Progress on my Mk IV #23

[Michael J Hine]

After working rivets and initial hull assembly some detail work was started before the motion pack arrives.

The cab vision ports were made functional by adding operating levers and racks on the inside. The lost motion arrangement of a bent bolt in the small visor slot was duplicated using a 2 mm cap screw. The operating rods were pinned to the small visor and free in the larger visor frames. The outer rod end was threaded 3mm and the operating lever simply bolted thereto by two nuts. The lever rack was made from 16 gauge steel plate milled with slots and then bent around a 2-inch diameter steel pipe. The mounting flange was a flat steel plate welded to the rack. Thanks to Mark Watkins for helping me understand this mechanism! The pictures below show the details better than words.

Visors fully open

Visor operating levers and racks

Small visors cracked open

Fake solder wire spring added

Having worked that, it became necessary to add a top hatch for visor operation when the tank was buttoned up. Fletcher’s Osprey book has pictures and comments about some later Mk IV’s having top hatches as did the Beutepanzer (captured by the Germans) to enable rapid exit in case of fire. Scale details here will be fictional of course but sensible I hope.
For added realism the thick aluminum plate sponson-roofs were replaced with sheet metal and rivets. The aluminum angles were cut by slitting saw from 1-inch square tubes for simplicity of manufacture. I was also prompted in this by watching a complete sponson fall out of the hull when let go!

Sheet metal sponson roof

The wobble in the 6-pdr gun mount was minimized by a large diameter washer under the head of the retaining bolt.

Steady washer under bolt head

Of course after all the practice at rivet bashing I had to make sheet metal dump boxes.

Sheet metal dump box

After trying Steve Stuart’s cord riveting assist arrangement, I found another method using basically a horizontal table positioned just over the top of the rivet snap in the vise. Two wooden slats held by four steel uprights minimize damage to the hull sides as it is dragged into position for a rivet bashing. Carries the whole weight of the hull without having to level cords!

Wood frame over rivet snap in vise

After obtaining Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manual (Fletcher and Willey) I now have proper scale drawings of the sponson door handles! So more work on dismantling my dreamed up handles (like Mk 1 tanks’ exterior handles) and correctly adding detailed door handle/locks.

All the advice and detail photographs I get from the Forum is greatly appreciated as I would otherwise have to make another pilgrimage to the Bovington Tank Museum in England.

I only managed to get one Albert Brown action figure so any input as to where more British WW1 soldiers are available?