I'm in the process of modifiying the Dragon 6232 King Tiger Late Production w/New Pattern Tracks into a final, end-of-March vehicle. As I was attaching the track link hangers on the turret, I noticed a discrepancy; that being, the Kgs 73/800/152 tracks included in the kit are handed. According to Hilary Doyle's 1/35 scale drawings in Germany's Tiger Tanks - VK45.02 to Tiger II, the alignment and placement of the hangers and fasteners in the drawings is correct only for part No. F2, which is the link used for the left side of the vehicle. Part F1 doesn't fit on the hangers because of this.

So, cutting to the chase, why did Dragon make handed tracks? There is nothing in any reference to indicate that these, or any other tracks used on the T II, were manufactured as such. Is the Dragon research department guilty of a major Foxtrot Uniform?

I modified 6232 to reflect all the changes that were to have been found on the last vehicle, according to information provided by Tom Jentz. The hangers and fasteners for my modification are all located per the Hilary Doyle drawings. I must reiterate that the positioning, as shown in the drawings,



precludes the mounting of the F1 links on the right side of the turret.

The position of the hangers/fasteners on the 21 March 1945 turret, as seen in the drawings, are corroborated by examining the three photos of the turret, found on pp.134-5 of VK45.02. It is therefore impossible, using the measurements and locations, to mount the F1 links. It's more than obvious, using the photos and drawings as reference, that Hilary Doyle got it right and Dragon didn't re the Kgs 73/600/152 links. The hardware wouldn't have been mounted on the real vehicle in such a manner if the tracks were handed. The pics don't lie.

Further proof that the last T IIs to roll out of the Henschel plant didn't used handed Kgs 73/800/152 links is found at the bottom of p.131 of the Jentz book. The T II being bulldozed



clearly has unhanded Kgs 73/800/152 tracks mounted on the running gear.

b]@Headhunter506[/b] – Joseph,

Here are a few links that you may find of use. The second link is in German but covers all of the tracks as used on the Tiger II and related vehicles. As far as I know the single link Kgs 73/800/152 tracks are not handed. There may be a possibility that the set included in the kit are correct, from my understanding these were experimental track link sets used on some of the Tiger II’s during the Ardennes offensive?

Anyhow check out the links as they contain some good information on the tracks.

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/thread/1173105788/1173291243/Fruilmodel+Tiger+II+tracks
http://www.marineflieger.de/pdf/sohlen_der_tiger.pdf

Let us know If the kit tracks are bogus or not? I have a set of Hobby Boss single link tracks for the Tiger II if your interested? I was surprised by the low price how well detailed they are but I still have not checked them out for compatibility on the DML 18 tooth sprockets?

Hope this helps you out?
~ Eddy

Thanks for the info, Eddy. I actually downloaded the PDF from Marinenflieger about a year or so ago. It's an interesting document; although, some of the information is a bit dated in relation to the Friul tracks. Friul has another set of Kgs 73/800/152 links available as ATL-92.

I know that the kit I'm modding (6232) was an Ardennes-era vehicle; and, the single link tracks that were tested were handed. The Brits obtained the tracks for V2 (the Bovington "Porsche Turret" T II) from a vehicle which was testing them. I know that more than a few of the last T IIs were fitted with transport tracks. I know that I look like the south end of a northbound mule for harping on this most insignificant of points. The reason I jumped on this is, because, when checking Hilary Doyle's drawings of the final, last T II with the hangers/fasteners for the Kgs 73/800/152 links welded to the turret, I noticed that only one (Part F2) link can be hung oh the hangers due to the positioning of the hardware on the turret. The tracks used for test purposes by Pz.Abt. 506 were handed; but, according to the scale drawing, and photos of the turret and destroyed T IIs, only one set of these track links was to be used on the March 1945 production vehicles. The second run (Kgs 73/800/152s are described as asymmetrical tracks, not mirrored) would be flipped, if that is an accurate way of describing the method, and used for the other side of the vehicle in the same manner that tracks were mounted on Tiger Is. There was no intent, on the part of WaPru 4 and 6 to use mirrored/handed/symmetrical track sets on production vehicles because of, well, certain economic and practical reasons. That, in a very large and verbose nutshell, is what I am attempting to point out.

@Headhunter506 – Joseph,

Thanks for the reply and information concerning these tracks it is much appreciated. I’ve only completed the Porsche / Krupp VK45.02 (P) Hinten (not the DML kit) and almost finished with the V1 Tiger II. My studies of this vehicles family are limited to the prototypes and initial production vehicles. I have read through quite a bit of material on the Tiger II but just haven’t bothered with keeping any of the information in mind until I get further along on my 35th scale builds of the Tiger and Tiger II tanks and there variants.

I hadn’t bothered with checking the Kgs 73/800/152 links and assumed that these single link tracks where an asymmetrical production made part. Until I saw your post I could only ask if perhaps these tracks could have originally been produced as a symmetrical set as was the case with the original sets for the Tiger.

The Hobby Boss 81002 and Friulmodel ATL- 37 single link tracks that I have are both symmetrical sets, I didn’t realize this until I checked them and checked them against my references here at home. It would appear then that the Friulmodel ATL-92 track set that you mention is either a right or left hand sided link set? I will have to do some checking when the time comes for attempting a similar Tiger II project that you’re currently involved with.

For me it’s the diversity of parts used to produce what appears to be the same vehicle at a distance, until closer inspection, that makes them so interesting to build. Hope you will post some photographs of your vehicle here when you’ve completed with your project?

~ Eddy