Please forgive me,- I post very little here and build even less *BUT* with a pair of Takom Mk.I tanks in the stash and MR Modelbau correction sets being ordered at the weekend, my mind is turning towards building a Gaza Female - either the relatively photogenic Kia-Ora or the seemingly less-so Tiger [which seems to have the more impressive combat history].
I am wondering what specific details I would need to bear in mind when building either of these examples..?
i/ Silencers or early exhaust guards?
ii/ 'Roof studs'? Whatever they were for, I *think* Kia-Ora had them.
iii/ Tail ram & cover intact / removed?
iv/ Field mods such as track-plate hull front armour or additional stowage?
These may very well be common knowledge, but I'm far from expert and would be very grateful for a few minutes of anybody's time & assistance.
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"You there on the port!". "S'gin actually, but thanks for noticing [hic]".
All of the Gaza MkI's had roof bolts for spaced armour.
Photos of the wrecks of Sir Archibald, Nutty and War Baby, which were destroyed during the Second Battle of Gaza, do not show much evidence of modification. War Baby does not have the hydraulic cylinder shield mounted, although the large flanges which the hydraulic ram mounted to are present. I suspect that most of the modifications were made at some point between the second and third battles.
Thanks for that, but what on earth are those huge frames all about? They seem differently located to the small roof bolts on the rear roof sections of Gaza tanks.
Also, how common were the exhaust silencers on Mk.I in Gaza?
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"You there on the port!". "S'gin actually, but thanks for noticing [hic]".
The five MkI machines which survived the Gaza campaign can be seen in the photo below, and they all seem to have exhaust silencers and tailpipes fitted. Other photos clearly show Otazel, Ole-Luke-Oi, Tiger, and Kia-Ora with this modification. I suspect that this photo was taken after the tanks were turned over to the Ordnance Department in Alexandria.
Presumably, the roof frames were added to facilitate stowage. The frame pieces may have been secured using the bolt holes through which the roof plates were attached to the frame of the tank.
