WIP – Iranian THN tank

Another off-piste posting.

Its taken me absolute ages to get even this far, given its only a small bit of greenstuff and plastic card. But this is the first time I’ve built any tank kit since my teens and the first time I’ve got a knife, greenstuff and plastic card out on one.

I finally studied this excellent page on Tank Archive website, which shows the evolution of the THN including the prototype and delivery models sent to Iran.

The page makes reference to Iran’s nascent tank fleet. Prior to its THNs Iran bought Renault FTs, and between one and twelve Marmon-Herrington CTL-1 tanklet, as the photo Farrokh uses would suggest too.

Iran ended up buying the THNs as it was unable to purchase tanks from other suppliers. Initially, Iran went to the Czechoslovak companies, CKD and Skoda, seeking 100 3 ton tanklets. However in 1935, the Iranians returned to Prague with a contract to purchase 30 AH-IV tankettes from CKD and 26 Skoda TKN light tanks, the latter with 37 mm Skoda guns. This was ultimately expanded to 50 of each type.  Iran was negotiating for the purchase of another 200+ THN tanks when Germany occupied Czech part of the republic.

Tank Archive has some excellent line drawings and photos of the TKN/THN prototypes and production models.

The mass production tank was simplified from the prototype including a shift of the machine gun mount, and observation slits added to the sides of the driving compartment. The engine compartment and muffler mount were changed too. The turret was also changed, with the commander's cupola design simplified, ventilation ports added on the sides, the coaxial machinegun mount changed, and the number of observation slits increased. As the image below shows, an AA machinegun mount could be attached to the commander's cupola.

11 TKNs were paraded in Tehran in 1937, demonstrating possession of one of the most advanced tanks at the time.  It is not thought that any of the TKNs were used against the British or Soviet forces in 1941.

Using a Warlord Bolt Action Pz 38t, I’ve attempted to replicate the vehicles shown on Tank Archive and Kaveh Farrokhs’s site. The gun mantle, and turret cupola and rear were the main areas of change. A bit of cutting, green stuff and plastic card. I removed the square Pz38t observation slits and made some TKN round ones. I made up some boxes on the running board.  There are some discrepancies including regarding the hull machine gun. I tended to defer to Farrokh’s Tehran tank park image when this arose.

Next up painting and possibly starting some Iranian infantry based on Wargame Atlantic WW1 Germans and Eureka WW11 Chinese in soft hats. Took a while to decide these were the ones.