Tank Expo 2004 Recap

[Frank Pittelli <frank-at-rctankcombat.com>]

Another Tank Expo has come and gone, kicking off the 2004 R/C Tank 
Combat season with a bang.  Eleven participants attended, with 8 
vehicles on display, including a surprise visit and stunt exhibition by 
Fred "I'm Not A Coward" Simms.

The day began with Marty "The Legend" Hayes showing off the newest 
supply vehicle, a nice looking "duece and a half".  Although running 
slower than most tanks, Marty's truck ran reasonably well considering it 
was the first time out.  With some tweaking of the wheels (needs a 
little more traction) and the battery supply (needs a little more speed) 
it should perform well in a battle.  Legendary Trucking, Inc. is already 
accepting contracts for deliveries, attempting to undercut services 
provided by the U.N. supply vehicle owned and operated by Blattau 
Hauling and Freight, Ltd.  The looming price-war will almost certainly 
result in lower shipping costs for Tri-Pact and the Tyng Regime.

Three members of the small-scale tank combat world attended and 
demonstrated some of their handiwork.  Daryl Turner showed a nicely 
detailed version of the 1:6 scale Stuart which he is building for 
infra-red battling only.  Daryl's workmanship is excellent, including 
scratch-built machine guns, and we'll be posting photos of his results 
as the project develops. A second Stuart, being developed by Daryl and 
Keith Graybeal, will use similiar structural modifications, but not as 
much detail and will be designed for both paintball and infrared combat. 
  Daryl is modifying a 40cal marker to fit more easily in the Stuart and 
to use a standard CO2 bottle instead of the disposable cartridges.

The third small-scale member, Mike Wilson, brought along a 1:16 scale 
Panther that was "fully loaded" --- not with ammo, but with electronics. 
  Mike's tank, although small in size, was fully equiped with "two" 
onboard video cameras, one mounted in front for the driver and one 
mounted in the turret for the gunner.  Mike demonstrated the setup in 
the shop, driving around the room using (mostly) the video display. 
(NOTE: Backing up under only video control is not exactly easy!!)  Mike 
and Keith are working on a standardized video setup for their 
small-scale infrared combat club to explore that aspect of the hobby. 
We'll post more information as their work proceeds.

Looking at detailed scale models and sophisticated little 1:16 scale 
models was nice, but everyone needed to see some serious 
ground-pounding, paintball slinging action to feel truly fulfilled, so 
Steve Tyng loaded up the T34 and took it out on the Tri-Pact Rough 
Terrain Test Course, followed closely by Mike Blattau's U.N. supply 
vehicle. Climbing over some landscape timbers and ripping through a 
heavy ivy patch re-assured everyone with testasterone that life is good. 
(John took some video of the exhibition, which will be posted as soon as 
John's computer is operational again.)  Mike bullied his way through 
most of the rough terrain as well, demonstrating his battle-tested 
hauling capabilities to stave off competition from Legendary Trucking, 
Inc.  Of course, the U.N. vehicle was shot by the T-34 at point blank 
range while delivering a load of humanitarian aid (even in a test 
environment, Steve can't stop himself from shooting anything that moves).

After firing the gun a couple of times to remind the "infrared" 
combatants what a gun sounds like, Steve trained the T-34's gun on a 
target put together by Joe Sommer to test his prototype "lightweight 
armor".  The "armor", consisting of cardboard and three layers of 
reinforced tape, withstood direct hits from 6 feet away, which tore 
right through the un-protected cardboard.  No visible damage was seen 
inside the box either.  Moreover, paintball "goo" slid off the tape 
easily.  No doubt, the experts at the Anvilus Plastic Works will 
continue to develop this cheap (and we don't mean inexpensive) and 
lightweight hull material.

Will Montgomery showed everyone the drive system, suspension and 
partially completed track system for his new Russian tank destroyer. 
With a steel under-carriage, steel spring-loaded suspension arms for all 
axles, steel roller chain tracks and heavy-duty wheel chair motors, this 
is definitely *not* a sleek greyhound ... it is a Russian bear!!! 
(We'll be posting photos of the various systems sometime in the next 
week or so).  With plenty of room inside and lots of experience building 
R/C vehicles, Will shouldn't have any trouble finishing it in time for 
the late Spring battle.

The final demonstration of the day was the first field test of the 
Tyng/Tri-Pact experimental M520 Goer.   Although it successfully rolled 
down the road and turned "ok", it was clear that the Goer needs some 
additional traction (rougher tires and more weight in the tractor should 
do the trick -- we hope) and needs a properly installed (and maybe 
stiffer) set of springs to control turning.  It may eventually need 
rear-wheel drive as well, but that can't be determined until the 
front-wheel traction and steering issues are resolved.  Unfortunately, 
further work on the Goer won't be done until the latest upgrades to the 
venerable Tiger-1 are completed -- slated for sometime in 2010 ;-(

All in all, it was a fun day talking about and demonstrating R/C tank 
combat technology, with plenty of laughs and food to go around.  We 
encourage everyone to hold similar get-togethers in your local region to 
exchange information and have a good time.

        Frank "Anyone Want Some Leftover Refried Beans?" Pittelli