Original British WWI Mark IV (Male) Tank Contemporary Folk Art Steel Model – A.A.F. Tank Museum Original Items

Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a fantastic contemporary custom made “folk art” steel model tank, which as best we can tell is a British Mark IV “Male” tank, with markings suggesting French service. These include small French flags on both sides, under the name EDWARD. It really is a fantastic display piece, and a lot of work must have gone into the construction.

The model tank came to us from the American Armoured Foundation, Inc. Tank and Ordnance Memorial Museum. The AAF Tank Museum was a living memorial dedicated to the Tank and Cavalry soldiers of the world. Before 1981 some of the artifacts that make up the AAF Tank Museum was a private collection belonging to Mr. William Gasser. Mr. Gasser felt that his collection would be beneficial in educating present and future generations to the sacrifices made and the technologies gained during war. Therefore, in 1981 the AAF Tank Museum was established as a non-profit charitable organization, and Mr. Gasser’s donated his private collection to the Tank Museum. Mr. Gasser is still active as Volunteer Director and Curator of the Tank Museum and his knowledge of military history has been a great asset to the museum. Unfortunately after 20 years of operation it had to close its doors, which is when this tank was acquired.

British Tanks during WWI all were based on the same basic design, and were designs in Marks I to V, with gradual improvements in armament, armor, propulsion, and so forth. With 5 gun emplacements, one in the front and two on each “Sponson” protrusion from the side, this would be considered a Mark IV, as the Mark V had two gun emplacements on the front.  As with the British tanks of the time, it was made in two versions, male and female, as envisioned by Col. Ernest Swinton, who also coined the word “tank” as a code word. The designation “male” applied to those armed with two six-pounder guns on the front of the sponsons, whereas the “female” was the tank equipped only with machine guns. With the two larger guns, this tank is definitely a “Male”.

It does however not entirely conform to the standard, as the after the Mark III, which was only used in training, the QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss guns would be modified to have much shorter barrels. This model however still has the longer barrels, however one can’t really blame the maker, as they do definitely look cooler. It also has two trailing wheels, often seen on Mark Series tanks, which were used to help with steering.

The model is about 14 inches long including the trailing wheels, and is about 7 1/4″ in width, making it great for a shelf display. The level of detail is definitely quite high, and it really looks great.

A lovely model WWI tank, ready to add to your collection!