VICKERS MK6B's resto

[colin jones]

Mike, I read somewhere that the tanks were fitted with a very limited amount of the No 7 radios and very few if any still exist. I was also told that there was under 100 of the radios made in total. If that was the case then I can certainly understand why there is next to none left. I am yet to verify the information. There would certainly be enough room at the back of the turret to fit a smallish type radio as the No 7 from what info I have was smaller that the 11 or 19 sets.

[charlie fitton]

(Now we get to see him make one of those...)

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Colin,

The No.7 set was British and only a few were built according to WftW, Vol1, which goes on to say they were fitted to Light Tank Mks 2, 2A, 3 and 5, so presumably not fitted to Mk6A.

The WS7 was pretty much a failure, with production ceasing in 1936 - a year before the few tanks Australia ordered arrived in Australia. Plus newspaper reports of the time mention that the tanks were to be fitted with wireless communications in Australia. For a time, they were certainly equipped with a voice tube between the CC and driver (which evidently didn't work because of the noise of the engine in the driver's ear!) So I think you can discount the No.7 ever getting to Australia: Mike Kelly, what do you think?

The No.9 set was the one that superseded the No.7. Complete it weighed 192 pounds, and measured 41ins long, 16 ins high, 12ins deep. According to WftW, these sets were fitted into the turret bulge of the Mk6A in the UK, with the two 6V batteries in the well of the turret turntable. The WS 109 was the version made in Australia. The dims were 16.5ins H x 25.5 ins L x 10ins deep for the set, and 13.5 x 14.5 x 8.5 for the power supply, the whole unit weighing 201 pounds. It went into production in late 1939. (WftW V1)

An Australian-built set would be the more likely, I would think, but unless you can locate some images or paperwork to show exactly which set was in use in the Australian Mk6A, this is all conjecture boiling down to the 'most likely'.

Mike

[David Herbert]

Regarding the driver's seat: they look identical to the driver's seat of a Canadian Ram tank. The design of these was inherited from the Canadian built Valentine tanks which were a copy of the British built Valentine. Very similar seats were used in Daimler Mk1 armoured cars and quite a few British commercial vehicles of the period.

You have done a great job of reproducing it, and well done for not "simplifying" it to save time. Actually that applies to everything you have done so far - brilliant !

David

[colin jones]

Thankyou all for your comments and information.
I have had to give myself a reality check and go back a step or two and get back on track. It is very easy to make parts that make something take shape which is what I have done but I am going back to my original path and do the inside and mechanical or I will have to pull it all apart even more.
I have been busy freeing up all the linkage and there is a lot.

[colin jones]

I also happen to notice that the farmer had modified the driving arrangements and made his own style of plate as you can see in the first photo. He must also had a Bren Gun Carrier as well as I just happened to see the shape of the plate and it is a side engine cover off a carrier. I have never had an original before but now I do.
Time to do the internals.

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by colin jones

He must also had a Bren Gun Carrier as well as I just happened to see the shape of the plate and it is a side engine cover off a carrier. I have never had an original before but now I do.

See, this project hasn't been a waste of time after all!