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DISCLAIMER:
The publication of any images or informations related to nazism, fascism or any other totalitarian regimes must be understood as the reproduction of historical accuracy and not as apology to these regimes, leaders or symbols.
ATENÇÃO:
A publicação de qualquer imagem ou informação referentes ao nazismo, fascismo ou quaisquer outros regimes totalitários deve ser entendida como reprodução do rigor histórico e não como apologia a estes regimes, líderes ou símbolos.

7TP dw twin turret with snow-plow - Mirage - 1/35 - case report

Tankers:
         This is the building of this interesting and rare model: the 7TP twin turret with snow plow.  The project was based in a drawing that I found in the literature. There are no known photos (yet. ..) about this version.
7TP with snow-plow
History:
      The 7TP (siedmiotonowy polski - 7-tonne Polish) was the Polish light tank of the Second World War. A development of the British Vickers 6-ton, it was significantly better armed than its most common opponents, the German Panzer I and Panzer II. A standard tank of the Polish Army during the Polish Defensive War of 1939, its production never exceeded 150 vehicles. Its chassis was used as the base for C7P artillery tractor.
      The 7TP was the Polish development of the British Vickers 6-ton Mark E tank licence. Comparing to Vickers, the main new features of 7TP were: a better, more reliable and powerful diesel engine, a 37 mm anti-tank gun, thicker armour (17 mm instead of 13 mm on the front), modified ventilation, the Gundlach tank periscope, and a radio. About 132 tanks were produced between 1935 and the outbreak of the war, plus four iron prototypes. The designation 7TP meant "7 Tonne, Polish" (in fact its weight increased to 9 tonnes after the initial prototype).

The 7TP dw (twin turret):
    The abbreviation “dw” stands for “dwuwieżowy” (twin-turret). The design of multi-turret tanks was a trend in the 1930s.
7TP dw light tanks in parade
3rd Armoured Battalion - Mokotov Field
Warsaw - 1938.
     The armament also followed the standards of the time, with two Browning .30 (7,92mm) machine-guns in each turret. The turrets had 280° traverse and -10° to +20° elevation.
    In the tank, the driver stattion was located in the front-right of the hull, the commander and gunner in the turret, with commander in the right and the gunner on the left. 
7TP dw cutaway
      For better vision, each turret had two vision slits with armored glass and telescopic sights. The driver had a front double door hatch, which also comprised a vision slit. 
7TP dw in the field. Notice the 3 tones cammo
and hatch of the driver station
     The dw version were considered a stopgap model, before the more powerful version with single turret could be introduced in the lines. Rearmament tests included a 13.2 mm (0.52 in) Hotchkiss and a 7.92 mm (0.3 in) wz.30, and a total of 16 dw were rearmed according to this new “asymmetric” model. 
3rd Armoured Battalion - Warsaw - 1938.
      The penetrating power of the heavy machine gun was intended to deal with other light tanks and most armored cars. Later, a few were equipped with radios with mast antennae. They were given to platoons, companies and battalions command tanks.
      To see more about the history of this light tank, see here.

Specs:
7TP dw
TypeLight tank
Place of origin                                             Poland
Service history
Used byPoland
Nazi Germany (captured)
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Produced1935-1939
No. built149 (+13 9TP prototypes) all types
Specifications
Weight9.9 tonnes
Length4.880mm
Width2.430mm
Height2.300mm
Crew3 (commander, gunner, driver)

Armor17 mm maximum
Main armament
2x .30 (7,92mm) Browning MG
Secondary armament
none
EnginePZInż.235(Saurer VBLDd) Liquid-cooled inverted inline
6-cylinder 4-stroke direct injection diesel engine
110 hp (80 kW)
Power/weight11 hp/tonne
Suspensionleaf spring bogie
Ground clearance0.38 m
Operational range
150 km
Speed37 km/h

The kit:
      For this project, I used this kit, from Mirage Hobby (#355002):
...and this profile that I modified from a George Bradford's drawing, to guide me in the Scratch Village!!
        The kit is very primitive and raw, but nothing that a little work does not resolve ....
The slits of the turrets are closed...
Surgery in progress...
Some scratch...
        For building of the blade, I reworked the drawing of book, just extrapolating that to a vision in 3 planes; Done this scheme, print in scale 1/35 and these profiles served as a model for the scratch of my blade ...

        Building the snow-plow, with plasticard (1,5mm thick) ...
Using the plans...
detailing...
Making racks and joints

Dry-run
Building the elevator device



Elevator device done...
       And the girl, ready for paint job:




      Well, painting time...First of all, primer to promote best adherence in the kit. Automotive enamels after the primer, starting with sand-yellow. The camo stripes was made with green and brown. After the paint dries, a fine layer of Future, to prevent the silvering in the decals.
      The profile for my little girl:

Cammo with green and brown over yellow
        Starting the weathering:
Weathering with oils and pigments...
      The beast is done !!!
7TP dw light tank with snow-plow
3rd Armoured Battalion - Cyeszin
Poland - 1938








7TP dw light tank with snow-plow
3rd Armoured Battalion - Cyeszin
Poland - 1938
 
See you soon,  in my next project !!!

Starting the engines...

       Tankers!!

           This is my first post, here... 
        I'm "opening" this space for exchange of ideas between plastic modelers of militaria and other "sects" ...

        Feel free to join us ...

        Be welcome!!!