Armour dreams 2: Humber Mk IV

[Jonathan Moore]

Evening All,

Firstly let me appolagise to all those that hate replicas, my son is sure that I will get kicked off the forum when I announce my intention to create another one.

So here goes, my intention is to make a replica Humber Armoured car mkiv, I haven't got any original parts so it will be constructed from parts that I do have in stock from and I will make the rest. How long will it take, I have no idea.

I have started by constructing the instrument panel, why there you may ask, well I had to start somewhere.

Jon

[Tim Bell]

Another great project - look forward to seeing the progress.

Tim

[Barry Churcher]

Jonathon I enjoy these builds and am continually amazed at the ingenuity and level of skill involved. Can't wait for more.
Barry

[ChaseR83]

I say build on

The replica haters, IMO, are a very short-sighted bunch. As shocking as it seems... WW2 will be 100 years ago before we know it. Bovington no longer runs their original WW1 tanks out of fear of damaging irreplaceable parts.

WW2 tanks have superior metallurgy and engineering which will keep them running longer than their predecessors but lack of spares will eventually park them all without new-production components. The very original, rare tanks will likely gather dust in museums and the more common ones will continue with increasing amounts reproduction parts. At what point is it no longer "grandad's axe"?

And let's not forget the cost factor... when I was a teenager (had I known in early internet days) I could have bought a tank project for the price of low-end used car. Now as I barely approach middle-age people want 100k for shot-up wrecks and nice tanks cost more than most people's homes.

For people like me in the USA we also have a geographical disadvantage. There are very slim pickings here... the US for the most part didn't bring back any tanks or spares... getting projects from Europe has become prohibitively expensive. When I first started project shopping, getting a container shipped from Europe was 6-8k, last time I looked it was 20k. Even I was to obtain one of the "scrap-price wrecks for the brave restorer" I'd probably be looking at 30k before it even got to my shop. How much of a Swiss-cheese wreck would actually make it into a finished restoration?

I'm doing my best to try take some of the heat off of you buy starting my own replica build... I've spent the last 3 years working to obtain documentation from archives in half a dozen countries.

[Jonathan Moore]

Morning,

Thanks for the positive comments I have started the chassis so the projects moving, time appears to be my only constraint at present. So Chase, let us all in to your secret, what are you planning to build?

Jon

[ChaseR83]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Moore

Morning,

So Chase, let us all in to your secret, what are you planning to build?

Jon

I honestly don't know... I have don't have enough documentation on anything that makes me feel comfortable moving forward yet. I've narrowed it down to a few tanks and tried to focus my efforts on them.... I've been devoting a large part of my spare time (and spare $$$) to research for the last 3 years with no end in sight.

I'd like to build a replica of a tank that does not exist in the USA, or at least a tank that does not exist in private hands.

I'm very interested in the convertible drive tanks, such as the T3 Christie or the Russian BT Series. I have probably 50-60% of the documentation I would need to move forward on a BT-7... but dealing with Russian archives is an exercise in frustration... I've all but given up moving forward on these. The sole surviving T3 Medium is a "prisoner" at Ft. Lee... off limits to us mere peasants.

I'm also interested in the early British Cruisers, I have everything Bovington had on the A.10... I still wouldn't try moving forward without examining the original... but I'm not confident I could replicate the suspension... which means trying to source Valentine components... might not make me too popular with Valentine owners.

Almost no original documentation survives on the A.13 save for the operator's manual.

I have a decent amount of documentation on the Matilta I infantry tank, but I'm not sure I can physically cram my 6' 2" self into one... and casting a turret would be extremely difficult.

I'm currently focusing my efforts on the Czech LT Vz.38 and variants... Panzer 38(t), Panzerwagen 39, etc. I've requested that the Bundesarchiv in Freiburg digitize all of the manuals that they have for the 38(t) and the Hetzer... they have completed most of them and they are freely available for anyone to download. I'm also currently waiting for a bill from the archive in Prague for more documentation. There is a Marder III and Hetzer trapped at Ft. Lee, and 2 Grille in Oklahoma... but the Grille has very little left in common with a basic 38(t).

For the most part I'm trying to limit my efforts to a light or small medium tank, something with relatively thin armor... minimal castings or bent complex curved plates... with simple (preferably leaf-sprung) suspension.

My only non-tracked documentation project is the Sd.Kfz. 234 series, mostly focused on the 234/3. Very little information seems to be available... and there are only 3 survivors... all in relatively poor, incomplete condition. I know of a gentleman in Europe who claims to have 500 pages of photocopies of original blueprints... but I'm honestly afraid to reach out. I also feel like the suspension and steering actually make the 234 a more difficult project than a small tank.