Landships II

Centurion · Legend

Another fantastic WW1 AFV

Centurion · Legend

And a later approach (on a smaller scale but still 'a big wheel'

Centurion · Legend

And more

Roger Todd · Legend

I've seen the two covers, but not the weird single-wheel war-thingy, thanks for that Centurion.

There are some cracking sites that have these covers, such as this one:

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/

Which features loads of wacky war machines, such as these:

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/electricalexperimenter/ElectricalExperimenter1916-02.html

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/electricalexperimenter/ElectricalExperimenter1917-02.html

And this, which I wouldn't be surprised if it was a grotesquely mistaken interpretation of the USN battleships' guns sent to the Front as railway guns:

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/electricalexperimenter/ElectricalExperimenter1917-07.html

The first vaguely accurate rendition of a tank on one of these covers that I've seen:

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/electricalexperimenter/ElectricalExperimenter1918-12.html

Barmy invention, but check out the bomber!

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/electricalexperimenter/ElectricalExperimenter1918-06.html

Which seems to pop up here again, being rescued by a British rigid airship:

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/electricalexperimenter/ElectricalExperimenter1919-06.html

And a bigger version of Centurion's picture:

It will come as no surprise to those of you with an interest in science fiction that it was a Hugo Gernsback magazine...

Roger Todd · Legend

Blast, you've got me started now...

Look at this cover, magnificent!

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/everydayengineering/EverydayEngineering1918-01.html

This is interesting, from December 1917 - 'The Caterpillar Tank: What It Is And How It Works' (note the diabolical Hun looking suitably terrified - quite right too!):

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/everydayengineering/EverydayEngineering1917-12.html

Maybe they had instructions on how to build your own tank from tea-chests, some old nails, a saucepan and some baling wire?

'Everyday Engineering' seems to have been far less warlike than the other journals, taking a more sober view if the covers, such as this, reflect the contents (it probably helped that the ludicrous Gernsback had nothing to do with it!):

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/everydayengineering/EverydayEngineering1918-03.html

And finally, just a quick reminder of a Gernsback magazine:

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/practicalelectrics/PracticalElectrics1924-01.html

What a magnificent folly!

Craig York · Sergeant

I have died and gone to Krupps...( That is Heaven, isn't it? Thanks both of you-wonderful madness!)

Centurion · Legend

http://www.magazineart.org/general/technical/electricalexperimenter/ElectricalExperimenter1918-06.html

This picture posted by Roger actually mirrors an actual project (albeit one killed in the design phase). There was a plan for the post ww1 period to bring commercial aviation to London by building a vast landing platform on top of St Pancras and Kings Cross stations in London. This would have included some form of arrestor gear and launching catapults making the whole thing like some sort of gigantic land based aircraft carrier. Passengers could arrive and depart by train, taking a lift (elevator) to and from the aircraft which would have included civilian versions of the Handley Page 0/400 heavy bomber. It was the preliminary costing that killed the scheme and instead the first London airport was established at Hendon (about where the RAF museum is today). Doubtless the picture shows the New York version on Grand Central

Mark Hansen · Legend

A lot of these weapons remind me of the sci-fi weapons from Star Wars Episode II. General Grievous' wheel bike looks strikingly like the "war tank on one wheel" and the battle scene at the end features many big wheel type tanks. I wonder if George Lucas or the effects crew have a soft spot for big wheel tanks?

Michel Boer · Brigadier

That wouldn't surprise me at all. George Lucas and his team should know quite a lot about tanks. Remember the tank in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? When I was in the Bovington library some years ago, David Fletcher told me that the George Lucas team had visited him to hire one of the WW1 tanks from the museum for this movie.... Luckily, Bovington refused and George Lucas built his own version, clearly inspired on the Bovington tanks.

Michel.