AIR POWER

Having air support is critical to success.

Drone footage of TANKLAND.

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1/16 Scale Trucks

UPDATE 4-3-2018:

We did some redneck work on the two 4×4 trucks, now we have one working 6×6 and a trailer.  It’s not done yet, the rubber band is holding it together, but it has been a fun bash together so far.

UPDATE 12-21-2017:

An enclosed bed was added sprouting antennas to make the truck a “Communications” truck with the idea of putting a target circuit in the truck to make it something for the tanks to shoot IR at.

A Heng Long “apple” is being modified to fit on the roof of the truck’s load out so it will take hits.  For this road test in TANKLAND, the “apple” was not installed.

It looks good in  TANKLAND, but we wish it was a 6X6.  The Russian GAZ 66 will get a bed load something like this one has.

12-11-2017:   The WSD now has two 1/16 scale army trucks.  We bought the “Bobbed Duce” to test it out as a possible target for tanks, and as an anti-tank truck with a Tamiya IR battle system.

We got one green one, and one tan one, then tested them both in Tankland for off-road and on road performance.  The tan one’s transmission failed before the first battery was depleted, but the green one ran just fine. 

Both did well in the off and on road tests.  They fit through narrow places that a tank cannot follow, and are quick over rough terrain, so they could be a good challenge for a tank to hit with it’s IR in a battle.

Both have now been painted, and will get limited detailing. Both trucks have drivers that are not period correct, but then, the trucks are not correct, so for now they will do.  

The WSD plans to acquire a Russian GAZ 66 4X4, and detail it out more to use as the actual IR target / fighter.  If and when the USA 6X6 comes out, WSD will get two or more of those to support the Abrams tanks.

 All in all, a fun toy that can be fixed up and used as a base to kitbash lots of fun stuff.  We are currently researching putting a mainstream rock crawler guts under the GAZ 66 cab, and running it with an IBU3 to hunt tanks…

 

T-34/85

The WSD acquired a Heng Long 1/16 scale T-34/85.  It’s done up in winter whitewash camo.  Preliminary testing has shown that it does very well in snow.  That could be a big advantage here in the Rockies, we have lots of snow.  It is currently a stock Airsoft tank, and will be used as a “trainer tank” to help train new tank drivers, but it could be converted into an IR battle tank in the future.

We named it “Ghost”.  There is a small flaw in the plastic of the turret that looks like a panzerfaust hit.  Whitewashed the day after the crew and tank survived the panzerfaust hit in a late fall battle, the loader who was painting the tank, named it Ghost. 

WSD invades FRAG: Battle report

The Western Slope Division invaded FRAG last weekend sending Ouray Troop over the divide to Denver.  There were several fierce battles where the Allies attempted to take the village from the Axis forces, and one involving the Axis trying to stop an Allied armored column from reaching an objective.  We did well, we got some kills in, but in the end, FRAG took the day.

I want to thank everyone at FRAG for their hospitality and patience dealing with us “invaders”.  We had a great time and recommend to any tanker who has a chance to visit FRAG, do it!  If you like RC tanks, FRAG is a must see place.  The people are great and the detail of the battle field is something that you could examine for hours and hours just marveling at how cool it is.

Check out our FRAG page for some pictures from the day.

DRAGON on patrol

DRAGON the M1A2 on patrol around Tankland.

Book Review 2

Pen and Sword Books latest Images of War Special: The Panther Tank, Hitler’s t-34 Killer does an excellent job of giving the reader an excellent overview of what drove the design and development of one of the most famous tanks of World War 2. The Panther had it’s flaws, but was a feared adversary for Allied tankers during World War 2, and its influence on tank design extends to currently deployed main battle tanks. The book’s organization is well suited to the military modeler because it illustrates the subtle differences between the Panther variants. Plus, Pen and Sword has included quite a few new photographs that I hadn’t seen before, which is always great to see because it gives the military modeler guidelines as to how German crews camouflaged and added stowage to their Panthers. Finally, the book discusses some of the major campaigns and battles that Panthers took part in, and helps balance the tank’s formidable technical specifications against its combat record. As author Anthony Tucker-Jones discusses, the Panther was a fearsome opponent, but poor reliability and inexperienced crews limited the tanks ultimate impact on the battlefield. I have been a fan of the German Panther tank for a long time, and this book is a welcome addition to my military history library.

Convoy Pictures

I like setting up convoy pictures with these 1/16 scale RC tanks.  US or German, I have fun setting up the RC tanks with static models to depict convoys in motion, historic or modern.  If I ever get enough people to drive them all at once it would be fun to make a convoy movie.  Here are a few pictures from convoys I’ve set up.