Quick Search of DRB:
Lijit Search
drb rss about
suggest
advertise
subscribe
rss rss
rss
airplanes | animals | architecture | art | auto | boats | famous | cool ads | funny pics | food | futurism | gadgets | history | japan
military | music | nature | photo | russia | sci-fi | signs | space | sports | steampunk | technology | trains | travel | vintage | weird

Friday, March 02, 2007

Strange Tanks


"QUANTUM SHOT" #127


When the military decides to get weird, it's gets REALLY weird

It all started in the Fourteenth Century. We have a record of a "pre-tank" machine, called "Fighting Unicorn".

Military

This is a fragment of a page from the work of Mariano di Jacopo (aka Mariano Taccola) from Sienna. Apparently the body was full of very small soldiers, all running in step; the unicorn horn would be lowered to charge, or just to pound on the helmets of astonished infidels .
(via Barista Media)

------------------------
WORLD'S BIGGEST TANKS

World War I -
1. TZAR TANK

Military

Read it and weep! Landships describes the Biggest Tank Ever Built! It is also the Most Strange Armored Fighting vehicle ever constructed.
"Lebedenko Tank", or Tzar tank (after tsar Nikolaj, who helped finance it) was also called "Netopyr" - vampire bat. Its history starts in 1914 with the engineer N. Lebedenko, who came up with the idea of a 40-ton battle machine, running on one small and two very large spoked wheels, almost 9 meter in diameter. The designers hoped that this configuration would make it possible for the vehicle to cross practically all obstacles. However on the initial trial run the small wheel got stuck in a ditch, and the weak engines did not help either.

Military

Military

Military
Source: Tzar

UPDATE:
Here is another strange one (from France):
The "Machine Boirault" tested for the French Army in 1915 as a trench crossing vehicle:


(image credit: Steve Zaloga )

-------------------

World War II -
2. Stalin's Heavy Tank

Military
art by Lobachev

This page has a fascinating article about Stalin's T-35 HEAVY TANK - multi-turreted monster, visually stunning in its huge dimensions.

Military
T-35-2 on parade in Moscow. November 7, 1933.

The running gear of the T-35A tank:
Military

Military

Outwardly, the T-35 looked like the British A1E1 "Independent" five-turret tank:

Military

Today, only one T-35 survives. It is on display in the Kubinka tank museum.

We deliberately omit Nazi Germany tank monstrosities, as they will be subject of a separate post. We will also speak about TOG series 1 and 2, created in 1940 by a team of former WW1 tank designers - in the forthcoming articles.

Military

-------------------

Cold War -
3. American T95 and T28

Allies came up with a few GIANT TANKS, too. T95 and T28 had a shape somewhat similar to German "Maus" prototypes. This thread (in Spanish) discusses their history and has more images.

Military

Military

Military

Military

Only 2 tanks were finished, one just in time for Korean War. The armored plates in front were 12 inches thick!

-------------------
Have you heard of the Ferrari Tank?

No, not this one:
Military
Military

I am talking about ARMY FERRARI - F333E "Lizard"

Military

The lucrative military contracts has proven to be irresistible to many luxury auto-makers. This article puts it this way:
"The Mercedes G-Wagen has been a staple of European and Asian militaries for two decades. Land Rover has been supplying military trucks for over 50 years. BMW sold motorcycles to the Nazis. Porsche designed the Tiger tank and the Wiesel AWC. The Lamorghini LM-002 was adopted by Saudi security forces. And yes, even acclaimed Ferrari got in on the action."

Military

The Ferrari F333E Lizard was an odd little vehicle, it offered sports car performance with armored protection and special operations capabilities; had a reasonable price (one could buy several "Lizards" for the price of one Ferrari's top-end sports car) and provided a status symbol for some third-world dictators. Unfortunately it did not make any waves with the military, because of Ferrari's "absolute lack of experience in the military sales market".

During WWII US Army used "Cadillac" tanks:
Military

Preview of Cadillac Power:
M-5 light tank powered by two Cadillac V-type engines and twin Hydra-Matic transmissions
Source: Plan59

-------------------
More of weird tanks:

Military
Motorized "schlittenfahrt"

Military

Military
Minenraumpanzer III (source)

PAV 6-12: Rolling Mine Exploder:
Military

Russian "Flying Tank" Antonov-KT:
Military

Soviet OBJECT 279 - heavy 4-track tank with an unusual shape which was supposed to prevent its overturning in case of a nuclear blast:

Military

-------------------

World's Smallest Tanks:

Military

Military

Even Smaller? - the "Tank" Chair

Military

Military

Military
Site:Tank Chair

CONTINUE TO PAGE 2 OF THIS ARTICLE

Also Read: "Tank Bling!"

Permanent Link...
Category: Technology,Vintage, Military

Dark Roasted Blend's Photography gear Picks:

READ LATEST POSTS:

November 4, 2009 - Quantum Shot #597
Weird Food McDonald's Sells Around the World

Spaghetti! Soaked! In Sugarrr!


The World's Most Magnificent Pipe Organs

Simply Blockbusters of Their Time!

Biscotti Bits
Mixed Links & Images

incl. "The Unsinkable Pygmy Gecko"

SFSite
"Steampunk Anthology" Reviewed, in All Its Brass Glory

Making all sci-fi punks in the world "feel lucky", since 2008
(for other weekly "Biscotti" issues - see our main page and monthly archives)

COMMENTS:

4 Comments:

Anonymous Bob Steinbrunn said...

Just when you think you've seen 'em all...

___  
Blogger Dave said...

The tank with the glass cab on top is a German driver-training tank for the Leopard series. The instructor sits up there with a very good view, and doesn't have to worry about the weather.

___  
Anonymous Iñaki said...

Video about Goliath tank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIL34mpLi4o

Fantastic blog ¡

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Some other cool nazi tanks:
Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte Landkreuzer P. 1500 Monster

___  

Post a Comment

<< Home


SF ART & BOOK REVIEWS:
Don't miss: The Ultimate Guide to SF&F Writers!
Fiction Reviews: Alastair Reynolds "Chasm City"
Short Fiction Reviews: Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" (with pics)
New Fiction Reviews: The Surreal Office

MORE RECENT POSTS:


The World's Most Magnificent Pipe Organs

Simply Blockbusters of Their Time!


Lovely Cowgirls in Vintage Westerns

Beauties with guns scorched the screen... and it was good


Weirdest Cell Phones Ever!

Totally non-conventional looks and futuristic specs.


British Pubs: Signs of the Times, Part 2

Pub signs are almost like time machines...


Fabulous Las Vegas: Vintage Treasures

Part 1: Glamour vs. Kitsch


Incredible Astronomical Clocks

Antique and medieval technology blended with art


Battersea, and Other Abandoned Power Stations

Part 2 of popular urban exploration series


Hilarious & Crazy Signage

Part 13 of this side-splitting series


Living, Growing Architecture

Grow your house one root at a time


Alone in the Wild: Yukon Survival Saga

How to eat porcupine livers, and more!


Unusual and Marvelous Maps

Alternate histories, sea monsters, weird politics


Airships & Tentacles

Exclusive Interview with artist Myke Amend


Jet Engines on Trucks (For Fun and Profit)

Snow-blowers from hell, and more...


Star Wars for Your Mind, Heart and Soul

Part 3 of the popular series


Britain's Colorful Pub Signs, Part 1

A map to your last night adventures


Flying Colors! Creative Paint on Airliners

Groovy additions to the fleet...


Walled Cities: Keeping Out the Joneses

Highlights of the defensive architecture


Postage Stamps From the Future

...and some alternative realities


The Glamour of Flight: Sexy Stewardesses

Part 4 of highly popular series


Flags of Forgotten Countries

Don't just wave a black flag... consider your options


Spectacular Steampunk Art Update

Part 2 of this eye-popping, mind-boggling series

MORE OF THE RECENT POSTS:








Anything for the Perfect Shot! Part 3
Charmed by the Unknown Brazil
Ekranoplans Showcase, Part 2
Riot Vehicle with Water Cannon
Thrilling Vintage Movie Posters
Cheers to Beers!
Most Interesting Bridges, Part 3
Mesmerizing Kinetic Sculptures
Real Life Spy Gadgets
Tangled & Crazy Wiring
Underground Cities and Bunkers
Extraordinary Clocks & Watches
Pasta Monster & Other Strange Food
How Morgan Cars Are Made
Abandoned Boeing-747 Restaurant
Surprised Astronauts (Funny Pics)
One-Track Wonders: Early Monorails
Komodo Dragons: They Eat Meat
Spring Cleaning of the Mind: Surreal Art
Crazy & Funny Faces, Part 5
Wonder Weapons of World War Two
Narrow Buildings in Japan & Around the World
The Cutting Edge of Retro Tech
Bladerunner Tokyo Large-Format Photography
Nightmare Playgrounds, Part 3
Victorian Flea Circuses: A Lost Art Form
Strangest Music Scores, Part 2
Monstrous Aviation: Huge Helicopters!
- many more in the Archives and in the Contents Index (left bar)


FULL ARCHIVES (with previews, fast loading):

September 2009 -- August 2009 --
June-July 2009 -- May 2009 -- April 2009 -- March 2009 --
February 2009 -- January 2009 -- December 2008 --
November 2008 -- October 2008 -- September 2008
August 2008 -- July 2008 -- June 2008
May 2008 -- April 2008 -- March 2008
February 2008 -- January 2008 -- Dec, 2007
November 2007 -- October 2007 -- Sept, 2007
August 2007 -- July 2007 -- June 2007
May 2007 -- April 2007 -- March 2007
February 2007 -- January 2007 -- Dec, 2006
November 2006 -- October 2006 -- Link Lattes




CATEGORIES:
airplanes | animals | architecture | art | auto | boats | books | cool ads | funny pics | famous | futurism | food
gadgets | health | history | humour | japan | internet | link latte | military | music | nature | photo | russia | steampunk
sci-fi & fantasy | signs | space | sports | technology | trains | travel | vintage | weird



Discretion Advised! These cartoons contain some extreme animated violence!






Airplanes
Animals
Architecture
Art
Auto
Boats
Computers
Cool Ads
Extreme Weather
Food
Funny Pics
Futurism
Gadgets
History
Humour
Link Latte
Military
Music
Nature
Oops Accidents
Photography
Robots
Science
Science Fiction

Space
Sports
Technology
Trains
Travel
UE Abandoned
Vintage
Weird




Avi Abrams
Rachel Abrams
M. Christian
James Golbey
Simon Rose
Paul Schilperoord
Scott Seegert
Constantine vonHoffman
Steve Levenstein

- Join Our Team -
Guidelines








  • wow- the mountains are so surreal. Beautiful post.
    Read more

  • Unreal Landscapes... any one of them seems more at home in some imagined sf/f world than the other side of the planet from where I'm sitting.
    Read more

  • The post very much on time for me so I am glad I checked the net. I just finished watching The Last Emperor. Photography in the movie is ok but very limited - to the Forbidden City, the prison and some other grey stuff. Very nice pictures and show a different face of China.
    Read more

  • Wonderful images. I'd be inclined to visit your site again or on a more regular basis if you would please cite your sources. Some, you have. Great! Clicking on a link that takes me to a static flickr page does not allow me to investigate. Informational-wise, it's like clicking on a thumbnail of a picture and not getting a larger picture. Frustrating experience. Finding more citation information, like a good newspaper, would make for a more rewarding experience and something that I turn to places like reddit and flickr for.
    Read more

  • thank you for this comment. Most of the sources are listed in the body of the post, or at the end of it. I also duplicate the source info on the flickr pages. Some photos lead to the larger versions, if such are available. I would like to find out more about the locations photographed here; if you have such info, please send it in.
    Read more

  • first photo:
    A place for the eye and mind. Stunning. Please track down the exact location. It's a must visit. Thanks for finding.
    Read more

  • I wonder how much of the area shown in the pics, especially the river scenes with the old volcanic cones, will be under water after the DAM is complete.
    Read more

  • To say thats China is a bit too generalized. All of the photos are just from one area!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin
    Read more

  • I really liked the picture you found. It looks so relaxing. I couldn’t figure out what it was in the water but when I looked closer I made it out to be a person floating in the water looking up at the sky. I wish I could trade places with that person. Instead I’m stuck here with all this snow. I loved your descriptions about the picture too.
    Read more

  • Great photos to say the least. They give a very false reality of where the majority of the population lies today. Over 40% of its 1.3+ billion people live in urban settings. Those in rural locales are facing soil erosion, desertification, and lack of potable water in significant numbers.
    Read more

  • Wow. Those are amazing.
    Read more

  • I want go to travel china and see this place with my eyes it's wonderful land
    Read more

  • These score are wonderfully strange. I've linked to this blog from mine, which is called http://smpl.se
    Read more

  • Odd ... trackback.
    Read more

  • Thank you! I've been looking for these weird musical notations for a long time - thank you! I've linked to your site. Great site, it is, too. jmd

    www.winewomansong.com
    Read more

  • Does anyone know where that sheet music nonsense comes from? I'd love to get hold of a full version.
    Read more

  • yeah that is some crazy music.. i want a full version as well
    Read more

  • For the full versions (and more) -
    see this post
    Read more

  • Nuns with guns? You have to protect your old, atrophied virginity somehow I guess.
    Read more

  • this reminds me of that movie Knock Off with Jean Claude
    Read more

  • Great post!
    Read more

  • I have been up close to some of those container ships having picked up many times at various docks in N.O., Houston area and in the NJ ports.
    They make you feel really small when you have to really look up to see the top of one even from 50-100 yards away let alone standing or driving next to one.
    Read more

  • hey this site has been digged cute !
    cool collection buddy ! thanks to that flickr guy busyman

    a cool collection for you !
    hhtp://thundafunda.com
    Read more

  • http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=295981167&size=m
    Read more

  • Here is another for your collection. This is the University of Arkansas Razorbacks "Razorbug".
    Read more

  • Thank you, Johnathan!
    Pic is posted
    Read more

  • There's a black & white one done up to look like a killer whale with a big dorsal fin and a huge tail in Anchorage, Alaska.
    Read more

  • Let's try that again. What collection of VW mods would complete without the flying saucer.
    Read more

  • http://flickr.com/photos/jahfish/190281287/

    shortest one i've ever seen!!!!
    Read more

  • Amazing photos, and note the one from 1945 with the Nazi banners and everyone giving the Hitler salute. Yup, the VW came right out of Nazi Germany and onto our roads. Few Americans bought them in the 1940's, but by the time I came of age in the 1960's, everyone had one and they were a blast to drive. Ironic that the preferred mode of transportation for the peace and love generation came from wartime Germany, but our response to this conundrum was to turn the AM radio up louder and light up another joint. Peace, brother.
    Read more

  • Here's another one - the Fremont Troll
    Read more

  • thanks for the amazing photos
    Read more

  • I really love the 20's/30's design Beetles in the pics.
    The Beetle was my first car and I have to say there is no car quite like it. It took me over a year to discover that those strange 'handles' next to my hand-break were actually vents that opened at the back to allow warm air from the engine to come in. No wonder I used to freeze so badly in Winter! You can imagine how upset I was when I discovered that there was actually a solution to the problem of freezing (and I didn't need the blanket...)
    Read more

  • I, for one, welcome our tiny reptilian overlords.
    Read more

  • THESE are amazing, or at least wonderful pictures :) good job findin' em!
    Read more

  • I love the little toughguy baby meerkat on that page.
    Read more

  • I wouldn't have thought that a baby turtle could be cute, but you've changed my mind.
    Read more

  • Awesome animals photos!

    Best Regards from Portugal
    Read more

  • Such a great site, i love your content! I check this every day at work. Can you link to mine? techandtonic.com?

    The flight attendant pics are great, so is that cyberpunk stuff!
    Read more

  • hey thanks! i linked to you in blogroll

    all the best,
    Avi
    Read more

  • You made my month.

    therealdonquixote hearts actual attractive stewardesses, not "airline attendants".
    Read more

  • The first picture is from a Lavazza ad from 2006.
    Read more

  • Thats where i saw it also - The first picture is from a Lavazza ad from 2006.
    Read more

  • wow... those dames have some great gams.

    loving the go-go boots, but what on earth is up with the girl dressed like a bullfighter??
    Read more

  • Too damn funny. Those are great pics.

    This remind me of the book written by, and about a Stewardess in the 60's ... "Coffee, Tea or Me."

    It was, I guess, considered racy at the time but it reads like porn if it were sanitized by Disney.
    Read more

  • *chuckle* I'm old enough to remember the Braniff "bubbles"... ahh, the days when women were girls! Women have gained far, far more and we're all better for it - but there was also a unique spirit of fun in those days that we've lost . . . society gains, society looses . . .
    Read more

  • I guess the MEN enjoyed those days. It was like being "Miss America" to be an airplane stewardess then. I happened to know a girl who was one.
    Read more

  • Just go to Latin America. In the Bogota airport I saw some wonderful costumed stewardesses.
    Read more

  • Man, i remember those PSA uniforms with the weird little cleavage key-hole. Those made quite an impression on my pre-teen mind when we flew PSA from San Jose to Los Angels in the '60s.
    Read more

  • um, have you flown recently on an Asian airline.

    The staff look exactly like this, and they treat you like royalty.

    What happened to flight in America?

    Unions.
    Read more

  • The jet engines were better-engineered then, and could suck in up to three stewardesses without wiping blades.
    Read more

  • paul a'barge said...
    What happened to flight in America?

    Unions.


    Curse those unions for making it so that women over 35, those not blessed with model looks, and even some men can work as flight attendants!

    What happened to the good old days when stewardesses had to wear short skirts and smile while they were groped and otherwise sexually harassed by businessmen the age of their fathers who reeked of cigarette smoke?
    Read more

  • What! no fat bald gay men or 200+ lb women? Those girls were hot forty years ago...

    Too bad the same ones are still working today!
    Read more

  • I love the Asian airlines. The woman aren't ashamed to be women.
    Read more

  • The change in flight in American has nothing to do with unions and everything to do with the 1976 deregulation of the industry. And it's obvious from the average ticket prices since then, quality problems aside, that deregulation was (as it nearly always is) the right thing to do.
    Read more

  • "Groovy" doesn't even begin to cover it.
    Read more

  • there’s no uniform sexier than the one-piece mini-dress and off-kilter cap, especially when set off by go-go boots.
    Read more

  • How to Save the Airline Industry:
    I, for one, would fly a lot more if stewardesses still wore go-go boots
    Read more

  • I *LOVE* these stewardesses!! Awesome! :)
    Read more

  • Ah the good old days. When even college educated women were willing to be treated like servants and sex objects.
    Read more

  • I lived in southeast asia in the '60s. For in-flight entertainment the flight attendants on Thai Airways used to give a style show. Sometimes they wore bikinis.
    Read more

  • Yet another reason why I was obviously born in the wrong decade.
    Read more

  • friendly skies
    Read more

  • Oh, what memories! I was a flight attendant for Western Airlines back in the day. Our uniforms weren't designed by Pucci, oh, but the job was wonderful! It's not like that anymore.
    Janet T
    Read more

  • You should take a look around Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. The rest of the world still realizes that, like models, stewardesses have a definite expiration date and don't let them hang around until their fifties like the bitchy old broads you see on Northwest.
    Read more

  • Too bad they're all OLD now.

    http://s1.gladiatus.us/game/c.php?uid=31043
    Read more

  • Some of those chicks are serious hunnies, why are stewardesses wearing frocks and semi-gowns these days? Men are still men - BRING BACK THE STEWARDESS MINI'S! =D
    Read more

  • Whats with the matador uniform in the fifth picture, Air Spain?
    Read more

  • now I understand why they are called the good old days...
    Read more

  • "What happened to the good old days when stewardesses had to wear short skirts and smile "

    Yeah it's so much better nowadays now that we have fat ugly chicks with attitude as stewardesses. Thank god we don't have to deal with those thin cuties who smile anymore!
    Read more

  • Simply AWEFUL garbage photography... women fly planes, not dress up like Austin Powers fembots and serve duty free drinks on them. If you're not flying combat, you're not flying.
    Read more

  • Wow, by looking at these pictures, it appears that their goal was to sell you the flight attendant as the primary goal, and the flight itself as 2nd priority.

    It makes me wonder, as PC as we think we are today, how 40 years from now they will look at us.
    Read more

  • Believe it or not there was a glamour time in commercial aviation. Alas, today, it is all gone, reduced to the bottom line of corporate balance sheets, AND, the desire of the traveling public to get there cheap (but, they still want all the amenities of the old days).
    Read more

  • just wondering... if i wanted to do an old school flight attendant halloween costume, how do i make it obvious that i'm a flight attendant and not just, like, someone from the 60s or 70s?

    and i LOVE these photos.
    Read more

  • I love the special colors of these old photos.
    Read more

  • Congrats! I've nominated you for a Lemonade award, because I think you have a great pinup blog. :)

    Check it out at http://www.thepinupblog.com/files/036ed21e8968766be1e7b23471d540f2-180.html

    Tali
    Read more

  • Thank you for posting these. Those were the good old days.. I began working for the airlines in the 70's but not as a flight attendant. I worked in sales. I started flying with my family in the 60's and even through the 70's before deregulation... it was wonderful to fly. Now I hate it though I fly around the world for my work. I wish it were like it was.
    Read more

  • Thank you Tali - much appreciated.
    Read more

  • Ah...romanticizing objectification.
    Read more

  • Absolutely amazing! I love bridge constrution. Thanks so much for these pics!
    Read more

  • Wow. The world's most pointless bridge. Somebody obviously never heard a ramp.
    Read more

  • One word, freaking awesome! Alright, so that was two words. :P
    Read more

  • i've gone over this bridge twice on my motorbike, on holiday this year. it's an amazing sight from afar and the views down either side are pretty scary. it was one of the highlights of our euro tour. :-D
    Read more

  • I have been to Paris twice,1st time 2-1991 during the Gulf War and the 2nd 9 weeks after 9-11(to bad Sadam or Ben Laden could not be at Euro Disney on ThanksGiving Day). The people in Paris were great and I cant wait to see/travel on the Bridge (where's the confounded bridge?: Led Zepplin.
    What a beautiful design and most functional + the fact of Britain & France making transportation solutions.
    Read more

  • Oh my.I never thought that bridges can be built above clouds.Great engineering & nice info too.
    Read more

  • What amazing photos ! I think it is quite scary to drive in that bridge, but for sure a wonderful construction work.
    Read more

  • really nice to see all these wonders///// hope some boby beat this record//// i think one more earth will arise
    Read more

  • What amazing bridge ! Is it dangerous to drive there?
    Read more

  • I've passed that bridge a few times, and it is an amazing sight. The sad part of the story concerns the town of Millau though. Before the bridge was built, you had to leave the highway and cross Millau. it was a very popular rest-stop for families, with great restaurants and nice afternoon activities. I went through the town last November, and it is now almost a ghost town. The business activity ahas dropped drasticaly, and the inhabitants have moved away. it was such a nice town, too...
    Read more

  • 4th and 6th are the best ones.

    Btw great blog

    Bi hello from Serbia
    Read more

  • Some amazing photography with beautiful faces!
    Read more

  • Superb photographs! Thank you. :)
    Read more

  • Great collection of work!
    Read more

  • rus you simple man, 1st, 2nd, 9th and 11th are easily the best, but i bet that every one featured beats any work you produced, they definantly beat all my work.
    Read more

  • That is one crazy plant!

    Happy Mardi Gras!

    Check out Renegade's BS
    Read more

  • This strange plant does not exist only in Namibia. It can be found in Angola too.

    As a matter of fact, it was in Angola that this plant was studied for the first time, by the Austrian botanist Friedrich Welwitsch, who lived in the 19th century and worked for the Portuguese government. His work was so important that the plant was named after him.
    Read more

  • Read more

  • its those things from fallout.!
    Read more

  • It looks like a twat...
    Read more

  • I'm not going to make the obvious observation.
    Read more

  • Classic opening line... "Other planets may have aliens, but we have this..." It could be the tag line to a movie...
    Read more


Send us your topic ideas, site suggestions, rants or sweet unpublished poetry. We love to hear from you.



Misc.:
Compare Prices
Samsung LED TV






Blu