"I need a HUGE tank! " Topic

What the title says. I need a model that can represent a really big tank with the following characteristics;

1. Looks like a huge 15mm vehicle
2. Looks hi-tech
3. Has multiple turrets/weapons systems
4. Is tracked

Lastly, it may sound like an Ogre, but I don't want an Ogre. Any thoughts? Any good conversion options out there?

link

I think VonTed was trying to link you to the Ratte from Forged in Battle. It's on their front page in case MY link is a general one as well. link

Yeap, your link is better :)

How about a GI Joe tank? THAT will certainly be huge for 15mm!

yes, I am using an action man tank "12 inch action figure" to build my Super battle tank.

I got mine from a car boot sale in a state, and I hope to have it finished by next year.

What's a car boot sale? Is that what what us Americans know as a flea market?

I was just looking at the Mongoose Battlefield Evolution Challenger this morning thinking with a little work it would make a great "super tank" in 15mm scale.

I was going to pickup a couple more cheaply here: link

Mongoose claimed it was 1/64 scale but I know that the commanders hatch is much too small for 1/64 scale and I'm thinking I can put in a 15mm tank commander on it. Now I have to find one that isn't 15mm WWII as that's all I have right now!

You want THIS – I have two of them which I am preparing for some fun WWWII games and for use in Heavy Gear as Landships. They are awesome and they are in the correct size/scale!

I'm just not sure why anyone would not want a 15mm OGRE…

Jake (who loves his 15mm OGRE)

Ratte was also my first thought, as with others above.

The M1 Abrahms from Battlefield Evolution is not exactly HUGE next to 15mm sized vehicles. This is HUGE. It is so big it is more like a terrain feature than a tank. It blocks line of sight, even if the opposing force is on a hill unless you have 6 or 8 inch high hills! The Ratte kit is simply massive and it weighs plenty too. Plus, the nice folks at Forged in Battle have unbelievable customer service – Wendy is simply top notch. I've been so impressed we are likely going to convert what is left of our WWII purchases in 15mm to them direct – even though they come from England and the shipping is a bit steep. The service is THAT GOOD!

Akuyaku. Technically, it is1/72 scale, but I think it works with 15mm too.

hlj.com/product/TACTG-2

I don't know about the Abrams from BF Evolution but the Challenger is quite small compared to the Ratte!

Bad photo of my Challenger with a Rebel Mini Space Marine and APC:

f the Ratte doesn't suit, I'd email Combat Wombat and see if he'll sell you parts to kitbash something suitable. His kits are pretty modular and very inexpensive, and while the hulls might not help much you could tack turrets and tracks onto a boxy hull with relative ease.

Yeah..I forgot #5 – Cheap!

The Ratte is awesome, but its a bit of a budget buster. The Mongoose M1 is almost exactly the same size as a 1/72 M1 diecast model.

The Combat Wombat idea is a good one! Just need a cheap chassis to use as a base.

Edit: Like on a freakin PLASTIC ARMY TANK.

The irony is that my google search brought me right back here to TMP!

G Dawg,

Ya know, *four* of those plastic army tanks (M48s/M60s) could serve as your independent track units (just remove turrets). You kitbash a superstructure over them ala this take on the BOLO:

Now start adding Combat Wombat turrets of your choice. CW also makes some brilliantly handy turned metal gun barrels as well, up to a 155mm weapon IIRC, so the secondary and tertiary weapons fit are covered. Main gun (aka, 100 cm Hellbore) is a simple matter of finding a big enough highlighter pen to serve as the forward half of the barrel, and building up from there.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Get a 1/35th scale T-35 and replace the hatches and armament.

Akuyaku does work with 15mm and shouldn't be quite as much as a Ratte.

Seven and a half inches long (that is a 54mm tall soldier in the picture). Available at link for $6.99 USD

I'd go with something in 1/35 and kit bash from there, JSU-152 in 1/35 would look truly awesome and you can get hold of kits really cheaply on ebay.

Loving Leland's idea of building on four tanks. That would be pretty awesome.

link

These are for 6mm but still suitable huge in 15mm!

Loving Leland's idea of building on four tanks. That would be pretty awesome.

Hmmm… me and my bright ideas… Mwahahaahaahahaaaaa!!!

IIRC the local Dollar Store has just those M48s/M60s…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

OK, not huge, but I am rather surprised I didn't see this one before:

auction

There is also this:

auction

and these:

auction

Maybe join four of these together to form a giant tank?

If I were doing this I would just go down to the local Toys R Us, pick up a few cheap plastic tanks and chop and paste turrets and chasis together.

You can't go past link the Bad Guy #1 tank
… and an evil piggy crew included

DUDE the piggy thing is freaking awesome. I must get one to use as a land fortress! this might work link

PS: those tanks are cool looking and cheap, but be warned, they are low qaoulity and made out of cheap plastic, as I can say so from personal experiance and this link I mean, their pretty much dollar store tanks from mother Russia. if your fine with that, go ahead. (and theirs nothing wrong with being fine with that, many a bit or unit or piece of scenery in my collection is ghetto.

The Russian tanks are also not "huge". As sources for parts, they have some potential.

I AM liking the evil piggy tank. Got a nice 'not-modern' vibe to it that should translate well. And at 1/3 the price of the Ratte, much more afforable.

How about this ex-GZG 25mm tank now cast and sold by Demonscape it is huge in 25mm scale so it would be absolutely gargantuan if used as a 15mm tank. I guess a standard 15mm figure would be about as tall as a single wheel just to give you a rough idea of its size.

It *is* awful purdy! Even so, I'm on a budget these days, starving student and all that, so I'm gonna get me some cheap-ass plastic M48/M60s and go from there…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Piggy 'Bad Guy' reminds me a bit of the Warzone Bauhaus Grizzly, though I really like it 'rounder'.

Doug

I'm just not sure why anyone would not want a 15mm OGRE…

Because they want a BOLO?

Piggy 'Bad Guy' reminds me a bit of the Warzone Bauhaus Grizzly, though I really like it 'rounder'.

Hmmm… I gather there's some question as to which came first, which causes me to yawn. Similar, but not the same.

I'm just not sure why anyone would not want a 15mm OGRE…

I had reason to question a 25mm OGRE; required playing on the floor, and participants had to walk in stocking feet to protect the infantry models. At a convention. Gamers.

Now that IS madness!

@Dawg Made up your mind yet?

Doug

brother, any piece you see on any of my vehicles is available individually.
CW
combatwombatminiatures.com

Hobbylink Japan has the following 1/72 King Panther for $3.76 USD:

hlj.com/product/AOS07217

There are a number of other tanks, too. They're all WWII, but two or four of them together could make a nice base for a BOLO-flavored supertank.

Oooh, and here's a 1/48 Japanese Type 90 MBT for $8 USD!

hlj.com/product/ARI44022

And a Maus in 1/72 scale, prepainted and weathered, for $4.61 USD!

hlj.com/product/ESM36205

And a Karl Morser in 1/144 scale for $4.09 USD!

hlj.com/product/ESM34900

@Pedrobear – four of those plastic Russian tanks together would be smaller than a Khurasan Siler. Contrary to what the toy company (keyword toy, not miniature) claims, they're more suited for 1:144 gaming on their own. Even combined, you aren't going to get many useful parts.

-Chris K.

Just made up some of the Pegasus easykit 1/72 JSU-152's (3.99 for 2 at Modelzone at the moment online) and they sit fine with Peter Pig and Battlefron 15mm figures for a really imressive "Ogreish" WWW2 feel. Have also bought some JS-3's and likewise they work fine, will try to get some comparison photos up for you.

haha, those russian tanks are so tiny I could them for super heavies in 6mm scale, so I have to agree with them not being super tanks for 15mm, they're just cool looking. you cant really beat getting a tank one or two scales larger and then getting extra stuff to stick out of it.

Because they want a BOLO?

Precisely! I mean, why do things by half measures?

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Oh,,,,,A cheap source for MAUS.

YES! YES! YES!

Its a great start!

Limit 5 per customer. Hmmmmm 5.

Thanks all for some really GREAT choices!

This looks like a possibility:

TMP link

TMP link

You'll need to add some bells and whistles to make it look high-tech, but it looks imposing in 15mm.

link
I had a couple of those – they were soft plastic, generally horrid, and would have required hours of work to get something barely descent even by my low standards. I binned them.

My Ratte arrived today. It's friggin' enormous. It'll look high tech enough as long as I don't slap a bunch of German crosses on it.

I can just see someone looking at it though and saying "well…can it be bigger?"

My 1st question How big is big?

What kinda of form factor are you looking for? Tank-like (think USSR WW2 super Tanks) Or more land Battleship?

Evyn,

A little of both. The background notes for the setting say that "bigger is better", but that could evolve over times. Looking at the current rules, I'm think "Super-Tank" for now, but "Land Battleship" would be awesome (if not practical).

I'm going to try a couple of games with the 'super tanks' and see how they play before sinking more energy into a land battleship.