Mark IV Male (Hooben)

[Kaczor]

Here is my project that I have been building for some time, side by side with other models (these rivers are exhausting and you have to take breaks to avoid going crazy).

Work is very slow as I want to replace 3D printed rivets from the set with metal one. It turned out that small nails with a diameter of 1.2 mm have close enough rounded head. Brass bolts imitations are from German Knupfer Shop. Overall, it is tedious and time-consuming work. Every rivet need to be cut and every hole enlarged. So, advice for those planning to buy it - stick to the items from the set

Below are some photos from the build:

There is about 2000+ rivets and hundreds of bols and nuts. It took some practice to solder the angles that surround the hull.

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The hull is made of stainless steel and very hard to drill. I broke about 20 drill bits to enlarge holes.

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Tracks are made of hard plastic conectected by small screws. I'm worried about their durability, but the model drives very slowly.

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I filled the screw holes with putty.The U-shaped axle holders are at the wrong angle in some places (Hooben's design fault), but this is on the inside, almost invisible while driving.

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Test assembly of the driver's and commander's booth.

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Sides are bolted to the hull from the inside. Screwing on the second half was quite tricky.

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After putting the two halves together and installing the gearbox:

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The wheels are made of nylon with steel bushes and axles, the drive wheels are made of aluminum. There was a problem with the chains. The connectors were too loose and stuck on the gears. I put small additional washers to fix that. I sanded the gears themselves a bit because their edges were too sharp.

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I used a Taigen board for the test. Ultimately, there will be some electronics which supports two pairs of servos.

phpBB [video]

The plan for the next few months is to complete the hull details and build sponsons. Hooben intended them to be permanently attached to the hull, but I want to make them detachable to have access to the interior.

[MonsieurTox]

I've never bought Hooben tanks (but their 1/48 type VIIC sub under the Arkmodels brand, but that's Hooben) and I should admit it seems to be a very great kit, even if, like their sub, it needs a lot of work to work fine. It's great to see some love for WWI tanks. No suspension in a tank that long, not a smooth ride for sure!

[Jimster]

That is so cool and refreshing to see. Your dedication to detail is very admirable.

[tankme]

Looking good. Damn those are some long tracks.

[43rdRecceReg]

I think it's worth the tedium. When this is finished, it will be fairly unique, in that most modellers don't build Mk IVs. It will also be historic and antique, in the sense that the original design in now over a century old. What you've achieved is impressive already. Keep calm, and carry on!. Happy new year too!.

[Ad Lav]

Would have loved one of these if it wasn’t Hooben!

[Model Builder 4]

Very nice work Kaczor following along ready for when I eventually start mine

Cheers,Lee.

[Kaczor]

Thank you guys. I assembled the rear elements (the box at the bottom protected the fuel tanks). Not permanently attached yet.

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[Kaczor]

There is no major progress, I soldered the sponsons. Yesterday at the RC tank meeting I tested the drive (the Taigen board was temporarily installed).

[HERMAN BIX]

Hell of a cool test ground Mr K and a lovely build so far.