At the recent "Classic Fighters Over Marlborough" Airshowheld in Blenheim, New Zealand, I took the opportunity to have a good close look at this replica WW1 tank. To call this a replica perhaps does not do this piece of work justice. It is the work of filmmaker Peter Jackson's Weta Workshops. You might know them from the Lord of the Rings movies and think their skill is just in Computer Generated graphics. They are quite skilled in Hardware effects, too!
The Blenheim Airshow has a very strong WW1 display thanks to the assistance of Peter Jackson, who is rumoured to be building up an army for a future movie. If this is the standard of some of the props, it should be an outstanding movie! This year Blenheim had the WW1 tank, 5 Fokker Triplanes, a Bristol F2B, Sopwith Camel, a German Pfaltz, and another three or four WW1 aircraft that I wouldn't try to Identify. The next Airshow in 2007 is aiming for a large increase in these numbers (!!), with the construction of 2 more tanks and several more aircraft!
The tank is built around a Caterpillar D6 dozer and this ensures that it squeaks, clatters and clanks in the right way and makes the ground shake. The body is made from plywood, mild steel angle iron and tin sheeting, but then coated with epoxy and painted in such a way that you can be 2 inches from the sides and be totally convinced that it's real!

Side detail:

Cupola or Sponson:

Rear view:

Battle damage:

Grime:

Cool....
 

We need more guys like this! Got any pics of the aircraft? Those of us of the aeroplane ilk would be delighted to see them as well... keep them in this thread as they are relevant to the subject at-hand (ie Peter Jackson and the Blenheim Airshow). Our threads rarely ever stay on-topic anyway... :D

Had breakfast yet? :D

Fokk me! 5 of 'em! (All the following aircraft fly and put on displays. The Triplane crew had a sense of humour, the pilots reportedly wearing T-Shirts- "Don't ask me, I just fly the Fokker!"

Sopwith Camel:

Bristol Pusher (sounds like a character from Trainspotting!):

Pics
 

Fantastic shots as usual, Tony - well done!

Don't suppose you managed to get a pic of one of the T-shirts...

What an interesting place NZ is, especially the things they do being far more than you'd expect for the size of the population. More power to 'em!:salute:

Bristol F2B:

Ford TT:

GMC Ambulance:

The show wasn't all WW1 however. There were also scenes portraying WW2 (with CMP's!)

And Vietnam:

Even Rupert (or is it Tom?) was there, on the radio to his mates!

.......or is that MA :yappy: perhaps....Gee Geoff...did ya finally find a set of BD that fit her....... :D

One or the other! A cousin of one of the buggers in my living room! :)

He is a heavy smoker (all weekend you'd see him puffing away with a smoke in him mouth!), so was most likely of Canadian stock:smoker: :smoker: .

L5 105mm pack howitzer
 

The L5 105mm pack howitzer – be gone with you Satan’s spawn!

Canada was foolish enough to buy 58 of these Italian made guns in 1969. 5RALC had 16 of them in Valcartier. I think that they were designed by an Italian Fascist who was still sore about losing the war, and was looking for revenge.

First the breech slid upwards to open. When you rammed a shell home the breech fell under its own weight, guillotine style with the predictable results on gunner’s fingers. The gun was too unstable to tow behind a truck for any great speed or distance. They had to be carried in the back of a deuce. To get them there, one had to pass the winch cable over some pulleys, through the truck cab and out the back so the gun could be hauled up the ramps.

In 1974, all of the L5’s were taken out of service, because cracks were found in their barrels. When the powers that be in Canada had bought the guns, they neglected to buy spare parts. It took more than two years to get the replacement barrels. When they came back into service, they could no longer be fired at charge seven.

When the L5’s were taken out of service in 1974, all of the reserve Artillery batteries had to give up two of their 105mm C1’s to replace the L5’s in the regular army units.

Isn't that a Dragon Rapide off to the left of the wings of the F2B?

Yes that is a DH89 Dragon Rapide in the background (I was flying her for the airshow).

Beside the Rapide is one of only two DH90 Dragonflies in the world, and beside that is a DH83 Foxmoth (which was the first commercial aircraft in NZ).

All of these aircraft and more besides are resident at Croydon Aircraft Company, Old Mandeville Airfield in Gore, New Zealand.

The aircraft listed as a Bristol Pusher is an AIRCO DH2, quite a nice little machine.

any chance of getting the plans for the tank? im not doing much this summer :)
thanks
dave

While the tall tales and fun are only just winding down from the last show, things are starting to hot up for the next show in Easter 2007. Who will be there?

Peter Jackson
 

The news here at the moment is that he (Peter Jackson) is planning to do a remake of "The Dambusters"

Airshow
 

Tony,

Your 'Bristol Pusher' is in fact a DH 2

ww1 replica
 

replica ww1 tank at beltring last month
dennis

http://thumb11.webshots.com/t/38/39/...1NVFcEe_th.jpg

Mk V
 

The Mk V is totally amazing right down the weathering
and battle damage thanks for the great pictures.
Patrick

Tony:

Is that a Dragon Rapide to the left of the F2B?

OOOPS!...guess I should have checked the dates of the original posts before I blundered in...sorry.

Jon, you have a sharp eye. That is indeed a Dragon Rapide.

Yes, a sharp eye, and an even sharper memory! ;)

Only one minor quibble - its a Mk IV not a Mk V

For the 2007 Airshow, the "German" side is now able to field 7 Fokker Dr1's, including an iconic all-red triplane as flown by the Baron!

I love the smell of Castor Oil in the morning!

To even things up, and really fill the skies, the allies have some new aircraft too.

A Neiuport:

Another Nieuport:

And an immaculate SE5a. I am led to believe that this aircraft has 1 1/2 hours flying time, including the 45min flying time from the Nth Island airport it calls home!

This is what a new 'plane would have looked like in 1916 to to a spotty young "Knight of the Air" with a couple of weeks to live. No fancy avionics here!

A small clue to who we owe the pleasure of seeing these magnificent aircraft, proving that supporting the Flying Corps runs in the family (Runs? Damn! It gallops in this family!):

Despite nearly 20 WW1 aircraft in flying order for displays, the work never ends. This is the beginning of even MORE aircraft for the 2009 show:

Being a kiwi (NZ'er) I can let you in on the truth.

Far from being props for a new movie, Peter Jackson is actually busy rebuilding the New Zealand armed forces so that our great nation may once again.....take its true place on the world stage and rule the WORLD.

Perhaps someone should inform our great leader P.J. that we may need to modernise our army just a 'little' more





:D

Actually....fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing them with us.
Cheers!
Chris

I would just like to say fantastic photos amazing what people get upto in their spare time. One itsy bitsy point - the excellent tank replica shown at the beginning should actually be a MkIV (Male) the MkV had extra engine louvres behind the gun sponsons. Fantastic replica though, the detailing is amazing!
Cheers
Malc

Re: And now for some of the Aircraft
 

That reminds me of an old joke which has the punch line:

"Yah, except those fokkers were flying Messerschmits!" :yappy:

Very authentic event, even down to the dirigible mooring tower.

DH 88 Comet replic
 

This is probably an appropriate place to ask my next question.
About four years ago we stumbled across an airfield Just south of the town of Gore with a museum housing a good collection of Dehavilland aircraft and a workshop complex nearby where some interesting things were being done. Somebody was manufacturing Tiger Moth fuel tanks, which is no simple task, there was a wooden propellor being made, IIRC a Stinson getting some work done but the most astonishing thing was a Dehavilland 88 Comet replica which appeared to be well on the way to completion.
I was hoping to drop in on my recent NZ tour but didn't get down that far.
Does anyone know what the current situation is as regards the Comet? I would be very interested to know what has become of it.

David

The airfield is called Mandeville, and is home to regular Tiger Moth fly-ins and a De Havilland restoration business Croydon Aircraft Company. No info on their website re the Comet, but give them a quick call to find out.

Next Fly-in is 18-19 Feb 2017, but their museum and workshop is open year round. Book a vintage joyflight for your visit! :thup: