Jeeves
Well-known member
It’s the summer of 1916 and the battle at the Somme front continues. Each day, both sides of the trenches send men into No-Man’s Land in attempts to gain an advantage in the stalemate that has gripped everyone in chaos. Artillery, machine guns, and gas attacks have managed to whittle away troops hunkered down in their muddy habitats and despair grows by the minute. Flechettes and grenades rain down from fragile aircraft above the trenches. The Huns have heard rumors of a new rolling terror being designed and looming ahead from the British lines. Words like "armour" and "tank" have been in the wind, but how these things would evolve and what troubles they might bring were still just speculation.
Joseph Vollmer, one of Germany’s foremost automobile designers, would eventually be tasked with designing a response to these tanks- which were first introduced in September of that year. However before all of that would occur, a young aide to Kaiser Wilhelm with a mind for science would awaken from a strange dream. Recently, the aide had accompanied the Kaiser on some visits to field hospitals at the front in the hopes of boosting morale. Erich Eisenfaust had witnessed the horrors these men had endured- with bullet wounds, shrapnel, and damaged lungs from gas attacks, these men had literally been through hell. These images stayed with Erich for a long while after and his mind began to try to devise some sort of means of these men to be better protected. In his dream, he saw armoured men advancing on enemy trenches, untouched by machine gun or rifle fire. Encased in their iron suits, they were also impervious to gas attacks. He was reminded of knights of old in their suits of armor and went to the local farrier who was a friend of his. After some afternoon discussions and multiple sketches and designs, they created something that might turn the tables in their favor- the Gepanzert Graben Gehhilfe or “Armoured Trench Walker”.
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I originally planned on sending a Dragon Panzer tank back in time, but after some intensive builds as of late, the thought of starting this kit were not pleasant ones. Looking through the stash, I came across some MaK kits I had stored away for creative ideas....can't think of a better use for one than this build...so here we go. I also have some parts left over from a WWI tank and Wingnut Wings kit I'd like to kit bash into this.
Joseph Vollmer, one of Germany’s foremost automobile designers, would eventually be tasked with designing a response to these tanks- which were first introduced in September of that year. However before all of that would occur, a young aide to Kaiser Wilhelm with a mind for science would awaken from a strange dream. Recently, the aide had accompanied the Kaiser on some visits to field hospitals at the front in the hopes of boosting morale. Erich Eisenfaust had witnessed the horrors these men had endured- with bullet wounds, shrapnel, and damaged lungs from gas attacks, these men had literally been through hell. These images stayed with Erich for a long while after and his mind began to try to devise some sort of means of these men to be better protected. In his dream, he saw armoured men advancing on enemy trenches, untouched by machine gun or rifle fire. Encased in their iron suits, they were also impervious to gas attacks. He was reminded of knights of old in their suits of armor and went to the local farrier who was a friend of his. After some afternoon discussions and multiple sketches and designs, they created something that might turn the tables in their favor- the Gepanzert Graben Gehhilfe or “Armoured Trench Walker”.
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I originally planned on sending a Dragon Panzer tank back in time, but after some intensive builds as of late, the thought of starting this kit were not pleasant ones. Looking through the stash, I came across some MaK kits I had stored away for creative ideas....can't think of a better use for one than this build...so here we go. I also have some parts left over from a WWI tank and Wingnut Wings kit I'd like to kit bash into this.