This is the Emhar 1/35 scale British Mk.IV "Female" tank from WWI. The tank came out better than I had expected, considering the look of the parts in the box.

I built this kit as a diversion from my usual subjects, so I didn't bother to check for accuracy, etc.; it was actually quite relaxing and fun to build. Construction was straightforward, although slow and involved due to the kit's parts breakdown.

As an experiment, I painted the finished model all black to accentuate the panel lines and rivets, followed by a layer of olive drab overall, then I applied the decals. This was followed with a much lighter tan sprayed from the bottom up, to simulate mud and dust. Pastels were also used to weather the tank. I brushed on a wash consisting of the olive drab acrylic paint mixed with black along the panel lines, and added rust spots and stains. I finished by overspraying the whole tank with a mixture of flat clear and light tan to simulate dust.

The tracks are made up of segments of flexible plastic that respond well to plastic cement, but it was not easy to make them fit into their slots. The tracks were painted in steel and titanium, and the high spots were rubbed with some SnJ aluminum powder. The mud on the tracks (and other parts of the tank) was made with baking soda mixed with various brown acrylic paints.

The muffler was painted in rust, with some spots in steel.

I drilled out the gun barrels and painted them with Testor's ModelMaster gunmetal.

The most annoying parts of this kit were the rails along the top - I must have snapped them off five or six times while finishing the tank. Some of the "mud" and rust on the rails is there to cover up the superglue repair jobs! I later discovered that I could have left the rails off.

This tank was on display at Red Star/Lincoln Hobbies in Culver City, until they closed in 2004. In the first two pictures above, it's shown resting on an original British WWI officer's cap and gloves.