Heavy M8 Buford ( Air Deployable Light Tank )

[lincolnlou 10]

Hey there ive recently started a tank using Blender still a huge newb with the system but learning slowly. Already have a hull started for this tank. I dont know much but if anyone can help me out or wanna join in on creating this tank please let me know i can use all the help i can get. M8 Buford was built in the late 80s to replace older air deployable tanks but the program was shut down in early 90s cause of the Stryker light armor Vehicle was brought into the picture. I really dont think that was a good option cause the amount of armor and fire power on this one small light tank was pretty damn impressive. 105mm auto loader cannon with a 50. cal or 40mm launcher on top... Thicker armor then the Abrams tank. Seeing that alot of plane mods coming out that can air drop tanks ... maybe this is the perfect answer for that mod? Also there has not been a single mod out yet for a new piece of armor.

So worth the build

Heavy M8 Buford

Amazing video of Heavy & light M8 Buford

M8 Buford

Edited January 7, 2014 by lincolnlou

[LykosMactire 298]

this looks fun

a light tank, but big gun

[lincolnlou 10]

this looks fun

a light tank, but big gun

watch the video? pretty amazing tank... cant believe they dropped the project

[disco.modder 116]

It certainly doesnt look like the most armored vehicle around, but I guess those blocks that I believe are to counter projectiles help protect its crews.

Best of luck on this. :)

[Damian90 697]

Thicker armor then the Abrams tank.

Wrong, M8 have actually thinner armor than M1. And these modules seen on vehicle are ERA, this is a single use type of armor (after hit, module disintegrates) and this type of ERA was designed to protect only against HEAT warheads. It was a non universal armor as M1's heavy composite NERA armor.

Afterall it was a light tank designed to be air dropped on parachutes. So it's protection could not be as good or better than main battle tank.

[LykosMactire 298]

Wrong, M8 have actually thinner armor than M1. And these modules seen on vehicle are ERA, this is a single use type of armor (after hit, module disintegrates) and this type of ERA was designed to protect only against HEAT warheads. It was a non universal armor as M1's heavy composite NERA armor.

Afterall it was a light tank designed to be air dropped on parachutes. So it's protection could not be as good or better than main battle tank.

Well A3 is in 2035, and cancelled vehicles are in A3 already (T-95 Black Eagle and RAH-66 Commanche) and they could have made a lighter version of NERA armor.

[Foxtrop1 10]

Go forward with it

[lincolnlou 10]

Go forward with it

i am not skilled enough to finish this but if another 3D artist can help me that be amazing....

[progamer 14]

Well A3 is in 2035, and cancelled vehicles are in A3 already (T-95 Black Eagle and RAH-66 Commanche) and they could have made a lighter version of NERA armor.

That doesn't mean modders always have to do things because "The game takes place in future". The mod forums are filled with posters trying to push there own ideas on modders with that statement.

---------- Post added at 00:50 ---------- Previous post was at 00:48 ----------

Thanks for making the tank! Looking forward too it.

[LykosMactire 298]

That doesn't mean modders always have to do things because "The game takes place in future". The mod forums are filled with posters trying to push there own ideas on modders with that statement.

---------- Post added at 00:50 ---------- Previous post was at 00:48 ----------

Thanks for making the tank! Looking forward too it.

Well its not an idea its confirmation that its possible, there's always the benefit of the doubt

[[evo] dan 79]

I like this vehicle, do you plan on doing all 3 levels of protection that were originally planned for it or just the level 3 model? (The picture at the top is level 3 as I recall)

@Progamer, please let this guy take the mod where he wants to take it. It is him who is putting all the time and effort in his spare time into making it and he doesn't work for us. (And stop trying to force realism onto us all)

[dm 9]

That doesn't mean modders always have to do things because "The game takes place in future". The mod forums are filled with posters trying to push there own ideas on modders with that statement.

Likewise there are certain people pushing "do this because it is realistic" on people, so swings and roundabouts.

Lincolnlou should, like all modders, do whatever the fuck he wants to, and people that don't mod should be greatful for whatever they recieve...

[scarecrow398 43]

i am not skilled enough to finish this but if another 3D artist can help me that be amazing....

So... now this is more of an Addon Request?...

watch the video? pretty amazing tank... cant believe they dropped the project

Welcome to the Cold War, lots of things got cut.

There was a Leapard 2 with a 140mm cannon, a AT-4 with a tandem heat warhead and even a plan to create a sprayable liquid minefield in the works until everyone's funding dropped off when the soviets fell apart.

It's role was also filled with the Stryker MGS which can travel further, faster and lighter, so even in it's original role it wasn't needed.

Remember, the M8 AGS and M1128 MGS was never designed to take on tanks, it was designed to replace the M551 Sheridan which was more or less a 152mm mortar which could fire rather unreliable Shillelagh ATGM's.

The 105mm cannon can't even punch through the front armor of most late soviet tanks when the M8 was in development (hence why the M1A1 Abrams was upgraded in the 80's from it's original 105mm rifled cannon to the current 120mm smoothbore cannon). It's use was as a air transportable, lightly armored infantry support (against lightly armored vehicles and entrenched infantry such as in buildings and bunkers.), which it performed admirably as in the Iraq war.

Also the M8 AGS base model (C-130 transported) was using a welded aluminium hull for protection, the same as what the M113 was using in Vietnam...

Where as the Stryker is protected with a carbon steel hull and ceramic plating with the option of ERA and Slat armor, halon fire extinguishing systems, CBRN and as of recently, v shaped hull protection all while being able to be airdropped while uparmored from a C-17 or unarmored from a C-130.

Edited January 8, 2014 by Scarecrow398

[progamer 14]

@Lincolnlou How realistic are you planning the M8 Bluford to be? How true to it's real life version do you intend it to be?

---------- Post added at 00:38 ---------- Previous post was at 00:36 ----------

Dan;2594565']@Progamer' date=' please let this guy take the mod where he wants to take it. It is him who is putting all the time and effort in his spare time into making it and he doesn't work for us. (And stop trying to force realism onto us all)[/quote']

I'm not forcing anything on anyone. The statement wasn't even directed at the mod maker. You don't even know which direction he wants to take it so how am I not letting him take the direction he wants?

Edited January 9, 2014 by ProGamer

[adumb 0]

Likewise there are certain people pushing "do this because it is realistic" on people, so swings and roundabouts.

Lincolnlou should, like all modders, do whatever the fuck he wants to, and people that don't mod should be greatful for whatever they recieve...

He should do whats wanted by everyone else, not what he wants.

[whatismoo 10]

@scarecrow I belive the most effective use for Sheillelaghs is as a hat stand

[lincolnlou 10]

@Lincolnlou How realistic are you planning the M8 Bluford to be? How true to it's real life version do you intend it to be?

---------- Post added at 00:38 ---------- Previous post was at 00:36 ----------

I'm not forcing anything on anyone. The statement wasn't even directed at the mod maker.

i wanna make it if i get help but make it just how it was in real life. Be able to drop it out of a C-17... Have a auto loader same level 3 armor crew of 3 men with a 50 cal on top

[Kerc Kasha 102]

That doesn't mean modders always have to do things because "The game takes place in future". The mod forums are filled with posters trying to push there own ideas on modders with that statement.

Pot meet kettle!

[gurdy 479]

I feel a bit naive to take this thread seriously, but here's a warning: you are going to come across very little in the way of high-quality references for this vehicle. Your best bet is to focus on the nice XM8 walkarounds that are available and build it up to get a normal M8. In addition, all of the line drawings I've come across are extremely shaky--the turret shape and roof especially are incorrect in all of the refs I have, which compounds the difficulty of getting it to look correct. :p

Another thing to worry about is large mix of images of the "production" M8 (along with the various protection levels) and the post-cancellation developments of the vehicle... it probably won't matter nearly as much if you simply aim to create a general representation of the vehicle, but if you focus on the production vehicle it might be a little frustrating.

[drakedaeron 13]

I don't know this tank, it has a sacred mouth!