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World War II tank stands guard on Wick hillside


By David G Scott

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IF you were passing through the streets of Wick at the weekend you might have been shocked to see a World War II era tank guarding the hillside opposite St Fergus Church.

With war veteran Captain Tom Moore raising record amounts for the NHS and Dame Vera Lynn's anthem We'll Meet Again back in the charts, memories of the 1939-45 conflict have a real poignancy due to the ongoing battle against coronavirus.

Saturday's sunny spells brought out another reminder of the war – a German Tiger 1 tank that lumbered across the grassy slopes beside the flower beds at Kirkhill.

The model looks as if it is guarding the streets of Wick.
The model looks as if it is guarding the streets of Wick.

The Nazi tank may have looked menacing but was actually just a sixth the size of a real one and (luckily) incapable of firing shells into the town's High Street below.

It was, in fact, a well-crafted model created by the skilful hands of Andrew Richard – a regular at the annual Caithness Model Show held in the Norseman Hotel – who was teaching the art of radio-controlled tank driving to his young son Alex outside their home.

Andrew said: "My son wanted it out for a go so I let him use the radio control as there is a fair area of space and nothing to hit. Also it’s fairly slow at 3mph maximum so it’s safe for him.

"That said, it weighs more than me at about 90kg."

Andrew said he started building the tank in late 2011 and took about eight months to complete the monster-sized model.

Despite being marked 007 the driver thankfully does not have a licence to kill.
Despite being marked 007 the driver thankfully does not have a licence to kill.

"It’s based on a Russian made kit with all the Russian electronics and motors thrown away and replaced with Japanese stuff."

He said the tank is 1/6th scale and powered by two washing machine type motors along with a leisure battery used to power caravans.

"It’s a Tiger 1 in the livery of Michael Wittmann – a tank commander known as the Black Baron of WWII – so the 007 [number markings] has nothing to do with James Bond."

Andrew had seen the world's only running Tiger I at Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset and took an instant liking to it.

"I’ve got a smaller static one I’m building but life keeps getting in the way of finishing it," he said.

The Nazi tank was quite a sight as it rumbled up and down the hillside. Pictures: Andrew Richard
The Nazi tank was quite a sight as it rumbled up and down the hillside. Pictures: Andrew Richard

The model caught the attention of several curious onlookers on the road below as it drove along the top of the brae at the weekend.

"It has a sound system to give an idling engine sound and when driving it changes to a driven sound," Andrew explained.

"The turret turns and the main gun goes up and down with the sound of a shell firing with a recoil. It isn’t a live round, of course, and it's radio controlled."

Andrew says he has a pyrotechnics kit for the Tiger tank to create a smoke effect, as if it had fired a shell, and hopes to get around to fitting it soon.

"I also have a radio-controlled 1/14 scale fully hydraulic digger that I built about five years ago and the chassis of a Scania built to 'transport' it. I’m going to paint it in Steven's [lorries] colours."

Andrew said the family intend to move to a new home soon with half an acre of garden – plenty room in which to run his monster models around.


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