Meng 1/35 British Mk.V tank

[gedmundson]

Whilst waiting for an order of decals to finish off my latest project, I needed to start another one, and after much sorting through the stash and pondering what to do, I was at a loss. As I sipped tea from my favourite mug it gave me the prompt I'd been searching for, and I decided it was time to put together the Meng British Mk.V Male tank.

Although this will be another back-drop for a few figures and another CSM motorbike, I decided since it had a full interior I may as well indulge in the "journey" and assemble it all. Even with all the hatches open there will be little to see inside...and the engine actually has a housing covering it completely. There is much debate around painting and weathering assemblies that cannot be seen, but I'll make my own calls along the way here.

Amazing fit of all the parts - wished I'd started this one a while ago.
Cheers!

DSC_2910 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr
DSC_2919c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr
Even though the engine can't be seen in the final display, I couldn't resist adding some ignition wires.

DSC_2922c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr
The componnet detail continues inside the track housings...and I think I won't bother painting and finishing these.

[pepperman42]

I never knew this kit was so detailed!! Looks very cool.

Steve

[NigelR]

The supreme deity will be very pleased that you have added ignition wires just for him/her/it/they. Looking forward to another cracking build, this is a lovely kit.

[DaddyO]

THE classic WW1 tank 
Strangely enough I've never seen one of these built up although I've seen loads of the kit boxes at shows etc. (and perhaps even been tempted)
Looking forward to how it shapes up

Paul

[BobW]

I have seen articles on line where builders have made the side gun casements removable to allow interior viewing. I have this kit in my stash, so I will following your build closely.  How about adding minature LED lights inside to help see the interior with a side casement open.  Just a thought.

Bob W

[gedmundson]

I have seen articles on line where builders have made the side gun casements removable to allow interior viewing. I have this kit in my stash, so I will following your build closely.  How about adding minature LED lights inside to help see the interior with a side casement open.  Just a thought.

Bob W

Thanks for that Bob - I've reviewed quite a few builds online, and the idea of removable sponsons or roof doesn't work for my purposes since I like to finish off with a vignette display that doesn't get touched. But the idea of internal lighting was an interesting thought - I'd added LEDs to a previous build of a 1910 London Omnibus which worked well. After careful consideration, the amount of faff involved with this build (where to mount them and how to run the wiring) isn't worth the eventual small gain. I think I'll have to be happy with the build-progress interior photos.

I can see why a lot of modellers choose not to build this kit since the amount of parts make it intimidating. Trying to decide to start it means whether or not to tackle painting & weathering the interior and considering it a shame if not attempted. I've built a few of the Takom British WW1 tanks (3 Mk.1's and a Mk.IV) and they are a walk-in-the-park compared to this Mk.V. Not that this Meng kit is trickier, but there's such a lot of things to do.

Here's a picture of some of the sub-assemblies jumbled together. At some point soon I'll have to start to paint things.

Cheers,
Gary

DSC_2924c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr

[NigelR]

Plenty of fun left to be had with this build.... Looking forward to seeing some paint on it.

[KiwiZac]

I forget what prompted it but I've recently been looking at tank kits - my father-in-law even got me the Airfix 1/72 Sherman Firefly starter set for Christmas! - and am amazed at the amount (and quality) of detail one can get for the money. This is a prime example and I don't envy the decision you have regarding whether to do anything more inside the hull.

[gedmundson]

Thanks Nigel & Zac, decisions on what to paint and how far to carry the weathering and added detail are continual on this one.

With a mostly white interior I decided to undercoat most things in dark grey, then slowly add some off-white until I was happy. There are a lot of paint call-outs in the instructions that I question, and very little reference on what colour things were originally. I did find a few photos of the Mark V interior in The Tank Museum at Bovingdon and saw that Meng got most of their info from that (they credit them in the instruction booklet).

So I did paint up the engine for fun...then added the cowling which completely screens it...which in turn will be buried inside the walls of the tank. Again I have to say that the fit of the parts in the kit are really nice...most things line up beautifully like the linkage to the rear of the driver's position. Lots to do, but I'm enjoying the process in between bouts of shoveling snow.

Cheers,
Gary

DSC_2930c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr

DSC_2932c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr

DSC_2944c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr

DSC_2933c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr
Still plenty to add to this subassembly as work continues...

[Richtrad]

Hey Gary, whether the guts will be visible or not after the diorama is complete, your documentation of the build allows us to marvel in your constant artistry. Your builds are always a treat.

Warren Q

[gedmundson]

Thanks for that Warren - much appreciated.
Cheers,
Gary

[NigelR]

That's lovely work all round Gary, the weathering and detailing is spot on. It looks like you are having fun, even if most of it will be hidden.

[gedmundson]

Thanks for looking in, Nigel!

A bit more progress with this involved project to share here. I'd planned on using the CSM British Triumph model H along with some figures I'd received on a big order a couple of months ago. They are all nicely printed but quite delicate. One of the heads fell off as I clumsily picked it up and was carrying it between the bench and my photo area. It hit the tiled floor and broke off part of his ear - which had to be replaced with a microscopic bit of epoxy putty.

I've taken a slightly different approach to painting this tank. Since it is all one exterior colour I am painting it in sub-assemblies. For the drivers cabin and commander cabin, it helps with the masking of the red & white ID markings. I mixed up an exterior colour using Tamiya acrylics to make a muddy brown. The colour call-out on the instructions asked for Vallejo Sand Brown 70.876 which I'm not keen on...too pinkish to my eye.

Cheers,
Gary

DSC_2948c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr

DSC_2949c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr

DSC_2952c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr
A putty repair to the broken ear...the resin is so brittle on these 3D printed items.

DSC_2950c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr
The guns were given a metallic finish with Uschi metal polishing powders.

DSC_2970c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr

DSC_2953c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr
I added a few paint chips with a sponge dabbed into raw umber oil paint. The data plate was a spare from an old decal sheet.

DSC_2972c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr
Painting the sub-assemblies separately allowed the red & white panels to be more easily masked than doing it afterward.

DSC_2973c_01 by Gary Edmundson, on Flickr

[Richtrad]

This is some beautiful work Gary. Thank Cthulhu your splendid photography is preserving the artistry before it is lost inside the enclosed hull.

Warren Q

[NigelR]

Lovely work on the interior, the guns look fantastic. And if I ever need ear surgery, I know where to go......

Interesting approach on the painting by sub-assembly. I hope you are neater than me with your use of glue in assembly....