1/700 German VK 45.02 (P) Ausf. A Heavy Tank x10

1/700 Scale WW2 German Army VK 45.02 (P) Ausf. A Heavy Tank.
Contains 10 highly detailed tanks.

Contains:

• 10x VK 45.02 (P) Ausf. A Heavy Tank

VK 45.02 (P) Ausf. A Heavy Tank
After the VK 45.01 (P) failed to win the contract, Dr. Porsche began looking at ways to improve the design for a future version. Based on the latest Allied tank designs, however, it was clear that simply increasing the armor on the VK 45.01 (P) would not be enough for the tank to remain competitive. It needed to have both more weight and more maneuverability. What initially began as a single vehicle, entitled "Typ 180" grew into a series of five different vehicles, requiring the development of two hull configurations (one with the turret in the front, the other with the turret in the rear), both an electric and a hydraulic drive system, and four different engines. The overall project came to be known as VK 45.02 (P) and the five configurations came to be:

• Typ 180A: Electric drive with Porsche Typ 101/3 gasoline engines.
• Typ 180B: Electric drive with Porsche Typ 101/4 gasoline engines.
• Typ 181A: Voith II hydraulic drive with Porsche Typ 101/3 gasoline engines.
• Typ 181B: Voith II hydraulic drive with Porsche Deutz Typ 180/1 diesel engines.
• Typ 181C: Voith II hydraulic drive with Porsche Deutz Typ 180/2 diesel engines.

A new turret for the VK 4502 (P) had to be developed after it was determined that the 8.8cm Flak 41 could not be installed in the VK 4501 (P) turret. Records appear to indicate that the design was finalized by May 7, 1942, because Krupp reported difficulties shaping the turret's specially rounded front. The rounded front reduced the frontal target area, and thus it would not present the shot-trap that became apparent in the initial production design of the Henschel Tiger II. The rounded front of the turret would then line up with the sloped frontal armor (albeit only on the chassis with the front-mounted turret).

Initially an order for 200 complete VK 4502 (P) tanks was authorized in April of 1942, with the first four to be delivered in October. Unfortunately, Dr. Porsche's fascination with advanced (and unproven) engine design doomed the project when the 10-cylinder engines he designed for the tank failed during trials. Given that Dr. Porsche's previous failures used engines with the same drive train layout, the Wehrmacht had no confidence he would succeed in making it into a dependable engine. As a result, all contracts relating to the VK 4502 (P) were rescinded in November of 1942. Porsche nevertheless continued working on the design up to the summer of 1944. By then, the design had a hydraulic drive, a suspension, and a working 900 metric horsepower air-cooled diesel engine.

Ultimately, only the turret was used as an upgrade for the existing Henschel Tiger II design.

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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