The German A7V Tank is a behemoth of the First World War

Known as the Sturmpanzerwagen, the A7V was the only German-designed tank to see combat during the Great War. Introduced in 1918, it weighed a massive 30 tons with a crew of at least 18.

Its armour was 30mm thick at the front, with 15mm at the sides and rear - much thicker than even the British Mk IV, and effectively impregnable to small arms fire. It could move at a sprightly 6mph, and sported six MG08 medium machine guns and a 5.7cm Maxim-Nordenfelt Gun. 

Despite its fearsome bulk and arsenal, the A7V was prone to mechanical issues and only 20 were ultimately produced. But when it did fight, it was a sight to behold - its most famous action at the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux in April 1918, where it participated in the

first-ever tank battle, against the British Mark IV. We’ll be releasing a free scenario soon allowing you to recreate the battle of Villers Bretonneux yourself, as well.

This beast is available from the Warfulcrum Games webstore both as an STL and an imposing physical model. James, the lead sculptor on the vehicle, has the following to say about the project:

“With more than 3,000 individual rivets, the sculpting of the base vehicle alone has been an epic task. We’ve added the option of a hatch which can be modelled open or shut, with a choice of three crew miniatures and unique head sculpts - including two wearing ‘splash’ masks. These gloriously medieval contraptions were designed to protect the face and eyes from ‘splash’ - the WWI term for spalling (the red hot flakes of metal which detach and bounce around a tank as the outside armour face is pounded by strikes).” 

The tank also comes with a choice of two gun mounts, the trestle mount and the more common pedestal mount. This provides hobbyists with the option to model specific vehicles, such as Mephisto, which used the pedestal mount. Mephisto is the only original A7V that survives from the Great War, and it currently resides in Australia, having been relocated there by the victorious Australian soldiers who captured it in 1918.

German A7V Heavy Tank (Physical)

£20.00

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We’re now nearly at the end of the miniatures we promised for our Kickstarter stretch goals - but there is plenty more to come from 1918. It was a world war, after all, not a battle just between the Brits and the Germans! There’s a new Kickstarter project waiting in the wings to bring us the French Republican Army and the American Expeditionary Force - sign up for the prelaunch page here!

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