New Historical Styles for World of Tanks in the New Year Offensive
On the eve of the New Year, millions of players of the popular game World of Tanks are waiting for an important event - the "New Year's Offensive". Every year the developers come up with something new and try to present pleasant surprises to the "tankers": starting from the main character of the event, who is often played by a world celebrity (for example, last year it was Chuck Norris, and this year - Arnold Schwarzenegger), and ending with many awards, including unique 3D styles for tanks... Basically, these are styles created on the basis of real design decisions, combined together in the framework of a certain idea of using a machine in the "What if? .." format. To bring them to life and to make the tanks look as believable as possible for their era, the developers studied a lot historical documents. But there is one exception among these styles. However, let's go in order.
The Rinoceronte tank has never existed in metal. But that is what the game World of Tanks is famous for, that in it you can see machines that were created only on paper. So, thanks to the efforts of the development team, players will be able to find out what Rinoceronte would look like if it was launched into the series.
In the basic configuration, as is the case with the first series of vehicles, the tank had a rather austere appearance. Therefore, the 3D-style "Fortune" has become a kind of vision of the developers, what would Rinoceronte be after some exploitation in the army or after participating in any armed conflict.
Since the Italian post-war school of tank building was inspired by the developments of the American and German tank industries, it was decided to focus on them in the "body kit".
In order to give more frontal relief, eye-loops were added for hanging various engineering equipment (buckets, mine sweepers, etc.). The screens were replaced with the same ones as the BMP "Bradley". Here, the developers were guided rather by aesthetic considerations, since they have no obvious advantages over the standard ones. But the stowage of the water canisters and the protective cover in the place where the barrel rolls back into the mask can be called a vital revision. After all, as you know, water is life, and it is not always available or suitable for drinking in a war zone. In turn, the cover increases the likelihood that the rollback will occur normally and the implement will not fail at the right time.
So that the crew could fight in the dark, a German-made IR searchlight was installed on the vehicle. In addition, it was decided to re-equip the tank with a light machine gun on a movable pivot installation, since nothing of the kind was structurally provided for. In reality, tankers would most likely have done something similar.
The number of smoke grenade launchers has been increased in line with global trends. Since the Rinoceronte is an Italian vehicle, it could fight in mountainous terrain, in places with limited mobility, as well as in winter conditions. In this regard, the developers added lugs, similar to those used on Leopard tanks.
The most striking element of this style was the twin installation of the ATGM "TOW" on a lifting platform. Such developments were carried out in the United States. The purpose of its appearance was not only to double the firepower, but also to allow the operator-gunner to fire from behind shelters and folds of the terrain, leaving his equipment out of the enemy's line of sight. A tripod has also been added, which is used for firing ATGMs outside the vehicle. All tanks that were developed during the Cold War, one way or another, had anti-nuclear protection systems. This topic was not ignored when creating the style for the Rinoceronte, so the machine also received a filter-ventilation unit.
As you know, the tank is not the most spacious equipment inside. But each crew member has both official and personal property. Plus rations, additional equipment, ammunition, trophies, finally. It happens that the designers forget about it, and the tankers have to improvise on the spot. During the Second World War, tanks did not have standard boxes and baskets for this. The exception is, perhaps, German cars, but their crews had to order additional baskets and "trunks" in the repair parts. That is why they sometimes resembled not a combat vehicle, but a moving truck. The Rinoceronte was equipped with a tower basket. But, since part of the basket was occupied by a filtering unit, a folding and removable trunk was also added at the rear of the hull, similar to those used on the M113 BMP in the Bundeswehr.
Perhaps not the most noticeable, but much needed element of Rinoceronte is the anti-slip stripes. Indeed, in the base, the tank had many smooth surfaces, which could cause injuries to the crew. The task of such stripes was to reduce the likelihood of their appearance.
Vz. 55 was a draft design for a heavy tank, created in the late 1950s and early 1960s, based on Soviet and Czechoslovak developments. Later, the development of the tank was curtailed, but World of Tanks decided to recreate this vehicle, and specifically for the New Year's offensive, "dress" it in a 3D style.
The game developers initially set a goal to create a modernized tank based on the Vz. 55, moreover, modernized both in the factory and, possibly, already in the army. It was planned that this will be a machine that has been at the exercises of the armies of the countries - members of the Warsaw Pact in the 1960s. Initially, no specialization was planned for the car, but in the process of creative work on the style, it was born by itself. Vz. 55 received its idea, legend and unique distinctive detail - a mortar installation at the rear of the tower. Thus, it is not just a tank, but, if you will, an "artillery support tank" or "mortar tank". The specialization of the vehicle, among other things, is indicated by the large emblem of the artillery troops of the Czechoslovak People's Army (crossed gun barrels), placed on boxes with ammunition on the sides of the tower.
Of the most expressive features that have been modernized in the tank, the following can be noted.
If we talk about the hull, then the car, like the Czechoslovak modernized T-55 tank, was able to use mine trawls thanks to the bonks welded onto the frontal plates of the hull for fastening them. On the upper frontal sheet, a mud protector (wooden board) appeared, by analogy with the T-54A tank. On the sides were installed anti-cumulative rubber-fabric screens covering the undercarriage, which were modeled after the real screens of the Czechoslovak T-55AM2 tank. A log appeared at the stern for self-pulling, on the fenders - additional tanks for fuel and oil. On the roof of the engine compartment there is a cable that the crew could pick up somewhere for various needs - after all, cables are never superfluous. Crates with spare parts, tools and accessories can now be seen on the fenders, as evidenced by the inscriptions in the Czech language.
As for the turret, here the barrel of the gun was equipped with a thermo-casing, similar to that of the gun of the Czechoslovak T-55AM2 tank. A laser rangefinder, modeled after the rangefinder of the Czechoslovak T-55AM1 tank, was attached to the gun's movable armor, and the armor itself was equipped with a cover. Smoke grenade launchers were placed on the sides of the tower - this is the Soviet system 902 "Tucha", which was installed on the Czechoslovak T-55AM2 tanks. And closer to the stern, steel boxes appeared, in which the ammunition load, intended for a 120-mm mortar, was stored.
At the stern of the tower, an unparalleled platform was made and the installation of a Czechoslovakian 120-mm mortar was mounted.
In addition, the cover of the infrared illuminator bore the emblem of the Czechoslovak army, which, as can be seen in archival photographs, was used on real machines in the 1960s.
It is characteristic that the equipment of the Czechoslovak army, in contrast to the equipment of other ATS countries in the exercises, as a rule, had a camouflage livery. In this regard, the developers had a decision to "dress" the tank in real Czechoslovakian camouflage of the 1960s.
The main task that was solved when creating the Salamander style was to adapt the vehicle designed for paratroopers to the requirements of the Marine Corps. For greater seaworthiness, telescopic waterproof skirts along the sides and stern were added to it (by analogy with the M551 Sheridan). Also on the sides and on the forehead of the hull there were brackets for attaching property (by analogy with the LAV-25 machine). But the telescopic exhaust pipe disappeared, a snorkel, standard for Marine tanks, was used instead.
For the crew's belongings, baskets were introduced at the stern of the turret and hull, the same as on the M551 Sheridan used in Vietnam.
The turret of the tank acquired XM176 grenade launchers - similar ones were found on the M551 Sheridan until the 1980s. In addition, the tank was equipped with a twin installation of large-caliber M2 machine guns - as they say, an American tank without a "twin" Browning is not just not an American, but not a tank at all. And finally, the car was “loaded” with standard items: barbed wire, spare impeller and tracks, life jackets, canisters, ammunition boxes, spare barrel for a machine gun, thermos for food, twists and a tool bag of the mechanic drive.
As conceived by the developers, the "Saiga" style is a factory modernization of the standard CT-II, which was used for mine clearance and making passes in minefields. So, you can see that on the VLD of the machine there are details for fastening mine trawls, and the trawls themselves have been removed. On the sides of the hull there are two broadband mine detectors. But the main feature of the vehicle is the UR-88 "Oboe" experimental demining system, located on the sides and rear of the tower. It allows an explosive to be sprayed from special tanks, which is then detonated by a detonator charge. As a result of the explosion, mines can clear an area of up to 80 square meters. Thus, this modification can be called a sapper tank or a breakthrough tank, which specializes in passing minefields.
In addition, on the vehicle you can see the anti-radiation attack on the turret and standard elements of the body kit and additional weapons, such as a log for pulling a tank out of sticky soil, a machine gun on the turret roof, a camouflage net, and an entrenching tool. A 120mm mortar was placed at the stern. Apparently, he was transported on a tank due to the lack of their own vehicle at the mortar gunners attached to the tank.
Thunderchild style for the British tank destroyer FV 4005
This is the only fantasy style in our roundup that players will be able to get during the 2022 New Years Offensive. There are no references to FV 4005 vehicles, or similar equipment installed on other equipment, or any other features of the equipment of military equipment during the Second World War. This style was inspired by a completely different period of history: the Victorian era of the second half - the end of the XNUMXth century, its features and distinctive features.
The ideas for a number of elements, including the concept of a bow figure, an embossed emblem and a motto aboard the FV 4005 turret, were borrowed from the armored warships of the Royal Naval fleet Great Britain of that period (as well as other countries - the USA, France, the Russian and German empires). The “ancestors” of modern machine guns were also taken from there: multi-barreled self-loading systems with a mechanical principle of reloading, which, with a small caliber, were called “mitrailleuses” or “cannons”, and with a caliber of 37 millimeters and above - “revolving cannons”.
The developers managed to get a lot of ideas from the study of trackless steam locomotives - locomotives, which were widely used in transport before the mass distribution of internal combustion engines. One of the hallmarks of the Victorian era was the impressive progress in communications, and therefore the characteristic attributes of early radio communication were also indispensable in creating the style - such an element was the antenna that was installed on early Swedish tanks.
Placed on the tower as a kind of "hunting trophies" revolver rifle and saber also had quite real prototypes. At the same time, it should be noted that small elements in the form of lanterns, keys, containers and tools located on the aft part of the tower and on the fenders mostly had real prototypes and were associated with the maintenance of steam engines, steam locomotives and locomotives, as well as those used on them. systems such as coal furnaces, steam lines and pneumatic drives.
As such, new 3D styles will add to the collection of believable styles designed for many tanks in World of Tanks. And it is the participants in the "New Year's Offensive - 2022" who will be able to become their first owners.
"Fortuna" for the Italian heavy tank Rinoceronte
The Rinoceronte tank has never existed in metal. But that is what the game World of Tanks is famous for, that in it you can see machines that were created only on paper. So, thanks to the efforts of the development team, players will be able to find out what Rinoceronte would look like if it was launched into the series.
In the basic configuration, as is the case with the first series of vehicles, the tank had a rather austere appearance. Therefore, the 3D-style "Fortune" has become a kind of vision of the developers, what would Rinoceronte be after some exploitation in the army or after participating in any armed conflict.
Since the Italian post-war school of tank building was inspired by the developments of the American and German tank industries, it was decided to focus on them in the "body kit".
In order to give more frontal relief, eye-loops were added for hanging various engineering equipment (buckets, mine sweepers, etc.). The screens were replaced with the same ones as the BMP "Bradley". Here, the developers were guided rather by aesthetic considerations, since they have no obvious advantages over the standard ones. But the stowage of the water canisters and the protective cover in the place where the barrel rolls back into the mask can be called a vital revision. After all, as you know, water is life, and it is not always available or suitable for drinking in a war zone. In turn, the cover increases the likelihood that the rollback will occur normally and the implement will not fail at the right time.
So that the crew could fight in the dark, a German-made IR searchlight was installed on the vehicle. In addition, it was decided to re-equip the tank with a light machine gun on a movable pivot installation, since nothing of the kind was structurally provided for. In reality, tankers would most likely have done something similar.
The number of smoke grenade launchers has been increased in line with global trends. Since the Rinoceronte is an Italian vehicle, it could fight in mountainous terrain, in places with limited mobility, as well as in winter conditions. In this regard, the developers added lugs, similar to those used on Leopard tanks.
The most striking element of this style was the twin installation of the ATGM "TOW" on a lifting platform. Such developments were carried out in the United States. The purpose of its appearance was not only to double the firepower, but also to allow the operator-gunner to fire from behind shelters and folds of the terrain, leaving his equipment out of the enemy's line of sight. A tripod has also been added, which is used for firing ATGMs outside the vehicle. All tanks that were developed during the Cold War, one way or another, had anti-nuclear protection systems. This topic was not ignored when creating the style for the Rinoceronte, so the machine also received a filter-ventilation unit.
As you know, the tank is not the most spacious equipment inside. But each crew member has both official and personal property. Plus rations, additional equipment, ammunition, trophies, finally. It happens that the designers forget about it, and the tankers have to improvise on the spot. During the Second World War, tanks did not have standard boxes and baskets for this. The exception is, perhaps, German cars, but their crews had to order additional baskets and "trunks" in the repair parts. That is why they sometimes resembled not a combat vehicle, but a moving truck. The Rinoceronte was equipped with a tower basket. But, since part of the basket was occupied by a filtering unit, a folding and removable trunk was also added at the rear of the hull, similar to those used on the M113 BMP in the Bundeswehr.
Perhaps not the most noticeable, but much needed element of Rinoceronte is the anti-slip stripes. Indeed, in the base, the tank had many smooth surfaces, which could cause injuries to the crew. The task of such stripes was to reduce the likelihood of their appearance.
Hurikan style for the Czechoslovakian heavy tank VZ-55
Vz. 55 was a draft design for a heavy tank, created in the late 1950s and early 1960s, based on Soviet and Czechoslovak developments. Later, the development of the tank was curtailed, but World of Tanks decided to recreate this vehicle, and specifically for the New Year's offensive, "dress" it in a 3D style.
The game developers initially set a goal to create a modernized tank based on the Vz. 55, moreover, modernized both in the factory and, possibly, already in the army. It was planned that this will be a machine that has been at the exercises of the armies of the countries - members of the Warsaw Pact in the 1960s. Initially, no specialization was planned for the car, but in the process of creative work on the style, it was born by itself. Vz. 55 received its idea, legend and unique distinctive detail - a mortar installation at the rear of the tower. Thus, it is not just a tank, but, if you will, an "artillery support tank" or "mortar tank". The specialization of the vehicle, among other things, is indicated by the large emblem of the artillery troops of the Czechoslovak People's Army (crossed gun barrels), placed on boxes with ammunition on the sides of the tower.
Of the most expressive features that have been modernized in the tank, the following can be noted.
If we talk about the hull, then the car, like the Czechoslovak modernized T-55 tank, was able to use mine trawls thanks to the bonks welded onto the frontal plates of the hull for fastening them. On the upper frontal sheet, a mud protector (wooden board) appeared, by analogy with the T-54A tank. On the sides were installed anti-cumulative rubber-fabric screens covering the undercarriage, which were modeled after the real screens of the Czechoslovak T-55AM2 tank. A log appeared at the stern for self-pulling, on the fenders - additional tanks for fuel and oil. On the roof of the engine compartment there is a cable that the crew could pick up somewhere for various needs - after all, cables are never superfluous. Crates with spare parts, tools and accessories can now be seen on the fenders, as evidenced by the inscriptions in the Czech language.
As for the turret, here the barrel of the gun was equipped with a thermo-casing, similar to that of the gun of the Czechoslovak T-55AM2 tank. A laser rangefinder, modeled after the rangefinder of the Czechoslovak T-55AM1 tank, was attached to the gun's movable armor, and the armor itself was equipped with a cover. Smoke grenade launchers were placed on the sides of the tower - this is the Soviet system 902 "Tucha", which was installed on the Czechoslovak T-55AM2 tanks. And closer to the stern, steel boxes appeared, in which the ammunition load, intended for a 120-mm mortar, was stored.
At the stern of the tower, an unparalleled platform was made and the installation of a Czechoslovakian 120-mm mortar was mounted.
In addition, the cover of the infrared illuminator bore the emblem of the Czechoslovak army, which, as can be seen in archival photographs, was used on real machines in the 1960s.
It is characteristic that the equipment of the Czechoslovak army, in contrast to the equipment of other ATS countries in the exercises, as a rule, had a camouflage livery. In this regard, the developers had a decision to "dress" the tank in real Czechoslovakian camouflage of the 1960s.
Salamander style for the American XM551 Sheridan light tank
The main task that was solved when creating the Salamander style was to adapt the vehicle designed for paratroopers to the requirements of the Marine Corps. For greater seaworthiness, telescopic waterproof skirts along the sides and stern were added to it (by analogy with the M551 Sheridan). Also on the sides and on the forehead of the hull there were brackets for attaching property (by analogy with the LAV-25 machine). But the telescopic exhaust pipe disappeared, a snorkel, standard for Marine tanks, was used instead.
For the crew's belongings, baskets were introduced at the stern of the turret and hull, the same as on the M551 Sheridan used in Vietnam.
The turret of the tank acquired XM176 grenade launchers - similar ones were found on the M551 Sheridan until the 1980s. In addition, the tank was equipped with a twin installation of large-caliber M2 machine guns - as they say, an American tank without a "twin" Browning is not just not an American, but not a tank at all. And finally, the car was “loaded” with standard items: barbed wire, spare impeller and tracks, life jackets, canisters, ammunition boxes, spare barrel for a machine gun, thermos for food, twists and a tool bag of the mechanic drive.
"Saiga" style for the heavy Soviet tank ST-II
As conceived by the developers, the "Saiga" style is a factory modernization of the standard CT-II, which was used for mine clearance and making passes in minefields. So, you can see that on the VLD of the machine there are details for fastening mine trawls, and the trawls themselves have been removed. On the sides of the hull there are two broadband mine detectors. But the main feature of the vehicle is the UR-88 "Oboe" experimental demining system, located on the sides and rear of the tower. It allows an explosive to be sprayed from special tanks, which is then detonated by a detonator charge. As a result of the explosion, mines can clear an area of up to 80 square meters. Thus, this modification can be called a sapper tank or a breakthrough tank, which specializes in passing minefields.
In addition, on the vehicle you can see the anti-radiation attack on the turret and standard elements of the body kit and additional weapons, such as a log for pulling a tank out of sticky soil, a machine gun on the turret roof, a camouflage net, and an entrenching tool. A 120mm mortar was placed at the stern. Apparently, he was transported on a tank due to the lack of their own vehicle at the mortar gunners attached to the tank.
Thunderchild style for the British tank destroyer FV 4005
This is the only fantasy style in our roundup that players will be able to get during the 2022 New Years Offensive. There are no references to FV 4005 vehicles, or similar equipment installed on other equipment, or any other features of the equipment of military equipment during the Second World War. This style was inspired by a completely different period of history: the Victorian era of the second half - the end of the XNUMXth century, its features and distinctive features.
The ideas for a number of elements, including the concept of a bow figure, an embossed emblem and a motto aboard the FV 4005 turret, were borrowed from the armored warships of the Royal Naval fleet Great Britain of that period (as well as other countries - the USA, France, the Russian and German empires). The “ancestors” of modern machine guns were also taken from there: multi-barreled self-loading systems with a mechanical principle of reloading, which, with a small caliber, were called “mitrailleuses” or “cannons”, and with a caliber of 37 millimeters and above - “revolving cannons”.
The developers managed to get a lot of ideas from the study of trackless steam locomotives - locomotives, which were widely used in transport before the mass distribution of internal combustion engines. One of the hallmarks of the Victorian era was the impressive progress in communications, and therefore the characteristic attributes of early radio communication were also indispensable in creating the style - such an element was the antenna that was installed on early Swedish tanks.
Placed on the tower as a kind of "hunting trophies" revolver rifle and saber also had quite real prototypes. At the same time, it should be noted that small elements in the form of lanterns, keys, containers and tools located on the aft part of the tower and on the fenders mostly had real prototypes and were associated with the maintenance of steam engines, steam locomotives and locomotives, as well as those used on them. systems such as coal furnaces, steam lines and pneumatic drives.
***
As such, new 3D styles will add to the collection of believable styles designed for many tanks in World of Tanks. And it is the participants in the "New Year's Offensive - 2022" who will be able to become their first owners.
Information