I bought some more WW1 DVDs yesterday and was quite excited to find this model of a Mk1 male, on a short sequence of old original film.
It's being rotated on a platten for the camera. Thinking the model must surely have been made by Fosters at the factory. It looks like a real beauty and it seems to have a couple of unusual and interesting design aspects to it.
Coincidently the fellow's hand is the same size as my hand up against the TV screen. So the model, at close to 500mm in length would suggest scale is 1/16.
Some landshippers will very likely have seen this before (if a thread on it already exists, administrator please feel free to delete this post). Possibly some copyright issue too but isn't the appropriate phrase 'for educational/informational purposes'? Wonder if the model had ever been the centrepiece on the table at a Landships commitee meeting? (like to have been a 'fly on the wall' for that)
Unfortunately quality of ancient film is too low to do much rivet counting, but I'd be more than happy to put up of better photos on other parts if anyone interested. Anyway, here are some things I noticed about it:
- A pronounced conical shape on top of the tail-wheel lifting 'hydraulic tank/chamber' (showing my ignorance of correct nomenclature) and it sits quite high. Looks very different to 'Mother' or anything else I've seen.
-Gun sighting slits on shield are different on each side of sponson. As it would appear manning the gun, viewed from inside tank/model: ~Sighting slit on Left for Right hand sponson ~Sighting slit on Right for Right hand sponson Or in other words, both slits are on the inner side of barrels, if viewed standing in front of model.
- The trailing arm/s on the tail wheel looks to be taller/deeper (in section) with angled webbs/gussets. Quite stylish! It's hard to tell but it maybe even a single arm - like a 'T' shape viewed from above (Rather than 'X' shape on actual machine)
- The exhaust pipe ends protrude up a fair bit up into the angle baffles, I've been trying to work this dimension out from pics (my rough guesstimate about 3-4" if model was full size)
- Bottom of sponson door is different. Just a plate bent up with sides open. Peculiar, maybe just unfinished.
- Whatever the model is made of, it appears to be painted in a fairly high gloss paint, as I can see reflections on it as it rotates. Thinking it might have been made after 'mother' as it lacks the extra track roller up front and the unique track adjuster inner cover shape - but who knows?
I'd hate to think where this treasure might be now, probably buried deep in an old rubbish dump.
Does anyone know more about it?
Pics: Photos of TV screen are never any good. I grey-scaled them and tweaked to try and even out contrast. Unfortunately model is brightly lit and a lot of detail is just washed out.
-- Edited by Enzedder on Thursday 10th of November 2011 11:03:42 AM
Enzedder wrote:Pics: Photos of TV screen are never any good. I grey-scaled them and tweaked to try and even out contrast. Unfortunately model is brightly lit and a lot of detail is just washed out.
That looks interesting!
Better than taking photos of the screen is to download a media player called VLC, which enables you to make direct screengrabs when using it to play any video file on your computer - VLC is free and comes with no strings attached:
Hate to admit I'm still a troglodyte on dial-up Internet! 20mb file is a stretch. Broad band on my list of things to keep putting off. (Thanks though Roger, I'll try and to get someone to download the vid converter for me and get some better pics sorted. Maybe some day someone will find a place for this puzzle-piece)
Would love to know more about this model. Those unique parts seem so different, looks to be a forgotten part of prototyping phase. It must pre-date Flers battle because surely they wouldn't have been playing around with tail wheel design details any more?
Model must have been made by someone with an intimate knowledge of the machine because (in spite of crackly old film) it's well made. All the well known bits appear to be accurate (to my semi-trained eye). But why are those gun sight slits back to front? 'Technically' and ideally you'd have them on the outside of barrel for better field of fire. (I know the ex naval gun being retro-fitted had sight fixed on one side. Shame they never 'fixed' this for the gunners.)
