RPM 72210 American Six-ton M1917 early version

The M1917 is an American light tank from World War I and the interwar period. The drive was provided by a single engine Buda HU with a power of 42 HP. The wagon's hull was 5 meters long and 1.8 meters wide. The combat weight was 7.25 tons, and the operating range was approx. 45-50 kilometers. The main armament was a 37 mm cannon or a 7.62 mm machine gun.

The M1917 tank was developed for the needs of the US Army after the United States joined the First World War and for the expeditionary forces going to the Old Continent. As time was pressing, the American armed forces should adapt the successful French Renault FT-17 tank to their needs. In essence, the M1917 vehicle was a modernization of a French tank, and the main differences were: the exhaust system, the turret used, the change of the main armament yoke, the enlargement of the driver's observation holes or the change of the front armor design. The M1917 vehicles were planned to be used during the Great War, but their first copies did not reach Europe until October 1918, so just before the ceasefire. However, a large number of them remained in the service of the US Army in the interwar period, and their number in the line was systematically decreasing.