Showcase: Renault FT (Meng 1/35 scale)

WIP: Takom Mk. I Female (1/35 scale)

As anyone who follows my work knows, I'm quite keen on Great War subjects, having already built a Medium Mark A Whippet and a Krupp 21cm Mörser 10. With those under my belt, I felt that it was time to move on to the family of vehicles that spawned the modern tank: the British Mark I. 

In the autumn of 1915, at behest of the Landships Committee, Little Willie, the first prototype of what would become known as "tanks" was built. There are varying stories as to why these lumbering beasts were called "tanks," but it most likely appears to stem from a code name used to deceive the Germans and it ended up sticking. Soon after, in December of 1915, the prototype of the Mark I, Mother, was completed and the first order for 75 "male" tanks armed 6 pounder guns and 75 "female" tanks armed with .303 Vickers machine gun were placed in late-February, early-April of 1916. The distinctive rhomboid shape was designed to help the vehicle cross the ubiquitous trenches that characterized the fight on the Western Front. The armor was relatively thin, ranging from 6 to 12mm, but it was enough to keep out rifle and machine gun fire. The Mark I made its combat debut at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette in September 1916 (as part of the larger Somme Offensive).

Though the kit parts can build up a pretty decent representation of a Vickers machine gun, I thought the addition of some aftermarket brass parts would be nice touch. After a quick search, I found that Aber makes a nice set that has the four Vickers and one Hotchkiss machine guns. I'm not entirely sure the extra effort is worth it, especially for the cooling jacket armor, but the fine details on the muzzle are a huge upgrade compared to the rather chunky kit muzzles.

The main hull, made up of various plates, goes together quite nice using the inside of the track frame as a jig to ensure proper alignment of the parts. Probably the biggest fault with the kit lies in this area: the cab is grossly inaccurate. Mark I cabs should extended the full width of the hull to the track frames; the shortened cab was used on the later Mark IV and Mark V tanks to accommodate the use of wider 26" tracks instead of the 20" tracks of the earlier models. The saving grace is that there aren't that many people overly familiar with these vehicles means that it's something that will unnoticed for the most part. The track frames are mirror images of each other and go together well enough, but the number of rollers can make it a little difficult to assemble. As far as the rollers go, I did no clean up on them because once sandwiched between the outer and inner pieces and the tracks added, they're impossible to see. To be honest, it's probably perfectly fine to leave them out altogether so long as their axles are added (these stick out of little holes along the bottom of the vehicle).

With the hull and track frames completed, I started on the characteristic steering tail. These were a feature found only on the Mark I tanks and were used as a kind of a rudder to help steer the tank in large radius turns. It was quickly found that these were completely unnecessary and were removed from later vehicles. It goes together without much fuss and the large wheels have poly caps so they can be removed for painting.

With a majority of the vehicle completed, the only things left to build are the weapon sponsons and the anti-grenade screen for the top of the tank. I probably won't use the screen because this tank will be painted as D11 "Die Hard," which was damaged just outside of Flers on September 16, 1916. The first Mark I tanks were part of D Company and C Company of the Machine Gun Corps and only tanks of C Company were outfitted with screens.

Showcase: Battlefront Miniatures Tiger I Ausf.E (15mm)

Battlefront Miniatures Tiger I Ausf.E in 15mm scale for Flames of War and Tanks! skirmish game. Painted with Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics, Mig enamels, and Mig pigments.

Showcase: Krupp 21cm Mörser 10 (Takom 1:35)

Krupp 21cm Mörser 10 in 1:35 scale from Takom. Finished with Ammo of Mig and Vallejo acrylics; MIG and AK Interactive enamels, 502 Abteilung oils, and MIG and Vallejo pigments. This model represents a German piece captured by Canadian soldiers of the 27th Battalion (City of Winnipeg) during the legendary Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. Full walk around after the break.

WIP: Takom Krupp 21cm Mörser 10 (1/35 scale), Part 2

Following a coat of Alclad gloss, I applied the awesome graffiti decals on the gun shield and barrel. The decals are extremely matte but seemed to go down better than the ones on the Whippet. I had to cut the "WPG" part of red lettering on the barrel off and apply it separately to make it fit properly. There is also a little curled piece on that part of the decal that I think is from my cutting it; I've tried to force it down with some MicroSol but haven't been successful. I'll most likely attempt to slice it off with a sharp scalpel blade. The carrier film is pretty obvious, but after they dry I'll seal them in with some gloss varnish followed by some matte varnish to hopefully make the carrier film disappear.

While the decals dries, I set to work adding some dirt and grime with 502 Abteilung oil paints. I used a couple of different browns to vary the finish, adding anywhere that gunk and dirt would likely buildup. I don't usually do this with oils as I much prefer using enamels, but I thought it would be a good way to practice a skill that I feel needs improvement.

WIP: Takom Krupp 21cm Mörser 10 (1/35 scale)

Fresh off the heels of my Whippet build, I decided to stick with the First World War theme and build this interesting little kit from Takom. The kit gives you two options for construction: the short-barreled 1910 model and it's replacement, the long-barreled 1916 model. I opted for the 1910 model because the painting guide shows a piece captured by Canadian soldiers of the 27th Battalion (City of Winnipeg) during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. After the break, we'll dive into everything this kit has to offer.

Showcase: Medium Mark A "Whippet"

Takom 1/35 scale Medium Mark A Whippet. Finished in Vallejo & Tamiya acrylics; MIG enamels; Abteilung 502 oils; and MIG, Secret Weapon Miniatures, and Vallejo pigments.

WIP: Takom Medium Mk.A "Whippet" (1/35 scale), Part 3

Picking up where we left off on the last post, I move on to more identification painting and then weathering on the Whippet.

WIP: Takom Medium Mk.A "Whippet" (1/35 scale), Part 2

With most of the construction covered in the last post, I'll now move on to the finishing details of the build and the beginning of the painting.

WIP: Takom Medium Mk.A "Whippet" (1/35 scale)

Even though I am primarily a science fiction modeler, I have a serious soft spot for World War I armor. That's where this kit comes it. In the last few years, a couple of model companies have been putting out some wonderful First World War kits and I've had my eye on a few of them. On a whim, I decided to pick on this fantastic offering from Takom. The Medium Mk.A "Whippet" was Britain's first medium tank, intended to compliment the slower heavy tanks. With a crew of three and armed with four .303 Hotchkiss Mark I machine guns, this tank had a top speed of a blistering 8 mph, making nearly three times as fast as its heavy tank cousins. First entering service in 1918, they proved effective at covering the fighting withdraw of British infantry division during Germany's Spring Offensive in the tail-end of the war. After the war, they continued to serve the British Army until 1930, seeing action in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) and as part of the British Expedition in support of the Whites during the Russian Civil War.