1920 Ford FT-B Polish Armored car

[ct ertz]

I had to take a break from another armored car project that was giving me trouble, so I moved on to this gem I found on an old hard drive!

Well, to call this an armored car may be a stretch. It is more like a suit of armor that you and a close friend strap on together! It is small and cramped. I did the measurements every which way I could and it really is that small! The driver would have had his head out the top hatch for real driving except when being shot at. The gunner would have his shoulder pressed between the turret wall and the butt stock of the machine gun. The thing is maybe just short of six feet from ground to turret top.

However small they may look, the Ford FTB was a great car. It was fast, light, quiet, and able to be fielded in packs quickly! The car was designed by engineer Tadeusz Tański simply because he needed them, as Russia and Poland were going at in in 1920. The armor came from steel trench plates the Germans had been kind enough to leave behind after WW1. The main armor was 8mm thick and could stop even AP round at range, and all other rounds even at point blank. Armed with a 7.62 machine gun with 1250 rounds, and 25 hand grenades, the two man crew could make havoc on the Russians in lightning hit and run attacks.

At 1/72 scale I simplified the rear axle and transmission case. I also left the spoked wooden wheels as printed. I am working on the pasic four color Polish camouflage now, and of coarse, all those rivets!

CT

[Vermin_King]

Wow, a rolling coffin vault! What an interesting beast. Any idea how many were built?

[D-H]

I am no expert on armour but it has to be the cutest little AFV ever.

D

[ct ertz]

Either 16 or 17 were built during in 1920 and 16 survived the war, being active until the mid to late 30s. (I have conflicting info that a possable 8 more were built as well, with a few seeing combat before the end of the war. So maybe as many as 24. But 16 sounds right, two production runs of 8.
CT

[ct ertz]

The Russian/Poland War of 1920 was an armored car war more then a tank war. Poland had some 120 FT-17 Tanks, the Russians had few of any kind. But the Russians had a lot of Armored cars, and proved them to be more useful then tanks in the type of quick moving combat then being fought. The Polish forces captured some 40 cars from Russia, but the little FT-B was the only production Armored Car then built by Poland.

[sporticus]

Wish you stop designing cool things! Keeps distracting me from my 'million things I want to make before I die but couldn't possibly do even if I gave up work, not that I can afford to do that' list.

Number 65 is shorten the name of the list.

[cjwalas]

Another excellent choice! While I'm dying to see you finish the Lancia, I can understand your need for a break and this is a little beauty. Any idea of what the color scheme will be? Or were they actually gray as you have illustrated?
Chris

[ct ertz]

It will be a four color camo separated by fine black lines. This is what I found the color to be. I may include a plain colored one for folks to alter, but the mixed color sounds right.

The Lancia is giving me fits but I will work through it.

CT

[Uyraell]

The Polish Ford Armoured Cars are most certainly a very good choice, Corey my friend, and you've captured the look very neatly.
I'm most interested in building one of these once I have the ink.

They were small internally, that's certain, much as with the Austin 7 vehicles: all occupants were very close-set together. That was reasonably common to many lightweight vehicles of that era.

Kind and Respectful Regards Corey my friend, Uyraell.

[looker]

There's a lot of interesting information on this vehicle at Ford (http://derela.republika.pl/ftb.htm) together with an account of an operation in which it was used at Kovel (http://derela.republika.pl/kovel.htm)

[cjwalas]

Great info, Looker. Thanks for posting those links. Now I'm looking forward to this one even more.
Chris

[ct ertz]

Wow, its small. I can fit two on one page. Should I do the 1920 version and a solid color post 1920 hypothetical in say, Polish green?

CT

[Miles Linnabery]

Dear Corry:
Am I showing my age? But the thought that comes to mind is look a early soap box racer!
Gotta Try it,
MILES

[cjwalas]

How about a B&W one for the colorists in the crowd. Of course the solid green would be just as good for that.
Chris

[Uyraell]

The article on the Ford FT-B vehicles says the meaning of the "FT-B" designation is not known.
I wonder if it could not be as simple as FT-B = Ford, Tański-Bronenoster (taking Bronenoster to mean "armoured Breakthrough vehicle")?
This would credit the designer, Tański, without necessarily revealing the meaning of the designation to other military forces outside Poland.

I'm guessing a little at the "Bronenoster" word, but if memory is correct, the Polish word for "armoured" as applied to vehicles is similar to "Bronenoster".

I hope one of the Polish speaking members of our forum can bring the necessary linguistic information to light. I hope my respectful suggestion helps to clarify what the FT-B designation means.

I certainly like the looks of the vehicle model.

Kind and Respectful Regards, Uyraell.

[jjb89]

I wont one! I wont one! :)

It is a great new, that Ford FT-B come to live:)

Maybe You make one with own name like Osa (http://derela.republika.pl/ford_ftb.jpg) (Wasp)?

I don't know what mean "FT-B" but I don't know what mean "Bronenoster" :)
"Brona" is a agrigultural harrow...armoured is "pancerny" or "opancerzony".

The "FT" can mean "Ford Tanski" or "Ford T", maybe "B" letter is just from next modification of softskin Ford T, when Ford T was "A" next is "B" and then "C" in Tfc?*

* This is only my own conjecture.

Regards!

[Kazziga]

Here is an article that you may find interesting: Ford FT-B (Tf-c) Polish armoured car (http://derela.republika.pl/ftb.htm)

By the way, the Polish word for "armoured" is "pancerny" or "opancerzony". "Bronenosny" is Russian for "armoured".

[jjb89]

"Bronenosny" is Russian for "armoured".

Aaa thats why dont know this word:D

[Uyraell]

Thank You both, Kazziga and Jacek my friends. :)
I knew the chances I had the wrong meaning for the "B" were fairly high.
On the other hand, it's 40+ years since I last heard Polish spoken on a regular basis, and about 15 years since I last heard Russian spoken regularly. I was a bit worried I'd gotten the two languages mixed somehow, and I apologise for that. :)

The model itself is certainly one I'd like to build, because I like Armoured Cars, and I like vehicles of that era.

Kind and Respectful Regards my friends, Uyraell.

[ct ertz]

Here is the link to the build thread done by cjwalas. It is an awesome build! http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/armory/19511-ct-ertzs-1920-ford-armored-car-1-72-a.html

In the photo of the car there is no search light, so I left it off. A small hatchet was also left off. These are easily scratched if you want. The finished model is well under 2 inches so it is on the small end of the 1/72 scale armor.

I will have it available at ECardmodels.com Shop (http://www.ecardmodels.com) soon, along with a couple others of my new "paperclads-Wheel and Track series". I hope there is enough interest in these odd and early AFVs as I want to do a few more. I will still be doing my "Paperclad-fighting ships of the Civil War" series but it is nice to branch outThe AFVs I will be working on will all be pre-1939 and most will be somewhat odd! I like odd.
CT

[sporticus]

Odd is good. Crumbs, not sure I'm going to find it easy to make some of these in 1:100. That will be a challenge!

[Wyvern]

Fascinating vehicle, Corey! Will make an interesting companion piece to your Pilsudski Armored Truck!

Wyvern

[Uyraell]

Fascinating vehicle, Corey! Will make an interesting companion piece to your Pilsudski Armored Truck!

Wyvern

Not only are you correct on that, Wyvern, but the Pilsudski Armoured Truck is one I'm also keen to build when it becomes available.

I've sort of developed a soft spot for it. :)

Kind and Respectful Regards, Uyraell.