The Quintessential Tank

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2003-02-18 02:49am

Just a random thought that entered my head while I was thinking about plastic army men. When you think of a tank, what comes to mind?

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2003-02-18 03:02am

Definitely M1 Abrams. I don't know much about tanks, so the only ones I can picture off the top of my head are the M1 and the M4, and I always thought the M4 looked kind of silly. When I think "tank," I think "M1."

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-02-18 03:06am

M1A1, T-90, and the whole range of British WW1 heavy tanks are the first to come to mind.

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2003-02-18 03:09am

I just remembered that I had an M1A1 hotwheels toy when I was a kid. That's probably a big part of why I always envision that as the quintessential tank.

Utsanomiko · Post by **Utsanomiko** » 2003-02-18 03:09am

The Abrams has always been what I first think of when i think about tanks.

If there's even an apocalypse, WWIII, or political/economic colapse of the US, I want to steal a couple and start my own tank militia.

Captain tycho · Post by **Captain tycho** » 2003-02-18 03:13am

M1 Abrams.
Mostly because it's common.

Shadow WarChief · Post by **Shadow WarChief** » 2003-02-18 03:17am

The Abrams definately comes to mind.

How can this magnificent piece of machinery not leave an impression on the human psyche?

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-02-18 03:39am

When I think of tank, usually the first that pops into mind is the M-1. I also, think about the M-60 because it was being phased out when I was an 8th grader. For some reason, I remember a lot from that year of my life.

When it comes to other countries the first tank that pops to my mind is the Merkava.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-02-18 04:06am

Sorry, it must be an old war movie thing, I think tank, I think Erwin Rommel!

RadiO · Post by **RadiO** » 2003-02-18 08:29am

For me, it's the Centurion. Reliable, continously upgraded over the first 30 years of its life and popular with its users, it was an international success. It's probably set to notch up 60 continous years as a front-line gun tank, and many more in the heavy APC role with the Israelis.
In appearance, it still looks modern today - probably because its boxy looks preceeded the 1970s trend of near vertical armour faces.
But the main reason it's my archetypal tank is that it was the first armoured vehicle I ever paid attention to. We had the old partwork War Machine when I was four, and the centerspread of one of the first issues was an four-view colour illustration of an upgraded Israeli Centurion. That's one of - if not actually my earliest memory.

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2003-02-18 09:07am

M-1 series, German Leopard, and the British Challanger come to mind for me.

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-02-18 09:23am

Good to see that there're other "Tiger"-lovers as well.

Oooops 500 post!!!

theski · Post by **theski** » 2003-02-18 09:48am

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger... Great rugged looking tank

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2003-02-18 10:01am

Tiger and Pather stand out as "TANKS" as well to me, Though overall when I hear TANK, I think M-1

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-02-18 10:03am

This:

Or this:

See HAB sig.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2003-02-18 10:04am

The M1A2 might be one of the best tanks out there, but when you talk to people that is not the tank design that comes to mind. Usually people think of the classic design of a somewhat blocky main body and a nice rounded turret. The T-72 and T-80 are more representative of this then the Abrams, Challenger, or Leo.

Soulman · Post by **Soulman** » 2003-02-18 12:48pm

The T-34 comes to my mind, blame Combat Mission and Close Combat III for that...

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-02-18 09:15pm

The T-34. The most important tank ever made, and in huge numbers.

Captain Jack · Post by **Captain Jack** » 2003-02-18 10:13pm

Tiger. Seen to many WW2 movies.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 2003-02-19 08:48am

Captain Jack wrote:Tiger. Seen to many WW2 movies.

Then you probably saw M47 tanks acting as Panzers, not Tigers.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-02-19 10:51am

Ted wrote:
Captain Jack wrote:Tiger. Seen to many WW2 movies.
Then you probably saw M47 tanks acting as Panzers, not Tigers.

Don't get me started on that. Battle of the Bulge, anyone? That was one AWFUL film. Not only did they try and pass off Patton tanks as King Tigers, but the final armor battle took place in the DESERT! In the middle of fucking Europe (France/German border) in WINTER?!?!?!

They looked nothing like Panzers. The best Tiger I've seen in a film was in Saving Private Ryan. Even though the entire scene it was in was full of shit.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-02-19 11:23am

Vympel wrote:
Ted wrote:
Captain Jack wrote:Tiger. Seen to many WW2 movies.
Then you probably saw M47 tanks acting as Panzers, not Tigers.
Don't get me started on that. Battle of the Bulge, anyone? That was one AWFUL film. Not only did they try and pass off Patton tanks as King Tigers, but the final armor battle took place in the DESERT! In the middle of fucking Europe (France/German border) in WINTER?!?!?!

They looked nothing like Panzers. The best Tiger I've seen in a film was in Saving Private Ryan. Even though the entire scene it was in was full of shit.

I like the end of Battle of the Bulge, where a 55gal. drum of gasoline collides with a "King Tiger" and the tank explodes, instantaneously, Pinto-style.
You of course know the Tiger in Saving Private Ryan is a T-34 in wolf's clothing, I'm sure.

RadiO · Post by **RadiO** » 2003-02-19 01:25pm

And it had the engine sounds of a Chieftain.

It's true, Spielberg didn't like the original engine note recorded on location, so he got a military museum in the States to record something meatier...

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-02-19 04:08pm

trying to remember that line from "The Wall" about "....When the Tigers broke free, and thats how those bastards in the high command took my daddy away from me."

Pablo Sanchez · Post by **Pablo Sanchez** » 2003-02-19 08:29pm

Vympel wrote:They looked nothing like Panzers. The best Tiger I've seen in a film was in Saving Private Ryan. Even though the entire scene it was in was full of shit.

You can rationalize it by saying that the tank group came straight from the factory. That's why they had no coaxial or bow machineguns, and no bulletproof vision slits (in fact, no glass in the slits at all).

But it balances out!

The Rangers and Airborne just forgot that you actually could use a bazooka to blow Tigers and Panthers all to shit, if you fired on it from somewhere other than the front. They also forgot that you can kill tanks with Molotov cocktails from above.

So, both sides were fucked up. That makes it okay

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The Quintessential Tank

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The Quintessential Tank