Designing a tank as a pet project.

[Plagerreap]

So I got my hands on an iPad with an Apple Pencil, as well as being granted independent study in my art/graphic design class. As independent study implies, I have to do my own projects, so I started drawing and other boring things, till I stumbled upon a 3D Modeling program. I've spent the last month fiddling around with it, getting used to the controls etc. Made a truck or two, then came across an idea while staring at my rc tanks sitting on the shelf. I'm going to design my own, completely from scratch, and should by budget allow it, print it off and build it. However, if I do it will probably be like a 1/10 to 1/5 scale so I can go the whole 9 yards. -I'll elaborate later.
Right now the project is in its most infant stage, literally on the basic hull design, but the progress will be daily, detailing etc. I plan to make a 3D model of it just for representational purposes, then after that I'll go back through, split the parts up, and configure them so they can be printed off (off, up? what is the term for 3D printing ) Here's a display of the hull in its current form, I'll be working on it the rest of the week, adding vents, hatches, etc.

What I've chosen as features I want
-Hydropneumatic Suspension (because all of the gun depression)
-Design that can easily have an adaptation kid designed for and put on (Like the SEP kits, or the Revolution upgrade the Leopard 2's are getting)
-Heavy armor
-Visual beauty as well as functional beauty
-High mobility
(as for rc wants)
-Custom gear box that will switch between high gear (for speed) and a low gear (to climb)
-Functional hydropneumatic suspension (not sure how I'll make it work, but I'll find a way)

-Tanks may be my hobby, but I take my hobbies seriously.

[43rdRecceReg]

I applaud your required specs, or Features desiderata. but when you say this has to be 'low profile', yours is borderline subterranean
I suppose it would follow the (Turretless) design philosophy behind Sweden's Strv 103: ...the one that led to a big rethink on what constitutes a "Tank'. ..i.e. does a Tank have a turret by definition? If so all turretless armoured vehicles cannot be called tanks; but only 'Tank Hunters, assault vehicles, tracked artillery etc..," Or, does the Strv and the like redefine 'Tank' ?

Swedish Strv. 103

[Son of a gun-ner]

I too applaud you Mr Plagerreap

Mr 43rd, the first "tanks" that the name came from didn't have turrets, and they had a choice of machine guns or artillery guns, therefore, technically, on that basis, surely any tracked armoured fighting vehicle with guns of some form are tanks

Another thought to add, some of the earliest designs of tanks had wheels, they struggled in the mud, and caterpillar/tank tracks were considered more like a permanent matting/channel on the wheeled vehicle. Which gives the impression tanks were still considered wheeled vehicles.

With these two things in mind, one would think the original tank designers would consider any form of armour with guns and wheels a tank, with or without a turret or tracks. And any tank that wasn't boxed shaped (water tank shaped where the code name originally came from), isn't technically a "tank"

Wonder if we need a new name for modern day turret tanks

[General Jumbo01]

You did say that you've only designed the hull so far so l assumed a turret will follow!

If you follow recent fighting vehicle developments the new guided missile/shell system that doesn't require line of sight firing will probably make turrets redundant. You just require a fast and maneuverable, well protected firing vehicle, not unlike an armoured infantry carrier in appearance with a pop up firing mechanism. Not so macho maybe but far more deadly than the traditional tank.

Nevertheless, whatever you come up with, enjoy!


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[43rdRecceReg]

I too applaud you Mr Plagerreap

Mr 43rd, the first "tanks" that the name came from didn't have turrets, and they had a choice of machine guns or artillery guns, therefore, technically, on that basis, surely any tracked armoured fighting vehicle with guns of some form are tanks

Another thought to add, some of the earliest designs of tanks had wheels, they struggled in the mud, and caterpillar/tank tracks were considered more like a permanent matting/channel on the wheeled vehicle. Which gives the impression tanks were still considered wheeled vehicles.

With these two things in mind, one would think the original tank designers would consider any form of armour with guns and wheels a tank, with or without a turret or tracks. And any tank that wasn't boxed shaped (water tank shaped where the code name originally came from), isn't technically a "tank"

Wonder if we need a new name for modern day turret tanks

The first 'Tanks' actually had sponsons, which have a swivelling function not dissimilar to that of the later Turreted models. The Renault FT introduced the first actual turret. Yes, dear old Mick, I know all that.
But.....I wasn't the one to query the distinction between AFVs and Tanks, as discussions on that topic have been around for decades. No, I merely alluded to it, old chap.

[43rdRecceReg]

As an addendum, Mick, this Bunker cum Pillbox has a Panther Turret. Does that make it a 'Tank?'

Panther Pillbox

Panther pill box.jpg (35.65 KiB) Viewed 2229 times

[Plagerreap]

I have noticed a lot of conversation about my tank lacking a turret, well, that's because at the current moment I haven't designed one. Though the one I have in mind will probably be something along the lines of a K2 Black Panther and a Type 10 or something like that. The hydropneumatic suspension was heavily inspired upon the STRV 103's though, but will be taken a step farther than just tipping forward and back.

With that said, all I got done today was hull detailing. Will probably be working on the suspension tomorrow.

[Son of a gun-ner]

Sorry Mr Plagerreap, especially as you have now indicated you are having a turret
Well, I for one will be watching your progress with great interest

As an addendum, Mick, this Bunker cum Pillbox has a Panther Turret. Does that make it a 'Tank?'

Panther pill box.jpg

Well Mr Smarty Underpants, a pill box/gun emplacement;
noun
1.
a structure on or in which something is firmly placed.
"a machine bolted to a concrete emplacement"
So not a tank
Surely the name tank was given to a "wheeled" (with or without tracks) vehicle before it received a turret. One can hardly compare a sponson to a turret. And some later "tanks" had both.
Dear older chap you did end your eluding with a like you were still pondering

[43rdRecceReg]

Sorry Mr Plagerreap, especially as you have now indicated you are having a turret
Well, I for one will be watching your progress with great interest

As an addendum, Mick, this Bunker cum Pillbox has a Panther Turret. Does that make it a 'Tank?'

Panther pill box.jpg

Well Mr Smarty Underpants, a pill box/gun emplacement;
noun
1.
a structure on or in which something is firmly placed.
"a machine bolted to a concrete emplacement"
So not a tank
Surely the name tank was given to a "wheeled" (with or without tracks) vehicle before it received a turret. One can hardly compare a sponson to a turret. And some later "tanks" had both.
Dear older chap you did end your eluding with a like you were still pondering
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Not sure why the quote from Mick- above the dotted line- appears to be part of my comments below the line. It should have appeared in a yellow framed highlight.
Ach, well...ours is not to reason why.
We will look forward to seeing your design leap of the virtual drawing board, and into some sheets of styrene, P .
Mick, history indicates that the term 'Tank' (Initially 'Water Tank") was coined to keep the existence of British tracked fighting vehicles secret from the Germans, and had no connection with wheeled vehicles in general nor with the presence of a Turret or not.
I alluded to the decades-old discussion on what constitutes a 'Tank'. Clearly, the Germans saw a distinction, and that's why Turreted AFVs (Tiger, Panther, PzIV )etc.,are dubbed 'Panzerkampfwagen' where variants without turrets (or Tourette's Syndrome ) have tags like 'StuG IV,' 'Panzerjager,' and so on. Many argue that the Swedish low profile machine is not a 'Tank'. I'm not one of them as I have, frankly, better things to do.
A 'sponson' is an armoured swivelling gun-platform; usually fitted to the side of a ship. A Turret is also an armoured swivelling gun- platform, and the very first one was fitted to the top of a ship The USS Monitor, I believe, in 1861) In principle, though, they both serve a similar purpose.
The very first British prototype, 'Little Willie" (no smut please...) was planned to have a rotating turret on top, in fact; but it was found to give the machine too high a profile in the landscape, and made the (then) AFV top heavy.
Now back to your interesting project, Mr P.

[Son of a gun-ner]

Well, we seem to agree on lots of things, the "water tank" just so happened to have wheels, although with tracks.
As I'm focusing on origins, the second WW German names went with what they saw them as much later. And helped towards the confusion
For what it's worth, I see the Swedish self propelled gun as a tank