Mark iv...male

[digger303]

I started this a while ago whilst on holiday...yep took one with me.



It has some nice detail that you will never see





Getting all those wheels lined up did worry me a bit, however I placed a dab of glue to hold them straight and I found the two sides went together in under a minute.



I did have some small gaps in this area, although I am uncertain as to whose fault that was. The kit or me.



All together including tracks which I found a pleasure to assemble. The only problem I had was placing the end adjuster wheel in the correct pot to tension the tracks correctly.


Mostly assembled here with the PE


[https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4760/248 ... a824_z.jpg[/img]

Unlike the ScaleModelJedi paint is for me where I just stop...I lose my mojo...

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4760/396 ... c4ea_z.jpg[/img]



Now putting this chain together gave me nightmares




However I got it done over 3 days

[DrSprue]

Oh that looks like a fun kit. Its coming along nice!

[NorthernModeller]

This is very cool. I love it, keep me updated

[sheppsea]

This is one armour kit that really appeals to me - very nice work so far

[Cymru]

Ooooooh

[TheNordus]

Looking real nice. I think it even has better interior detail than the Tamiya kit, which I built some time ago. Maybe you could see the breech detail if you had the side doors open?

[digger303]

Looking real nice. I think it even has better interior detail than the Tamiya kit, which I built some time ago. Maybe you could see the breech detail if you had the side doors open?

If the side doors were open It would still be difficult to see much of the gun's breech, but the vast emptiness of the internal hull would be seen and the door swings outward. So the eye would be looking more towards the empty interior.

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

[MrBowcat]

Nice kit, I might have to do a Mk IV at some point.

[ElCapitan]

Looks good - will you be doing the paint scheme shown on the box?

Are they the kit tracks? They look different to the box art ones.

[Stokesy44]

Stunning detail mate. Looks a pretty intense build but well worth it me thinks.

Top stuff

[Tomcat64]

Great looking build so far mate - shame the gun detail is going to be hidden but you know it's there

[digger303]

Looks good - will you be doing the paint scheme shown on the box?

Are they the kit tracks? They look different to the box art ones.

Tracks are straight out of the box. There is the option to put on the extra bits which widen the track on every fifth cleat. As to the paint scheme I haven't really decided yet, but most likely will TRY ( painting isn't really my forte ). Sometime I wish I could just build them then hand them on to a real painter...

Thanks to all you guys for the kindness shown I am more than receptive to any tips that would improve the build.

[privatepete]

Hi Ian great job on the build, I'm not an expert on ww1 tanks but as far as I know the camouflage pattern was only used on early Mk1.

Olive brown drab or khaki or khaki brown is a lot closer on MkIV.

The Germans painted their captured MkIV in grey with splatters of camouflage colour.

Hope this help's.
Pete

[digger303]

Hi Ian great job on the build, I'm not an expert on ww1 tanks but as far as I know the camouflage pattern was only used on early Mk1.

Olive brown drab or khaki or khaki brown is a lot closer on MkIV.

The Germans painted their captured MkIV in grey with splatters of camouflage colour.

Hope this help's.
Pete

Thanks ....you wouldn't happen to know which version had the extra wide cleats attached too ?

[TheNordus]

Hi Ian great job on the build, I'm not an expert on ww1 tanks but as far as I know the camouflage pattern was only used on early Mk1.

Olive brown drab or khaki or khaki brown is a lot closer on MkIV.

The Germans painted their captured MkIV in grey with splatters of camouflage colour.

Hope this help's.
Pete

Thanks ....you wouldn't happen to know which version had the extra wide cleats attached too ?

They apparently hired an artist to paint some Mk I tanks in a camouflage scheme and after this artist saw the tanks after action he got really frustrated and cried out "you might as well paint them brown!". And so they did.
I had a heck of a time researching these tank grousers/cleats. Apparently they were issued to Mk IV tanks and the earlier marks but not Mark Vs. They weren't very popular with the crews and tended to get lost.

[privatepete]

Hi Ian, as you can see TheNordes has already answerd it and well done as he said not easy to find, this what I have found.

There were two types 'grouser' or 'spud'

Grouser

Fitted by loosening the bolts located on the inside edge of the track holding the two parts of the spud/grouser/cleat together. Slip it over the track between the rivets holding the track plate together and tighten the bolt

Spud


The grousers were fitted to every sixth track link. But there are plenty of photographs, that I'm sure you've seen, that show the grousers attached all in one section of track apparantly at random. Maybe there was an 'approved method' and then there was 'real life'!

And, looking at photographs, the grousers on Mark I, II and IV tanks all look the same. I havent seen grousers fitted to Mark III or V tanks in any photos.

The official manual for the Mark IV is available to buy. Maybe it has a section on applying grousers?

I'd read that there were issued 44 pieces by tank, they were stored in the stowage box on the roof.
Yes, it was reliant by the official manual to fit 30 at all, at each 6th track.

Here is a well know picture of a Mark IV with more grousers than at every sxth track


Pete

[rcfanuk]

Great build mate, how did you get the chain links opened up as I got frustrated trying to do mine, wish they were a softer material.

[Stokesy44]

Sounds like a scheme with a single main colour is the way to go. You could then maybe try oil dot filters and a wash to finish it off. With all those flat surfaces and rivet detail, a filter and wash would be just the ticket mate.

[digger303]

Great build mate, how did you get the chain links opened up as I got frustrated trying to do mine, wish they were a softer material.

I used my large hobby knife ...placed it firmly on the link then hit the back (top ) of the blade with a hammer. If I used a pair of side nippers the link would get more of a tapered cut and didn't squeeze back together very cleanly.

[digger303]

Sounds like a scheme with a single main colour is the way to go. You could then maybe try oil dot filters and a wash to finish it off. With all those flat surfaces and rivet detail, a filter and wash would be just the ticket mate.

Thanks I shall do as you suggest. No time or inclination at the moment work has me knackered by the time I sit down here.