So this graphic inspired me...
The graphic listed the following Soviet Vehicles:
ZSU-23/4 Armored Anti-Aircraft Weapon
MI-24 Hind-D Gunship
BMP Armored Amphibious Infantry Combat Vehicle
122mm SP Gun M-1974
T-72 Tank
SA-8 Gecko Surface to Air Missile
152mm SP Gun M-1973
It's from a NATO infographic meant for recognition purposes. The Big Seven of the Soviet Union... circa 1981. I posted it before and postulated what the NATO Big Seven would likely be and got one interesting answer.
But it also made me wonder, because I love Command & Conquer and Red Alert and stuff like Wargame and World in Conflict... what would be the most iconic weapon systems and vehicles of the various powers from a certain looooong time periods and if you were to toss them into some simplified RTS style game... you obviously wouldn't be able to go full Wargame or War Thunder since there'd only be a limited mix of units... and like the old Command & Conquer/Red Alert games, there weren't exact equivalents between the two. Both sides didn't have heavy tanks or submarines etc.
What if you limited each country or faction to just SEVEN or so vehicles or weapon systems per time period?
Anyways... that's what I was I was pondering... Here's my distilled nerdium...
USA Big Seven pre-1945: (aircraft included)
Willy's Jeep: One of the most recognizable and ubiquitous military vehicles in history.
M3 Halftrack: The most iconic halftrack of the American military and maybe outside of some iconic German models, the iconic halftrack period. Maybe evolutions include throwing a quad 50 mount somewhere.
M4 Sherman: I don't really see any other option for the WW2 era tank wise.
Deuce and a Half Truck: Upgrade the ol' 2.5 ton 6x6 GMC Truck to a DUKW for an equally iconic amphibious swimming vehicle.
P-40 Warhawk: I think the shark pattern you see on those early era warplanes really stand out from the time period.
P-51 Mustang: Probably the most iconic WW2 fighter for the United States.
B-17 Bomber: Big multiengined long range bomber dropping sticks of dumb bombs upon their enemies and bristling with machine guns. Pretty iconic I feel.
USA Big Seven post-1945: (not including "aircraft")
M1 Abrams: The M48 is a beauty and so are its resulting spawn... iconic as well... but the M1 Abrams just seems to be more iconic now for Murica.
M113 Gavin: The Bradley has gotten a boost recently but I think the M113 is still more iconic and popular.
MRAP: Another recent edition but it was an iconic family of vehicles from the War on Terror. It's too hard to narrow it down to choosing a Maxxpro or Caiman, M1117 Guardian or people thinking a Stryker is an MRAP so... it'll just be a default. Maybe it can be modified like the Multigunner IFV.
Humvee: I think this goes without saying.
UH-1 Huey: The Vietnam War is seen as a helicopter war and I think that the Huey really is iconic because of it. Plus there are gunship variants!
V-22 Osprey: So there's the Osprey, the Blackhawk and the Chinnook and all three are super iconic. But I think the tilt-rotor design is pretty popular and you see the Osprey in a lot more media nowadays. I still remember it from Half Life.
A-10 Thunderbolt: Actually an aircraft but it's a ground attack aircraft. Even though it's operated by the air force, it's both iconic and unique to how it would be involved in ground combat.
USA Big Seven Aircraft:
F-14 Tomcat
SR-71 Blackbird
F-117 Nighthawk
B-52 Bomber
B-2 Bomber
MQ-1 Predator:
E-3 Sentry AWACS:
USA Big Seven Naval Ships:
Nimitz-class Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
Iowa-class Battleship
Fletcher-class Destroyer
Los Angeles-class Nuclear Attack Submarine
Landing Ship, Tank
PT Boat
Patrol Craft Fast/Swift Boat
Russian Big Seven pre-1945: (aircraft included)
T-34 Tank: Goes without saying I feel.
KV-1 Tank: When you need to go heavier, as Soviet stereotypes apply.
Su-100: What's that huge late war Soviet armored vehicle with the huge gun sticking out the front? Yeah that's the one.
Ba-64 Armored Car: They made ten thousand of these little guys rolling about.
BM-13 MLRS: The Katyushka Rocket Launcher is already iconic but putting it on a truck really helps serve the RTS game.
Il-2 Sturmovik: Perhaps thanks to the game, it's the most iconic WW2 Soviet Plane IMHO.
Polikarpov Po-2: I'm sorry, most filthy casuals in the West can't tell a WW2 Yak apart from a MiG or an LA-7 or whatever. Biplanes tho? More famous than a Airship!
Russian Big Seven post-1945: (not including "aircraft")
T-55 Tank: Such a super common tank and I think somewhat the most recognizable one of the Soviet era along with...
T-72 Tank: Yes the Russians get two main battle tanks. These too are seen everywhere. Uh oh.
BMP-1: It's my default look for a BMP.
UAZ-469: Like a little covered jeep. If it doesn't have the enclosed compartment, it's not iconic. It's derivative trash.
RT-2PM Topol: I remember seeing these strategic mobile ICBM launchers everywhere. In an RTS they might have to use conventional warheads until the late game unlocks but should still be devastating.
S-125: When I think of surface to air missiles, I think of these... and the Hawk missiles. Patriots to a lesser extent. So the S-125 goes here.
Mil Mi-24 Gunship: I think it's the most famous of the Russian helicopter gunships. Those stubby wings bristling with rocket launchers and whatnot. And it's so big.
Russian Big Seven Aircraft:
MiG-17 Fighter:
MiG-21 Fighter:
Su-24 Tactical Bomber:
Su-57 Stealth Fighter:
Tu-16 Heavy Bomber:
Tu-95 Strategic Bomber:
L-39 Trainer:
Russian Big Seven Naval Ships:
Kirov-class Battlecruiser
Slava-class Guided Missile Cruiser (those giant anti-ship missiles are too iconic to ignore)
Akula-class Nuclear Attack Submarine
Arktika-class Nuclear Icebreaker
Osa-class Missile Boat
G-5 Motor Torpedo Boat
Project 1125 Gunboat: T-34 Tank Turrets for the win.
British Big Seven pre-1945:
Supermarine Spitfire
de Havilland Mosquito
Swordfish Torpedo Bomber
Universal Carrier/ Bren Gun Carrier
MK IV A22 Churchill Tank
Valentine Infantry Tank
Daimler Dingo Scout Car:
British Big Seven Naval Ships:
Invincible-class Aircraft Carrier
King George V-class Battleship
Type 42-class Guided Missile Destroyer
Tribal-class Destroyer
Churchill-class Nuclear Fleet Submarine
Long Range Interceptor Craft: SBS version of the Mark V Special Operations Boat
Q-Ship
Chinese Big Seven Post-1945:
Type 59 Main Battle Tank:
Type 63 Light Amphibious Tank: Like the PT-76 variant they used a lot)
Type 08 Infantry Fighting Vehicle:
Type 59 130mm Self Propelled Gun:
Beijing J212 Jeep:
Nanchang Q-5 Attack Jet: Inspired by the MiG-19 which is also an iconic Commie design.
DF-21 Mobile MRBM:
Chinese Big Seven Naval Ships:
Type 052D Guided Missile Destroyer
Type 037 Submarine Chaser/Missile Boat
Type 8105 Naval Trawler
Zhaotou-class Patrol Cutter: At 12,000 tons its the largest Coast Guard Cutter in its class.
Maritime Militia Fishing Vessel:
Armed Junk: These were used in the Hainan Island Operation which was successful and later the Quemoy Island Assault which was not. They put mountain artillery pieces on them. Delightful.
Artificial Islands: Yeah why not... like a special unit they can create on sea resource tiles.
Maybe I'll add more vehicles (DLC ) and post-1945 airplanes later. Also need some naval action...
What would be y'all lists?
The graphic listed the following Soviet Vehicles:
ZSU-23/4 Armored Anti-Aircraft Weapon
MI-24 Hind-D Gunship
BMP Armored Amphibious Infantry Combat Vehicle
122mm SP Gun M-1974
T-72 Tank
SA-8 Gecko Surface to Air Missile
152mm SP Gun M-1973
It's from a NATO infographic meant for recognition purposes. The Big Seven of the Soviet Union... circa 1981. I posted it before and postulated what the NATO Big Seven would likely be and got one interesting answer.
But it also made me wonder, because I love Command & Conquer and Red Alert and stuff like Wargame and World in Conflict... what would be the most iconic weapon systems and vehicles of the various powers from a certain looooong time periods and if you were to toss them into some simplified RTS style game... you obviously wouldn't be able to go full Wargame or War Thunder since there'd only be a limited mix of units... and like the old Command & Conquer/Red Alert games, there weren't exact equivalents between the two. Both sides didn't have heavy tanks or submarines etc.
What if you limited each country or faction to just SEVEN or so vehicles or weapon systems per time period?
Anyways... that's what I was I was pondering... Here's my distilled nerdium...
USA Big Seven pre-1945: (aircraft included)
Willy's Jeep: One of the most recognizable and ubiquitous military vehicles in history.
M3 Halftrack: The most iconic halftrack of the American military and maybe outside of some iconic German models, the iconic halftrack period. Maybe evolutions include throwing a quad 50 mount somewhere.
M4 Sherman: I don't really see any other option for the WW2 era tank wise.
Deuce and a Half Truck: Upgrade the ol' 2.5 ton 6x6 GMC Truck to a DUKW for an equally iconic amphibious swimming vehicle.
P-40 Warhawk: I think the shark pattern you see on those early era warplanes really stand out from the time period.
P-51 Mustang: Probably the most iconic WW2 fighter for the United States.
B-17 Bomber: Big multiengined long range bomber dropping sticks of dumb bombs upon their enemies and bristling with machine guns. Pretty iconic I feel.
USA Big Seven post-1945: (not including "aircraft")
M1 Abrams: The M48 is a beauty and so are its resulting spawn... iconic as well... but the M1 Abrams just seems to be more iconic now for Murica.
M113 Gavin: The Bradley has gotten a boost recently but I think the M113 is still more iconic and popular.
MRAP: Another recent edition but it was an iconic family of vehicles from the War on Terror. It's too hard to narrow it down to choosing a Maxxpro or Caiman, M1117 Guardian or people thinking a Stryker is an MRAP so... it'll just be a default. Maybe it can be modified like the Multigunner IFV.
Humvee: I think this goes without saying.
UH-1 Huey: The Vietnam War is seen as a helicopter war and I think that the Huey really is iconic because of it. Plus there are gunship variants!
V-22 Osprey: So there's the Osprey, the Blackhawk and the Chinnook and all three are super iconic. But I think the tilt-rotor design is pretty popular and you see the Osprey in a lot more media nowadays. I still remember it from Half Life.
A-10 Thunderbolt: Actually an aircraft but it's a ground attack aircraft. Even though it's operated by the air force, it's both iconic and unique to how it would be involved in ground combat.
USA Big Seven Aircraft:
F-14 Tomcat
SR-71 Blackbird
F-117 Nighthawk
B-52 Bomber
B-2 Bomber
MQ-1 Predator:
E-3 Sentry AWACS:
USA Big Seven Naval Ships:
Nimitz-class Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
Iowa-class Battleship
Fletcher-class Destroyer
Los Angeles-class Nuclear Attack Submarine
Landing Ship, Tank
PT Boat
Patrol Craft Fast/Swift Boat
Russian Big Seven pre-1945: (aircraft included)
T-34 Tank: Goes without saying I feel.
KV-1 Tank: When you need to go heavier, as Soviet stereotypes apply.
Su-100: What's that huge late war Soviet armored vehicle with the huge gun sticking out the front? Yeah that's the one.
Ba-64 Armored Car: They made ten thousand of these little guys rolling about.
BM-13 MLRS: The Katyushka Rocket Launcher is already iconic but putting it on a truck really helps serve the RTS game.
Il-2 Sturmovik: Perhaps thanks to the game, it's the most iconic WW2 Soviet Plane IMHO.
Polikarpov Po-2: I'm sorry, most filthy casuals in the West can't tell a WW2 Yak apart from a MiG or an LA-7 or whatever. Biplanes tho? More famous than a Airship!
Russian Big Seven post-1945: (not including "aircraft")
T-55 Tank: Such a super common tank and I think somewhat the most recognizable one of the Soviet era along with...
T-72 Tank: Yes the Russians get two main battle tanks. These too are seen everywhere. Uh oh.
BMP-1: It's my default look for a BMP.
UAZ-469: Like a little covered jeep. If it doesn't have the enclosed compartment, it's not iconic. It's derivative trash.
RT-2PM Topol: I remember seeing these strategic mobile ICBM launchers everywhere. In an RTS they might have to use conventional warheads until the late game unlocks but should still be devastating.
S-125: When I think of surface to air missiles, I think of these... and the Hawk missiles. Patriots to a lesser extent. So the S-125 goes here.
Mil Mi-24 Gunship: I think it's the most famous of the Russian helicopter gunships. Those stubby wings bristling with rocket launchers and whatnot. And it's so big.
Russian Big Seven Aircraft:
MiG-17 Fighter:
MiG-21 Fighter:
Su-24 Tactical Bomber:
Su-57 Stealth Fighter:
Tu-16 Heavy Bomber:
Tu-95 Strategic Bomber:
L-39 Trainer:
Russian Big Seven Naval Ships:
Kirov-class Battlecruiser
Slava-class Guided Missile Cruiser (those giant anti-ship missiles are too iconic to ignore)
Akula-class Nuclear Attack Submarine
Arktika-class Nuclear Icebreaker
Osa-class Missile Boat
G-5 Motor Torpedo Boat
Project 1125 Gunboat: T-34 Tank Turrets for the win.
British Big Seven pre-1945:
Supermarine Spitfire
de Havilland Mosquito
Swordfish Torpedo Bomber
Universal Carrier/ Bren Gun Carrier
MK IV A22 Churchill Tank
Valentine Infantry Tank
Daimler Dingo Scout Car:
British Big Seven Naval Ships:
Invincible-class Aircraft Carrier
King George V-class Battleship
Type 42-class Guided Missile Destroyer
Tribal-class Destroyer
Churchill-class Nuclear Fleet Submarine
Long Range Interceptor Craft: SBS version of the Mark V Special Operations Boat
Q-Ship
Chinese Big Seven Post-1945:
Type 59 Main Battle Tank:
Type 63 Light Amphibious Tank: Like the PT-76 variant they used a lot)
Type 08 Infantry Fighting Vehicle:
Type 59 130mm Self Propelled Gun:
Beijing J212 Jeep:
Nanchang Q-5 Attack Jet: Inspired by the MiG-19 which is also an iconic Commie design.
DF-21 Mobile MRBM:
Chinese Big Seven Naval Ships:
Type 052D Guided Missile Destroyer
Type 037 Submarine Chaser/Missile Boat
Type 8105 Naval Trawler
Zhaotou-class Patrol Cutter: At 12,000 tons its the largest Coast Guard Cutter in its class.
Maritime Militia Fishing Vessel:
Armed Junk: These were used in the Hainan Island Operation which was successful and later the Quemoy Island Assault which was not. They put mountain artillery pieces on them. Delightful.
Artificial Islands: Yeah why not... like a special unit they can create on sea resource tiles.
Maybe I'll add more vehicles (DLC
) and post-1945 airplanes later. Also need some naval action...What would be y'all lists?
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