I agree and I think 1942 Heer would agree.
Germany had several heavy tank design studies from 1937 onward. As of 1941 none had been funded to completion which gives a pretty good idea as to where they stood on the Heer priority list. And then politics intervened.
Fall 1941.
Chancellor Hitler demands that heavy tank design be given a higher priority.
Porsche was given contract to build chassis.
Krupp was given contract to build turret.
Main gun would be based on performance of 8.8cm/56 flak cannon. However it was a new design.
February 1942.
Albert Speer appointed Armaments Minister.
This appointment was based on Hitler's favor. Speer had no industrial mass production experience.
March 1942.
Inexperienced or not even Speer could see that wartime Germany had a serious shortage of copper. The Porsche Tiger tank chassis used gasoline generators and electric drive, a propulsion system Ferdinand Porsche favored going back at least to 1910. The electric drive system worked but copper usage was prohibitive.
Henschel was instructed to enlarge their existing VK3601(H) test chassis for use by the new Tiger tank. Because this was a rush job there was no time to design a modern hull with sloped armor. Henschel simply enlarged the existing Panzer IV hull and provided a turret ring sized to fit Krupp turrets already on order for the Porsche Tiger. Amazingly enough the resulting vehicle was excellent with a relatively short teething period. During 1943 the Tiger I was highly effective against both soft and hard targets while being almost immune to Allied anti-tank weapons.
Tiger I was based on political rather then military considerations yet it worked well. Who would have thought such a thing was possible?
If the choice were mine to make.....
VK3601(H) chassis was excellent and it was about the right size for a WWII era MBT.
6.05 meters long x 3.14 meters wide. Slightly larger then T-34 chassis but suspension was much better.
Historically VK3601(H) was never fitted with a hull. If hull design had been ordered concurrent with chassis design there would be plenty of time to do it right. Make a modern hull with sloped armor. The resulting vehicle would look similar to historical Panther tank but a bit smaller.
Since armor is sloped 60mm on front and 45mm on sides should be adequate until 1944. This will keep the tank relatively light. Maybe 35 tons overall. Keeping the vehicle light will go a long way towards solving that troublesome final drive problem.
Turret and 7.5cm/48 cannon from Panzer IVG will work just fine early on. However turret drive should be hydraulic, similar to Tiger and Panther. This saves copper and works better. Germany can design an improved turret with 7.5cm/70 cannon when time permits.
Build this VK3601(H) based tank like hot rolls ILO Panzer III, Panzer IV, Panzer V and Panzer VI. It's the only tank Germany needs.