US M1917 6 - ton light tank or fts

[Modelprofessor]

Well here is another interisting offering from Vargas Scale Models .I just received 2 of these as build reviews for Vargas. The plan is to do one as a FTS and the other as the standard 6 ton. I also know there is going to be a decal set coming soon from decalamaniacs. My plan is to set these in China circa 1926 with the Marine Expeditionary force .

 

[BarleyBop]

Can't wait to see this! We were renovating our house (built in 1876) and found newspapers fan-folded into the cracks in the floor... one article was all about another expeditionary force, sent to put down the Boxer rebellion in 1899!

 

[Modelprofessor]

I finally have them done

 

[BarleyBop]

Nice! The design is very reminiscent of the French Renault FT. I'm just starting to learn about the interwar armour... and what is that odd 'tail piece' for, getting across trenches?
Thanks for sharing!

 

[Jakko]

The design is very reminiscent of the French Renault FT.

That would be because the M1917 is a licence-produced copy of the FT You can tell them apart most easily by looking at the exhaust: if it's on the left, as here, it's an M1917, while if it's on the right, it's an FT. The panels to either side of the driver's viewport are also a giveaway: triangular is M1917, parallelogram is FT. Also, IIRC, the M1917 had all-metal idler wheels while the FT definitely had wooden ones with metal rims.