Modelik Mk A Whippet 1/25

**lmsjim** · #1 11-15-2010, 06:30 AM

Well I finally started my second model the Modelik Mk A Whippet medium tank. CharlieC already did an excellent job of reviewing the kit so I am not going to repeat his report here. It does supposedly have a part count of 1200 which of course includes a lot of track parts still it I am sure it is going to be a challenge.

Again as in my first build I plan on adding detail and scratch build some parts starting with the machine guns. I will also be painting it. I would do this anyway but the kit represents a Whippet in Northern Ireland after the war and I was not interested in doing that anyway.

I have personally seen three of the surviving Whippets. There is one at the Brussels museum, which is the only one that is in its original paint. It was in Northern Ireland after the war and I am not sure when it was painted or marked. This has been described as a chocolate brown color. It was so many years ago when I saw it I really don’t remember its color. Another and the subject I chose to model is at Bovington “Caesar II’. It has been repainted in dark green which might be close to the original color. The last one is the one that is or was at Aberdeen Museum. There does not seem to be any record of it and it is in pretty bad shape considering how long it has been outside.

I started by mounting the internal bracing parts on 1mm board. I then cut out all the pieces which took a couple of days and sore figures.

I then glued them together which took a while but actually the fit was good. The only issue so far is one slot in the floor for W6 was on the wrong side, which was easily fixed.

Jim

**CharlieC** · #2 11-15-2010, 06:54 AM

All of the surviving Whippets can be seen at:

Landships II

The issue of green or brown has raged on for ages. The Brussels Whippet supposedly hasn't been painted since WW1 and there are some indications it may have been a muddy green colour originally.

If I can make a suggestion - the skin goes straight on top of the frame so it would help if you sanded the joins back to flat. An easy way to do this is paint on sanding sealer on the high spots - this will allow you to sand the card without any tearing and give a smooth finish.

Regards,

Charlie

**Don Boose** · #3 11-15-2010, 07:34 AM

Jim - I'm glad to see the Modelik Whippet under construction. It looks like you are off to a good start with this complex and demanding model. I will be tracking closely in hopes of some day trying this one myself (once I develop the required experience and skill with simpler models).

Charlie - That advice of yours seems applicable to military vehicle models generally.

Don

**cotlet** · #4 11-15-2010, 08:05 AM

You have another follower

The threads are demanding, but what satisfaction it is to finish them!
Good luck!

**Clashster** · #5 11-15-2010, 09:40 PM

Good looking start! Looks complicated already! Good work!

**lmsjim** · #6 11-16-2010, 06:09 AM

Thanks for the hints and encouragement. I actually had determined to sand it before I read your post Charlie but thanks anyway. Advice is always welcome.
Continuing
After sanding down the sides I cut out the three main pieces that cover most of the vehicle and glued them on. I ran into no difficulty with these.

I then started adding small bits and pieces. Again no problems just took time. I also covered the nose piece and glued it on.

I started detailing the engine compartment next. I added the wire handles for the hatches although the instructions and drawings are wrong about their shape. They are not simple handles but are bent over. I also added hinges made out of styrene rod.

Thanks
Jim

**Paperwarrior** · #7 11-16-2010, 06:13 AM

Jim,

This model is coming along great. Wow, that is a lot of formers, but it looks worth it. I look forward to seeing more.

Jeff

**lmsjim** · #8 11-17-2010, 07:28 AM

Continuing: I wanted to add the engine vents but knew they would be difficult to make them look good. After having carefully cut out all the parts I realized the part 7b which was the center section was really way to narrow. Guess they did not test build this one. Anyway I had to take my scanned image and widen it to fit the back. After that it worked okay. I was actually pretty pleased with the results.

I then decided to complete the two mufflers. I used the paper pipe and muffler which went together without any problems. I then covered the mufflers with string to simulate the asbestos cord they usually wrapped the mufflers with. I left them off till after I have finish painting.

Jim

**Tim Crowe** · #9 11-17-2010, 10:03 AM

Coming along nicely - The string is a nice touch.

Tim

**lmsjim** · #10 11-18-2010, 06:31 AM

I finally decided it was time to make the Hotchkiss machine guns. I had already decided to make mine from scratch since I feel the weakest point on paper armor models are the weapons. So anyway I took a hollow brass tube and cut them to length for the barrel. I then wrapped the rear with thin soldier wire to represent the ribbing on the Hotchkiss gun. I took a plastic covered wire and cut off the end and glued this to the bottom for the gas recoil tube. The site was made from paper. The mount was made from ¾” wood balls which I cut in half and drilled out the holes for the machine gun barrels.

As time permitted I made the return rollers and roadwheels plus drive sprockets and idlers. No real difficulty here. The sad thing is except for four of the five sets of return rollers you will never seen these since the tracks totally cover them up. Well at least I know they are there.

Jim