Wayne has been working on a new design of a 1/48 Gun Carrier Mark I.
For those who know nothing of this vehicle.... The Western Front in WW1 was not really fought between opposing infantry armies, although the casualties among the infantry were truly appalling. The artillery on both sides was the primary weapon. However, given the ground conditions close to the front and the relatively short ranges of the artillery it was very difficult to move the artillery to follow up on any advances made or to retreat. It was suggested in 1916 that a partner vehicle to the Mark I tank be designed to carry medium artillery pieces based on the mechanical components of the Mark I tank.
The resulting design looked very different from the tanks and basically was an armoured box with the engine, transmission and ammunition on top of two long low track frames. The driver and brakeman had separate driving compartments perched over the front of the tracks. The Gun Carrier could carry either a 6inch howitzer or the 60 Pounder (5 inch) Gun. The gun was winched up a ramp which sat between the track frames. The 6inch howitzer could be fired from the carrier and was on only a couple of occasions. The Gun Carriers initially had steering wheels at the rear but these were quickly removed since they were ineffective. The attached images are of one of the early Gun Carriers at the tank proving ground at Dollis Park, London. The 48 Gun Carriers built were mostly used for carrying stores - a poor end for a vehicle with so much promise.
There are no surviving Gun Carriers and the available documentation on them is quite sparse. Wayne had a great deal of trouble finding reliable information on the carriers and mostly worked from period photographs. The resulting model is Wayne's most complex so far and is not a beginner's model.
I volunteered to beta build the carrier and chose to do so in 1/50 scale - so it will fit in with some of my recent builds.
Regards,
Charlie
For those who know nothing of this vehicle.... The Western Front in WW1 was not really fought between opposing infantry armies, although the casualties among the infantry were truly appalling. The artillery on both sides was the primary weapon. However, given the ground conditions close to the front and the relatively short ranges of the artillery it was very difficult to move the artillery to follow up on any advances made or to retreat. It was suggested in 1916 that a partner vehicle to the Mark I tank be designed to carry medium artillery pieces based on the mechanical components of the Mark I tank.
The resulting design looked very different from the tanks and basically was an armoured box with the engine, transmission and ammunition on top of two long low track frames. The driver and brakeman had separate driving compartments perched over the front of the tracks. The Gun Carrier could carry either a 6inch howitzer or the 60 Pounder (5 inch) Gun. The gun was winched up a ramp which sat between the track frames. The 6inch howitzer could be fired from the carrier and was on only a couple of occasions. The Gun Carriers initially had steering wheels at the rear but these were quickly removed since they were ineffective. The attached images are of one of the early Gun Carriers at the tank proving ground at Dollis Park, London. The 48 Gun Carriers built were mostly used for carrying stores - a poor end for a vehicle with so much promise.
There are no surviving Gun Carriers and the available documentation on them is quite sparse. Wayne had a great deal of trouble finding reliable information on the carriers and mostly worked from period photographs. The resulting model is Wayne's most complex so far and is not a beginner's model.
I volunteered to beta build the carrier and chose to do so in 1/50 scale - so it will fit in with some of my recent builds.
Regards,
Charlie
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