1/72 MK.II Supply Tank

[Rob -MadAsKiwi- Mooar]

Hi All

Quite some time ago, I was going to enter a contest to build a little wee WWI MK.II Supply Tank from a Airfix 1/76 WWI MK.I Male Tank. Here's the blurb...

Hi All

Sorry for the delay.. That realworld keeps getting in the way of modelling time lol.

Anyway, here's what I'm starting with:

It is the Airfix WWI MK I Male Tank (A01315), which I plan to convert to a MK II Supply tank.

The reasoning behind the conversion is that the Airfix MK I Tanks are a very good representation of the HMLS Dragonfly at Bovington, which is actually a Mark II Supply tank with different sponsons and the storage bins removed (in short).

With any luck, and some bodging, I should end up with something that looks like this in the end:

...

So.. quite some time later.. here I am (after one thing and another), having not touched this kit and itching to built it, and along comes this built.

Time for the formalities:

You can just make out the dust that I have made almost no attempt to remove from the top of the box lol.

The build will be the same as above, but in a hurry lol. The plan is to build 'er.. oops I mean 'im (it is a Male tank after all) up minus the rear trailing/steering wheels and add bins and dunnage.

I'll be going with a modest khaki drab paint job with some markings.. but the aim is more to get it finished than to worry about the minor details.

Watch this space

Rob

 

[moon puppy]

Welcome back to the bench Rob, now get busy and git'er done!!!

 

[randy_ditton]

Hello Rob, This looks like fun


Randy

 

[Rob -MadAsKiwi- Mooar]

Hey All

Firstly, thanks guys. MP.. Will do mate.

Just a small update. I've started by gluing the two halves of the track horns together. The other thing I have started doing is blanking off the sponsons where the 6pdr guns would have been housed, and started mounting the rear door surrounds. Blanking off the sponsons has been interesting as the gap for the gun is anything but straight. This has required a heap of sanding to get the sheet styrene to fit.

That's all for now

Cheers

Rob

 

[moon puppy]

 

[Rob -MadAsKiwi- Mooar]

Hey all

Now, I am out to try and disprove the myth that I have never completed a kit by attempting to complete this kit :laugh: And.. it might just happen

Now for some updates.

Firstly I started to build up the hull around the locating ring moulded into the side of the horns to find that there was no way the parts of the hull were going to meet up following this. I then had to remove the front end of the locating ring so I could get the front of the hull to meet up. Then.. when I got the angles of the hull correct, there was still a gap at the front where the upper and lower hulls meet, and when that gap was filled, there was then a huge overlap from the bottom plate.

Then I filled the holes that would have been used to hold the rear steering wheels from the Mk.I on the back end of the horns. I heated some Tamiya sprew and stretched it so it was about the right diameter, then snipped and glued it in the hole (You may be thinking that this is a lot of obvious blither, but this is really important as you will find later).

I have also completed blanking off the right hand sponson and mounted it to the horn. I then sanded the overlap at the front of the hull flush, and added a new towing hook thingy, and mounted the horns to the hull.

Now I started adding the additional stowage bins. There is a large one that follows the contours of the rear end of the horns and a bin placed on top of where the rearmost plate is on the hull. Now, you will remember that I mentioned filling in a hole that was used for the rear steering wheels, this carefully hidden hole is now hidden inside the rear most extension!! So all that work proved to be unnecessary lol.. oh well. Also, due to not measuring twice before cutting, I have made the back plate of the top stowage bin too big, so that will be rectified tomorrow.

That's all for now.

Cheers

Rob

 

[Iron Mike]

Looking good, Rob! Now about that hot rod.....

 

[Rob -MadAsKiwi- Mooar]

Looking good, Rob! Now about that hot rod.....

:laugh: All in good time lol. Once I get that engine sorted, and the cab, then I'll have something to report lol.. all going a bit slowly on that front

 

[Iron Mike]

:laugh: I hear you on that!

 

[Rob -MadAsKiwi- Mooar]

Howdy Y'all

All righty.. the plastic part of this model is done. I've drilled the towing hook, and bent up a pin for it. I cut and sanded the top stowage bin so it is now flush with the rest of them, and done some filling here and there. The blanking of the remaining sponson is now complete, and the sponson has been mounted to the horn.

I'll be painting this Khaki Drab (Humbrol 159), and adding markings as and when I can figure out what they are.. but at the very least, it'll get the white/red/white on the front of the horns.

Anyhow.. here's the progress

That's all for now.

Cheers

Rob

 

[moon puppy]

You go Rob!!!

 

[Iron Mike]

Looking good, Rob!

 

[MrT]

Very nice Rob!!

 

[lupanzer]

...great!

Best!

luiz.

 

[razordws]

 

[Dusan]

Great work and very cool subject!

All the best!
Dusan.

 

[reconron]

Greetings,Ron.

 

[jknaus]

Very very cool. Sure changes the look of the beast when its all closed up and no guns hanging out. Well done so far
James

 

[randy_ditton]

Hi Rob, Really nice modelling to get it all buttoned up like that

Randy

 

[Rob -MadAsKiwi- Mooar]

Hi All

Thanks all for your kind words. Just a wee update. I've been doing a little research, and it would appear that the exhaust system that is supplied with this tank is not correct for a MK II (and possibly not correct for a MK III either), let alone for a MK I. So.. after looking at as many pics of MK II's that I could find, they all seem to have the angular plates over the exhaust holes. So.. I have spent quite some time this evening cutting, gluing and setting these angular plates over the exhaust holes.

I've also used Saúl's sewing method to join the tracks. It has allowed for a small gap when stretched in place, but I can hardly see it

Next step.. PAINT.

Here's the progress

In honor of our many hero's that fought and died during all the wars that we have participated in, I am hoping to have this finished by ANZAC day (the 25th). I can't guarantee that this will happen, but I really hope I can do this as my way of remembering our heroes.

That's all for now

Cheers

Rob