H) Heavy Tank x10

1/600 Scale WW2 German Army VK 65.01 (H) Heavy Tank.
Contains 10 highly detailed tanks.

Contains:

• 10x VK 65.01 (H) Heavy Tanks

VK 65.01 (H) Heavy Tank
VK6501 (a 65 ton design, as the name suggests) was born in early 1939 (January, to be specific), when the German army decided it’s a good idea to develop even heavier breakthrough tanks, specifically something from the 30t to 65t category, armed with a short 75mm L/24 within roughly the same turret dimensions as the Panzer IV (heavier armament was considered, but scrapped in favour of additional armor protection). The vehicle was to have a (very strong for that time) 80mm thick frontal armor for its weight of 65 tons and it was supposed to go roughly 20-25km/h.

The order to project and build mock-ups went to Krupp, who was tasked with building a turret for this vehicle with three possible armament options: 75mm L/24, 75mm L/40, 105mm L/20. The mockup was ready in March 1939. The 105mm armament was however scrapped very soon (June 1939): the turret was to resemble the Durchbruchswagen turret, it was quite cramped and manipulating with the massive 105mm shells was deemed too uncomoftable. In the end (in March 1940), the turret selected was practically identical to the DW turret and carried the 75mm L/24.

While the turret was designed by Krupp, the suspension and hull was to be designed by Henschel and it carried typical Henschel elements and shapes (especially the suspension). It was big however – too big to fit on any of the railway wagons. Therefore Henschel decided to design the hull as breakable into 3 pieces. A powerful engine was envisaged by the Henschel company: the 600hp Maybach HL224, that could make the 65 ton vehicle go as fast as 20km/h.

In September 1939, it was decided to produce the initial 0-series batch. Waffenprüftamt awarded the contract for that to Krupp in February and March 1940 to produce certain armor components and to assemble the turrets with guns, while the hull was to be produced by Henschel, which was to also perform the final vehicle assembly. First turrets were however planned to be produced as late as in 1942.

After the Battle of France, it was however decided by the Waffenprüfamt that vehicles over 30 tons are not practical because of the bridge weight restrictions. The armor components contract was cancelled in August 1940 and the turret contract was cancelled in October. Apparently, one soft-steel hull was completed nevertheless in 1941 (and possibly even tested in Sennelager), but by that time the VK450X program (what would later become the Tiger) already had higher priority and by the end of 1942, Henschel was ordered to scrap the already produced parts.

Cleaning Information
Some part cleanup will be necessary. The 3D printing process uses a waxy substance to support certain part features during the printing process. Although the parts are cleaned by Shapeways, some waxy residue may remain.  It can be safely removed with water and a mild aqueous detergent like "Simple Green" using an old, soft toothbrush, Q-tips or pipe cleaners. During the printing process, liquid resin is cured by ultraviolet light. Microscopic bits of resin may remain uncured.

Let your parts sit in direct sunlight for a few hours to fully cure the resin.  
Water-based acrylic paints meant for plastics is strongly recommended. Other paints, especially enamels, may not cure on Frosted Detail 3D-printed plastics.
Use dedicated model sprue cutters to remove parts to minimise the risk of damage to parts.
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