Landships II

Peter T · General

1/25 A7V 540: Some progress

Mark Hansen · Legend

That looks fantastic Peter. Did you cast the track plates individually?

Lafettenheini · Colonel

switzerland watch-maker precision -i'm finding no more words !

Ironsides · Legend

Fabulous.....

EDUARDO MAMORETTI · General

Peter T,
absolutely awesome!
Eduardo aww

Peter T · General

Thanks for the comments
As you may see, I'm still hesitating to finish the armoured louvres of the drivers hatch. There are some blurred photo around, but none shows that detail from above clear

.

Mark
Here are some photos to answer your question.
Photo 1 shows the two-piece silicone mold with with my "master" track plates and next to them one cast resin duplicate.

Photo 2 shows some of my masters, some made of styrene, smaller ones, i.e. the machine gun mount, of brass.

Tim R · Hero

Peter T.

�

Absolutely incredible, looking forward to seeing the finished beast..

All the best

Tim R

Lafettenheini · Colonel

Hello Peter ,

the only unknow detail picture which shows the wireless data transfer i put on here.

When You need more detail pics from the armament let me know . i put them allready

here but i ' ll send them to you for better copying quality.

Best regards
Gerd

Mark Hansen · Legend

Peter T wrote:

Thanks for the comments
As you may see, I'm still hesitating to finish the armoured louvres of the drivers hatch. There are some blurred photo around, but none shows that detail from above clear...

I've attached some photos of another A7V�(542) that shows the type of hatch fitted to 540. I've fiddled with the contrast and brightness to highlight the detail where necessary.
P.S.: The last photo shows the hatch from underneath. This shows the two-rows-of-four-slots lower detail compared to the two-rows-of-three-slots upper detail.

-- Edited by Mark Hansen at 02:59, 2007-12-06

Peter T · General

Gerhard
Thank you for your response.
I think the "wireless data transfer* is from British MkIV or so and the gun must be a 77mm-Panzerwagengesch�tz of the K-Wagen, but wasn't used in the A7V .

Mark
I already knew the attached photos of A7V (542), but he first one shows the hatch in a much better quality than my one. Thank you very much.
As you know, I drew a plan of the "turret" with the help of all photos available. In the past month I modified it in minor details, but what is never to be seen, is the upper side of that hatch (marked with a red circle). Are there any bolts or nuts?

Lafettenheini · Colonel

Hello Peter ,

The Pigeon hole is 100% A7V ! Look at your modell, you have allready put it on there.!

The second and fifth pictre from abouve. The hole with the oval cover !

Ironsides · Legend

Hi Gerd , the pidgeon photo is the�starboard sponsen from a british rhomboid the definition is so poor its difficult to make it out, however.. Ive seen another better picture and the hole a pistol port is in the door of the�right sponson .....

Cheers

-- Edited by Ironsides at 23:56, 2007-12-06

Lafettenheini · Colonel

Hi Ivor , i will beleve You -really, but the angle of view gives me some irritation.

I will pic out all phtomaterial i have. Allready looked under Landships and the walkarrounds..

Peter -here the only drawing i could find . Also a coloured graphic-side view .

Thats all for the moment -must dig in old Archiv -Pawlak issues -maybe i find something more.

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

If I interprete the photographic evidence correctly, the small flap (rear right) was oval, not ellipsoid.
Whether 540 had one of those is questionable. - The 1st batch Krupps had it most probably, at least 542 did.
The second batch may not have had it at all, at least 527 didn't.
The theory would be that this flap was decided upon in February, was incorporated in the Krupps waiting for their guns (or gun sights), but was found to not necessary and was omitted from the second batch again.
540 was sent to repairs to Berlin in mid-March 1918, so there's fair chance that it was treated like a 2nd batch vehicle.

bigtank · Major

I greet :)
At last somebody does the orderly large model :) .. Beautifully the model promises Peter - Congratulations ..
I care also to make A7V into 1:15 scale , but terrifies me the bottom� plate� of the trunk and the suspension ..
Andy

Peter T · General

Many thanks fort he encouraging comments.

Mad zeppelin,
I can remember, we discussed the same subject one year ago and you helped me very much with your arguments. What is still missing, is a photographic evidence for that specific tank. Or have you new reference material?
I've attached an detail of a well known picture of A7V (540) and enlarged the rear right corner of the turret.

If it's so, that the following arrangements are right, I tend to say, that the rear square iron defines itself clearly against the sky as shown in the first sketch and that could mean, that there was a flap.

Sketch

�

Your hint about the form of that flap I don't understand (please excuse me): What is the difference between oval and ellipsoid?

Best regards

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

Take a circle, cut it in half and insert a rectangle between the two halfes - then you arrive at an oval shape. Take the circle and squeeze it, and you have an ellipsoid.
What confuses me is that 527 clearly has no small flap. This leads to the conclusion that they were omitted again in second lot. So, question is: Did 540 arrive at Marienfelde just in time to receive the small flap, or just in time when it had been skipped again.
In regard to 540, I regret to have no new photographic evidence that could support either theory.

Peter T · General

Mad zeppelin,
you wrote:
________________________________________

What confuses me is that 527 clearly has no small flap. This leads to the conclusion that they were omitted again in second lot. So, question is: Did 540 arrive at Marienfelde just in time to receive the small flap, or just in time when it had been skipped again.

________________________________________

What is not clear for me and therefore I would like to ask you:

1st: Did all tanks of the first batch originally had no commanders hatch, and were these later built in?

2nd: Is there a connection between small flap rear right and commanders hatch? No flap means no commanders hatch?

3rd: Means no flap also no open space within the surrounding framework of flat iron?

4th: Do you have photographic evidence of the arrangement with no flap, i.e. 527 (Just to have have all options in finishing my model)?

Thank you very much.
Peter

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

The decision to install a commander's hatch and the small flap was taken at the same time. At this time, 501, 505, 506, 507 and 540 were already in France - without commander's hatch and small flap, but with a circular hole forward right on the turret top.
501 has no commander's hatch still in October 1918, 506 had none when captured by the Australians, and it would seem that neither 507 nor 505 ever received one. The question is about 540, as it was sent to Berlin in mid-March, so both options could apply.
As I see it, the next batch - 503. 504, 541, 542, 543 received commander's hatch and small flap. 542 is evidence for that.
The next batch - 525, 526, 527, 560, 561 and 562 apparently got no small flap any more, as would apply to the final delivery - 528, 529, 563, 564.
I've evidence of 527, everything else must be considered theory - until more pictures turn up.

Peter T · General

Mad zeppelin,

you wrote
_______________________________________________________________

The decision to install a commander's hatch and the small flap was taken at the same time.

and ...

The next batch - 525, 526, 527, 560, 561 and 562 apparently got no small flap any more, as would apply to the final delivery - 528, 529, 563, 564.

_______________________________________________________________

If I understand you right, then i.e. 563 (Wotan) should have no flap and nocommander's hatch? In this photo from Bundesarchiv Koblenz, showing Wotan rumbling backwards in a French town, there is the commander seems to be standing in a hatch.

In any case, I will try to redesign my turret plans to match the 1st Batch tanks too, but not tonight ... I have to go to bed; today there was a "Tsunami of work" ... hmm

Thanks Peter

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

Small flap no, commander's hatch yes (525-529, 560-564).

Peter T · General

OK, here annother try, but I'm still not convinced about the hole forward right. The pictures I have, don't show exactly, what kind of cylindrical device I have to put in there ...

501, 505-507, 540

503-504, 541-543

525-529, 560-564

Comments are welcome!
Peter

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

501, 505-7, 540: No compass casing. The hole was bigger. There was a picture of 506 on the German Tanks page where you could see it quite clearly.
503-4, 541-3: Agree.
525-9, 560-5: No small hole forward right.

Mark Hansen · Legend

Just one correction to the 525 - 529 & 560 - 564 image. The drivers hatch resembled the upper louvres i.e. the slots run the length of the hatch instead of being divided. There is an image on p. 212 of "The German A7V tank..." showing 560 with this�type of�hatch and one of 528 on p.143. The image of 528 is a lot clearer.

-- Edited by Mark Hansen at 22:20, 2007-12-11

Peter T · General

Thanks for your effords, Mark and Mad Zeppelin

I have done some corrections to the louvres and to the hole forward right. Once more I have checked all the pictures I have and found annother view of that hole in Mark Whithmore's Mephisto on p. 78/79 (AWM E2877), but no trace of that cylindrical round tube (?) that should have been there. I could imagine that it was removed by the Australians !??

Comments and critics are very much appreciated !

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

Not quite clear who removed it. I know only one picture taken in France (at Beuveille) where that thing can be seen on 506. May be that the crews already removed it in February or March. The decision to mount the "small flap" on the� A7V still in Berlin must have been taken in the context of the crews complaining that the "cylinder" was cumbersome to use. Afterwards is was most probably found, that the "small flap" wasn`t needed either, because the commander's hatch was available.
One wonders whether they really had a hole in the roof, or some metal sheet to close it from inside.

Peter T · General

Found this remark in "Sturmpanzerwagen A7V", p. 190 about signals equipment in the forward right corner of the coupola, which was considered as too bulky.

____________________________________________________________

Die Sondervorschrift f�r den A7V-Panzerwagen nennt ein Blinkger�t in der Turmecke rechts neben dem Tankf�hrer. Es ist als "periskopartig gebaut" geschildert und m�glicherweise das Ger�t, das bei Erprobungen der Abteilung 1 als zu sperrig beurteilt worden ist.

____________________________________________________________

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

D'accord! - That rounds up the picture. Now we only need a good photograph of 540's turret top...

Peter T · General

You are right and I have to accept, that most probably we will never get such a photograph.

But what about that signals equipment? My be there ist still one surviving example around ...

Peter T · General

In the meantime I was able to do some correspondence and it seems now, that in October 1918 �A7V 540 had most probably this turret configuration: �

Hope this helps other A7V modellers.

Many thanks to mad zeppelin for his great help!
PT

EDUARDO MAMORETTI · General

Peter, can�t wait for� new images of your job.
Really amazing!

Peter T · General

And here is the result of my efforts, to reproduce the turret in 1/25.

In a few days, I will finish the construction of my A7V and I have to start the paintwork on the model. I'm a little bit afraid of that: After nearly ten years of researching and building I have first to dig out all my experience!

Mark Hansen · Legend

That looks great Peter. Really looking forward to seeing it painted up.

Eric · Colonel

Hello,

What a masterpiece !!!
I can understand why you are afraid, I have the same feeling each time when I spent hours to improve a kit. However, if you have the same skill in painting than in building, the result will be great.

All the best

d_fernetti · Hero

Simply amazing. Be sure to take as many pictures as possible unpainted. This way we can see how it was made before you paint it and becomes indistinguishable from the original!

Peter T · General

OK, here a little wink progress ...

This machine gun aperture proved to be the most complicated detail work up to now. I spent more than one week in building up the four little hinges and the closing mechanism inside.
Now I know, why I hesitated again and again in doing this!

Roger Todd · Legend

Cracking work, PT - it's a pleasure to see it in progress!

Peter T · General

Hello gentlemen

At last some progress again! I sprayed many airbrush coats (primer, dark brown base coat, varnish) and now I have finished the field gray base coat. Inspired by Adam Wilders colour modulation technique I tryed out something similar, but with less contrasts.

A next step will be adding the four camo colours on the sides of that vehicle and the large white cross on the upper side.

Hope you like it.

�

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

Looks extremely well to me. - One point I can't see clearly, therefore just a hint: The louvres were layered, below the outer apertures followed the next layer so that you didn't look into a hole. The System was like this

___________�� _______________�� ___________
�� ____________�� ____________
___________�� _______________�� ___________

The little rods you see marked the distance between the layers.

Peter T · General

MZ

Thanks for your constructive comment. The louvres of the model are layered indeed. It is hardly to be seen, as the next layer below the outer apertures lay in the shadow and that makes them looking like black holes. In addition I pre-shaded the inner layers with a darkened Feldgrau and� afterwards I gave some lights with the aerograph, all from the same direction, to simulate the sunlight.

My next challenge now is to reproduce the exact camo scheme. Everyday I check up my pictures of the real thing again and again ...