Hovercraft Beach Assault Tank

[Buzzbomb]

Providing using a pre-loved model as part of this build gets me a nod from the most worthy moderator... I am in.

Dug through some carcasses and "yesteryear builds" to see where the mojo was. Ended up with an old T-62 as a basis.
So using the same method as the FIST Dragon APC, some conduit for the basic hovercraft skirts and I also count the shape as  flotation aid as it is still a pipe.


After a bit of deconstruction something like this... or... looking for some bits and finding a another candidate, the Panther hull


Both have their pros and cons, but after destroying the T-62, the Panther hull shape might just have it as being a bit more "seaworthy" look.
Either way, the gun will most likely change to more a High Explosive delivery system, more like a Demolitions type weapon to deal with emplaced troops and fortifications.

[Kerick]

Cool!

[Jeffry Fontaine]

T-62 turret on the Panther hull is an interesting combination.  Is the current skirt assembly fixed in size or can it be tweaked a bit to give it a larger footprint to support the superstructure? 

[raafif]

Cool!

Double that !

Cushion does need to be a bit longer but keep the armour nose hanging over the front for protection.

[LemonJello]

Yep. That gets moderator approval.  Please proceed!

[Buzzbomb]

Yep. That gets moderator approval.  Please proceed!

Excellent, was probably going to anyway, but not in the GB if it got the flick

So, kicked on a bit further, I can live with the skirts as they are. I did toy with slicing the skirts vertically to actually make them look like skirts, but thinking about it, all my get up and go got up and went.
I will stick with the tube arrangement.

So the Panther/T-62 combo came out on top, so now just working through the topside arrangements. If you really need to know, the Tamiya T-62 turret fits in the Tamiya Panther turret ring with a swipe of 180 grit around the circumference.


Thinking is now, steerable rear fans and the large upper intake for the hovercraft gubbins. That is 3D printed as I could not find a bit that suited me.


I think this might get a more Sci Fi treatment as trying to fit this into a current tech genre is just not quite working for me as the technology has not really radically changed much since the original experiments. But add some fusion powerplants and some AetherFlotarium, something of this size might just creep in to plausible with maybe 3 person crew as everything becomes more techo. Conformal armour for the skirts and maybe some limited defence suppression thermobaric missiles.
Or I could scaleorama to 1/48 

[GTX_Admin]

Ignoring the hover craft bit but the Panther hull/T-62 Turret combo looks a bit like this Rheinstahl-Henschel Prototype I B, which competed against but lost to Porsche's submission for West Germany's Leopard 1:

[Kerick]

Ignoring the hover craft bit but the Panther hull/T-62 Turret combo looks a bit like this Rheinstahl-Henschel Prototype I B, which competed against but lost to Porsche's submission for West Germany's Leopard 1:

Wow! I’ve never seen that before!

[Buzzbomb]

More progress.. a setback and then progress again.

That voice nagged me and I ended up cutting the pipe to give a better skirt look.


After that I mixed up some builders bog I found and looks like the catalyst was off... it did not set so it all had to come off.

Meanwhile whilst that saga was unfolding, back at the bench, work on the thrust fans, Conduit and a couple of 3 D Printed fans


Bit more work on the upper hull and turret. Main Intake trunk, access hatch to turret


For the weaponry, a BFG, co-ax Autocannon and a missile rack system

[Old Wombat]

 

[Frank3k]

That's looking great, Brian - beefy gun, too.

[Robomog]

Looking good, love those fans, one day I will get me one of them there new fangled printing thingies, you can do so much with them !

Mog
>^-.-^<

[apophenia]

Those fans do look great. Mind you, the overall effect helps suggest that achieving low-earth-orbit may not be out of the question 

[Buzzbomb]

Those fans do look great. Mind you, the overall effect helps suggest that achieving low-earth-orbit may not be out of the question 

Ahhh the difference between Contra Grav and Hovercraft

Slow pace.. but moving along
Whizzed up some fans for the lower hull to create the air dam. 3D printer again.. it does have it uses.


Fitted to the Lower hull, with some hardstand landing strakes for when not in hovercraft mode


Looking at an armoured skirt plan. Curved would be better, but all in all, these are easier to create.

Will try for a hinged look, to ride up when the craft settles when the skirt deflates.

[Frank3k]

It's looking pretty massive! O like the skirt armor for the hover skirt.

What material did you print the fans in? The finished fans look great, the others look like they have some stringing and the bases look under-extruded. Is this PETG ?

[Buzzbomb]

What material did you print the fans in? The finished fans look great, the others look like they have some stringing and the bases look under-extruded. Is this PETG ?

I only use ABS as I have a lot of it and do not use the printer much. It is a early UP 3D printer so is pretty average compared to modern printers.
Once you popped off the rafts, clean out the supports,  they were not too bad to clean up.

[Buzzbomb]

Over all the Model Expo hoopla and a bit of away time.

Lurching back to the bench, although the RW Scammell R100 is the main bit of attention at the moment.

Did a bit around the Glacis area, working through some ideas, but got somewhere. The layout might change a bit, but pretty much settled.
Once all this filler is set and sanded back, only a splash plate to go then to the paint shop.

[finsrin]

Looking right, is gunna work.   Nice concept 

[Buzzbomb]

Turned the corner and into the final stretch





under the first coat of paint now.. next some sort of camo business

[GTX_Admin]

Looking good

[Frank3k]

Looks good! The skirt looks great. This is literally a shoot and scoot vehicle!

[Buzzbomb]

Thanks gang.

Anyway.. lets call this one done.. Other things to tackle
Masking, masking.


Ended up here






So for a Hovercraft Tank, there you have it.

Not going in finished builds yet.. I might retake some photos

[Claymore]

What a transformation! Great work as always. 

[Old Wombat]

Nice!

[GTX_Admin]