Landships II

Since Treadhead was so kind as to extend the group build deadline, I've decided to use the 1/76 Airfix kit (with Mk.I parts from Matador) to do Mother, exploiting the kit's boilermaker rivet pitch. The model will depict her as seen at the Elveden training ground in June 1916, after her 6-pounder guns had been removed (due to a shortage of training guns). There seems to be a long gap in Mother's photo documentation following the Hatfield Park demonstration of Feb. 1916, until the Oldbury trials of March 1917. The open sponson apertures necessitated scratch building a rudimentary interior, but in braille scale not much other than the Daimler engine and differential casing can be seen. I was worried that the supplemental rivet detail would be a nightmare, but the tip offered elsewhere on the site about using tiny beads from a Brita water filter cartridge worked like a charm.

For others contemplating this simple conversion, here are some detail differences from the production Mk.I's: Bow - different MG aperture on cab front and no oval vision slits above the cab flaps; headlamp posts mounted to horns rather than upper bow plate.   Hull Roof - exhaust baffles are curved plates rather than inverted V-shape; manhole hatch is in forward roof section, hinged rearward; rear roof plate perforations, 7x20 stbd, 8x20 port.   Hull Sides - track tensioner aperture shape round, like Little Willie.   Hull Rear - no radiator baffles, a square plate immediately below this position; door is longer with no pistol port or oval vision slit, but has a round peep-hole.   Sponsons - No oval vision slits, MG apertures or pistol ports, but four square plates which may have been intended for apertures.  Steering Tail - hydraulic ram is more like Little Willie, but with reservoir tank mounted to stbd; plate on top of the tail frame is smaller, with a simpler perforation pattern. 

Attached are a few well-known photos of Mother which illustrate these details, and a few shots of the model in progress. More to follow...