Best cannon shot I've ever seen.

[43rdRecceReg]

The guy from Canada who does all the smoke unit alterations had a smoke system for his barrel. He set up a bellows and a simple valve that would redirect smoke from the smoker to the bellows, which was compressed by the recoil action, causing smoke to pulse out of the barrel. It was very nice, but I'm not sure if he ever perfected it.

Either way, smoke and flash will not get the same look as flame like the digital addition to the video. Even using flash paper, etc. to get a nice flame from the barrel does not look that good to the naked eye since it's so quick. On film they 'overcrank', which means they run the camera at a much higher frames per second. That creates a sort of slow motion, extending effect. It also gives weight to the subject.

But all of that goes out the window with CG effects these days.

Air cannons would probably be the way I'd go for a barrels effect. Large ones are used to simulate explosions when an actor runs past, a small one in the barrel with dark pigment would give a nice puff, but it wouldn't be something you'd do just driving around, just like flash paper, it's a one shot deal.

I want to add the dust effect that comes off the hull. We've got that dopey hull recoil bit, but if you ever saw the film of a Tiger I firing, there's some hull recoil, but dust and dirt pickup off the tank and surrounding area...

Would a wee bit of fine white powder (not coke), like talcum or baby powder, put in the end of an airsoft barrel- create a small puff of smoke when hit by the 6mm pellet? One off deal, sure but might look good when filmed.

[Max-U52]

Don't you have an airsoft tank, Roy? Try it out and let us know. I bet a coke spoon would be perfect for putting the powder in the end of the muzzle. You know, if you have any layin' around.

[43rdRecceReg]

Don't you have an airsoft tank, Roy? Try it out and let us know. I bet a coke spoon would be perfect for putting the powder in the end of the muzzle. You know, if you have any layin' around.

Ahem...Five airsoft tanks, Gary..I admit guiltily. Five and Ten pound notes used to be standard equipment for that nose freezing powder (just like the US dollar), but I think I have a small funnel for charging the barrel with something a little less...er..controversial. Talcum, or finer should do the trick. I really think it might work, and could look cool at 240 fps!

[43rdRecceReg]

and here's another smoking gun, albeit a tad light on the smoke:

phpBB [video]

[Max-U52]

I'll bet you could just dip a cotton swab in baby powder and dust the inside of the muzzle and it would give a puff when you fire. You'll be limited to single shot, but better than nothing.

When you said "Five and Ten pound notes" it reminded me of one of the funniest things I ever read. Playboy interviewed a high priced lady of the evening in the UK and she said something like, "If I had a ten pound note for every time some joker asked me if he could (kinky act) or (kinky act) I'd have enough money to buy an Aston Martin with a computer dashboard." The reporter then asked, "Well, do you actually do those kinky things?" and the woman replied, "Of course I do, but I charge 20 pounds, and that's why I have two Aston Martins with computer dashboards."

[43rdRecceReg]

I'll bet you could just dip a cotton swab in baby powder and dust the inside of the muzzle and it would give a puff when you fire. You'll be limited to single shot, but better than nothing.

When you said "Five and Ten pound notes" it reminded me of one of the funniest things I ever read. Playboy interviewed a high priced lady of the evening in the UK and she said something like, "If I had a ten pound note for every time some joker asked me if he could (kinky act) or (kinky act) I'd have enough money to buy an Aston Martin with a computer dashboard." The reporter then asked, "Well, do you actually do those kinky things?" and the woman replied, "Of course I do, but I charge 20 pounds, and that's why I have two Aston Martins with computer dashboards."

One worldly-wise, and witty lady. We still make them in Britain, but not a lot else!
However.. when the weather improves, and I can get out without breaking something else, I'll certainly try the powder thing. I could even mix a little powdered charcoal (used for gastric relief in pets) for added effect. ..I have several dropper types that would do the job, and another that's actually designed for cleaning camera lenses. I know that in the States you can buy 6mm paintballs in various colours (probably here too, as paintballing is increasingly popular), so maybe putting one of those in the end of the barrel might work too. On my tanks the pellet comes out with sufficient force to clear the muzzle easily. Beyond making the video, though, there's the issue of how to post it on here after editing. I'll look up what's involved in creating a Youtube account for that, but maybe you could give me (and others, of course) the benefit of your experience of creating, and using a Youtube account. That would be a lot quicker. So would a vid..

[silversurfer1947]

I doubt there is such a thing, but if you had a 6mm pellet that was very fragile and disintegrated into powder as it was fired, then you would have smoke out of the barrel every time you fired, rather than it being a single shot procedure.

[43rdRecceReg]

I doubt there is such a thing, but if you had a 6mm pellet that was very fragile and disintegrated into powder as it was fired, then you would have smoke out of the barrel every time you fired, rather than it being a single shot procedure.

There are plentiful examples of 1/16 rc tanks firing 6mm paintballs online, Richard. A guy called 'creepingdeath' was selling paintball firing tanks quite some time ago, and he also pioneered an airsoft barrel recoil system long before Taigen got in on the act. Here's an example of tanks firing real .22 rounds, and producing plenty of barrel smoke to boot. However, you're right in that if there were a fragile 6mm round that could withstand being fired ..and break only on exit from the barrel..perhaps by hitting a small obstruction (sort of stalactite) in the muzzle..then, we would have a viable barrel smoke system. Paintballs do tend to gum the barrel, and airsoft firing mechanism, up however. There's scope for enterprise there, though.

phpBB [video]

[43rdRecceReg]

...and here's a custom made tank (cost over £2000, I think) firing paintballs at a moving target 20 meters distant, and making white smoke in the process. Presumably, the mechanism used in this tank could be adapted to fit in commercial 1/16 models..Heng Long and others..

phpBB [video]

[jackalope]

That puff of white smoke would be from the C02 propellant used to fire the paint balls.

As for the tanks shooting real bullets they couldn't be more then a .22 or the recoil would damage the them. If they are .22's the ones that got shot wouldn't be knocked back like that, not enough surface area in a .22 to cause that kind of damage. Those things are getting knocked around like they're hit by a 12 gauge shotgun! It'd be possible to fit a .22 inside our tanks and the barrels wouldn't look out of place but anything bigger then then that and they wouldn't look right.