Whilst Grey Antarctica came up with the initial idea for a modernised King (Royal) Tiger/Tiger II, he didnt go into any detail regarding a TL that would feature such a beast. So for the lack of anything else, I have placed my Tiger III in the same post-WW2 universe as my Panther III (see page 1, post #2) where Nazi Germany survivedAt the end of the war, Germany found itself needing to rationalise and update its armoured formations. Early on the decision was made to go with a medium design supported by a heavy counterpart. For OKW this was a logical step as it effectively reinforced the current operational and tactical thinking of the day. It was also in keeping with the doctrinal developments of the other big players such as Britain who were starting to field the Centurion and Conqueror; the USSR with the T-54 and the T-10 and, to a lesser extent, the US with the M4A3E8 and M-26/M-46.Whilst the new medium tank would be based around a development of the trusted Panther the proposed heavy panzer would be built upon the bones of the Tiger II, which would sport a larger gun and an uprated engine coupled to a completely redesigned locomotive and road wheel assembly. In common with its smaller cousin, the complex double torsion bar suspension with interlocking wheels was dropped in favour of a more efficient torsion bar system and single bogey wheels. From this point of view, both the Tiger III and Panther III looked very similar although the Tiger III had an extra road wheel to help spread its not inconsiderable weight. It is fair to say, however, that the same frustrations and conflicts that beset the British and USSR tank designs and doctrine also hindered the Germans efforts to produce a satisfactory armoured combination.To start with, the new Maybach HL230 engine with fuel injection and uprated drive train (1,000 PS (986 hp, 736 kW) selected by Henschel for the new Tiger III was also selected for the new MAN Panther III. In quick succession, the 10.5 cm KwK L/68 main gun, gun stabilization system and Zeiss stereoscopic range finder planned for the Tiger III also found their way into the Panther III programme. Perhaps inevitably, an increasing amount of time, effort and resources were prioritised towards MANs more practical design. This left Henschel with a relatively under-powered and under-gunned prototype mounting the same power pack and main armament as its smaller, lighter companion. In an effort to raise the stakes and taking advantage of the Tiger IIIs larger turret (perhaps its only redeeming feature), Henschel replaced the 10.5 cm cannon with a new 11.5 cm gun under development by Krupp. Whilst, on paper, this gave the Tiger III an advantage in hitting power over the Panther III, the reality was that the 11.5 cm gun was more trouble than it was worth with no significant improvement in armour penetration over the 10.5 cm gun and a slower rate of fire.Nonetheless, the Tiger III eventually entered service albeit in very limited numbers. By the standards of the day, the Tiger III was a good tank; its problem however, was that performance-wise it was not significantly any better than the Panther III and yet cost significantly more. By the early 1950s, OKW finally grasped what many were already beginning to realise; the new medium Panther III had effectively evolved into the elusive universal panzer, the worlds first Main Battle Tank (MBT) and that the need for a dedicated heavy panzer no longer existed. With that realisation, the short life of the Tiger III came to an abrupt end. Not surprisingly, both Britain and the USSR were to come to the same realisation and quietly dropped their heavy tank designs in favour of their own MBT. Arguably, only the US persisted with the duel role concept (M-48 and M-103) until they too settled on the M60 MBT.Whilst the Tiger III earned its place in the annuls of AFV history, it was to be as the last gasp of a dying breed rather than the fighting leviathan it was intended to be.This particular Tiger III depicts the 1st tank, 3rd platoon, 1st company of the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion circa 1951.The model itself contains parts from a Tamiya King Tiger, Tamiya Leopard 1, Academy M-60 Patton, Tamiya M-60A2, Tamiya T-62, Tamiya Jagdpanther and various bits of scratch build!