Short Introduction To Czech Medium Tanks

Czech Preconceptions

By:

IrmBecx

So there’s about a day left until we can all get grinding; those of us that don’t really have anything else going except stockpiling resources. I don’t think I’ve ever had this huge a buffer, getting on 55 million credits and almost a million free X, not to mention a hoard of purple boosters.

Yeah, it’s gonna be a short grind.

But also a serious one. I’ve been driving the TVP 50/51 already, and it’s definitely just what I need for my garage. I think the TVP is well within balance, and it will definitely add novelty to my collection of tier X Medium and Light tanks.

As usual, I’m hoping some of the lower tiers will hide a diamond in the rough. The tier IX Skoda T50 seems like a safe bet in this regard, but hopefully the fun will start already at tier VI. A rapid firing three shot 75 mm? Sign me up. Tiers VII and VIII, at a glance, look like the least promising, but I’m not writing them off. You get a 100 mm at tier VII and then a 105 mm at tier VIII, that’s basically a Heavy tank gun.

Also, all these tanks get around 55 degrees of hull traverse, 20 hp/ton, and they all do 60 except the T-34-100, which does 50. I don’t see ny of these tanks being underpowered on paper, and being someone who is captivated by the subtle balancing nuances of Chinese tanks, I feel I can appreciate the Czech flavour also.

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What’s not so good on these tanks is the accuracy, but I feel that’s a somewhat overrated statistic. You can always get closer or let the gun settle to land the shots, and the aimtimes look pretty good.

Also the armour plating, of course. These tanks will all be about mobility and firepower. In terms of actual effectivity, the tier VII T-34-100 could actually be worth a look with its leftover Russian bias; 45 mm means you can bounce any Heavy tank gun you’ll face at an autobounce angle either front- or sidescraping. The TVP VTU, firing well past the drive wheel, should be able to present 180 mm on the sides of the turret and the upper front plate.

These aren’t paper tanks; they are going to get a bounce or two. Just don’t actually count on it.

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So I told myself I was going to do the grind “for real”, but that lasted about seven minutes, which is the amount of time I waited trying to get in a game in a world suddenly filled with eager Skoda T-25 grinders. On to tier VII it is.

Being a huge fan of the old T-34-85 “Rudy”, it’s not at all hard to figure out what the “Construction T-34/100” s all about – it’s simply a 100 mm “Rudy”. The comparison isn’t at all unfavourable either, you trade a bit of DPM and top speed for a bigger alpha strike. But yeah, this is a glorified tier VI tank, and it doesn’t get the trollish 75 mm front plate the Rudy has. 45 mm will still bounce at an extreme angle, but it doesn’t have quite as much left over Russian bias as anticipated.

If you know about the amazing little T-34-1 from the Chinese tech tree, you’ll understand I had zero problems adapting to this one. A 100 mm weapon is about two sizes over tier standard (which at least used to be 75 mm), and it’s all about positioning and making good trades. I will say I had a good feeling about this one, and I liked it right away. It’s not hard to drive, and it works really well. The worst thing I can say is that as a design concept, it’s not exactly revolutionary.

But I didn’t save up all these resources to drive tier VII, so I spent a little more to start the tier VIII TVP VTU early. Got all the modules and golded the crew, and I was really impressed with the 105 mm first game out.

The VTU is a sort of mix between a Löwe and some weird Porsche Panther Leopard. It does 60, has good pickup, and turns really well. There are a few parts of it that could be called “armoured”, but they are mostly flat and need proper angling to work.

Again, this is not hard to figure out. You are basically a 105 mm gun on tracks, and you want to move it around the battlefield to where it can do the most damage to the reds. The DPM isn’t fantastic, but then the same is true for most tier VIII Mediums out there.

Here is where I sort of got to thinking “wait a minute. I have like 800.000 free XP just lying around. What’s the use of that, exactly?” So I got the tier IX and X tank as well, on the first day; which I think is a first for me.

I told you it was going to be a short grind.

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At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I liked the TVP T 50/51 right away in testing. It’s a four shot 100 mm autoloader as I’m sure you are aware, it’s a little bit better armoured than  Leopard 1, and the mobility is excellent. It’s not what you call “noob friendly” by any stretch, but if you know a thing or two about autoloaders, it’s not rocket science either.

At tier IX, you have the same concept only with a three shot magazine. There is talk of the Skoda T 50 being “stronger in its tier” as usual, and I think a lot of that is simply down to the three shot autoloader being easier to use. If you struggle with a 21.3 second reload, you’re going to struggle less with just under 16 seconds.

1240 clip potential. That’s more than a 120 mm Heavy tank autoloader. In fact the only autoloader that has more is the FV4005.

But the fascinating thing about these vehicles isn’t the raw firepower, it’s the autoloader playstyle. 100 mm is the smallest caliber in tier, but the alpha damage is certainly good enough for single shots. The less you think about the “magic clip” that either puts out 12-1300 damage or takes out four one shot tanks, the more you can concentrate on making the most of your shots and managing your lengthy reloads.

The T 50 at tier IX is everything I expected it to be. The same tank with one less round in the clip a tier lower, and I have had better games in it thus far. But the tier X is the one you want, because the four shot clip makes it unique, and that’s why I wanted it for my collection.

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Going back to tier VI, I had some fun driving the T-25 autoloader. It’s a baby TVP, it really is, and it gives you a good indication of the higher tiers. As I mentioned, the tier VII and VIII are just regular tanks; there’s very little about them that stands out, and it may seem like a letdown having to slog through them before you get to the autoloader goodness at tier IX.

But there’s something to be said for offering a little diversity, and on the whole I think the Czech grind, short as it was, has been really enjoyable.

In spite of the excellent first game, I’m running something like a 28% winrate in my TVP VTU; it’s stuck in the cesspit that is tier VIII, and you just have to deal with that. But I’m still driving it, because I like the strange “Löwe Medium tank” flavour, and I know the thing has potential.

I can’t keep getting these hopeless teams, can I?

Either way, for me getting the T 50/51 was a no-brainer. I like Medium tanks, I love my BatChat and my Progetto 65, and I had a mountain of resources lined up just waiting for something interesting to come along. And being an early adopter like this? Totally worth it.

Should you get one?

Maybe. These tanks do require a cautious drive, but they also have some powerful attributes to work with; excellent mobility and good firepower, which is really all you need. They are also support vehicles; you’re not going to frontline them and just dominate.

But if you want something that is going to pose you a bit of a challenge and that will reward you when you get things right, then the Czech tech tree is full of tanks like that. Speed and mobility is never going to go out of style, and even having a little bit higher alpha damage can translate into an important advantage when you start learning what distances work best for making good trades.

Well managed, the four shot autoloader can be completely devastating.

If however your garage isn’t all that well stocked, there are perhaps a few other tech tree lines you might want to consider before starting this one. If you are curious about the tier VI, VII, and VIII, then that’s fine; go for those, but you should probably drive a regular Medium tank at tiers IX and X before you try an autoloader one. The venerable BatChat may not have that extra shell, but it has Light tank camo on the move to help you get away and stay hidden.

So yeah; if a Patton or E 50 M is Medium tank 101, then the T 50 and 50/51 is Medium tank 102, and then the Leopard is for more advanced students.

Or maybe you just want to have the latest thing; that’s all right too. 

IrmaBecx says the Czech Medium line has the tank philosophy seal of approval, and yes, that means all five vehicles.

Crate Of The Month: AMX 13 90 Defender

French Twist

By:

IrmaBecx

So you may be aware I’m not a huge fan of the Defender series of tanks, but I have, belatedly, joined the ranks of Defender drivers after I found the Defender Mk.1 in one of those snow globes over the holidays.

And if you are of the gambling persuasion, you can now perhaps become the owner of the latest addition to the family; the AMX 13 90 Defender.

It’s a curious little tank. Basically an uparmoured 13 90 with a rapid firing, four shot 75 mm autoloader; all the Defender tanks are autoloaders, that’s their thing. 75 mm may feel like it’s a little too small for tier VIII, but since you are able to dump well over 600 damage over five seconds, that should be all right.

I called it “uparmoured” just then, but that isn’t saying a whole lot. Being better armoured than the papier maché AMX 13 90 only means you will get  few more troll bounces, but every little helps, I suppose.

Wargaming have kindly given me early access to the tank, and I’ve spent some time with it in preparation for release.

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So what’s it like to drive?

Well, it’s fun. Light tanks are fun. I had a great time doing the BatChat line grind, and from tier VII and up, these tanks remin some of my favourite vehicles, although I should say I had the lowest winrate in the tier VIII 13 90. That tank was buffed recently, significantly cutting down the clip reload.

I’ve been talking to my friend LeBigTed about that; he really likes the 13 75, but was less impressed with the 13 90 on account of the longer reload, and he’s French, so he should know his AMX:es.

With better armour, better engine power and traverse, better penetration, and about a hundred more DPM, it would be tempting to say the 13 90 Defender is simply a better tank, but since the weapon is so different, that’s simply not the case. A few short games reveal these are two distinctly different flavours of Light tank.

A 90 mm gun is tier standard for Light and Medium tanks at tier VIII, meaning every single shot is more effective. Even with much higher penetration, the Defender will sometimes struggle to take the tracks off enemy vehicles, for example. The tradeoff is you have almost a one second shorter interclip reload, but the tech tree 13 90 will still dump a little more damage in a slightly shorter period of time in a clipping situation.

A 50 mm front plate means you will bounce anything smaller than a 150 mm weapon if the angle is steep enough. 70 mm turret front sounds even better, but remember this is one of those oscillating turrets, so it’s just the “collar” it rides on that’s 70 mm; the rest is 50 mm, which is still pretty good. You also have 40 mm sides with a 15 mm side skirt that will eat HEAT rounds and reduce HE damage.

The thing does get some hilarious bounces.

But I’ll be honest and say it’s been a bit of a struggle. I could make excuses like I’ve been off playing for about a week, or that people focus new tanks, but the fact remins driving Light tanks is hard, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s what makes pulling off a good game in one so rewarding.

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So should you consider getting one?

Well, there might be a couple of reasons why you should. First of all, a premium Light tank is never to be scoffed at; especially not one that has a few bits of actual armour plating.

If you like your French Light tanks already, then this is a slight variation on the same concept. And of course any fan of autoloaders might want to take a look at this one.

But you should be aware this is a bit of a tricky drive, and in spite of the 640 damage clip potential, you will be carrying a weapon that is slightly lower caliber than is usual for the tier. If you struggle with autoloaders or low caliber guns, then maybe leave this one alone.

In the family of Defender tanks, the AMX 13 90 Defender is I think the least approachable, especially for newer players. It takes a steady hand to drive it, and a sterner application of the Light tank doctrine than usual in order to make it perform.

As you know, I’m not of the gambling persuasion, and I’m not particularly enamoured with the Defender tank aesthetic. If I want to drive a grey autoloader with an electric power plant, I’ll just stick with my Defender Mk.1, and if I want to drive an autoloader Light tank, I’ll be looking to my newly buffed tech tree 13 90.

But I still have to give thumbs up to this new offering. The 13 90 Defender is fun to drive, a well executed variation on an existing tank, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying it out on the press account. I think I might even go as far as giving it the coveted tank philosophy seal of approval.

IrmaBecx says do keep an eye out for this one when it comes for sale in a regualr bundle.