Holt Gas-Electric Tank
USA WW1 Prototype

The US entered World War 1 without any indigenous tanks and with only a frontier force army. They did, however, have a very robust industrial base and a wealth of design talent. In 1917 Holt, now known as Caterpillar, and General Electric teamed up to produce a tank. Holt was perhaps the world leader in producing tracked vehicles and GE was a powerhouse in all things electric. They came up with a novel automotive design that featured a gasoline engine powering an electric generator which powered electric motors for propulsion. The design was decades ahead of its time. However, it proved to be underpowered and overheated. Adding more cooling increased the weight which further reduced its performance. In testing, they often ran with the rear doors open to improve cooling.

It was well armed with two Browning machine guns in side sponsons and a British 2.95-inch mountain gun in the chin. A 6- or 7-man crew was anticipated. Crew access was through a rear door and a narrow corridor through the engine compartment.

This is another esoteric WW1 subject from Vargas Scale Models. It is 3D printed in resin which results in an exceptionally low parts count. The running gear and tracks are printed as a single piece for each side. The detail on the tracks and running gear is very good. The kit includes a good engine and cooling system printed inside the single piece hull. It builds up into an excellent model of a very obscure subject.