Landships II

The MK.I tank really is such an amazing vehicle to look at. Visually, I think it is superior to the other tanks. Those huge sponsons, long 6 pdrs, etc, really make it look like a menacing vehicle. A true Landship. Especially with those track spuds! British tanks always look very cool with those track spuds.

Something I have never quite seen any modeller attempt, is to really put as much mud as they need to onto these tanks. In some pictures, these tanks are virtually covered in mud from top to bottom, with hunks of mud that came off the tracks forming huge globs on the gun barrels, stuff like that. There is some good model-mud products modellers use, and I have seen some incredibe 'muddy models' of war vehicles, but nothing comming close to how much mud you'd need to give a WWI british rhomboid its proper look I think.

Just a thought I had.

---Vil.

very good model so far!

i wish I could get my hands on some humbrol 29 then I would finish my rhomboid

Ok, things are coming along nicely even if I haven't been having that much time for modelling...

I made a cardboard mold to cast a cylinder of plaster that I wanted to work as a base. It was then sculpted with help of a nail mounted on a modeling knife handle and glued on a coffee jar lid. The rubble was done using balsa wood and some dirt caught in the backyard.

As you can see, the dimensions are not correct, like the distance between the walls and the street, but this was due to the diameter of the lid. However, I think I was able to capture the overall look of the scene, and I still need to make the road sign...

Now it just needs some paint on it!!






Happy modelling everyone, and thank you all for this wonderfull site

That base looks fantastic, Francisco. Excellent work!

Helo

What a wonderful model.

What ratios did You use for mixing Tamiya Dark Khaki/Chocolate Brown ?

TIA

Best Regards
Jacek

 

Hello

Thank You for Your Help.

I hope I'll be able to mixes more or less good colour for my Mark V.

Best Regards
Jacek

Hola all!

This project is almost finished, the most dificult part is over. Now it's time to have fun weatherig the kit and painting the ruins!

The shading was done using dark yellow, desert yellow, nato green, dark yellow again and buff, all tamiya colors sprayed with 96% alcohol.








Best regards,

Francisco

-- Edited by Francisco at 17:21, 2007-03-05

chrisweber wrote:

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I have only just found this old post of yours, but am so glad I did. The Lusitania ( or the avenging Lusitania, to give her her full name was commanded my grandfather, at the time temporary second lieutenant Charles Weber. He received an MC for his actions at Vimy Ridge. ( see http://www.tankmuseum.org/shop/photo.php?photo_id=9 ) The first of your two photos is available from the Tank museum at bovington, but I've never seen the second before. Any idea where I can get a quality print ?

Regards

Chris Weber.

---

 I'm glad you enjoyed my model, I had a lot of pleasure researching and building it. Unfortunately, the photos were found online and I'm not able to give credit to their owners. However, you can find them with the original resolution in the following pages:

http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=1695

http://fbminisworkbench.blogspot.com/search/label/Airfix%20Mk%20II%20Male%20Lusitania%20-%20Arras%201917

If you have anymore questions, please contact me through my email:

fbminis@gmail.com

Best regards,

Francisco

 

I've left two answers here and none of them shows up! The first was waiting moderation and he second one got deleted. I do not understand, the content didn't differ from any other post in this topic!

Hi Tank3

I'm a little light on good information, but I'll tell you what I can.

My Grandfather was a member of the Welch regiment on secondment to C Battalion Heavy  Machine Gun Corps in April 1917 ( The Royal Tank Corps did not come into existence until July ) His sergeant was Sgt. Latham, but I have no other crew details. On April 9th the Lusitania assisted stalled troops at Railway Triangle east of Arras, enabling that objective to be taken. The Lusitania broke down with a magneto failure, and had to be left on the battlfield, where she was destroyed by British gunfire the following day. Excellent description of the action in "The shadow of Vimy Ridge", and another at http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Lusitania_-_Story_of_one_Tank

Regards

Chris.

I have his sword, recently restored to parade ground condition.

Chris,

 

Accordig to The Tank Corps book of Honours and Awards, it appears your Grandfather won a bar to his MC for actions on 21st August 1918 whilst serving with the 3rd Battalion TC.  He was then an acting Captain.  Not sure if you knew

 

Tanks3

tanks3 wrote:

---

Chris,

 

Thanks for that.  Any chance of a picture of the sword and do you have any other of his bits and pieces/momentos?

 

Tanks3

---

 I have the sword and steel scabbard fully restored, the leather scabbard and parts of the frog unrestored, as well as a leather holster. I also have a webbing belt and holster, although I'm not 100% sure of that's provenance. Delighted to put together a photo package for you as soon as possible. The medals disappeared into another branch of the family.

 

-- Edited by chrisweber on Wednesday 22nd of June 2011 10:25:30 AM

-- Edited by chrisweber on Wednesday 22nd of June 2011 05:59:19 PM

tanks3 wrote:

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Hi Chris,

 

Thanks for the photo.  The sword looks superb.  The belt and holster are not WW1 period though.  It is a 37 pattern belt and holster.  Your grandfather would more likely have worn a sam brown belt with leather holster and ammo pouch.  What a pity about he medals.  Any chance of you tracing them through the family?  Do you have a photo of your grandfather?

 

Cherish the sword, its lovely

Thanks

 Tanks3

---

 Isn't it just ? I had it refurbished by Crisp and Sons, who are the people the Guards use. Note the unusual early example of badge engineering. The manufacturer's engraving is Hawkes and Co, while the sword is actually a Wilkinson. Fortunately Crisps had the stencil. My Grandfather also served in WWII, so a mixture of equipment is not surprising. I've seen his Sam Browne, but have no idea where it ended up. Similarly with the photo of him. Such a shame I took little interest when I had access to everything :(

Amongst my things I have contemporay newspaper accounts. I'm scared to try and scan them, they are so fragile, but will pluck up the courage to do so.

Chris

 I tried removing the newspaper from its plastic cover, and it immediately started to crumble, so I will have to wait until I can find a truly expert restorer. Sorry.

 

-- Edited by chrisweber on Thursday 23rd of June 2011 05:47:31 PM

Rectalgia wrote:

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Yes, lovely sword Chris, well worth having it refurbished. Pattern 1896, still the pattern used today (though with the E II R royal cypher today) but known as the Mk I since 1953, often called the Pattern 1897, possibly because the essentially identical pattern Staff Sergeants' sword (without the blade engraving) was described in List of Changes (LoC) section 8823 with an 1897 date. Instructions were issued on the sharpening of swords vide LoC 10559 of 5 March 1901 but I don't think that meant they were necessarily to be kept in the sharpened state thereafter. A (properly) sharpened bayonet is usually taken to indicate it was carried into action - swords I don't know about (especially officers' ones - they tended to be fairly independent about personal arms) but I'm sure it would have some significance if it has been sharpened (the final 6" or so from the tip, I should think).

---

 Prior to refurbishment, it had a crude edge on it. Frankly it was a poor job that I could have done better myself. However Officer's swords were /(are?) only sharpened in time of war, so the refurbished sword has no edge on it. And I'm sure as H*** not going to ruin the beautiful finish by putting one on myself !

-- Edited by chrisweber on Wednesday 22nd of June 2011 09:01:31 PM

Rectalgia,

I do not know when the sword was supplied, nor when, or by whom, it was sharpened. One of the things I have always "known", but not been able to find documentary proof for, is that my Grandfather was commissioned in the Field, so presumably the sword was purchased after that. I think your idea of a knot is excellent and so to try and kill two birds with one stone I have written to Gieves and Hawkes military division, asking if they can advise the exact knot style, and also on the wild off chance that they have records going back nearly a century, which might tell me more.

Will keep you updated.

Chris.

Rectalgia,

And I thought I knew how to search the Internet! You're clearly very good at this. I had seen the "probationary Second Lieutenant" announcement, but it didn't register as a promotion from the ranks rather than an appointment. The first MC citation I knew about. The second totally evaded me.

To add to his tally here is the gazetting of his MBE. http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/32341/supplements/4375

Interesting that he is credited as MC, and not MC and bar. Presumably the format of the time.

Regards

Chris.

chrisweber wrote:

---

 I had seen the "probationary Second Lieutenant" announcement, but it didn't register as a promotion from the ranks rather than an appointment.

---

 Actually I'm starting to query my assumption now.  The lack of regimental number and prior rank in the probationary 2Lt entry in the Gazette is cause to question it, om consideration.  You would need to find out (as a minimum) when he joined the regiment in order to start to decipher the story.  You can probably get copies of his service papers from MOD or NA or whoever has them.  I've heard that a FOI application rather than "family research" produces the quicker response - don't know whether or not there's a difference in fees.  Diabolical liberty charging anything if you ask me - but if they didn't charge then I suppose they'd have increase the price of beer or something.

Yes, the style "MC and bar" (sometimes shown "MC*") seems to be a relatively recent innovation.  In WW1 the numbers with a single award of the cross may have outnumbered those with a bar by between fifteen to twenty to one so it certainly should rate a mention, one would think, in terms both of gallantry and of survival.

 

Chris,

Good arguments could be made either way concerning the scabbards, I guess.  But if you wanted to go with the brown leather look (matching the photo you have seen) there is probably a greater range of other suppliers. Or wkc-solingen.de seem to be listing both types at 35 Euros.

Steve

P.S. I've just noticed there's an awards list 1916-19 tacked on at the end of the Tank Corps Roll of Honour. According to that there were 447 Military Crosses awarded in the Corps and just 42 bars.

-- Edited by Rectalgia on Friday 24th of June 2011 05:04:30 PM

chrisweber wrote:

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... The sword knots look excellent value, but it would feel SO weird to buy one from a German site......

---

Don't fret, Britain is (more or less) European now (Napoleon would be pleased). Coming into Heathrow, the Australians, New Zealanders, etc. go to the "Foreign" queue at customs while Germans, etc., waltz through the far faster "British and European Union" queue. Yet most of us Commonwealth "foreigners" were born British subjects (until the Australia Acts of 1986, etc.). It's a different world. And Germany/Prussia was more often an ally (Napoleon was none too pleased about that) apart from bits of the first half of the 20th century.

chrisweber wrote:

---

... Another interesting site. http://www.sussexswords.com/index.htm

---

Looks to be an excellent source (boy, those "former Wilkinson Sword staff" sure do get around). The sword knots there look to be good value and yes, they do refurbishments too and should be able to at least advise about the leather scabbard. But it would often be cheaper to replace than refurbish such an item.

Windlass Steelcrafts of Dehra Dun, India, supply a lot of stuff, both direct and through "higher-status" sword suppliers all over the world. I wouldn't be very surprised if most of the more moderately-priced replacement swords and accoutrements available on the market originated from such a source - though I would hesitate to attribute cow-hide products to them specifically.

But ... I'm getting more than a little off topic now.