Hello WOTer, everyone!
In the list of VIII developable tank enhancements previewed in the 1.22 update, there is a low-key presence. It was once nicknamed "Mickey Mouse" because it was the only way to develop the "rat" type, and it was also famous for its powerful suppression of the Type 59 Class 8 room, but it gradually "disappeared" in the face of more and more cutting-edge tanks, it is the D series VIII silver coin heavy VK4502 (P)A. Can the long list of enhancement projects in this adjustment help it "regain its strength"? Let's take a look.
01
Go back in history
The VK4502(P)A and VK4502(P)B in the game are actually sister projects that Porsche AG participated in the Tiger II tank tender, but lost to Henschel's VK4503H. In reality, both designs have a frontal hull of only 80 mm, and both use 88 guns and curved frontal turrets, the only difference being the turret layout. In order to distinguish the gameplay, the B type of the rear turret was given heavy armor and the 128 gun was placed at level IX, and the A type of the front turret was placed at level VIII after a small "magic modification", becoming today's protagonist.
▲ VK4502(P)A Side view
The VK4502(P)A/B originally existed as a precursor tank to the development of the "Mouse", and was only assigned to the D-series heavy tan three lines featuring the rear turret after the appearance of the VII tank. However, the Mickey Mouse, which is known for its mobility and relatively weak protection, always seems to be incompatible with other tanks in the R&D branch, resulting in its poor reputation for a long time.
After the 9.17.1 update, its first armor was greatly strengthened (the "coin port" was eliminated and the thickness increased to 150 mm), and the gun depression angle was improved, but it still did not change its weak position. No, the second wave of comprehensive enhancements is about to be officially implemented with version 1.22!
▲ In version 9.17.1, the first armor has been greatly enhanced
02
Adjust the details
In version 1.22, VK4502P(A) has received the following enhancements:
- When the whiteboard tracks were installed, the gun was strengthened from 0.22/0.22/0.1 to 0.2/0.2/0.1
- When full tracks were installed, the gun was strengthened from 0.2/0.2/0.1 to 0.18/0.18/0.1
- The reload time of the Full Body Gun (Medium 105) was increased from 10.1 to 8.9 seconds, and the DPM was strengthened from 1901 to 2157 points
- The accuracy of the 100-meter gun was increased from 0.37 to 0.35 meters
- The aiming time of the full body gun has been increased from 2.3 to 2 seconds
- The equivalent armor at the first and lower armor welds was strengthened from 212 to 260 mm
- When the whiteboard turret is installed, the HP is increased from 1470 to 1500
- When the full turret is installed, the HP is increased from 1570 to 1600
- The frontal armor of the full-body turret was increased from 185 to 260 mm
- The frontal "cheek" armor of the full-body turret was increased from 100 to 120 mm
03
Gaming performance
The strengthening of protection is one of the most talked about aspects of this balance. In previous versions, "Mickey Mouse" was most criticized by players for the problem of "facial paralysis" - close to vertical, the front of the turret with a paper thickness of only 185 mm was almost unable to block the shooting of any medium and heavy ordinary ammunition of the same class, and only the gun shield could barely fight a battle. When shaking the turret to interfere with the opponent's aiming, the vulnerable turret side will become a new weak point area, which can be easily penetrated by the opponent.
▲ VK4502P (A) turret armor enhancement details
In version 1.22, the frontal thickness of the Mickey Mouse's turret will be directly increased to 260 mm, and the equivalent is expected to reach around 270 mm, which will be immune to ordinary shells of the same class, and has some resistance to special shells and even X-class guns. The reinforcement of the turret side may be aimed at the part covered by additional tracks, which allows the turret to have about 230 mm of equivalent armor at a small angle, reducing the probability of being broken through when "twisting". As a result, Mickey Mouse's turret protection will be on par with (or even stronger!) than King Tiger. ), in the state of selling the head will be more difficult to deal with, artillery with insufficient penetration can only consider hitting the "head bag", or use the caliber advantage to crush the "scalp" of only 40 mm.
▲ Comparison of the data of the strengthened VK4502P (A) and the main gun of the King Tiger
The strengthening of artillery is another major plus! From the comparison of the data in the above table, it is not difficult to see that this "middle 105" is more prominent than the tiger king after strengthening, the shrinking time, triple expansion coefficient and rate of fire, and the gap in accuracy is further narrowed, and the difference is in the single shot damage and penetration of the shell. As a "assault heavy tank" with high mobility and positioning for front-line combat, such a balanced idea is understandable, but it only has a penetration depth of 200/244 mm, and an average single shot damage of 320 points, which is insufficient deterrent in the current level VIII room environment, and it has a feeling of "burning stick"! This also means that even with the strengthened armor, the role that Mickey Mouse can play in the heavy tan line is still quite limited!
The strengthening of armor did not cause the mobility of the "Mickey Mouse" to be affected, but with the continuous emergence of Class VIII rookies, the once proud mobility has gradually become moderate, with a maximum forward/reverse speed of 38/16 km and a unit power of 15.9 hp/ton in the middle of the same class, but the excellent track adaptability makes its driving feel particularly silky, enough to follow the friendly Zhongtan cluster to fight a wave of assault, and use the advantage of armor to break through the opponent's defense!
04
Write at the end
It is not difficult to see that the protection and output ability of the "Mickey Mouse" in the new version will be significantly improved, but it will not change its battlefield positioning - a "pseudo-Zhongtan" covered with heavy tan. The stronger pressing force against Zhongtan, combined with the good maneuverability of the chassis, I believe that this reborn "Mickey Mouse" is worth a try!