EMHAR:s 1/72 Mk IV

The British Mark IV looked superficially like its fore-bearer, the Mk:s I-III, but it incorporated many improvements, all results of bitter experiences made during the autumn of 1916. The front and side armour was increased to 16 mm respective 12mm, and the petrol tanks were relocated to the back of the vehicle, and was thus separated from the crew. The quick firing 57mm guns were shortened, to make them less liable to get stuck in the ground or on the wire. Special rails were also put on top of the tank, carrying a unditching beam. Both a silencer for the engine, electric lights and better ventilation meant improved conditions for the crew.

Like the earlier Mk:s, it came both in Male (cannon-equipped) and Female (MG-equipped) variants. And like the Mk I, this tank had a crew of 8. The crew hade their allotted roles, but they were trained to take up the position of any other member, if these were injured or killed - which they often were. The tank was still slow and cumbersome to drive. In order to change direction, the tank still had to come to a complete stop, in order for the crew to change the gears, the process taking some 15 seconds to complete.

The Mk IV was used in the futile and terrible fighting around Passchendaele in the latter part of 1917, but not to any noticable effect, as these heavy vehicles more often than not simply got stuck in the mud that was the battlefield. These tanks finest hour came in November 1917, when they were used in a attack towards Cambrai. The ground was firm, and well-suited for the tank, and for the first time they were used en masse: 476 tanks were employed, at a rate of approximately one tank for every 30 meters of front. The initial success was great, but the German counterattacked and retaking not only most of the lost ground, but also a large numer of abandoned Mk IV:s that were repaired, refurbished and pressed into German service. Eventually more Mk IV:s were used by the Germans than A7V tanks of their own production and design.

For excellent photos of a surviving MK IV, click here!

Click on the pictures for an enlarged version!

EMHAR produces two Mk IV kits, one of the Male, cannon-equipped version, and one of the Female, MG-equipped version. This review is based on the Female version, but the differences between the two kits are small, and consists mainly of different sponsons and decals.

The kit comes packed in a illustrated box, containing a plan, decals and three sprues: one for the tracks, two for the rest of the tank. The plastic is easy to work with, soft but not too soft. The sharpness of the details is first rate. The flash is negliable. There are some very small sink-marks, but only in places that remain hidden once the kit is built. (This is a injection moulded kit of the first order, without the problems connected with short-run kits.)

The assembly is straight-forward, the fit is fine. (One of the points that call for some care, though, is the putting together of the Drivers Cab, as it is easy to get the sides of it misaligned.) The tracks are of a black, flexible material, luckily not as hard to work with as the abomination that comes with the Airfix Mk I, but you will need to super-glue it, preferably in several steps. They also take paint good. (If you are still not satisfied with these, you could get the resin tracks made by Matador.)

If you are not too picky about certain details, you could easily build this kit in an evening!

But there are some problems. 

The biggest problem are the sponsons. The rear wall of the sponsons of the kit are set at 90º but were in reality set at a slight angle, to enable them to be pushed inside the hull when transported by rail. Also, the turret roof above the gun is too thin, making the part where the gun is mounted a bit too high. Also, the cut-outs for the gun should be of different shape and size on each side, due to the fact that the gun was located somewhat differently on each side, mainly in order to fit the sighting equipment. (Notice that Matador has a fix also for this problem!)

Notice also, that there seems to be a dimensional problem as well, outlined here by Mike Cooper. But that problem is very hard to remedy, short of completely butchering the kit. And also, I don't know how noticeable it really is in 1/72 scale.

The Hotchkiss MG:s are rather poorly detailed and are better replaced. (Note that the Mk IV originally was equipped with Lewis MG:s, but these were replaced with the Hotchkiss type - the type in the kit - because of the cooling jacket Lewis found to be too vulnerable. But it means that you could equip it with Lewis MG replicas.)

The rails for the un-ditching gear represent a later type, found mainly on the Mk V. The ones found in the kit could still be used, but be advised of this circumstance. Most Mk IV:s had a rail that had an inverted profile to the one in the kit. (The unditching beam is not provided in the kit, so if you want your tank to have one you have to scratch it, which is quite easy. See the thumbnail on the left.)

The "box" to the rear (the gasoline tank actually), down between the tracks, is turned the wrong way around, at least on the assembly plan: it could tempt you to put the hollow end towards the tank. Instead the part with the hatch should point upwards. (And the hinges inward.)

Many Mk IV:s (judging from photos: most) were equipped with sheets of applique armour on the back, with one plate adding protection to the gasoline tank itself, and another to parts of the back wall, and thus the engine. Both were set at an slight angle. This was obviously not a field improvisation, as they were uniform in design. Again: I don't think it's a fault not to include them, but it was pretty much standard, at least from Cambrai and on. (See the three small thumbnails photos to the left.)

The kit comes with a good set of decals (not too sharp and slightly out of register) two British tanks, and two German Beutewagens. (Notice if you want to build a German captured Mk IV, you should put a square hatch on the top of the Drivers Cab.)

For another view on this kit, click here!

The kit has been around some time: there a a few cons, especially the Male sponsons being wrong, but there are also some pros. The kit is deceptively simple, and easy to build, and if you fix the Male sponsons or simply do the Female version, you will get a nice replica of the Mk IV.

- for the Female (MG) version
- for the Male (Cannon) version