VCO and I are heading for Odessa (not Florida, but in Ukraine) on Friday, 04 Sept. About an 8 hour drive (no Autobahn here!) over what I am sure are some charming cart tracks. Meet is Saturday and Sunday, 05 & 06 Sept, then drive back Monday. We will take the lap top, but don't know if we will have internet access there, so emails and orders might be a little delayed in answering.
This is the second meet there, I was not aware of the first last Sept. From last year, most of the tanks were hand built 1/10 scale master builds. Got a few photos from last year. Only 3 1/16 tanks there last summer, 2 Tamiya and 1 HL.
We will be taking 5 or 6 tanks, and a herd of parts etc, not so much to sell but to show what is available and give them some hands on with them.
Yes, we will take lots of photos etc. Some of these tankers are really masters. We are muchly looking forward to this little trip. Photos are of last year's meet.
Tank Meet Odessa
Re: Tank Meet Odessa
OK, we did indeed survive the trip to and from Odessa, and that's a story in itself. Suffice it to say the roads on the 600 odd klick journey are quite intriguing to say the least. Both VCO and I, and the Kamazik, survived unscathed, which was a minor miracle in itself. Average speed over this major, and only, road east-west on the south coast was a blazing 65kph, in other words 10 hours of driving including stops at 39mph average.
This year there were 3 1/10 scale tanks, the Panther and Cz 38 from last year, and an SU152. Awsome fails to describe these tanks when you are up close and personal. For instance, the Panther has the prototypical double torsion bars for each road wheel, functional. In their build que are a Tiger 1 early, KT, and JT. Truly awsome work, all hand built of aluminium and steel, with cast aluminium tracks.
In 1/16, last year there were only 3, 2 Tams and an HL Tiger. This year, not counting our 6, there was 14 in our scale, a mix of Tigers, Panthers, Stug 3 and P3, and a freshly built KV by Tam.
The competition was basically an obstical and road course, with a 2m high hill at 45 degrees, various bridges, trenches, twists and turns etc, and for the 1/10 tanks pyrotechnic land mines set off by remote control. We were 5th to start this with 3 tanks entered, VCO's Panther with the newly completed Type 1 Competition TU's, the KT, and the German Sherman. None of the other tanks made it up this hill in one try before us, and some could not climb it at all. Our KT just crossed the bridge, came to the hill, never hesitated, powered right up and over the mound with no problems. Same with Panther and Sherm. Then, thru the water obstical, various other bumps and scrapes, in to a 3 sided box, stop there and fire all your weapons, back out of that 2m in to a 90 degree dead end, power forward over a brick wall and to the finish.
Second competiton was a technical and modeling phase, which was quite interesting.
Our tanks were quite interesting to the tankers there, especially the 1/16 lads. They had never seen tanks built for fighting with TBU and all the small and big mods needed for same. None had seen a battle system, but a few had heard of it. After the technical competition, VCO and I just handed out radios and tanks and let them have at it after a short instruction course. A massively good time was had by all then. Some of these tankers I can see will be formidable opponents in Kiev in spring. Rules for TBU competitions will be written and formalized well before the meet.
We made several contacts, and will later this week start planning for a the meet in Kiev in spring when the weather breaks.
Photos will be posted either today or tomorrow after VCO gets some rest and downloads the cameras. All in all, the trip was well worth the trouble, and methinks the beginning of serious tanking in Krim and Ukr has started as of this Saturday past.
This year there were 3 1/10 scale tanks, the Panther and Cz 38 from last year, and an SU152. Awsome fails to describe these tanks when you are up close and personal. For instance, the Panther has the prototypical double torsion bars for each road wheel, functional. In their build que are a Tiger 1 early, KT, and JT. Truly awsome work, all hand built of aluminium and steel, with cast aluminium tracks.
In 1/16, last year there were only 3, 2 Tams and an HL Tiger. This year, not counting our 6, there was 14 in our scale, a mix of Tigers, Panthers, Stug 3 and P3, and a freshly built KV by Tam.
The competition was basically an obstical and road course, with a 2m high hill at 45 degrees, various bridges, trenches, twists and turns etc, and for the 1/10 tanks pyrotechnic land mines set off by remote control. We were 5th to start this with 3 tanks entered, VCO's Panther with the newly completed Type 1 Competition TU's, the KT, and the German Sherman. None of the other tanks made it up this hill in one try before us, and some could not climb it at all. Our KT just crossed the bridge, came to the hill, never hesitated, powered right up and over the mound with no problems. Same with Panther and Sherm. Then, thru the water obstical, various other bumps and scrapes, in to a 3 sided box, stop there and fire all your weapons, back out of that 2m in to a 90 degree dead end, power forward over a brick wall and to the finish.
Second competiton was a technical and modeling phase, which was quite interesting.
Our tanks were quite interesting to the tankers there, especially the 1/16 lads. They had never seen tanks built for fighting with TBU and all the small and big mods needed for same. None had seen a battle system, but a few had heard of it. After the technical competition, VCO and I just handed out radios and tanks and let them have at it after a short instruction course. A massively good time was had by all then. Some of these tankers I can see will be formidable opponents in Kiev in spring. Rules for TBU competitions will be written and formalized well before the meet.
We made several contacts, and will later this week start planning for a the meet in Kiev in spring when the weather breaks.
Photos will be posted either today or tomorrow after VCO gets some rest and downloads the cameras. All in all, the trip was well worth the trouble, and methinks the beginning of serious tanking in Krim and Ukr has started as of this Saturday past.
Re: Tank Meet Odessa
Here's the first photos. More coming as VCO gets them ready. Files are big, so there will be several posts with photos.
Re: Tank Meet Odessa
More photos
