Landships II

Ricks142 · Corporal

Mk 3 tank exhaust puzzle

philthydirtyanimal · Commander in Chief

Can't really explain it, except to say that yes, the Mark III had the little triangular hats

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1047/937606584_e98f1435c9_o.jpg

Gwyn Evans · Legend

I don't understand. There are distinct differences between Mark III Female sponsons and those of later Marks. As PDA says the exhaust is right for the Mark III. What is the website where you have found this film?

Gwyn

Ricks142 · Corporal

Oh dear, I seem to be demonstrating my ignorance. I am fairly new into WW1 tanks my main area of interest being softskins. I have been looking over this great website for info, I went into the section on Tanks, then the section on the Mk 1 where it showed a link to the Mk 3 film. My impression of the sponson was based on my limited knowledge of the earlier marks , i.e. the Mk 1 etc. It looks like the one on my kit of the Mk 4 ergo it is the same, I was not making a definitive ID of it. My prior understanding of the Mk 3 gives it the manhole hatch, as on the Airfix kit, and has a silencer in place of the earlier exhaust hats. It now seems my impression is wrong and I must sift through my info again. Interesting discovery process these early tanks.

All the best, Rick

-- Edited by Ricks142 on Saturday 31st of October 2009 07:20:04 PM

philthydirtyanimal · Commander in Chief

No, Rick, not to worry, you are broadly correct in what you have observed.

Gwyn, the film Rick is referring to is on this page:
http://www.landships.freeservers.com/mark1-3_info_walkaround.htm

The new shape female sponson was applied to some Mark III tanks. The main difference between the new female sponson on the Mark III and the female sponsons on the Mark IV, V and V* was the hinge down the middle; the Mark III female sponson didn't fold so it didn't have a hinge like the later ones did.

There is a splendid article on converting Emhar's Mark IV into a Mark III here:
http://www.landships.freeservers.com/new_pages/mk3_conversion.htm

Perhaps they couldn't be bothered to put a silencer and an exhaust pipe on the Mark IIIs because they were only used in Britain and only for training?

Incidentally the raised triangular hatch that is on the Airfix and the Emhar kits is, I believe, correct for a Mark III. 'Manhole hatch' is how people generally describe the hatch on the Mark I.

Ricks142 · Corporal

Suddenly, it all becomes clear and I now have the idea for my next kit.

Many thanks guys

Poniatowski · Major

yes, I beleive the 'animal' is right. As far as I can tell, the 'manhole' was only used on the MkI. I can understand your confusion as well, having worked on a scratch built MkI for the last year or so, I can say it all gets confusing at times, but it's all a lot of fun in the end.

Regards,

Ron