My next build......... Never had an issue with buying directly from Hooben (Twin-Horse website). Takes them a while to process the order, but once it is shipped thru DHL, always here in three days.

I had a custom built one before but now it is in the US. This one will be grey and early prototype model. Might have to find a metal L55 barrel.

Metal swing arms and plastic road wheels?

Yup and tracks come in pieces. I guess you get for what you pay for. $350 USD everything in. Has the mechnicals and that's it.

I thought Ren bought the P from you?

That was two ownership ago. I traded it back with my churchill and then sold it to my buddy in Connecticut. That was a museum piece really.

Well interesting build. It is based on the Hooben Elephant, which means that it is really a Tiger (P) and not a VK4501, so it has the extra amour plate, headlights on the hull. The Tiger I turret is quite well build, with actual metal pinions like the real thing, and very nice PE parts for the track and storage mount on the back of the turret. Rotation and elevation are standard Hooben fair which is much better than Heng Long ones. The lower is basically the same as the Elephant, except you get the same track guards which means they are about an inch too long for the VK4501 so had to do some cutting. The front and back plate are also Elephant/Tiger P and not Ferdinand/VK4501. German Grey for now but will have to get zim and tri-colour camo for the Tiger P that it really is at some point. Surprisingly no Girl Und Panzer decals as the VK4501 is one of the feature tanks in the show, along with the Hetzer and the Maus. 

Mike, did they reuse the same bottom kit from the Hooben Elephant? 

If they did, then the road wheel suspension is shit!  I can't get my Elephant to run more than 5 feet before it starts falling apart and from what I've read on other forums, this pretty common.  
Hopefully this is something they fix for this kit.

Yes it is I have to cut the track guards so that it is shorter for the VK4501. It is metal swing arm with spring loaded offsetting bogies. Works okay. What is wrong with it ? It is tricky as hell to put together but seems to work okay.

I don't remember having issue with them on the Elephant either. How does it fall apart ? The bogies fall off ?

I will bring it out this Saturday and will see how it runs.

Mike, I'll bring out the Elephant and you can compare them.  

I just took it out of mothball and did a quick test.  It's running with an old SLU, but seems to operating at a 85% capacity.

This has always been one of my favourites...