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Ball Tank

Started by frank2056, March 04, 2025, 08:26:15 PM

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frank2056

March 04, 2025, 08:26:15 PM
Ball tanks are an "interesting" solution to trench warfare but a bad idea in practice. This bad idea is the Miniart 1/35 Sharotank, Soviet ball tank that I'm going to build as a US between the wars "advanced tank":



This won't be my first foray into round bad ideas:

I built this tiny Spheroid tank in 2023 and the Anti-Radiation Ball Tank in 2021 so this will be the biggest bad idea of the group.

I started the kit after taking the picture and right now I'm at the point where I have to paint the interior framework before I can go on. One problem (that was mentioned in The Modelling News build) is that the crew seats are far too small. I'll scratchbuild larger seats and reduce the crew to four or even three, if I can't fit them all in the hull.

buzzbomb

#1
March 04, 2025, 09:17:01 PM
Yessir.. that is right on theme  :thumbsup:

kerick

#2
March 04, 2025, 09:40:30 PM
This should be cool!
I've got a clear do it yourself Christmas tree ornament ball that could work for this. Some left over Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog track around the middle with some .50 cal gun barrels sticking out and I might have the American light tank version. Maybe an outrigger wheel on each side, just to be different. Like I don't have enough things started already!
" Somewhere, between half true, and completely crazy, is a rainbow of nice colours "
Tophe the Wise

NARSES2

#3
March 05, 2025, 05:29:47 AM
This will be very interesting  :thumbsup:
Do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.

Mossie

#4
March 05, 2025, 02:31:12 PM
Looking forward to this.  :thumbsup: Always a kit I like the look of but never got around to buying.
I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my mule don't like people laughin'. He gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

frank2056

#5
March 05, 2025, 08:40:00 PM
@Mossie - it's an interesting kit, with a very detailed interior... but ridiculous as a real world vehicle, especially with the guns.

Here's the "seat issue":

Seat from the Tamiya Quad Tractor, vs the kit seat:



Our friend Nigel from the same kit in his seat:



It looks like a child's seat. "Take your kids to war":



I used the Tamiya seat as a rough template for the new ball tank seats, although I may not be able to fit them all in the space available.

The rest of the day was spent painting all the white interior parts, which have to be completed before construction can proceed. It's been raining all day and the extra humidity made painting harder (even though I'm using acrylics).

Wardukw

#6
March 05, 2025, 09:06:29 PM
Love this nut bar idea Frank 😆 🤣
In the stupid ideas department this one got top shelf billing  ;D
Sometimes mate I really don't know how humanity has lasted this long  :unsure:
If it aint broke ,,fix it until it is .
Over kill is often very understated .
I know the voices in my head ain't real but they do come up with some great ideas.
Theres few of lifes problems that can't be solved with the proper application of a high explosive projectile .

loupgarou

#7
March 06, 2025, 12:33:29 AM
Very interesting project. I hope you will manage to complete the kit. I wonder how to avoid it falling on one side, both in "real" life as in model. Gyroscopes?
Owing to the current financial difficulties, the light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off until further notice.

Mossie

#8
March 06, 2025, 01:04:35 AM
Quote from: frank2056 on March 05, 2025, 08:40:00 PM@Mossie - it's an interesting kit, with a very detailed interior... but ridiculous as a real world vehicle, especially with the guns.

That's part of the appeal! I feel that most of these ball concepts are either on the small side, or huuuge. That's often an issue with any circular structure, usage of space.

Quote from: Wardukw on March 05, 2025, 09:06:29 PMLove this nut bar idea Frank 😆 🤣
In the stupid ideas department this one got top shelf billing  ;D
Sometimes mate I really don't know how humanity has lasted this long  :unsure:

What surprises me is how many times it's come up, on both sides of the Atlantic. The Soviets especially were prolific in the number of ball tank designs they came up with.
I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my mule don't like people laughin'. He gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

zenrat

#9
March 06, 2025, 01:36:29 AM
I was pondering a bigger version last night.  1/35 using something about 6" diameter.
Fred

- Can't be bothered to do the proper research and get it right.

Another ill conceived, lazily thought out, crudely executed and badly painted piece of half arsed what-if modelling muppetry from zenrat industries.

zenrat industries:  We're everywhere...for your convenience..

PR19_Kit

#10
March 06, 2025, 01:44:34 AM
What ever is the supposed advantage of a spherical tank? It must be the very devil to manufacture, not to mention to drive too!
Kit's Rule 1 ) Any aircraft can be improved by fitting longer wings, and/or a longer fuselage
Kit's Rule 2) The backstory can always be changed to suit the model

...and I'm not a closeted 'Take That' fan, I'm a REAL fan! :)

Regards
Kit

zenrat

#11
March 06, 2025, 02:09:42 AM
If you have enough of them, and some strategically placed craters, you can play motorised tank billiards... :unsure:
Fred

- Can't be bothered to do the proper research and get it right.

Another ill conceived, lazily thought out, crudely executed and badly painted piece of half arsed what-if modelling muppetry from zenrat industries.

zenrat industries:  We're everywhere...for your convenience..

frank2056

#12
March 06, 2025, 09:51:38 AM
Quote from: PR19_Kit on March 06, 2025, 01:44:34 AMWhat ever is the supposed advantage of a spherical tank? It must be the very devil to manufacture, not to mention to drive too!

They were supposed to make it easier to roll over trenches and barbed wire and make smaller targets. Here's a page on ball tanks

The Popular Mechanics for July 1936 had a ball tank on the cover and a short article on page 37. Read it here

Wardukw

#13
March 06, 2025, 10:08:35 AM
Drugs ...copious amounts of drugs ...being taken as often as possible by anyone involved with these stupid designs..it had to be that .
Built specifically to cross trenches ..just make the trench wider and deeper and there boned and how about a tank obstacles with a spike pointed towards em ..stopped dead and FFS no sharp turns.

Seriously like Fred's idea too 😆
If it aint broke ,,fix it until it is .
Over kill is often very understated .
I know the voices in my head ain't real but they do come up with some great ideas.
Theres few of lifes problems that can't be solved with the proper application of a high explosive projectile .

Mossie

#14
March 06, 2025, 11:48:44 AM
Quote from: zenrat on March 06, 2025, 01:36:29 AMI was pondering a bigger version last night.  1/35 using something about 6" diameter.

Quote from: zenrat on March 06, 2025, 01:36:29 AMI was pondering a bigger version last night.  1/35 using something about 6" diameter.

Protivotank. Almost double that at 28cm in 1/35. Here it is next to a Maus:
https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/g9l4s0/protivotank_project_or_stalins_balls_of_steel/

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And borrowed from Secret Projects:
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/kugelpanzer-aka-ball-tank.3708/page-2

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I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my mule don't like people laughin'. He gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.
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