'Armour' from LeeH: WWI Mk IV Tanks

My entry into the first Bonus Theme Round is my attempt to make amends for some cheeky behaviour in the last challenge. Last winter I entered a couple of 6mm Mk IV tanks in the Nautical bonus round on the basis that they were 'landships' and were therefore a valid entry. This year when I saw what the first theme round was I knew immediately that I had to revisit the project but this time paint some MkIV's in 15mm.

These are from Battlefront and are composite models with a combination of Resin, Metal and Plastic parts. I'm not normally a fan of mixing resin and metal parts but Battlefront seem to have made a good job of avoiding warping and misaligned joints. This particular set went together with minimal effort and required very little cleaning prior to assembly.

The Battlefront set includes two MkIV's and two sets of sponsons and Guns so these can be made up as either Male or Female tanks. The Mark IV Male carried three Lewis machine guns and a QF 6 pdr 6 cwt gun in each sponson. The Female tanks were equipped with five machine guns making them formidable anti-personnel weapons.

I have gone for a simple plain design with an emphasis on weathering effects rather than on camouflage. In particular I made extensive use of a Rust weathering liquid by AK that I bought a few months ago. I used this on all the joints, rivets and exposed metal surfaces. I also used a Tamiya weathering stick to apply mud effects to the tracks and lower hull of the vehicles. This stuff is thick, gloopy and sticky (just like mud) and produces a very realistic looking effect. I'm quite chuffed with how these turned out and they will take pride of place in my display unit with my collection of other 15mm tanks.