A full working replica or a realistic dummy? How much were you thinking of spending?
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
Last year I was thinking about a FT17 as a project and wound up on Youtube, a guy had built a not very good full size replica. The good part of the film was his drive train and controls, if you can find it there might be some useful information there.
I'm a long time welder /prototype fabricator, I would love to watch the progress of your project. I'de be happy to answer fabrication questions.
Jim
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the large print giveth, the small print taketh away Tom Waits
Former RENAULT factories in Boulogne-Billancourt (Parisian suburb) has been razed a few years before, all archives(and size plans) were there . I don't know where did they carry all their documents !Try to contact the B.N.P.(Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris) , they could get them !
I googled B.N.P.(Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris) and got different addresses and a link to a bank, a bit confused. I thought about contacting Renault to see if they have an archive but unless you want to buy a new car its a bit difficult to enquire if they have. I thought about contacting the museums in France such as Saumur but they are run by the military and not privatley run, like the museum in Koblenz in Germany (who i believe has such drawings). They all have funny ways of contacting them and seem un-aproachable. I think it would help greatly if you are a resident in that country being able to understand the language and proceedure of these establishments, maybe Fab52 could help out or a German member on the forum. I contacted Bovington and i have had no problem getting technical drawing from them for other things (you do have to pay for them, not a problem for me, well worth the money but they are subjected to copy right, meaning if you buy them they are for your eyes only, this applies to most archives of museums but its finding who has them and are willing to sell the information), unfortunately not the FT-17 tank. I may have to scale up a 35th scale model to get the sizes and check with them with an original at Bovington in the long run, but drawings would be much better.
Some one must have them and be available.
-- Edited by BC312 on Sunday 8th of January 2012 12:46:49 PM
I have found Renault's P.R. Department to be most helpful. They dug up some material on Rodolphe Ernst-Metzmaier for me (although I don't think they had heard of him before I approached them).
BTW, citizens; FT17? Tut tut.
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
If I good remember, other factories, not only Renault one, built the FT17 because the number of tanks was too elevated to be producted by only one factory !
I think there were GIROD, BERLIET (maybe SCHNEIDER?) . I know there is BERLIET Foundation(FONDATION BERLIET) in the town of Lyon . They've got different WWI lorries, they could own archives !You could find them on the Net !
I'll try to get informations about RENAULT Archives but can't promiss a success !
You have also S.H.A.T. in VINCENNES (Army Land Historical Service) but most of the time to have information you need to go there to get documents and it's not sure they got FT17 size plans !
After trying different mail contacts , I got this information : It's Renault Classic who's responsable of all Renault Factories Archives ! Boss' e-mail is: hugues.portron@renault.com ; or archives chief : luc.byleveld@renault.com . Good luck for your investigations and give me news about results !
The website seems to be fairly unstable - try going to http://po2260.perso.sfr.fr/
- left menu contains an item "Char RENAULT FT17" this produces a menu in the right frame which has the item "Le Manuel du Renault FT-17...."
...
Charlie, that does work for me, many thanks. The website seems to be burdened with what are virtually hijacks (to one of those beaut "marketing" sites) which is probably what is causing difficulties with some of their links. But the above gets me through.
Remember people - Ctrl-F4 will dismiss an unwanted browser screen (the "active document") without clicking on anything since clicking on unwanted screens is, in general, a habit to be best avoided.
I run Adblock on Firefox and Chrome so I don't see any of the advertising crap. Can't remember when I last saw pop up advertising on the Web - it was a while ago.
Yeah, I will have to look at Adblock, seems "it's time". I have redirection barred on Firefox but that only prevents the routine redirections I want and allows the advertising ones I don't. This is the first instance I am aware of where the advertising has actually (or probably) prevented me from getting to the actual target. "There ought to be a law ..." (or site owners should be more aware of the effects of that handy extra revenue stream) but since there's not and they aren't, Adblock is the way to go, it seems.
Thanks once more, I hadn't thought of that solution.
https://picasaweb.google.com/111622390261244298126/RenaultFTDrawingsInfoEtc?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPqzyPa0uMHAIA&feat=directlink Doesn't seem to do anything. Topic on rivets is good.
I, took these pictures at Fort Seclin, as well as the picture of the track links. This is a nice privately owned museum in a fort. They were rebuilding a FT17.
the owner asked me to remove some pictures because they didn't want to show all that they have as Work in Progress.
The museum is worth a visit.
The dutch Army museum has a Nice FT17. They restored this a couple of years ago and might have actual drawings.
Museum Overloon in The Netrlands have a FT17 as well. Large archive. Maybe drawings available.
Currently there is a small company in southern Indiana reproducing the M1917 which is an American copy of the FT17, The first one is scheduled to be delivered to the Indiana military Museum, with 4 more up for grabs to museums with the right credentials. Private ownership might be available upon request. Turret picture are now available and hull pictures soon to follow.