Gravtank by Domenech1776

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Wed Mar 17, 2010 10:38 pm

This is the grav tank I'm going to try to build. I have a Tamiya M2A2 to supply greebles and some german granadiers all in 1/35 scale, to flesh this beast out. The portals on the tank are roughly the size of the door on the M2A2. The tail end of the booms house jet thrusters for horizontal movement. The area between the forward booms will have the ability to place floor plates down between them, so said tank can carry cargo or troops.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... avtank.jpg

The tank is inspired by the tanks that fill the armored ranks of a GURPS campaign I plan on inflicting on my friends. Human science has had anti-grav tech for about 100 years, but with only limited real world applications. We can build starships with artificial gravity fields, but currently attempts to have that and have gravitic drives are at best problematic. So most ships have artificial gravity, but use some form of thruster for movement. Those ships that have grav-drives tend to be unmanned( probes, high speed message couriers) or have no artificial gravity except that provided by rotating sections.

Grav mechanics on the ground are no less troublesome, we can have the field lift a vehicle, but not provide thrust perpendicular to the gravity well. Unless the thrust is so fast that you can use it to aerodynamically lift the vehicle, but that isn't that great for lumbering tanks. I'm purposely making the mechanics hard, to make humanity the young scientific/technology race in the campaign. Human scientist, try as the might cannot overcome these disadvantages, it's almost like they're waiting to have a eureka moment, slap their foreheads, and realize they've been overthinking the whole thing. Until then, we're just banging our head against the chalkboards in frustration. The alien race bent on humanitys destruction, or their client races have no such difficulties with their technology.

Dr. Yo · Post by **Dr. Yo** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:40 am

Interesting backstory, and the tank design looks promising.

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 12:14 pm

Thanks. I need to set boundries or I get into arguments like "why not?! I saw speed racer do it and his crappy car has wheels!!". So, I have to counter with "I'm the GM, it's my universe, physics happen as I see fit."

jeffrowse · Post by **jeffrowse** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:08 am

DOMENECH1776 wrote:The tank is inspired by the tanks that fill the armored ranks of a GURPS campaign I plan on inflicting on my friends. Human science has had anti-grav tech for about 100 years, but with only limited real world applications. We can build starships with artificial gravity fields, but currently attempts to have that and have gravitic drives are at best problematic. So most ships have artificial gravity, but use some form of thruster for movement. Those ships that have grav-drives tend to be unmanned( probes, high speed message couriers) or have no artificial gravity except that provided by rotating sections.

Have you seen the GURPS Traveller books? There are some good pictures in Doug Berry's "GT:Ground Forces" in particular.
Also, FASA's "Renegade Legion: Centurion" has some nice designs...

If my modelling skills were anywhere near as good as my ability to stick my nose in to other people's conversations and offer unsolicited advice, I'd try building a few...

DOMENECH1776 wrote: The alien race bent on humanitys destruction, or their client races have no such difficulties with their technology.

Might seem like a silly question, but how will humanity survive? You don't get to be the Big Bad in a multi-species universe without realising that the only way to stay on top is to come down hard on anyone foolish enough to start picking fights...

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:17 pm

I've never looked through the Traveller books, other than just a quick peek in the local game store.

I have no idea how humanity will survive. Humanities final breath could arrive in a year, or we could come out on top after a hundred year war. The campaign, though vital to the war effort is not necessarily the ultimate story of the war. Everything I learned about GM'ing, I learned from my wife. I have a number of antagonists for the campaigners, all with goals, but no set storyline for them, other than events that are taking place beyond the players and NPCs control. The storyline will sort itself out.

This week I plan on printing hull parts on adhesive paper and applying it to some "for sale" sign styrene. Hopefully next week or two I can start cutting and gluing panels into place.

jeffrowse · Post by **jeffrowse** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 6:29 am

Here's a link to the sample art page for GT:Ground Forces - the fourth and fifth pics are the only useful ones for this thread, but there are plenty more pics in the book itself, along with 3rd Ed stats for vehicles (including grav APCs, field artillery and engineering vehicles...)

http://sjgames.com/gurps/traveller/grou ... s/art.html

(Note: I am not associated with Steve Jackson Games or any game shop, but I have been "into" the various Traveller incarnations since I discovered the A4-sized 'little black books' in the mid-80's...)

HWR MKII · Post by **HWR MKII** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 12:22 am

How is this coming man? I know your looking for figures but I wanna see some ARMOR! (Or Armour for those who spell it that way)

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 12:37 am

I have to apologize, my time table has been upset by school. I have two finals due on friday, then two due next tuesday, and I'm only typing this between submitting my week 11 exams. before I catch some zzzzs and go to work in the morning.

I will update hopefully this coming weekend.

HWR MKII · Post by **HWR MKII** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 12:42 am

No biggie man. Just injecting some life. THe challenge seems to have died down some. Then again WF is around the corner.

Big Hank · Post by **Big Hank** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:01 pm

Nice! I like the the offset barrel on the turret, add some character.

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:17 pm

Thanks, I know I want it offset, but I'm still not happy with the turret, hopefully once I finish the hull, I'll get some inspiration for it.

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:00 pm

I found a CORPS! vehicle on sale for $7 in the discount section. I'm thinking that maybe it could be made into a support vehicle, cut out the center section and make into a APC of some kind. Has two thrust fan units in the rear, and a hovercraft skirt around the bottom.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... G_4594.jpg

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:32 am

I did the following this last weekend. I used my Silhouette SD cutting plotter to cut my plans out of cardstock. 20 minutes of folding and gluing, I had the following:

Top left front view.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... G_5102.jpg

Top rear right view.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... G_5103.jpg

Underside front right side
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... G_5104.jpg

Underside rear left side
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... G_5105.jpg

Left side with 1/35th scale soldier and USMC water cans.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... G_5106.jpg

Left side with 1/35th scale soldier with USMC water cans, again.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... G_5107.jpg

Some test graphics on the front left boom. Notice the realistic impact damage on the far boom caused by the ingenious method of dropping onto floor.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... G_5108.jpg

Rear area, with extended armor plate shrouding thruster area.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... G_5109.jpg

Rear area, engine/grav components will fill this area, eliminating the top down "H" appearance.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... G_5110.jpg

I still plan on doing this out of styrene, but the cutting plotter gave me a chance to do a full size test build in just a half hour. Now to design a turret I like.

Any compliments, critiques and suggestions welcome.

Dr. Yo · Post by **Dr. Yo** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:53 am

Looks like its coming along-catamarans are always visually interesting,
and anything with a Traveller pedigree gets my attention. Any
thougths on a color scheme yet?

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:02 pm

Color scheme is up in the air. I'm partial to the woodland color scheme, it's what most of our equipment in the USMC was painted in, but I want to do a diorama of this and some troops going in one direction, while refugees walk in the other direction. Depending what the diorama base comes out will affect the tanks color.

Buzzbomb · Post by **Buzzbomb** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 7:00 pm

nice and chunky

looking forward to the next update

Butters · Post by **Butters** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:18 pm

It's elongated appearance (and somewhat 'H' shape) put me in the mind of the Churchill British WWII tank. Not, I'm sure what the finished result will be, but just what it reminds me of. YMMV.

Old Wombat · Post by **Old Wombat** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:46 pm

That's a great looking concept, Dom. Keep up the good work!

:8)

By the way, is that fluffy alien-hunter dead/stuffed/catatonic or merely mega-chilled out?

Kolschey · Post by **Kolschey** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 10:39 pm

That's a really crisp start. I look forward to seeing how this develops!

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:15 am

Catatonic cat. Mmmmmmm, that might be a good name for the tank.

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 8:35 pm

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 11:23 pm

It's too bad that SD printer can't cut styrene too...

But your project looks just awesome! Nothing but a fan.

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:44 am

Actually, I've been told that it cuts thin styrene with less wear and tear on the blade than cardstock paper. Haven't tried it yet, but I will for this finished model.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 10:34 pm

Very interested to know the fruits of you labor.

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:05 pm

Playing around with restarting work on the "Catatonic Cat", and as an accessory piece to the diorama I started to sketch some designs for a four legged pack mule for infantry squads.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... vtank1.jpg

thinking of doing a test build in 1/35th soon. Soonish.

Joseph C. Brown · Post by **Joseph C. Brown** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 9:26 am

Are the green things bucket seats? Tight squeeze!

I just relocated the mod-Sixties lady shaving razor head I needed for the turret on my build - which was very convenient, as I had discovered the zip-lock baggie that held all my fan intake castings!

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 12:18 pm

No, those are simplified backpacks strapped to the sides of the mule. I figure a squad of 4-6 marines could strap them on the mule to lighten their load.

DOMENECH1776 · Post by **DOMENECH1776** » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:01 pm

I haven't done much with the gravtank, but I have mostly built up a mockup in card stock of a light tank. It looks almost as big as the heavy model, but is much smaller in volume.

Basic 3 side view.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... avtank.jpg

Front right view, unfinished top hull. I kinda think if I ever do a grav lift version of the General Lee, this might be the grav/mucle car version to go with.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... efb5e3.jpg

Right rear.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... 6cec60.jpg

Top down.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... 2db214.jpg

Left front.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... 679752.jpg

Front.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd30 ... 7055c2.jpg

Dr. Yo · Post by **Dr. Yo** » Tue Jul 09, 2013 1:11 pm

Another revenant! Nice designs, Dom -especially like the Car, very
swoopy.

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Gravtank by Domenech1776

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