VSF vehicles for my Italian Colonial Army

[jedion357]

Yeah that's right I'm have an Italian colonial army and I'm actually well aware that the best Italian troops of the 1880s, aside from the Bersiglieri, were those raised in their African colony. And since the historic opponents during the late 1800's were Abyssinian or Ethiopian warlords its just as well they raised native troops since the Italian natives were ethnically different from the Ethiopians and hated their guts. This made the Italian Askari's excellent troops that would fight to the death more often then not. The original plan was to refight the campaign leading up to the Battle of Adowa circa 1880. But when I got distracted from working on the Ethiopians I made a few VSF vehicles for my Italian.

Below is the "El Tortuga Del Diablo" or devil turtle a Garibaldi Mark II tank. Its not much of a tank for the Italians being armed only with 2 maxim machine guns in ball turrets. Its steam powered with a barely workable coal hopper that limits it to medium and short range patrols unless a coal tender vehicle is in close support. but then the historic FT-17 wasn't much of a tank during its time either. I mention the FT-17 as I used the tank treads from that for this model.

[jedion357]

Just a few more pics of the Devil Turtle:



[img width=400height=300]http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff83/jedion357/GLtank001.jpg[/img]




the rivets are sewing pins, a whole is made with one pin gripped with needle nose pliers for strength, then a shorten pin is fixed in place with a drop of super glue. most of the body is foam core. the ball turrets are wood beeds, and the plastic parts came right out of a HAAT model kit for the FT-17 tank. The wood and design of the tank made it front heavy so I glued either aquarium gravel or fishing wts inside the tank at the back.

Later on I gave it beige paint job with some attempt at weathering and painted an Italian Roundelle on the side (identical to what appeared on Italian aircraft in WW1). Now my Italian navel infantry, Bersigleri, and askarris are supported by an armored infantry support tank. Just dont let it run into any main battle tanks.

[jedion357]

Next up a scout balloon:
I'm not a fan of everything out there in the VSF genre like steam boilers on ballowns, so this balloon has an alcohol powered sterling motor. its an external combustion engine that becomes more efficient at higher altitudes. I actually researched that engine till I had enough pictures to work from before building the model.

The air bag is a wooden egg from the craft store with sculpty type clay put through a play-do machine and the fins were made from the baked sculpty. basket was a chicken wire type mesh screen with a woven wire core thread through it to make it look like a basket. When I added the rudder for steering i put a magnet in it so that I could make roundelles for various nations and recycle this for other armies. The balloon was mounted on a bottom half of a 2 piece plastic champagne glass with a large fender washer base. the base was embellished with some rocks for wt. to give the whole thing some stability.


Bellow is some engine detail

[Sterling Moose]

Like the balloon.

[jedion357]

Thank You

Here's the tail rudder with the changable metal roundelles by virtue of a magnet being inside the rudder

[Cadet13]

Here's the tail rudder with the changable metal roundelles by virtue of a magnet being inside the rudder

That's a really clever idea. Good work! 

[Chairface]

Very cool!

[Banderium]

Why the italian (vsf)army gave a spanish nickname to their tank? 

[Plynkes]

If they were Spanish they would have known it's La Tortuga, not El Tortuga. 


The idea of swappable roundels is a good one.

[Mr.Marx]

Cool stuff. Really like the oddness of the tank.

[mikedemana]

I like it!  Una machina molto bella!

I also have an Italian Colonial VSF army, but in 15mm.  I'm planning on modifying one of the Leonardo da Vinci kits for the frame of mine.  Specifically, this one:



I want to put a hoop of some sort around the paddles to make it able to go on land and water, add an artillery piece on the front deck and a rocket launcher on the back.  We'll see when I get around to doing it, though!

Mike

[Skratch]

Nice work, and as long as the name sounds a bit mediterranian, it sounds good 

[The_Beast]

I have one of the Da Vinci boats, as well, though I'm coming to the conclusion I'd best turn the hull over, and make a tortuga. ;->=

Never did get one of the war wagons...  

Doug

Edit: At first glance, I wasn't so sure about the Spanish turtle, but I'm coming around. The balloon is a joy!

[Dr DeAth]

Tank's good, balloon is brilliant!

[luidinuovo]

La tartaruga,believe me.
Nice Job