MkIV was developed from the MkI/II/III series, with totally
redesigned male and female sponsons. The sponsons we
re
smaller, did not hang up in heavy going and the sponsons cou
ld
be retracted inside the hull for rail transportation. The male
weapon was changed to a shorter 6 pdr quick-firing gun so it
didn't get hung up in ditches or ram the muzzle into the dirt. The
wheeled tail was dispensed with as unnecessary. The flush-
mounted circular top hatch was changed to a raised angular
oblong one. The exhaust now had a muffler and an exhaust pipe.
Rails were added to the tops of some MkIV's to carry an
unditching beam; earlier unditching experiments included an
individual torpedo spud spar attached to each track. The fuel tank
was moved from the inside of the fighting compartment to a safer
location at the rear of the hull.
The first encounter between British and German tanks revealed
the vulnerability of the female tanks facing gun-armed tanks. The
result was the "hermaphrodite" or mixed-sex tank. One or the
other female sponson was switched with a male sponson from
another tank, producing two tanks that each had one male and
one female sponson. Evidence is a bit sketchy, especially since
photos usually show only one side of a particular vehicle.
The MkIV was deployed in companies of 12 vehicles, usually 8
females and 4 males. Three companies made a battalion. There
were initially 6 battalions, lettered A through F. Individual tank
names, when applied, started with the battalion letter and vehicles
in a battalion were numbered consecutively from the first company
through the last company. More battalions were raised later, and
all were numbered 1st through 12th, but the naming pattern was
retained even for battalions that had never had a letter title. Late in
the war, battalions were organized into 4 brigades of 3 battalions
each.
There were 420 Male MkIV's and 595 Female MkIV's built, making
it one of the most significant tank in terms of numbers use
d.
B.28 "Black Prince" was a MkIV male in "B" Battalion.
Captured at Cambrai. Final fate is unknown.
B.28 "Black Arrow"
Mk IV (Male)
WWI British Heavy Tank
1/72 Scale
copyright 2006 Clifton W. McCullough
filename = "72.MKIV.B28.100,pdf"
1
2
cut out
6-glue
3
spacer for right track frame as shown
left track frame is similar
5-glue 7
cut out
right track frame as shown
4-push 3-glue
left track frame (4, 5 and 6) is similar
2-glue
8
1-glue
bottom
top
9a
narrow tracks
or
9b
wide tracks
12
9a (only)
11
10
track spuds (10, 11) were used sometimes
with narrow track (9a) only, one per 5 or 6 track links.
WWI British Mk IV Heavy Tank
Wide track (9b) was developed to provide
Scale 1:72
traction similar to narrow tracks with spuds
Instructions Sheet 1
copyright 2005 Clifton W. McCullough
t
s
r
i
f
r
a
e
r
d
l
o
f
d
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o
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e
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f
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l
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f
right 6pdr gun
mount as shown
29
left side (32, 33)
is similar
13
13
14a
15
form #15 into hemisphere
28 roll #28
14b
12
cut #22 into 3 pieces
16
form #31 into
22
31
23 hemisphere
71
26
24
19
25 x3
34
30
35
18
form #35 into
17
27 hemisphere
20
21
fold #27 into inverted "U"
44
wrap # 49 around top of # 48x3
49
trim # 49
bend rear of rail
two places as shown
53
52
48
left rail as shown; right
bend front of
laminate 3x #48
rail (50,51) is similar but bends
rail as shown
WWI British Mk IV Heavy Tank (Male)
in opposite directions
Scale 1:72
Instructions Sheet 2
copyright 2005 Clifton W. McCullough
48
49
9a
9b
56
spud (10, 11)
(if used)
55
61
right side as shown;
left side similar
56
55
54
9a
9b
60
57
59 end view with
47
end view with
58
wide tracks
narrow tracks
below female sponsons only
(47 on right, 44 on left)
Left Female Sponson
Right sponson is similar
Left male Sponson
42
42
left female sponson
34
machine guns
British
33
43 43a 38 German
34
left male sponson
British 29 41
German
machine gun
(Lewis MG or Hotchkiss MG
30
in British tanks
Lewis MG in Beutepanzers.
machine gun
65
Right male Sponson
Note: some Beutepanzer female
may have
tanks were fitted with 13mm
been fitted
anti-tank rifle in front position only)
in some MkIV
30
in rear door
right male sponson
45
WWI British Mk IV Heavy Tank
right frmale sponson
Scale 1:72
Instructions Sheet 3
copyright 2005 Clifton W. McCullough