Matilda Tank

Sorry to all who has been waiting for a new machine to emerge, unfortunately they don't reproduce through mitosis nor do I own a gnome production line. This Matilda tank was began in the fall of 2011 and was only completed just in time for ANZAC day on 25th of April. To most tank researchers the Matilda comes in two form, I couldn't bother with the first machine gun armed Matilda which did nearly kill Gen. Erwin Rommel in France in 1940. This is one of the biggest and sophisticated machines I have ever made, even harder than the Tiger I since I added in a lot of finesse to it including engine access hatches, exhaust pipes, smoke dischargers and etc. The turret was a nightmare as careful sculpting of a frame was required and pieces have to be cut and pasted carefully. The track pieces were rounded off with a nail clipper and a movable gun mantle is installed as well. The major reason I put in so much effect for this machine is that I am in Australia currently so I felt I should pay tribute to the veterans for their bravery and sacrifice in the Second World War against the Axis powers. Did you know? The Matilda had nearly 80mm of frontal armour which shocked the socks off the Germans as their 37mm anti-tank guns bounced off like tennis balls! The Japanese fared worse in the Pacific islands since their own tanks were much weaker and their anti-tank warfare was weak, so they resorted to banzai charges instead. However, Gen. Erwin Rommel also found a superweapon against this 'Queen of the Desert', the dreaded 88mm Anti-Aircraft Gun. As a matter effect, a side project I committed to while making the Matilda was an 88mm gun given to my friend as a birthday present. The next machine to be posted will take even longer to make, since it will not be a tank... Stay tuned!

Move to Melbourne 1. BT-5

Hi All! I am sure you are all wondering why haven't I updated my Factory Blog for such a long time. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. You see, I have faced these situations, 1. IS-2 construction incomplete 2. Move to Melbourne And with that second reason I had to leave all my manufacturing base behind and restart anew over here in Melbourne. Hence retooling and material sourcing has become a major obstacle for me to restart production. However, due to stress of studying (or at least worrying about studies) I have found the need to retool and restart production. This time, I shall start off with early WWII machines first before moving to late WWII juggernaughts. The first machine is (or should have been) an easy machine to craft. It is the BT-5 from the Soviet Union. This machine is the predecessor of the famous (or infamous) T-34 tank (I have made at least 3 of those and posted them onto my blog) and is a usually overlooked tank. The tank originated from the 1928 Christie Tank design, designed by J. Walter Christie as a fast tank which could travel on both Tracks or Wheels, since track technology was very poor in the 1920s-1930s thus the option was available for the tracks to be removed for movement on wheels. The suspension was revolutionary however, with each wheel being independently sprung with a huge coiled spring, allowing for extremely high speed travels up to 70mph while contemporary tanks could only move at an average of 10-20mph. However, the US Army found Christie to be a difficult man to work with, and so they gave up on creating a machine based on the Christie Tank. The Soviet Union on the other hand, was desperate for any kind of tank technology so they bought 2 1928 Christie Tanks out of the USA as 'Tractors' since USA did not recognize the SU. It is funny to note that when Germany was developing their own tanks in the SU (yes they did) they also classed it as 'Tractors' as well since they were banned from owning tanks after WWI. The Soviets went right to work with the Christie tanks and began to improve on it. First was the BT-2, which was a direct copy of the Christie design, then came the BT-5 (showcased below), and lastly the BT-7 with a smoothed front and conical turret. The BT-5 was built in large numbers with its other variants and saw combat in 3 major conflicts. First was the Spanish Civil war when they had far bigger guns than any other tanks sent over to Spain, but was found to have armour which was too thin. It then saw action at the Battle of Khalkin Gol where they were used to great effect to eradicate the Japanese presence from Mongolia (the battle was fought 1 day before the beginning of WWII on August 31st 1939). Lastly at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa they were finally outclassed by the Germans in terms of tactics (the BT-5 at least was faster and had better firepower than the Panzer III with the 37mm gun)

Thanks to the RMIT Old Melbourne Gaol lawn where I took this fantastic photo =D

Cromwell tank

A distant relative of the renowned T-34 tank as they both use the same suspension, the Cromwell was a acceleration wonder but still a battlefield disaster. Though lower in profile than the American sherman, the armour was lacking angle and thickness. To make things worse, parts were not standardised on all the machines and sometimes changeover of pieces from one to another was totally impossible! Tracks are made from wooden sticks instead of wider sticks and took an impossible amount of time to finish with the help of some family members...

T-34 revisited...

As a new breed of tanks which I will formulate from now on, cardboard paper will no longer be used to make the tracks and will be replaced by pieces of ice cream stick tracks or paper board tracks so as to provide the machines with an authentic feel to them. First of this is a T-34/76 model 1942 with a hexagonal turret to easy the making of the machine.

Automation Revolution (XM-01)

Hi everyone!
Long time no see... But these days I have ran out of cardboard to my dismay so I am just waiting for new stocks to come in...
Meanwhile I have finished my diploma and created a new machine for my final project...
The XM-01 or eXperimental Machine 01 is created as a basic platform for a series of oncoming vehicles with different purposes, provided that I have the time and continuing interest...
Plastic board and hot glue has replaced cardboard and UHU glue in the construction, plus the added benefit of full remote control... foward, backward, side pivotal turns are allowed.

Second Netherlands Export Model - The Tiger I Tank

Here is another netherlands export to my cousin - The Tiger I. This tank has become the stuff of legends, and a scourge to the allied tank crews who met these thickly armoured metal beasts in action. The are cases where refurbished models still striking fear into the hearts of old veterans, because they know if they faced a Tiger, it would be certain death...

First Netherlands Export Model - StuG III Assault Gun

Here is a model German StuG III Assault Gun given to my cousin by me... He brought back the tank and only now the pictures has been sent back to me... A fearsome assault gun which sometimes is used in the anti-tank role, the StuG III was also very cheap to make, it is actually three times as cheap as a Tiger I tank, and takes far less time to make for its lack of a turret.