Missouri battleship 16" turret tank? Yes, I said TANK!

[seadude]

I pre-ordered the following kit from my local hobby store. It should be released this month (I hope.). I just had the crazy idea this morning of possibly putting that turret on top of a large tank chassis and making some sort of 3-gunned US Navy tank. 
I suppose it wouldn't be that crazy. I mean, look what the Germans were planning with the Landkreuzer P1000 Ratte. If the Germans can have their P1000 Ratte, then the Americans can have something similar, right?
So anybody have any other thoughts and suggestions on how I could modify this turret? What type of tank chassis to use? What size? Paint colors and decal choices to use? Etc., etc., etc.

[Old Wombat]

For the name of the US version you could use Katze (Ger: cat) or Terrier (they both hunt rats (Ratte)).

I have no idea of the size of that turret in 1/72 but a quick (& possibly erroneous) calculation indicates a width of about 7.17", which is about the same as the length of a 1/35 MBT (Merkava, Challenger, Abrams).

1/72 scale tanks aren't going to cut it!

Unless you use multiples, say 4 x M26 Pershings minus turrets, which would be replaced with a "hull" for mounting the gun, but even that may not be big enough.

You may need to go to 1/48 scale M26's or even up to 1/35, where smaller tanks, like the M24 Chaffee, may suffice, but you're definitely going to need at least 3 tanks, although 4 is more likely.

Colours & decals will depend on which service is manning it. Army? Navy?

Army: overall OD with typical unit markings for an armoured division in (Patton's) Third Army.
Navy: battleship grey or disruptive pattern with hull numbers & name across the stern.

[Mossie]

Using the Ratte as a size guide, if it's the same size as a 1/35 tank then you'll need a hull around twice the size   A 1/16 tank should work, which could turn out pricey, but I believe Hobby Boss do a (relatively) cheap Tiger & T-34.

[seadude]

For the name of the US version you could use Katze (Ger: cat) or Terrier (they both hunt rats (Ratte)).
I don't like the sound of that. I don't want to use any German sounding names.
I have no idea of the size of that turret in 1/72 but a quick (& possibly erroneous) calculation indicates a width of about 7.17", which is about the same as the length of a 1/35 MBT (Merkava, Challenger, Abrams).
The Missouri turret is 403 mm long. That's almost 16" inches from barrel tip to the back of the turret. I'm thinking that the turret housing and the barrels will be about 50/50. 7-8" length for one, and about 7-8" inches length for the other. I'm guessing at least a 1/35 scale tank chassis is going to be needed. I've got three 1/35 scale Dragon T28 Super Heavy Tank kits at home to rob parts from.
1/72 scale tanks aren't going to cut it!

Unless you use multiples, say 4 x M26 Pershings minus turrets, which would be replaced with a "hull" for mounting the gun, but even that may not be big enough.

You may need to go to 1/48 scale M26's or even up to 1/35, where smaller tanks, like the M24 Chaffee, may suffice, but you're definitely going to need at least 3 tanks, although 4 is more likely.

Colours & decals will depend on which service is manning it. Army? Navy?
Possibly Marine Corps instead.
Army: overall OD with typical unit markings for an armoured division in (Patton's) Third Army.
Navy: battleship grey or disruptive pattern with hull numbers & name across the stern.

The other thing to consider is whether to have (and how much) anti-aircraft or other smaller defensive armament on the tank? The P1000 has smaller armament on it. Mine should eventually too. Shapeways doesn't have much for 1/72 scale accessories to add to the turret. The other stuff I'll take off the turret are the life rafts and the floater net baskets as I don't need those. As an afterthought, kinda strange how I haven't seen anybody take the large 18" Yamato turret kit that TAKOM also made and convert that into a what if Japanese tank just like the German P1000 Ratte? Anyway, if I build my tank, I could put it in service at either blowing up Japanese defenses at Okinawa or maybe the German defenses on D-Day, or maybe the Battle of the Bulge?

https://blackcatmodels.eu/en/172/283-40mm-bofors-quad-gun.html?fbclid=IwAR1w0dBdI-_O30zCQ8RtYgka9XpY-ArxBL8gSRZPaI_2EXSuwHCwOeapLdc
https://www.shapeways.com/product/4UBVH4R8J/1-72-usn-stern-main-turret-40mm-gun-tub?optionId=236874112&li=marketplace
https://www.shapeways.com/product/JJS53K6N9/bofors-gun-tub-ammo-set-1-72?optionId=59488595&li=marketplace
https://www.shapeways.com/product/ZUF9NNQFB/1-72-mk51-w-o-mk14-gunsight?optionId=60301124&li=marketplace
https://www.shapeways.com/product/YFJ7TUU6E/1-72-usn-mk-51-director?optionId=59481347&li=marketplace
https://www.shapeways.com/product/96UZZ52MN/quad-bofors-shielded-kit-1-72?optionId=59097725&li=marketplace

[Martin H]

I think i've mentioned it before. But when my 72nd Ratte was on the bench. I took it to the local club one evening. We sat it alongside a recently finished 1/16 scale T34. They took up the same amount of table top space.
Now the Ratte was to have 11In guns....so for a 16in triple. You would likely need a 1/16 IS2 or king Tiger sized hull.

[tahsin]

You people saw this, right?



First answer for Yamato turret vs Tiger on Chrome. Assuming there is intent to do full justice instead of Ratte closing under withering but "ineffective" fire and finish the job with two or three rounds shot per barrel, you are possibly looking at 4 or more tank hulls locked into some sort of a train formation with amazing engineering and similar things to carry the turret in between...

[buzzbomb]

Hmm.. the whole huge turrets on tanks thing is... well.. interesting.

As a further comparison for size.
This is a 1/72 Flying off platform on HMAS Australia I did a zillion years ago. It had dual 12" guns. So probably add another third in size at least

[tigercat]

Whiff toy construction equipment ??

[kerick]

What about taking a hint from the drone flyers and put a tank hull at each corner of a large hull holding the ship turret. Trick might be steering the contraption.

[tahsin]

Once again using this as a link dump for later reference...

https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/german-tank-based-railway-guns for the masters of the genre struggling for the semi-impossible task, with the side info that a Tiger without armour comes at 25 tons... Which you will NOT need after hearing the "actual" target set for the Ratte.

https://m.imgur.com/5X4BQtb is a picture from the comments section at the link above a 182 ton self moving affair.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_gun is just a natural with https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Railway_gun being a new variant of the format for me to check. Last two arise from the think that US Army based its thing indeed on single barrel option with the 14/50 of the WW l era being the base idea.

[zenrat]

If it's going to be in the service of the Marine Corp then should it be amphibious?

[jcf]

Why only one turret? 

From Stan Mott's History of Tanks.

[jcf]

Iowa class triple-mount turret weight:
1,701 - 1,708 tons (1,728.4 - 1,735.4 mt)

[tahsin]

Not as impossible as

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qkVED

or the 2700 ton weight of the Yamato turrets in fact.

[Old Wombat]

Why only one turret? 

From Stan Mott's History of Tanks.

'Coz there's only so much styrene in the world!