technabob » tank

remote-controlled steam tank: it’s aliiiiive!

lambert v. — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:39:42 +0000

Artist/Steampunk da Vinci I-Wei Huang aka Crab Fu made this awesome remote-controlled steam tank. It uses alcohol or solid fuel tablets and can last for up to 15 minutes on a full tank of water. It’s a frankentank made of a Wilesco D49 Marine Double Piston Steam engine, a Mamod SE3 boiler, a Tamiya 1/16 clutch drive, an aluminum chassis, and steel tracks. It’s controlled using a 2-channel Futaba.

Once again, this building and hacking stuff is beyond my understanding, but even so I love how it looks. A little polish, grit and flourish and this thing could be made to look like a 19th century toy.

The steam tank doesn’t have weapons, but it is literally on fire. So maybe it could just stand beside its enemy until the latter melts. Or gets bummed out.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Want more steamy steampunk? Check our Crab Fu’s website for more steam-powered creations and steampunk sketches.

[via gizmo watch]

shocking tanks let you feel the agony of defeat

lambert v. — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:39:50 +0000

Do you want to teach your kids to become competitive? Then get a set of these radio-controlled shocking tanks, and in no time at all they will appreciate the value of winning. Instead of bullets or shells, the tanks fire infrared beams; whenever a tank is “hit” by the other tank, the person controlling it will receive a mild shock via the controller.

Here’s a nice video of a loving family repeatedly shocking their elder:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can order the shocking tanks at Amazon for $50 (USD). The shocking comes at a price though: you’ll need a total of 12 batteries – 6 AAA and 6 AA – to operate the tanks, so you better have a bunch of rechargeable batteries ready if you want the fun to last. And here’s another tip: switch the controllers so your opponent would get shocked whenever they hit your tank. That’ll teach ‘em!

[via Funniest Gadgets]

1/4 scale RC tank: is this still a toy?

lambert v. — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:45:21 +0000

I had my fair share of toy weapons as a kid: laser rifles that spark and pop when you pull the trigger, swords of all shapes and sizes, a slingshot. Apparently kids these days have much higher standards. Mark – 1 Tanks recently unleashed a 1/4 scale of the Germans’ WW II beast, the King Tiger Tank. This…man-toy is 6′ long, 8′ if you count the gun, and 38″ wide. It’s powered by 2 500W 24 V motors and it weighs all of 551 lbs. (250 kg). The PS3 is still heavier but hey. We’re talking about a remote-controlled tank. I mean look at it!

Apparently kids these days also look like grown men. But seriously: look at that thing. I almost wept when I realized that the guy was behind the tank, and not on the tank. Where else will you see an RC vehicle that can literally trample a child?

I’m pretty sure that the tank’s gun isn’t functional, but still. Still. Imagine your kid showing up at their school Christmas party on this. He’ll immediately be everyone’s best friend. Or at least every bully’s best friend.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Of course something this cool and obscenely large also has a humongous price: the King Tiger is worth £6,600 ($9, 713). If that’s too much for you, Mark-1 is also selling a 1/6 scale King Tiger, base price £2900 ($4,267). If that’s still too much for you then you’re a bad parent. Because giant tanks are the key to stronger parent-child relationships.

[Mark-1 via Tech Digest]

r/c tank delivers beer and bullets

technabob — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:03:31 +0000

This radio-controlled tank proves that armored military vehicles don’t always carry a deadly payload. In fact, this one delivers a cold, frosty one instead.

The beverage bearing R/C tank doesn’t really care if you drink Bud Light or Bawls, but it will make sure your thirst is quenched, thanks to its 4 built-in can holders.

Not only can it deliver delicious drinks, the little tank can fire 6mm BB bullets at targets up to 90 feet away. That’s right, don’t mess with my Brewskis! Thankfully, there’s a flashing warning light that lets you know to get the heck out of the way. Of course, these Engrish warnings from the manual don’t make me feel too warm and fuzzy about the safety of this thing.

Did I happen to mention that it’s amphibious? Yep, the tank can travel on land or in the water, thanks to a retractable 4-wheel drive mechanism.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

When you get near a body of H2O, just flip a switch on the remote and the wheels retract as the tank converts to boat mode (although they do get in the way of the drink holders when stowed).

So what’s not to like? You can find the beer-toting, gun-packing, land-driving, water-floating R/C tank here for £44.99 (appx. $92 USD).

[via CoolBuzz via Tech Digest]

annoying neighbors? take ‘em out with this paintball tank

technabob — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:19:27 +0000

(Sub)urban warfare has a new face, and it goes by the name of Paintball Panzer. The pint-sized tank has a turret-mounted paintball gun which lets you fire rounds of paint ammo while keeping you safe and sound from the tomatoes and eggs which may be thrown at you in return.

The Funtrak Mini Paintball Tank is a scaled down version of a real tank, featuring a motorized drive system, and a tread drive that lets you maneuver through the roughest backyard obstacles. It’s got a built-in roll cage and engine firewall, and is actually certified for use on the road — in the UK, that is — I have a funny feeling that they wouldn’t let one of these on the street here in the States.

Just like the real world, phony weapons comes at a hefty price. The Paintball Panzer will set you back £8,000 (about $14,400 USD). Each tank is custom built, so you might have to wait up to three months to get yours.

[BornRich via Crave]