mark ix beast Archives - Felix's Gaming Pages

Mark VIII “The International” Tank

This Mark VIII “The International” Tank was on display at Bovington Tank Museum. It is the last remaining survivor of the six Mark VIII tanks which were completed for Britain.

When the United States declared war on Germany in 1917 the US Army started to look at tanks. They favoured the American Renault as their light tank but used British Mark V and Mark V* tanks for their heavy battalion. However they had their own ideas on tank design and, in co-operation with the British Tank Corps came up with a new heavy tank design for 1919.

The Mark VIII tank also known as the Liberty or The International was an Anglo-American tank design of the First World War intended to overcome the limitations of the earlier British designs and be a collaborative effort to equip France, the UK and the US with a single heavy tank design.

Production at a site in France was expected to take advantage of US industrial capacity to produce the automotive elements, with the UK producing the armoured hulls and armament. The planned production levels would have equipped the Allied armies with a very large tank force that would have broken through the German defensive positions in the planned offensive for 1919. In practice manufacture was slow and only a few vehicles were produced before the end of the war in November 1918.

More photographs of the Mark VIII “International” Tank.

Many people have thought that the tank used in the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade film was a Mark VIII. However that tank was specially created for the film, inspired though somewhat by the Mark VIII.

Mechanical effects supervisor George Gibbs said this movie was the most difficult one of his career. He visited a museum to negotiate renting a small French World War I tank, but decided he wanted to make one. The tank was based on the tank Mark VIII, which was thirty-six feet (eleven meters) long, and weighed twenty-five tons. Gibbs built the tank over the framework of a twenty-five ton excavator, and added 6.4 ton tracks, that were driven by two automatic hydraulic pumps, each connected to a Range Rover V8 engine. Gibbs built the tank from steel, rather than aluminum or fiberglass, because it would allow the realistically suspensionless vehicle to endure the rocky surfaces. Unlike its historical counterpart, which had only the two side guns, the tank had a turret gun added as well. It took four months to build, and was transported to Almería on a Short Belfast plane, and then a low loader truck.

There is a (similar) 28mm resin kit of this tank, called the Mark IX Beast. I did buy one from Empress Miniatures and even managed to build it and paint it.

Mark IX Beast

Here is my 28mm Mark IX Beast tank in the desert.

Probably my favourite Indiana Jones film is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The combination of archaeology, mythology, nazi soldiers and lots of wonderful pulp action. Though we know it wasn’t real, and though we know that there was no actual historical version of it; I am sure most of us who have thought about recreating the Indiana Jones films on the table have wanted to use that tank. It appears at first glance to be a Mark VIII with a turret, the reality was that it was built specially for the film and was built up from an excavator.

I wrote back in 2012 about finding a 28mm model of the tank, since then I found it was available from Empress Miniatures.

I was able to order it and go through the resin pieces and constructing the Mark IX Beast. Following the application of the white undercoat, I started the base coat of Vallejo 70912 Tan Yellow on the Mark IX Beast tank. Having thought about the result and I didn’t like the Tan Yellow, I went ahead and made the decision to repaint the tank with Citadel Layer colour, Ushabti Bone. I then shaded the tank with various washes. The next stage was to start to tone down the shading with some drybrushing with Ushabti Bone.

I then photographed the model on one of my photographic terrain tiles.

See the full workbench feature on the Mark IX Beast tank.

Dusting up the Beast

I wrote back in 2012 about finding a 28mm model of the tank, since then I found it was available from Empress Miniatures, I was able to order it and go through the resin pieces and constructing the Mark IX Beast. Following the application of the white undercoat, I started the base coat of Vallejo 70912 Tan Yellow on the Mark IX Beast tank. Having thought about the result and I didn’t like the Tan Yellow, I went ahead and made the decision to repaint the tank with Citadel Layer colour, Ushabti Bone. I then shaded the tank with various washes.

The next stage was to start to tone down the shading with some drybrushing with Ushabti Bone.

The effect was to give the tank a dusty feel as though it had been driving for some time in the deserts.

I was quite pleased with how this turned out.

The next stage will be further weathering.

See the full workbench feature on the Mark IX Beast tank.

Shading the Beast

Having thought about the result and I didn’t like the Tan Yellow, I went ahead and made the decision to repaint the tank with Citadel Layer colour, Ushabti Bone.

The tracks were painted with Karak Stone. One of the things I noticed from the film, was that the tracks were not that much of a different colour to the body of the tank and were also heavily dusty and weathered.

I painted some of the stowage and canvas coverings on the sponson weapons with Karak Stone.

The wooden beam was was painted with Zandri Dust. I did some of the rolled tarpaulins with Morghast Bone and Wraithbone. I also used a Snakebite Leather Contrast paint for the furry looking blanket.

I painted the straps of some of the kit with XV-88. Most of the ammo containers and jerry cans I painted with Karak Stone.

I used Wraithbone and Morghast Bone for some of the lighter kit.

The tank was then given a wash of Citadel Shade, Seraphim Sepia.

I will then drybrush the model as well as further weathering.

See the full workbench feature on the Mark IX Beast tank.

Having another go at that tank

It appears at first glance to be a Mark VIII with a turret, the reality was that it was built specially for the film and was built up from an excavator.

Following the application of the white undercoat, I started the base coat of Vallejo 70912 Tan Yellow on the Mark IX Beast tank.

I decided, looking at the source material that this colour was too dark, especially as I wanted to wash it with a shade or ink. So I took it back to the garage and gave it a spray of white to cover the basecoat and provide a lighter base for a sandstone or light brown colour.

As for the new base coat,I did consider using a Flames of War German Camo Beige 821 which looks like it might work.

In the end I decided to use a Citadel Layer colour, Ushabti Bone.

This I was much more impressed with as a base colour, so I finished the entire tank with this paint.

See the full workbench feature on the Mark IX Beast tank.

Starting again…

Following the application of the white undercoat, I started the base coat of Vallejo 70912 Tan Yellow on the Mark IX Beast tank.

Though this photograph isn’t quite showing the right colour, I decided, again looking at the source material that this colour was too dark, especially as I wanted to wash it with a shade or ink.

So I took it back to the garage and gave it a spray of white to cover the basecoat and provide a lighter base for a sandstone or light brown colour.

I didn’t do a full respray as I am quite happy for some of the undersides to be darker than the top of the model.

As for the new base coat, that I am still considering. What colour I use is dependent on what I have in my box, challenging to buy paints easily at this time. I Have a Flames of War German Camo Beige 821 which looks like it might work.

See the full workbench feature on the Mark IX Beast tank.

Basecoating the Mark IX Beast

Following the application of the white undercoat, I started the base coat of Vallejo 70912 Tan Yellow.

Having given the model another look, I think this colour is too dark, especially as I am anticipating giving it a dark wash over the base coat.

What colour I use is dependent on what I have in my box, challenging to buy paints easily at this time. I have a Flames of War German Camo Beige 821 which looks like it might work.

I also thought looking at the film footage whether I should re-arrange the stowage and baggage.

I did follow the example on the Empress Miniatures website as my guide. So most of the stowage is on the back of the tank.

However looking at the film footage, they didn’t do this on their tank. Most of the stowage is on the sides. There is none on the sponsons, nor on the turret.

Though this side of the tank looks more like the one in the film, from a stowage perspective.

See the full workbench feature on the Mark IX Beast tank.

Undercoating the Mark IX Beast

Having constructed the model I gave the tank a white undercoat.

I did the underneath first followed by the top.

The turret was undercoated separately.

See the full workbench feature on the Mark IX Beast tank.

Constructing the Mark IX Beast

Probably my favourite Indiana Jones film is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The combination of archaeology, mythology, nazi soldiers and lots of wonderful pulp action. Though we know the tank wasn’t real, and there was no actual historical version of it; I am sure most of us who have thought about recreating the Indiana Jones films on the table have wanted to use that tank. It appears at first glance to be a Mark VIII with a turret, the reality was that it was built specially for the film and was built up from an excavator.

I wrote back in 2012 about finding a 28mm model of the tank, since then I found it was available from Empress Miniatures, I was able to order it and go through the resin pieces.

This is quite a big model. The first stage was to glue the two track units to the main hull. I stuck them together and then used weights to ensure that the join was secure.

I then added the sponsons, one at a time. I also added the turret hatch to the turret and the main weapon. This was a challenging as there wasn’t much of a way to join the main weapon to the turret, so I got the drill out.

I did something similar with the sponson guns.

The periscope (which I worked out from watching the film) was then added, as was all the stowage.

You can see how big this model is compared to other 28mm models. Here it is next to the Bolt Action Citroen Civilian 4,500kg Truck with Canopy.

This is the tank next to my Tally Ho Rolls Royce Armoured Car.

The next stage will be a white undercoat.

See the full workbench feature on the Mark IX Beast tank.

The Mark IX Beast has arrived

Probably my favourite Indiana Jones film is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The combination of archaeology, mythology, nazi soldiers and lots of wonderful pulp action. Though we know the tank wasn’t real, and there was no actual historical version of it; I am sure most of us who have thought about recreating the Indiana Jones films on the table have wanted to use that tank. It appears at first glance to be a Mark VIII with a turret, the reality was that it was built specially for the film and was built up from an excavator.

I wrote back in 2012 about finding a 28mm model of the tank. I did think about buying it back then, but put off my purchase. It was originally made by the Honourable Lead Boiler Suit Company (HLBSCo). I did some web searching and found that the tank is available today from Empress Miniatures. Well I made the leap and ordered the tank from Empress Miniatures.

It arrived in a small brown box, but it is quite a big model. The model consists of two large complete track units.

The main hull.

I was impressed with the quality of the sculpting and the castings.

There are separate sponsons as well as the turret and the turret hatch.

You also get as part of this kit, a range of stowage and baggage. When this was sold by Copplestone Castings, the baggage was an add-on extra to the model.

You can break this down into bundles of tarpaulins or other materials (maybe tents) as well as what are probably roles of barbed wire, or telephone cables.

Then there are wooden beams, jerry cans and what look like metal storage containers.

I did start to then look at the original film and stills to see how I could add the stowage to the tank.

A slightly wider shot of the other side of the tank.

The stowage supplied is similar, but doesn’t quite match what we see on the prototype, but this model isn’t supposed to be an exact copy, it’s more like “inspired by” the film tank.

The next step will be to start constructing the tank.

See the full workbench feature on the Mark IX Beast tank.