"1:100 Mendeleev Tank" Topic

Just finished finished one of the weirdest WW1 era prototype vehicle – Mendeleev Tank. I placed M113 for scale comparison.

The Mendeleev Rybinsk Tank was designed in Rybinsk in the mid 1910s. Designed by Vasiliy Mendeleev who was born in 1886. The armored fighting vehicle or AFV was revolutionary for its time. It featured 120 mm large gun and weighed over 170 tons. Its super heavy weight was due to its thick steel plate armour. The Tank also featured gas compressed piston suspension revolutionary for its time. The tank was never built.

The Mendeleev Tank AFV project was introduced by Russian engineer Vasiliy Mendeleyev (1886-1922). He was the son of the famous scientist Dmitriy Mendeleev who invented Periodic Table.

Vasiliy Mendeleyev had graduated from the Kronshtadt Marine Engineering School, and worked as the engineer at a ship-building factory. Over the course of several years (1911-1915) and without any assistance, Mendeleev worked on his own time on the AFV project. Inside the armored hull, beside the engine, gear box, gun and the internal equipment, the running gear was placed. It was to be powered by a powerful petrol engine. The petrol tanks were to be placed in the back of the tank. The Mendeleev Tank featured four forward gears and reverse.

The tank had a special gas suspension, which not only eased the travel of the vehicle when on the move, but that also allowed for the tank to move with the hull half-lowered hull, and even completely lower the hull when stopped, if necessary. The idea of the inventor, was that the full or partial lowering of the hull would protect the most vulnerable part of the machine, the running gear, from enemy fire. The machine-gun turret, that could be rotate 360 degrees, could also be lowered into the hull with the aid of a pneumatic device.

A pneumatic device was also used for the adjustment and tension of the tracks. The Mendeleev AFV was supposed to have a special device that allowed it to be moved upon the rails, and even move by its own, or with the help of a locomotive. Movement over long distances was to be done by rail. All these pneumatic devices were provided with necessary quantity of compressed air with the aid of a special compressor, driven by the engine of the tank.

Crew: 8
Weight: 173.2 ton
Engine: Petrol Gasoline Engine
Performances: 250 hp
Maximum speed: 24 km/h
Suspension: Piston Driven
Armor: 150mm front, 100mm rest
Main Armament: 120 mm Canet Gun

Fjodin
15mmworld.blogspot.com.au

About time someone did one of these.
Great work sir. Many thanks.

Neat--never heard of this tank.

And wow--considering the technology of the day, I'd be surprised if something would not have broken every couple of yards of travel.

Rob

Certainly didn't want for ambition.

SirFjodin, did you ever get the not-Panzer 4 finished ?

The one with a second turret that went to Norway ?

Neat--never heard of this tank.

Well, 'never built', so a lot of concept tanks are never heard of. This, this is DAMN impressive.

Needs some sponson guns; with the retractable track, instant pill box.

Any clue from where the gun was coming? Special built, or converted from…?

Doug

From the diagram and the calibre, I would suggest the gun was going to come from the navy.

Robert

Was my thought, and it has precedence, but I'm working with damn little knowledge. ;->=

Doug

Guthroth – did you mean the PzKpfw NbFz V (PanzerKampfwagen NeubauFahrzeug V), 3 of which did serve in Norway?

Nice. With all of those rivets, I now know you MUST be bonkers!

All, I just noticed Scheltrum has similar to this in their VSF 28mm line, VSF6 Russian Imperial Class Mobile Naval Gun, so whining about your own 'one true scale' is right out.

"But I want it in 10mm!" No winning, either.

Doug

What makes it weird?

It's a St. Chamond with a bigger gun, an MG turret, a completely unworkable suspensions system, and enough armor that no engine of the time could have moved it over the ground.

Aside from some fanciful and atrocious engineering concepts and a complete failure to grasp the physics of ground pressure, it seems pretty straightforward.
-Kle.

Compared to the bicycle-wheeled tank and the wasp-waist rotor observation 'copter, not a darned thing. ;->=

Doug

Awesome for This Quar's War!

That is really nice!

2 The Beast
I like your idea about spontouns, but this is model I made using the original plans. In theory if this tank was built they could later modify it with spontouns.

And the gun was real 120mm Naval Gun from that era.

and a complete failure to grasp the physics of ground pressure

Ground pressure would not be an issue on the flat plains of Russia. It wasn't built for the trench warfare of France, where that might have been a problem.

The WWII Maus was heavier, with less tracks. There are much heavier wheeled vehicles in operation today in mining.

I accept that no engine of the time could power it.

2 Guthroth
/////
SirFjodin, did you ever get the not-Panzer 4 finished ?
The one with a second turret that went to Norway ?
//////
Do you meant this monstrocity?

Never heard of it before but it looks awesome!!!! Would love to model it!

Here are two other obscure WW1 vehicles that I made year ago.

NOTE that these models are 90% finished and still need some final touches and additional details. I am going to finish them after Norwegian NM-142 and Mystery Nato Tank that almost done.

LK-II is a German WW1 tank. Only two prototypes were produced by June 1918, and were followed by orders for 580 tanks, which were never completed. Tank that was later used by Sweden up to 1938.

The Ford 3-Ton M1918 was one of the first light tank designs by the U.S. It was a small two-man, one-gun tank. It was armed with a M1919 Browning machine gun and could reach a maximum speed of 8mph. The 3-Ton had a 17 gallon tank that gave it a maximum range of 34 miles. A contract for 15,000 of these vehicles was awarded; however, the U.S tank corps felt it did not meet the requirements they wanted. The contract for the 15,000 tanks was ended by the Armistice, leaving only the fifteen original vehicles produced.

Very cool!!

Here are some American prototypes

YouTube link

Did this link get posted yet?

YouTube link

SirFjodin. First my apologies for mixing you up with another TMPer. Second, an apology for hijacking this thread, but in this thread -

TMP link

another designer was working on a 15mm Neubaufahrzeug tank.

Several TMPers wanted ay least one, and like me some wanted three for Norwegian WW2 games.

Would you be interested in taking this on ?

Off cource I would be interested, but someone need to print and cast it.

Tank looks fascinating, but I have to question the recoil arrangement in the plans; it looks like there's no provision for recoil at all.

Wouldn't successive shots either start bending the base, or shear off the bolts holding it on?

Two days ago I decided to add some details to Mendeleev Tank. Note that exaggerated ladder piece will be 1 mm thick after printing.
Here are updated tank specs:
Crew: 8
Maximum speed: 10-15 km/h on plans but 3-5 km/h according to modern research
Armor: 150mm front, 100mm sides and rear, 76mm roof
Armament: 120mm 1892 Canet naval gun
Maxim Machine Gun

Damn, the images of the reverse started me thinking of an armored, tracked, train.

I already have the Squat version in 28mm, thank you very much!

;->=

Doug

What program did you use to render these models?

My initial reaction was that it seemed a very ill-concieved design for trench warfare, with only the single oversized cannon with very limited traverse and a single machine gun. It would be horribly vulnerable to assault by infantry.

But then on further thought, it was designed BEFORE WWI and not for trench warfare at all. I imagine it was conceived as a fortress-buster, to attack all of those massive fortresses built along the frontiers. This thing would just roll up to each bunker or gun position and blow it away with its big gun at point blank range. And then roll on to the next one. Not a bad idea for its time.

Nice model, too!