Anybody like tanks and other armored military hardware?

brtshstel

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A while back, I started a thread on military aircraft. Judging by the number of responses it got, there mush be a lot members who like military hardware.

Now that we've covered that, how about armored vehicles? Now before you post, please read this post first.

There are a lot of people out there who just go with the popular choices, and that's ok. Please explain why you like a particular tank or APC. DON'T just type "T-34" and be done with it. Explain why you chose it. Don't just take something you know was important or heavily used and sputter it out in a pile of bad grammar and punctuation errors, tell us what you like about it.

Just don't do like Khell_Sennet and write a novel. (No offense, your love for the mighty Warthog is appreciated, but writing such a long post with a picture is a little excessive).

Also, don't be afraid to give a specific variant or it's country of origin (example, an M1 a bit different from an M1A1, and is very different from an M1A2. Not everybody knows that a Merkava II is Israeli, or that a T-84 is Ukranian, not Russian).
 

JWAN

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I like the M113 APC, its a lightweight and even though its old it is still a strong workhorse and I think it still has a place in the military.

Its simple
Its fairly light (it can be lifted and its amphibious)
It has tank treds
And it can carry weapons and ammo all the way to personnel
 

Rolling Thunder

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Centurion tank. Simple, brutally effective and took all it's contempories to the cleaners. Just look at the Indo-Pakistani wars.
 

Combined

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I'm a fanatic when it comes to military matters. Infantry, tanks, airplanes. submarines, warships... You name it, I like it.

I also have a fanatical devotion to German military might. I can't help it! Their designs are just so awesome and well thought out. From the Panzer I Ausf. A to the Leopard 2A6, I can't get enough of German armour.

Most German designs have a balance between speed, defense, firepower and range, which just makes them the best all-round armored vehicles for war.

Also, I look at Russian tanks a lot. They're extremely cheap, they can be made by anyone, they're fast and pretty good when there's a lot of them, but they're terrible alone. If we put the same amount of Russian tanks against German, they will always fail.

I can't stand British and American tanks for some reason.
 

Valandar

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There was a relatively recent show on cable about an upcoming new light armored amphibious vehicle.

It was faster on land than almost any other armored vehicle, matched only by a few, and faster at sea than any rigid hull military vehicle (only the inflatable zodiacs were faster).

It had a full turret with complete targeting suite, and a 30mm autocannon as primary armament, and could carry a full squad of US Marines and full gear.

But the absolute coolest bit about it was it was like something out of M.A.S.K. from the 80's - it actually shifted plates, moved the treads, and changed direction of the engine's output when it shifted to aquatic mode.

That's right - it was a Transformer. And it is REAL.
 

Zykon TheLich

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BTR 80. Plenty of room inside for customisation, it looks like some sort of frog/fat lizard thing and it's got 8 wheels.
Those are my reasons, nothing technical, I just like the thing based on looks and the possibility that I might, if I came into a lot of money, be able to buy one and kit it out like a mobile home...oh yeah, and it's diesel so it will be cheap to run...well, cheaper than it would be if it was petrol at any rate.

and my other favourite would be...um...dunno what it's called, but if you ever saw the early series' of 'Allo Allo' then it was the armoured car that one of the german officers referred to as 'my little tank' and was always fawning over etc. Can't remember if it was Gruber or possibly Heinz. Again, the reason being that I just liked the look of the funny little thing.

EDIT: Just did a bit of research on wikipedia...its the SdKfz 221-3 series.
 

vid20

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I have a love for the T-72. I just like how it <a href=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/T72_cfb_borden_1.JPG>looks. But I will agree with Combine on this, as far as armor goes, Germany can't be beat. Oh, and I too have a passionate disdain for American armor.. its just so... infeasible.
 

Charli

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Tanks are ding dongs on wheels. As a member of the female of the species, I'm juuust saying.

Now I'll swiftly leave the topic before the sheer testosterone makes me grow a girl-stache.
Have fun boys.
 

Zykon TheLich

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Charli said:
Tanks are ding dongs on wheels. As a member of the female of the species, I'm juuust saying.

Now I'll swiftly leave the topic before the sheer testosterone makes me grow a girl-stache.
Have fun boys.
Why is it always women who say that? I reckon they just can't stop thinking about cock. :p
 

Dele

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Tanks, like all military porn hardware, are fascinating as long as they stay the hell away from your home. I guess it's the same effect as kids liking hip hop and ghetto stuff.
 

rossatdi

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I love all that stuff but know very little. I've always loved military hardware in Sci-fi and games.

But...if we're keeping it real world I like the good ol' British Challenger II. This is one reason:

wiki said:
During the 2003 invasion of Iraq the Challenger 2 was the only tank operating in the Gulf that did not suffer a loss to enemy fire. In one engagement a Challenger took multiple hits from rocket propelled grenades and from one MILAN anti tank missile.
There was a sweet segment on Top Gear (a BBC car show) where they explained how awesome it is. I don't know much about them but hey, British Beef for the win!
 

Iron Mal

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Nothing says 'obey me' like a Challanger II tank rolling down the road...that and heads on pikes.

I also like helicopters, military or otherwise....I don't really know why.
 

TwistedEllipses

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I'm not into it because my dad was so much. I can still casually identify most WW2 armoured vehicles though...

...and the 'crocodile' is probably my favourite, kudos to you the man who decided to modify a tank to have a flame-thrower!
 

anti_strunt

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Does a lone conscript, isolated and afraid on the battlefield, with second-rate equipment and no support, who still manages to find the strength to do his job, count as "hardware"?
 

WolfThomas

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ASLAV and Bushmaster battle vehicles from the Australian army, many reasons but mostly because their V shaped underside protect from IED attack quite well.
 

brtshstel

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Combined said:
I also have a fanatical devotion to German military might. I can't help it! Their designs are just so awesome and well thought out. From the Panzer I Ausf. A to the Leopard 2A6, I can't get enough of German armour.

Most German designs have a balance between speed, defense, firepower and range, which just makes them the best all-round armored vehicles for war.
While I do share your love for German tanks, some of their most well-known tanks are not well designed. For example, the Panther (my favorite WWII tank) had an overly complex transmission that was prone to failure.

The Tiger, despite it's superior firepower and armor, was underpowered and had the same faulty transmission. The King Tiger was an even worse problem. It was slow and tough to keep in good operating condition. Plus, the range of both the Tiger and King Tiger was a limiting factor considering that they were fuel guzzlers (in comparison to their Allied counterparts) at a time where the Nazis couldn't get enough gasoline.

But firepower from those bastards is undeniable. The Panther's 75mm gun was long, and had a muzzle velocity giving it more power than the American 75mm gun of the Sherman. The raw power from the 88mm gun on the Tiger was ugly. The longer barrel of the King Tiger made it even more lethal.

However, the Panzer IV was just as good a design as a Sherman tank to say the least, and it was relatively easy to build and maintain. Unfortunately for them, Hitler had his head in his ass when asking for military designs.

Now the Leopard 2 is my favorite tank, but not the A6. Yes, the A6 has sloped armor, but the boxy armor of the A5, coupled with an MG3 (a modernized MG42) and the iron cross insignia, looks just like a Tiger to me.
 

Combined

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brtshstel said:
Ah, but eventually, quite quickly, at least from what I've read, the germans fixed their transmission problems by adapting a more simple, yet reliable transmission.

Can't disagree much with the facts about the tiger. It's transmission sometimes did break down, it was slow, but it was well-armored, had a range twice longer than most soviet vehicles. The King Tiger was basically the same deal, but with a bit longer range, more armor and used up a lot more diesel.

Personally, I like the older Leopards II's as well. They somehow seem more "German". I just used the A6 as an example that I love all their tank designs. Every one of them. And the secret tanks like the Maus and the Monster are pretty damn awesome, even if completely impractical and ineffective.