vol 13, issue 11 amms brisbane news other variants and so i scratched a hexagonal turret and side...

puters, reaches ever

greater heights even be-

fore we have had time to

take in the latest advance,

I wonder how long it will

be before some pioneer-

ing model manufacturer

produces a fully function-

ing Panther, King Tiger, or

whatever.

By fully functioning, I

mean that the engine will

work, the lights will shine,

the wiring will carry elec-

tricity, and the hydraulics

will work.

Science fiction? Probably

not, and I reckon within 10

years.

Have fun and carry on

modelling.

Do model releases come

in cycles like the weather?

The first 1/35 kit I ever

built was a Tamiya Panzer

II with DAK infantry, back

in 1972..

Within a year or two, we

saw the original Tamiya

Tiger 1, not to mention the

famous 88.

These were followed, of

course, by such as the

Grant, Lee, Sherman and

King Tiger.

Heaven only knows how

many times those same

kits have been re-

released by different mod-

el manufacturers, and

now we are starting an-

other cycle, with takom,

Meng, et al, releasing

King Tigers, Lees, Grants,

Panthers et with gay

abandon and detail which

45 years ago would have

been the stuff of science

fiction, or produced by

one of the masters such

as Francois Verlinden or

the late great Shep

Payne.

Of course, there is always

one which never seems to

get released in the first

place in a decent version,

much less rereleased and

I refer to the Bergepan-

ther, which to date, only

Italeri has attempted to

produce. Makes one won-

der why—don’t start me.

With the latest releases

from Takom and Meng,

particularly the King Ti-

gers in their various itera-

tions, the detail, particular-

ly on the interior, is indeed

impressive, albeit both

Meng and Takom kits

having their weak spots.

Given the advances in 3D

printing, which, like com-

Editorial (aka Rob’s Rantings)

4 November 2017

Vol 13, Issue 11

AMMS Brisbane News

Inside this issue:

From the Cupola 2

Troop Train Re-

enactors 3-4

The Missing Marks 5-6

Okama Aviation Herit-age Museum

7-8

Pics from last month 9

Odds & Sods 10

AMMS Brisbane News Vol 13, Issue 11

I was chatting with Jon at the last meeting and we were discussing the broad range of subjects that are now availa-

ble in kit form – vehicles, figures and accessories alike. It has been said many times by many people over the past

few years but we certainly do live in the golden age of modelling. Just one example that came to mind was the fact

that you can buy a 1:35 example of the new Russian T-14 MBT from any of three mainstream manufacturers. So not

only do we have a much larger range of model subjects available but we also have greater choice when it comes to

which specific subjects to buy.

For many of us we can simply go into our local plastic emporium or turn on the computer to shop online and pick out

something from the many choices available to us today and be totally content with what ’s on offer in the box. But for

some, they will always be chasing something more obscure or less well known as their next modelling project.

And it is at this point in our discussion where we managed to move onto the good ol’ days of modelling and reminisce

about a time when kits were not so plentiful and the subjects not so diverse, a time when it was much more likely that

modellers would need to resort to scratchbuiding or conversion to complete a project that was not available commer-

cially. Now I am going to assume that most of us undertook some sort of conversion work when we were modelling

as younger men. And yes I did finish most of my models way back then!

I was obsessed with M3 Stuarts (and still have a soft spot for them now so much so that I am hoping with my fingers

crossed that Takom releases a whole range of them next following on from their wonderful M3 Lee/Grant offerings!)

and the only game in town was the then tired old Tamiya offering (kit number 35042) but they were a bargain for un-

der $10 a throw. Sure it wasn’t a perfect kit but not many are and it does look like an M3 Stuart after all. I needed to

model other variants and so I scratched a hexagonal turret and side skirts to make a British M3 “Honey” Stuart, and

modified the kit turret into the M3A1 configuration for a Russian Lend Lease variant. Nowadays you could use the

Academy kits straight from the box to achieve the same results.

Other kit conversions of mine that come to mind from many many years ago include an M60 that I made using the

hull of the Tamiya M60A1 kit and a modified turret from the Tamiya M48A3 kit. And back-dating a Tamiya KV-1

Ekranami to an early version by leaving off the turret applique armour and making a few other subtle changes.

And who hasn’t heard or read about the Shermaholics across the globe that cannibalised every Sherman kit in exist-

ence to make versions that were not available in kit form. Of course we are certainly more fortunate by today’s

standards as Tasca/Asuka came to the party with numerous Sherman kit variants to make our “modelling” lives so

much easier.

Now not for one minute am I saying that scratchbuilding and/or conversion is dead but with the increase of available

subjects it surely has to be less than what it was decades ago! And I am certain that there will be very similar stories

to share from nearly every single club member – if they can remember that far back!

Until next time, take care, stay safe, and happy modelling to all!

Kindest regards,

Brad Littleboy AMMS Brisbane Coordinator 2017


These photos were taken when I travelled on the 2015 ANZAC Troop Train Re-enactment for the centenary to from Winton to Brisbane leaving on Sunday 19 April 2015 and arriving Friday 24 April 2015. The re-enactors were from the Living History Unit from Rockhampton and they travelled on the train from Winton to Brisbane and at all the stops to lay wreaths at cenotaphs, Winton, Longreach, Alpha, Emerald, Blackwater, Rockhampton, Gladstone and Maryborough where the re-enactors fired five rounds as part of the procession.

Continued on Page 4

Troop Train Re-enactors (thanks Clayton

Troop Train Re-enactors (Cont’d from Page 3)

Vol 13, Issue 11 AMMS Brisbane News

The Missing Marks (Thanks Charlie)


Most people with a passing interest in WW1 AFVs can probably name two or three different kinds of British tank. The heavy tanks had a similar design known as a Rhomboid with tracks going around the outside of rhombus shaped track frames. The naming of the tanks was singularly lacking in imagination. The first operational tank was the Mark I followed by the Mark II, which was supposed to be used only for training but was deployed to the battle-fields around Arras and Bullecourt in 1917. The Mark III was only used for training in UK. The Mark IV tank was built in large numbers and used in the attack on Cambrai in Nov 1917. The Mark V had a better engine and transmission and lead the final attacks of the war in 1918. The Mark VIII was a joint USA/UK project for a heavy tank to be used in the 1919 offensive, which never happened. The US-built Mark VIIIs served in the US Army until the 1930s.

So, what happened to the Mark VI and VII?

Mark VI

The Mark VI design started in parallel with the Mark V and whereas the Mark V had a similar hull to the Mark I..IV the Mark VI was different. In particular the Mark VI didn't have sponsons which were a problem for rail transport since they had to removed (Marks I – III) or folded in (Mark IV).

The guns on the Male tanks were recognized as being inaccurate and difficult to use so the Mark VI had a single gun mounted in the front of the hull. There were also improvements in the interior with the engine in its own com-partment and better ventilation arrangements. The US Army was interested in the Mark VI and proposed to pur-chase 300 provided the tank proved to be satisfactory.

The Mark VI design progressed to a wooden mock up but got no further since the design, to some extent, was in conflict with the Mark VIII multi-national project and it was abandoned at the end of 1917.

Mark VII

The Mark VII was a very different project which was being produced at the end of the war. To understand the Mark VII tank design we have to go back to the Mark Is. The Mark I tanks required 4 men to drive them – the driver who had the throttle and clutch pedals, the com-mander who figured out where to go and two men in the back who manipulated the final drive gearboxes. This process was slow, cumbersome and difficult es-pecially in the heat, noise and fumes of the Mark I tank. For tanks to be suc-cessful a better transmission system would be needed so the tank could by driven by one man. Five Mark II tanks were allocated as test beds for tank de-velopment. The transmissions evaluated were Wilson's epicycle gearbox, two versions of petrol-electric drive, Wilkin's multiple clutch and the Williams-Janney hydraulic drive. The Mark II trial tanks were tested in Jan-Apr 1917.

A Mark II trial tank was fitted with additional oil tanks and radiators to cool the hydraulic oil but in spite of this the drive was only a partial success. It was found that the Williams-Janney drive performed exactly as expected when cold but the drive units generated a lot of heat and eventually stopped working because the drive overheated.

Hydraulic drive – what's that?

Back in the 19th century naval ships started to use large calibre guns mounted in heavy armoured turrets. It was

obviously impossible to use manpower or steampower to accurately point and elevate the guns. A turret drive would have to be compact, be capable of driving a turret at high rates of traverse and be able to point the turret very accu-rately. The Royal Navy from about the 1880s used hydraulic engines for turret rotation and gun elevation – the hy-draulic fluid used was water. Continued on Page 6

The wooden mockup of the Mark VI – note the lack of sponsons and the single centrally mounted gun

The Missing Marks (Cont’d from Page 5)


In the USA Williams and Janney developed a hydrau-lic motor which used oil as the fluid. These drives were quite compact and were adopted by the US Navy in the 1910s. The hydraulic drives acted like an infinitely variable gearbox and could be controlled very accu-rately. Rather than explain the minutae of the hydrau-lic drive I'd recommend searching YouTube for videos on hydraulic drives if curious. The disadvantages of hydraulic drives is that they must be built to very fine

tolerances which makes them very expensive, the hydraulic fluid is sheared in the drive and heats up quickly which requires external cooling and the temperature of the oil must be limited because if it overheats the oil will foam and the drive stops working.

Mark VII Production

The design of the Mark VII appears to have started in earnest in Dec 1917 and a contract for the construction of 74 male tanks was let to the firm of Brown Brothers in Edinburgh. Brown Brothers speciality was building hydraulic systems for Royal Navy ships. The tank hulls were fabricated from Mark IV hulls with an extension to the tail. The 150hp Ricardo engine drove two hydraulic units, one of reach track, via a reduction gearbox. The drive and steer-ing control was affected by a pair of shafts which altered the angle of the swashplate in the hydraulic unit. The out-put of the hydraulic drive was taken out to the track frames via a set of bevel gears and a reduction gear box and then by chain the rear sprocket. The Mark VII had two radiators at the back of the tank – one for the engine, the other for the hydraulic oil. There were also vents in the roof and a pair of very large fans to try reduce the heat build up in the tank from the transmission.

The first tank completed was tested for 80 miles and then required major maintenance because the tracks were stretched. After repairs the tank was driven for 400 miles across the Scottish highlands which suggests it was more reliable than other British heavy tanks. Only a single fur-ther example was completed before the order was can-celled at the end of the war.

The story of hydraulic drives in tanks didn't end there. The WW2 French Char B1 had a hydraulic drive since the main gun traverse required the whole tank to be turned. a hydraulic drive was the only transmission precise enough to do this. The Germans experimented with a hydraulic drive in a Mark IV tank although this never went into production. Today hydraulic drives are used extensively in heavy construction equipment.

The Williams-Janney hydraulic drive. The input shaft is on the left, output on the right. The piston block for the

output side of the drive is missing.

Interior of the Mark VII. The pair of hydraulic drive units are on the right. The shafts running alongside the en-

gine are the controls for the hydraulic units. Mark VII during trials in the Scottish Highlands.

Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre (Thanks Ian Cousens)


The wife and I were in NZ on holidays and visited the Omaka Aviation Heritage Center in Blenheim where Sir Peter Jackson has his WW1 collection on display. Included are real size dioramas which I thought may be of interest for the newsletter.

Continued on Page 8

Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre (Cnt’d from Page 7)


Pics from Last Month (Thanks Graham)


Meets first Saturday of every month at

Loganlea Community Centre, Timms Street,

Loganlea, between 11:30am and 4:00pm

Contributions to the newsletter are always

welcome. Please email contributions to the

editor at [email protected]

A M M S B R I S B A N E

The Funnies (Thanks Peter Battle)

AMMS Brisbane is on the

Web at

www.ammsbrisbane.com

.

The pope was visiting the U.S. to meet with the President, and had a limo waiting for him at the airport to take him to his destination. On see-ing the limo, the Pope was visibly excited and asked the driver if he could take the wheel for a bit. The limo driver was hesitant and replied “Well… I’m really sorry sir, but I don’t think my boss would like that very much.” The Pope looked over at the driver and said, “Please, it has always been a dream of mine to drive a limo, can I drive it for a short distance?” The limo driver didn’t want to deny the holiest man on earth his wish, so he agreed and gave the keys to the Pope, while he sat in the back seat. The Pope drove down the freeway, gradually picking up speed. Eventu-ally he was doing over a 100 mph in a 65 zone. The cops turn on their lights and flag the limo to pull over. An officer walks up the passenger side window and sees a man in the back seat. He then walks up to the drivers’ side and peers in through the window. He then walks back to his car and gets on the radio. “Urm, I may need some help over here. I just pulled over this guy for speeding, but I don’t know if I can issue him a ticket. “What, is he a mayor or something?” “No, more important than a Mayor.” “So, is he a Governor, Senator? What?” “No, I’m pretty sure he’s more important than a Senator or Governor.” “Did you pull over the President??!” “No. He’s definitely more important than the President.” “What?! How is that possible? Who is more important than the Presi-dent?” “Hey man, I’m not sure. All I know is that the Pope is his driver!”

Left—it would

appear that

everybody is

jumping on the

recovery vehi-

cle bandwagon

lately.

vol 13, issue 11 amms brisbane news other variants and so i scratched a hexagonal turret and side...

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