Iedereen kent hem wel, velen willen hem hebben, sommige ook in 1:1, maar dat is dromen. In ieder geval voor mij.
Ik heb het dus over de M26 Dragon Wagon recovery vehicle, een bakbeest met brute kracht, tanks en allerlei andere zaken wegslepend naar plekken waar ze veilig zijn.
Even via Google wat info geplukt, want om nu het hele verhaal zo na te typen, tis 31 graden, mij te warm.
Tekst komt van
http://www.missing-lynx.com/articles/us ... /amtdw.htm1. Dragon Wagon
1.1 A little history...
The North American observers who accompanied the British troops in their campaign in North Africa noticed the lack of a specialised vehicle able to recover and transport AFVs immobilised, either in combat, or by mechanical problems, which in turn had the unfortunate consequence of leading to the loss of numerous tanks that had to be unnecessarily left behind and/or destroyed. From this, there arose the requirement for an all-terrain vehicle, able to transport and recover all US vehicles then in service, in particular the M4 Sherman.
Several companies, some of whom specialised in the manufacture of heavy machinery for mining and quarry work, presented and displayed their submissions. The design that was finally accepted, and that entered service in the middle of 1943, was baptised the "M25". It consisted of a tractor - M26, constructed by the Pacific Car and Foundry company, and a trailer - M15, constructed by the Fruehauf company. Due to its purpose and its imposing size (17.48 meters in length), the total assembly received the nickname of the "Dragon Wagon".
The 6x6 M26 tractor had an armoured cab that protected the crew of 7 from small arms fire arms and artillery fragments. The 60 cylinder motor provided 240 HP. It possessed three winches, one at the front that could drag 18 tons, and two behind the cabin, each with a capacity of 30 tons. In the cab roof there was a slide ring installed on which a .50 cal. HMG could be fitted. In addition, the crew had personal armament like Thompson machine guns, M1 carbines, sidearms, hand grenades and flares.
The crew also had tools to carry out their recovery work: Complete welding equipment, an air compressor, chains, tow ropes, 10 and 20 ton hydraulic pulleys... etc. A small crane could be installed behind the cabin to lift light loads, or to change a wheel. In addition, at the rear of the prime mover was a folding A-Frame structure which could be erected and locked in different positions to facilitate dragging recovered vehicles.
The weight of the M26 tractor was 21 tons, and its fuel consumption astronomical at more than a litre per kilometre, even on good roads. The main problem of the M26 was that, due to the weight introduced by the armoured cab, the front axle was prone to failure, and the front tires were rapidly worn. These disadvantages, together with the fact that the Dragon Wagon was rarely used in the recovery of vehicles actually under enemy fire, led to the construction of another version with a normal, unarmoured cab called the M26A1.This new vehicle weighed 1.5 tons less than its predecessor. Altogether, 753 M26, M26A1 and M26A2 were constructed until 1945 (the M26A2 was externally identical to the M26A1 but with a slightly different electrical system).
An M26A1. Notice the unarmoured cab.
The M15 trailer could take a load of up to 40 tons. This was sufficient to support to the Sherman, the main "client" of the Dragon Wagons. The weight of the trailer was 17.5 tons, and relied on two folding ramps to load the vehicles. The rear wheels could be moved horizontally (by increasing the length of the axles), to facilitate the loading of vehicles with different widths as well as the use of steel ramps which fitted over the rear tyres preventing damage.
Later, with the introduction of the M26 Pershing "heavy" tanks into service, two more versions of the trailer were made, the M15A1 with an extra ramp and the wider M15A2. These two new versions were additionally reinforced, being able to transport a theoretical weight of 45 tons.
The operational life of the Dragon Wagons extended to the Korean War, and even during the '60s, the US army still had them in its inventory. In addition, a certain number of them were sold to diverse countries like Japan, Belgium, Austria, Italy, France, Spain and Turkey. Also, a number of Dragon Wagons had use in civilian life with their armour and military modifications removed, transporting 'special' merchandise.
As I have said before, the main load of the Dragon Wagons was the Sherman, but other photos of these vehicles exist with varied cargos: Priests, two Stuarts simultaneously, bulldozers, Churchills... and Panthers - although this tank exceeded the theoretical weight that the M15 trailer could support. The most common images of the Dragon Wagon and captured Panthers are those showing the M26 tractor just dragging this German tank, not carrying it
Perhaps the most unusual load carried by the Dragon Wagons was the 125 LCM landing craft of the US Navy, that were transported by highway from the coasts of the English Channel to the borders of the Rhine river in March of 1945 which along with other means, allowed the allies to cross this vital river into Germany.
"Dry Run" is an armoured cab Dragon Wagon that carries a Panther Ausf. A on its trailer.
En een plaatje van de doos met de bekende Tamiya box-art
Om nu alle sprues te laten zien, welgeteld 9 en een doosje met de banden, kettingen etc. dan zou het verslag wel meteen erg groot worden, per slot van rekening worden al die sprues en onderdelen toch tegen elkaar aan geplakt en dat is wat telt.
Onderdelen zijn van Tamiya-kwaliteit, mooi met details, al zitten er foutjes in het ontwerp, dat stoort mij niet zo omdat ik eens RUDD, OOTB wilde bouwen. eigenlijk op twee onderdeeltjes een fractie van flash, maar meer ook niet. Maar wat mij wel een beetje tegenviel was dat werkelijk op alle onderdelen een rondom gietnaad zat, voor die prijs zou je daar een betere oplossing voor mogen verwachten, sinkmarks daar en tegen zijn wel mooi verstopt.
Onderdelen passen netjes, zo heel af en toe wat ruime passing, maar het bouwt als een gek zo makkelijk..
Ik zou er pas aan gaan beginnen als mijn Daf klaar was, maar doordat ik nu ook virtueel aan het bouwen ben en dat een heel klein beetje tegen zit, de M26 maar eens beetgepakt.
In de volgende postings een hele batterij aan foto's want ik denk dat bijv een foto van de cabine met 1 raamluik en dan een foto met 4 raamluiken wel leuk telt voor het postingsaantal, maar niet voor de belangstelling