Meng Mk. A Whippet
Posted: 29 Apr 2018, 23:34
Now here's a little something for the Great War build.
I actually still intend to build a far bigger diorama with all kinds of infantry and a sorts of timeline-ish design but I don't know if I can finish that before the centenary of the armistice, so I thought I'd go ahead and do something moderately less substantial, especially since I'll loose at least a month to studying and setting some writing in order .
So.. a Whippet.
The Medium Mk. A was the first incarnation (along with the German LK II though that one did not reach mass production as the war ended before a possible implementation) of what would eventually evolve into the cavalry tank and the cruiser tank of the interbellum.
Appropriately enough it served only in the final (once again mobile) operations of the Great War, entering combat in March '18 in the classical cavalry role of covering the infantry's retreats (think gen. Buford's holding action in the vicinity of Gettysburg in 1863) during Operation Michael's onslaught of German divisions, lavishly reinforced with stormtrooper detachments and utilizing new artillery methods. The Whippet also played the other cavalry role of exploitation during the Amiens Offensive in early August `18 when Whippets exploited the breakthroughs archived by the heavies during the "black day of the German army" (this included the berserker like action by Musical Box, look it up, it's insane ) .
The Whippet saw also action during the Entente intervention on the white side during the Russian Civil War and subsequently on both sides during this vicious conflict (hence Philipp's recently reposted "white" Whippet) as well as in the Anglo-Irish war on the side of RIC and it's auxiliary "Black and Tans" and even with the comparably semi-irregular Freikorps during the chaos of the German Revolution in '18-'19.
Though of course the term "mobility" should be seen in context of a war that had been fairly static on the Western Front for three years - it was a vehicle capable of a whirling speed of a dashing 13km/h or ~8mph....
This vehicle here will be one of the ~14-15 Whippets captured during Michael, repainted in an irritatingly "Reichswehr-ish" ( )camouflage of green and sand over grey. As those where exclusively used in an evaluation and test role it will be evidently engaged in just such a role in the projected tiny vignette that will accompany the tank itself.
Quality is nice overall and unlike some others I had no problems with the casemate construction.
However....
The four Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié MGs are somewhat underwhelming and I couldn't find any turned barrels to replace them and neither where there any straight replacements of these rather obscure fortress and vehicle MGs available.
At least so I though because apparently I'm something of a demented idiot because back in October last year I reviewed ICM's French weapons set.... which contains a very respectable rendition of this very weapon....
Anyway - I went ahead and started with the shot-trap-tastic casemate =>
Now with chassis =>
And "suspension" (not sprung... ), subsequently added to the whole orky contraption =>
And the aforementioned guns =>
And here's in colour with an initial couple of modulation effects applied =>
And the current state of affairs with crosses and varnish =>
Leaving aside the M1909 debacle this is a hugely enjoyable kit that turned out a really quick build .
Also it's surprisingly cheap for a current kit the size of a medium WW2 tank .
Best regards
Raoul G. Kunz
(I'll also have a reply for you tomorrow Steve, I'm just usually horribly slow replying, not always!)
I actually still intend to build a far bigger diorama with all kinds of infantry and a sorts of timeline-ish design but I don't know if I can finish that before the centenary of the armistice, so I thought I'd go ahead and do something moderately less substantial, especially since I'll loose at least a month to studying and setting some writing in order .
So.. a Whippet.
The Medium Mk. A was the first incarnation (along with the German LK II though that one did not reach mass production as the war ended before a possible implementation) of what would eventually evolve into the cavalry tank and the cruiser tank of the interbellum.
Appropriately enough it served only in the final (once again mobile) operations of the Great War, entering combat in March '18 in the classical cavalry role of covering the infantry's retreats (think gen. Buford's holding action in the vicinity of Gettysburg in 1863) during Operation Michael's onslaught of German divisions, lavishly reinforced with stormtrooper detachments and utilizing new artillery methods. The Whippet also played the other cavalry role of exploitation during the Amiens Offensive in early August `18 when Whippets exploited the breakthroughs archived by the heavies during the "black day of the German army" (this included the berserker like action by Musical Box, look it up, it's insane ) .
The Whippet saw also action during the Entente intervention on the white side during the Russian Civil War and subsequently on both sides during this vicious conflict (hence Philipp's recently reposted "white" Whippet) as well as in the Anglo-Irish war on the side of RIC and it's auxiliary "Black and Tans" and even with the comparably semi-irregular Freikorps during the chaos of the German Revolution in '18-'19.
Though of course the term "mobility" should be seen in context of a war that had been fairly static on the Western Front for three years - it was a vehicle capable of a whirling speed of a dashing 13km/h or ~8mph....
This vehicle here will be one of the ~14-15 Whippets captured during Michael, repainted in an irritatingly "Reichswehr-ish" ( )camouflage of green and sand over grey. As those where exclusively used in an evaluation and test role it will be evidently engaged in just such a role in the projected tiny vignette that will accompany the tank itself.
Quality is nice overall and unlike some others I had no problems with the casemate construction.
However....
The four Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié MGs are somewhat underwhelming and I couldn't find any turned barrels to replace them and neither where there any straight replacements of these rather obscure fortress and vehicle MGs available.
At least so I though because apparently I'm something of a demented idiot because back in October last year I reviewed ICM's French weapons set.... which contains a very respectable rendition of this very weapon....
Anyway - I went ahead and started with the shot-trap-tastic casemate =>
Now with chassis =>
And "suspension" (not sprung... ), subsequently added to the whole orky contraption =>
And the aforementioned guns =>
And here's in colour with an initial couple of modulation effects applied =>
And the current state of affairs with crosses and varnish =>
Leaving aside the M1909 debacle this is a hugely enjoyable kit that turned out a really quick build .
Also it's surprisingly cheap for a current kit the size of a medium WW2 tank .
Best regards
Raoul G. Kunz
(I'll also have a reply for you tomorrow Steve, I'm just usually horribly slow replying, not always!)