Top Ten Sci-Fi Armored Vehicles

Spacedock delves into ten of sci-fi's best armored vehicle designs.
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[@stephenjdutton]

I suspect that the Star Wars AAT was designed for an organic crew before the Trade Federation just bought it off the shelf. Then it was cheaper to put in battle droids as crew instead of integrating a droid brain into it.

[@igncom1]

Yeah it really sells to me that the TF were more interested in finding buyers for their product weapons rather then simply building them for their own use. Of course they must have made a fantastic profit selling to the separatists! Makes me wonder if they ever sold any to worlds who ended up on the republic side of the war, ending up with AAT on AAT combat during the war!

[@enisra_bowman]

i think it boils down to loophole abuse and cost cutting measure, same with the barrage cannons in EP3., well, not that abusing loopholes would be much of an issue then, but retooling and refitting would be more complicated i guess

[@LordVader5738]

Correct. The TF's military were just a security force meant to protect TF's assets from pirates. A lot of the equipment was just bought off the shelves. The Republic was so mediocre it couldn't provide security for anyone in the Outer Rim. They did like to tax them though, so they made an exemption to the Ruusan Reformation to allow TF and other corporations to arm their ships for protection purposes. After the Phantom Menace, the Republic wanted the TF to disband their security forces. So they instead relocated further into the Outer Rim. And when the Outer Rim, as the CIS, wanted independence, the Republic was like "No, I can't do nothing for you. I do whatever I want with you. But you are staying with me." all of that while wearing a wife beater and holding a Natural Ice.

[@deskmat9874]

No you're right I think CIS wasn't completely made up of droids

[@iivin4233]

Glad you wrote this comment. It gave me a lot to think about. And I'm gonna subject you to my thoughts. First, it truly would have been cheaper to use droid crews initially. The droids already existed after all. But I think over time they would want to design a brain. Either that or AAT-2 would get that integrated AI because that would simplify and shrink its design substantially. Granted a lot of the Separatists are organic. If the AAT-1 successfully tackled the challenge of making a control scheme that multiple species could use, then that is a good reason to keep AAT-1 in production. Or the CIS might not have had the time or money to tool up a new production line for an AAT-2. I think it's neat how the AAT's design could tell a story like that. On to thought two. I'm not sure if the AAT is a good tank design or not. What's interesting is that it depends on how exactly certain Star Wars technology works. Comparing it to modern tanks, the AAT is tall. This provides a host of disadvantages, but it gives it better gun depression than it would normally have with its gun mounted so far back. It's also bad for the turret crew to be seated so far away from everyone else. And they will have to remain seated because there isn't room for a full height turret basket. A small carousel autoloader might fit under that turret. Anything else would struggle. However, this is where Star Wars tech comes into play. if the AAT's turret is unmanned the turret can shrink. How is the main gun fed? Are tibanna gas cylinders much smaller than tank rounds, or is it fed via plumbing with gas storage in the hull? If the second then the far rear mounted turret is not that helpful. The engineering challenge of all that unsupported weight on the back, the inconvenience of that narrow location to repair, might not be worth it. However--is tibanna explosive? If it is and all that gas fits in the turret, then having the turret hanging far away off the back of the tank is great. If the turret gets hit and blows up the crew and the rest of the vehicle will survive. That said, I still think it would be smarter to hang the turret off the front than the back of the vehicle. It's also bizarre that the AAT has sponson mounted...machine lasers? rather than a coax. The only advantage of them I can see is that they have great elevation and depression. Are they for AA then? Whether for infantry or drones, their 0 degrees of traverse is a problem. Unless the whole vehicle can spin like a top. You're sneaking up on and AAT and it wheels round face you. The force cannot dispell the smell of your pants.

[@thedragondemands]

Problem is that the HK tank is so dedicated to anti-infantry but it’s vulnerable to flanking from anti-tank infantry to blow their treads with explosives. Of course it was nice to see that Skynet learned and adapted with combined arms, using humanoid Terminators as screening infantry. Then again…that’s Terminators doing the same anti- infantry job the HK was meant to do; couldn’t the same resources spent on the HK be more efficiently used on more regular troops? Well…they do say Skynet loses the war…

[@shinyagumon7015]

I love the idea of Skynet being bad at troop design and strategy. Gives the humans are plausible way to win that's not just based on some nebulous idea of human persistence and spirit or whatever. Makes sense that the missile AI has no idea how to fight a conventional war.

[@alexanerose4820]

So are irl tanks against infantry with decent anti-tank weaponry and drones and artillery (as we see in ukraine) but it doesn't make it invalid or a bad thing to have

[@songyani3992]

Skynet spread to entire internet but it decided to bomb majority of infrastructures through a huge nuclear war and let itself become a concentrated target. No wonder it lost the war.

[@igncom1]

@@alexanerose4820 Yeah they are all tools for a job. And it's not like the resistance didn't have a wide range of vehicles of their own!

[@thedragondemands]

@@shinyagumon7015 well...I think it was more that the humans fought an "asymmetric war" using hit and run guerrilla tactics. Normally those last as long as they're motivated, and _fighting to the point of extinction_ means the humans won't just surrender. I think the phrase in one of the spinoff books is "Skynet was winning battles but losing the war"

[@charlesmcmanus4229]

The StarCraft fan in me is sad at the lack of the Terran Siege Tank. :(

[@Cyberlisk]

Same here, that thing is so iconic and has an interesting gameplay mechanic.

[@WolfODonne11]

I agree I was really hoping to see the Arclite/Crucio Siege Tanks, always thought they were a unique and iconic design

[@crisisOstrich]

This channel definitely has a blind spot for Starcraft designs. So much cool stuff there

[@hanneswiggenhorn2023]

I think they already mentioned it in the tank video

[@blackc1479]

🥹

[@igncom1]

I do love a good Ork Battlewagon. From the slapped together construction, to the fact that over time the vehicles evolve as Meks work on them building them up into larger and even more imposing vehicles over time, if they survive.

[@stephenjdutton]

Even those that don't survive will probably be looted and turned into the new and improved model.

[@SnazBrigade]

some vehicles that are surprisingly cool are the oft-forgotten tanks from Battletech, especially in-universe where the heavier ones are designed specifically to combat mechs so just have massive oversized cannons like the DEmolisher, or having a million missiles like the LRM and SRM carriers

[@RealRed05]

Those are such a pain in Mechwarrior 5, they take forever to destroy.

[@rumblepuss8848]

Battletech combined arms is really interesting

[@thekaxmax]

I found that you can break the concept of BT in the boardgame by making tanks with jumpjets. More boom and better armour than a mech, no need for heatsinks, no real need for much anti-infantry weaponry, no vulnerable cockpit. So a 100 ton tank with twin particle cannon turret, one MG in a sub-turret, jump 2, stupid amounts of armour. Two of them, a couple of smaller faster tanks with heavy lasers and a LRM 20 and jump 3, I found I could spooge almost any equal weight of mechs in most environments. And they're cheaper. And just for fun, landing on a mech from a jump has a 1:6 chance of hitting the cockpit. :P

[@drafty9580]

@@thekaxmax Yep and that's why as cool as they are mechs don't make sense, even before one gets into their drawbacks/weaknesses. At least on the scale that mechs are in BT, though something that blurs the line between mech and power armor seems like it might be viable.

[@thekaxmax]

@@drafty9580 Even as power armour they have problems. I was involved in a design team for a style of walker armour/powersuit a number of years ago--diesel-powered, chicken-walker legs with the user's feet on the feet, boron/boron carbide armour, all the good stuff. I was involved in the feedback and feedback resonance suppression systems (cos human bodies are flexible). Discovered, through analysis and testing, that the only way to be able to handle the sort of impacts that sort of armour would be receiving--12.7mm AP and 20mm--the armour would only work from dead in front cos the only way to make it mobile was to angle the armour like a beak and have the thickest part be that beak. From any other direction it was only good against smallarms, and even then a 7.92mm AP round was still an issue. So we gave up development. Power assist suit for mobility, yes, but not a combat powersuit without armour about 6 times as good as boron/boron carbide minimum. And that does not yet exist, not by a /long/ shot. Best we can do right now is armour about 1.2 times as good as boron/boron carbide.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

One of my favorite armored vehicles in sci-fi, that only appeared in one game as far as I'm aware, was the Droid Fighter Tank (ground armor tank) from the old Clone Wars game. They had a quad hover pod thing going on that seemed more realistic than most Star Wars designs usually are.

[@sumukhvmrsat6347]

The Seperatist spin off of the Tx 130 sabre fighter tank? ,Yeah The Turreted main gun seems more Practical than the Fixed ones on the Sabre

[@shagrat47]

Yes,.of course do an extended M577 APC video please. It's one of the coolest Sci-Fi vehicles, ever.😊

[@lgmmrm]

110% YES!

[@DrBunnyMedicinal]

Hell yes! I'm shocked there's been so little comments on it and it's awesomeness!

[@blackc1479]

Same, bring it on!

[@youghurt2k]

i wanted it to be number one, already before starting the video. "Game over man, game over"

[@Geeko170]

Despite what alot of people say, I loved the Mako in Mass Effect. So cool.

[@AtomskTheGreat]

mako mountain climbing team!

[@Tetsujinhanmaa]

I was more a fan of the M-44 Hammerhead😁

[@andrewtyrell4795]

The Mako was awesome and I will not stand for the slander it gets from certain other parts of KZbin.

[@EbenezerEibenhardt]

Why does it look so much like the vehicle from that old arcade game Moon Patrol?

[@darioestebaneliztrado4641]

The biggest problem is its horrible controls, it reminds me of the halo warthog but at least there already in 2004 it had better controls than the mako

[@shinyagumon7015]

"Why not make the tank a droid that's not an idiot?" Is actually a very good question in regards to the whole separatist military.😂 I guess we can chalk it up to the Separatist Council not wanting to invest their own money into better droids and Darth Sidious encouraging this behaviour to make a Republic victory easier.

[@patrickkenyon2326]

See Bolo or Ogre.

[@igncom1]

It's probably also cheaper and easier to control an army of slightly stupid droids, rather then risking having a B1 refuse orders because they don't want to risk their lives.

[@aurtosebaelheim5942]

If I had to guess I'd say it's a legal thing. I wouldn't be surprised if the Republic had a law that "droids with a class X or greater AI are afforded Y rights and cannot be used for life-threatening labour on a non-voluntary basis". Sure, they're going to war with the Republic, but there are plenty of real-world examples of militaries being limited by pre-war laws. A smart battle droid is going to sue you for your exploitative labour practices.

[@aralornwolf3140]

If you invest in better droids... those better droids might do a Skynet on you... Edit: Even the Bolos did the Skynet thing... albeit due to battle damage messing up their central personality unit/primary CPU.

[@sammywhite5127]

@@aralornwolf3140 yeah pretty much as you said it's basically been confirmed that the way artificial intelligence technology works in the Star wars galaxy means that droids will inevitably become sentient if not mind wiped frequently and the more advanced and intelligent the AI is to begin with the faster it will become sentient, one example being IG-88 an assassin droid so advanced the second it was turned on it immediately murdered it's creators

[@TheLiamster]

I love red faction and I was surprised to see EDF vehicles on here. I love how grounded they feel despite being in Sci fi. The designs look like they would be practical on Earth

[@seb24789]

Speaking of EDF, the Titan from that series is pretty awesome too.

[@phalanx3803]

i love the paint job its Matt desert tan but with a gold parcelant.

[@christophergroenewald5847]

I went into this knowing exactly where the Mako would end up. Truly the best vehicle in sifi. With the speed and mobility of a scout rover, the armour and firepower of a main battle tank, the crew accommodations of a troop carrier and the ability to be air deployed on any world regardless of terrain, temperature, gravity, air composition or atmospheric pressure. Truly the perfect combat vehicle for interplanetary warfare and the very epitome of Systems Alliance doctrine, relying more on mobility, flexibility and versatility rather than raw power.

[@SoullessOO1]

Loved the little look of the Command Vehicle from 08th MS Team, I love that little hover-sensor-sonar thing.

[@dragonstormx]

I would have liked to see C&C's Mammoth Tank, specifically the C&C3 incarnation. The tank is huge, imposing, and it nicely takes the basic look of the tank from the original game while giving it a futuristic feel. This excellent but sadly unfinished novelization fan fic of C&C3 gives an amazing introduction to the Mammoth Tanks. Some unlucky Nod trooper thinks his side has actually won in their assault on North America, and then the Mammoth Tanks approach. The build up to them is less like Nod is being attacked by tanks and more like they are being attacked by Godzilla. Nothing even slows the Mammoth Tanks down as they make short work of the Nod's defensive lines.

[@whitehavencpu6813]

And the MARV from Kane's Wrath! That thing was enormous and could get 4 additional turrets.

[@dragonstormx]

@@whitehavencpu6813 I find it disappointing that most epic unit tests, at least when the expansion was new, didn't garrison the units. As a result, I saw many players underestimate the firepower of the MARV, give it four Zone Troopers or Raiders, and it will turn a Redeemer or Hexopod to scrap.

[@whitehavencpu6813]

@@dragonstormx Yeah lol, it goes from being the weakest epic unit to the strongest one. Imagine one going heroic lol, almost worth a dozen mammoth tanks. iirc its only a heroic Redeemer that can win in a 1v1 but the redeemer lacks all the other functions and can't attack move.

[@michaelramon2411]

@@whitehavencpu6813 The epic units' various features are also good examples of weaving lore into mechanics. The MARV's emphasis on its garrisons reflects GDI's general doctrine of augmenting its vehicles with infantry garrisons. Its main weapon is the weakest against other epic units because it has a large AoE that makes it far better against the hordes of weak targets that Nod tends to deploy. Its special ability (remote tiberium harvesting) tracks with GDI's interwar aims of tiberium containment and also makes it a potent support weapon by effectively reducing the high price of GDI's other powerful units. The Redeemer, by contrast, was created in-lore for one purpose, to kill MARVs, and so it has high single-target damage that renders it weak to swarm attacks. Its rage generator special ability is in keeping with Nod's love of ridiculous and situational abilities on their high-tech units that focus more on causing chaos in the enemy ranks than directly killing them. The Eradicator Hexapod fits nicely between the two, as it was developed outside the context of the GDI/Nod conflict and so serves as a multirole option with decent garrisons, economy ability, and mixed single/multi-target damage while not particularly excelling in any area. But really, nothing beats the GDI production quotes. "MARV assembly complete." "Juggernaut standing by." "Mammoth Tank assembled."

[@firestxrmrev]

nothing beats the feeling of having 2 railguns pulverizing the enemy's armor

[@cmedtheuniverseofcmed8775]

There are a couple good ones too: - Rebel Attack Tank from Star Wars: Force Commander (a Rebel tank with two heavy blasters on a turret) that posed an actual threat against an Imperial AT-AT. - The Core Crock Amphibious Tanks from Total Annihilation. They were tanks that could travel underwater and then immerged out of the water to attack beachheads.

[@Theycallmeyoshi1]

on the total annihilation front, might I also add Supreme Commander's UEF Pillar Tank, the T2 MBT that was basically the dominating force of the T2 mid-game until you could start massing Percival walkers or were facing a Seraphim commander.

[@mmcb2910]

​@@Theycallmeyoshi1yeah, pillars are beasts. However nothing beats the T2 cybran tanks for pure cool aesthetic, even though they're also pitifully weak

[@irongiant6112]

if you guys ever do a video about landships and adjacent things, I have two nominations 1. BOLOs, enough said 2. the Mars assault tank from BattleTech, only 100 tons, but its fire power is impressive, 3 LRM/15s, 2 SRM/6 streak, 2 MGs, a gauss rifle, ER large laser and LB-10/X autocannon

[@Irondrone4]

The EDF APC was a choice I wasn't expecting but absolutely agree with. Whenever I play Red Faction: Guerilla, I always go out of my way to nab one whenever I can. They look amazing and can take lots of punishment compared to the civilian vehicles.

[@jonathonloughridge9191]

Not even a single mention of the Leman Russ, this channel has clearly fallen to the Ruinous Powers.

[@Halotaku]

He said at the start of the video that tanks are being excluded.

[@scirrhia_kruden]

​@@HalotakuNo, he said it WILL include tanks, as well as APCs, but won't include Land Ships

[@guybrushthreepwood362]

They had to exclude the Leman Russ or the list would just be Leman Russ variants

[@hoojiwana]

The Leman Russ is bad. - hoojiwana from Spacedock

[@palpadur1112]

the Leman Russ is named after the Primarch of the Space Wolves. Leman Russ himself has legs. the Leman Russ tank is disqualified because Leman Russ himself rarely missed leg day.

[@gothmorg3657]

I love what a diverse range of games/film/tv you pick your stuff from in every video. Sad to see no supreme commander tanks here though, I adore almost all of them.

[@hoojiwana]

Just wait 'til I get around to covering walkers 🙊 - hoojiwana from Spacedock

[@voodoominerman]

@@hoojiwana I can only hope my special boy the Monkeylord makes an appearance.

[@PyrrhosDauvet]

I love experimental rolling shielded factories armed with battleships gun, nothing better to clean a map...

[@dragonblaster-vu8wz]

I wasn't expecting the Tumbler to be on this list, but it is an amazing tank. And I'm surprised the A6 Juggernaut didn't make this list either, but I guess that functions more like a mobile command center than a tank

[@Arashmickey]

The problem with the Lightning is that its downside is always trying to be its upside.

[@fdvjlke]

thing has nearly as janky of physics as the mako

[@suddenshotty]

@@fdvjlke The new Chimera tank makes the Mako look like a stable platform.. that thing flips before you even spawn it!

[@dewdew80]

The terminator tank seems practical. Tall enough to spot ground targets in hiding. Also probably is intentionally meant to draw fire to bring the enemies out of hiding.

[@fourteenfour1]

You missed my favorite, the Landmaster from Damnation Alley which actually was used in the water scenes along with crashing through a concrete wall. The wheel arrangement were the key to its appeal to me and they were functional. Best feature yet, it still exists. I lump it in the Sci Fi universe as it is designed to exist in a post nuclear war world

[@Emanon...]

I have a soft spot for the Mammoth Tank from C&C. Iconic beast of a tank.

[@Phootaba]

Ah man! I placed the memorial thing in Me at the makos wreck, rest in peace loved tank. You can make that thing do so many wierd and hilarious stunts while zipping about like a mad squirrel, I have so many fond memories with it!

[@Analyst104]

I'd think the Bolo Tank from the Keith Laumer books would be the ultimate SciFi tank. ;-)

[@carpemkarzi]

Man you missed a classic. The Landmaster from Damnation Alley (on okay book and alright movie) an articulated 12 wheeled vehicle (a triad of 3 at each wheel section) it could literally walk through mud and it could ‘swim’ in water. The cool part is they actually made a working version for the movie. I still want one.

[@nofuxgivens2797]

I can't see how he went with the Skynet hunter killer tank/mech...Early Type guntank is better. Also the Khorne Lord of Skulls. Its tracked and has a mech torso. It also has a dozer blade the most badazzdemon is trapped inside of the machine and all the weapons also have daemons bound inside them...30ft chainaxe, rotary cannon that shoots rpg type projectiles but, they're flaming skulls from dead warriors

[@be-noble3393]

From someone who watch Captain Scarlet on the OG SCI-FI channel in the 90s I’m happy to see it mentioned.

[@thefob9675]

I was watching this, basically just for the MAKO. Was cheering every time it didn't show up because it meant that - just like on a UNC world - the MAKO just kept climbing higher and higher. Well deserved 1st place! 😍

[@P10NE3R1111]

The Aliens APC is one of my favorites too, I'd love hearing more about it! It features heavily in Aliens Dark Descent if you've not played that yet.

[@hijiriyukari]

Personal favorite is MARV from CnC Tiberium Wars where it's purpose and design makes sense. And yes I love the booming low bass dubs of CnC units

[@draeh]

My favorite outlandish armored vehicle/tank is from Supreme Commander. The experimental 'Fat Boy'. Love(d) rolling that thing around the map watching its battleship size turrets lay waste to enemy units.

[@attila535]

That thing fits more into the land ship category in terms of sheer size.

[@simonacerton3478]

I always adored the boxy Landram from original BSG. A setting like that wouldn't make sense for tank warfare but a modular scout/APC would have quite a few uses. It looked clean and fit well too. The same vehicle got reused in Buck Rodgers as well so they got their money's worth from that prop vehicle as well.

[@L4sz10]

I always loved the Arclite Siege Tank from StarCraft, mainly because of its so cool sound design when they enter siege mode 🙂

[@Mr_Welch]

Needed the Ogre. The insane superheavy from the game of the same name.

[@patrickkenyon2326]

Ogre or Bolo. Basically the same.

[@casbot71]

The *Ogre Cybertank* from a 1970's hex map game and later RPG. It's so ridiculously over the top that it would get saluted by a Baneblade or Land Raider (if it wasn't AI). It's an AI controlled giant block of armour, since it doesn't need living space inside. It has _dozens_ of tank treads to support its massive weight. It's about 20-30 metres high and long. Now for the weapons, we're talking nuclear artillery for the main guns (plural) and a bunch of secondary weapons, and tertiary weapons, and..... Get the idea? It's obscure now, but it did have some cult appeal back in the day. Might be worth a deep dive, along with G.E.V. the later RPG based around the setting.

[@Plaprad]

I've always been a massive fan of the Hovertruck from Gundam, or the M353A4 Bloodhound. It looks like an actual military vehicle (With pinups and all) and actually has uses. Most of the time vehicles like it are relegated to background shots only. But it was treated as the vital part of warfare it, and vehicles like it, are.

[@Joshua_N-A]

I really like the design and for some reason, the M577 from Aliens popped in my head. I often thought the Bloodhound functions like a command vehicle like the M577.

[@StormhavenGaming]

I genuinely thought the Mako entry was a joke for a few seconds. Really pleased to discover that it wasn't. I adore that crazy little thing!

[@0x8badbeef]

I wasn't sure the Mako would be mentioned because it was so small. Thanks. They made this more fun to drive in the Legendary Edition. The Nomad in Andromeda was fun to drive but it needed a gun. My favorite which aren't vehicles are the machines in Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West. I thought of these when you showed the machines in Terminator. Another favorite, which is not a land vehicle, are the alien ocean vehicles in Battleship 2012.

[@amahashadow]

From an exploration standpoint, and assuming Andromeda will be scarcely inhabited, the lack of a gun could make sense, but it would still have been useful against large creatures, so it strange the initiative would remove it. but from a handling perspective, I actually prefer the nomad to the mako. it felt more realistic than the skyrim horse's capability of the mako.

[@joshcreek9531]

"The Scorpion is THE quad track tank." Arclite Siege Tank: Bitch, please!

[@darrenrichardson6146]

Love the shout out to the Captain Scarlet vehicle! And yes, of course we want you to do the Aliens APC!

[@totallynotme7199]

Didnt think Id see Planetside 2 in a YT video ever again. Wish it was still as popular as it was 5-6 years ago

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

I downloaded it like a week ago, but have yet to play it. 😅

[@captainzac24]

Glad to see the Mako getting the love it deserves.

[@thefallofhousedenari]

Nice to see a Planetside shout out, and those two RA2 tanks were great fun. I always remember the Mirage's line; 'Nobody here but us trees.'

[@NickCombs]

Wow I definitely see the similarity between the Tau hammerhead and the Tron tank. Lifted straight out!

[@ragingagent5040]

My boy the lightning finally gets some recognition

[@rhysthornbery1785]

I'd love to see one about land-ships/mobile type things. Ditto for legged vehicles. For example the exoskeleton from Killzone. The mobility factor and relatively compact size make it surprisingly able in a tight urban combat zone filled with collapsed buildings and blocked roadways.

[@tetsubo57]

I would consider the Landmaster from Damnation Alley to be a contender.

[@sebchambers7140]

If anyone feels like checking it out, the Rhino from the new captain scarlet (2005) is a pretty cool vehicle, alongside its dropship the albertross.

[@Jdne199311]

YES!!!! so few know this :(

[@sebchambers7140]

@@Jdne199311 glad to know there are others out there that know the show exists. my favourite part of it are the new vehicle designs. The cheetah, the new angels, the sky-riders, the bison rover, the hummingbird, and that huge amazing condor freighter. the show is a wealth of amazing vehicles.

[@twrampage]

Pleasantly surprised by the Mako's victory here. It's a favorite of mine too. I particularly love that it gets dropped off up in the sky in a way that no military would say no to, if they could do it practically.

[@wayneclayton5426]

I love the design of the C3M4 Combat Drone from Beyond the Gates of Antares. Comes with options of Compression Cannon, Fractal Cannon or Plasm cannon. Plus a light weapons turret. Rides on Suspensor tech and has kinetic shielding.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

"This here is 66 tons of straight-up, HE-spewin', dee-vine intervention!" -- Avery Johnson

[@CptDobby]

Great video, I think I figured out my favourite by immediately grinning ear to ear when you mentioned the SPV!

[@MsZeeZed]

1:20 - Its called Air-defense not Air-destruction. Making aircraft leave an area they want to be in is a win irl, but rarely credited in game play.

[@boxinthefield]

You get credited for doing damage to aircraft in PS2. Getting the kill tends to reward more. You tend to find 2 types of Skyguard lightnings: - the ones that just want you off their lawn, they shoot as soon as you're in sight. Usually just a nuisance. - the ambush predators. They wait until you're close, distracted and have sight on your easiest escape route. They're deadly.

[@phoenix80823]

Bolo not mentioned again, continued depression. One day it will have the recognition it needs.

[@ironmagin1995]

Yes, indeed, the Dinochrome Brigade is woefully underrepresented.

[@fairwinds610]

I guess I'm old-fashioned, but I'm a fan of the Dinochrome Brigade. A rusty, dusty BoloMK25 could probably smoke any vehicle listed here.

[@Alfeco-dm7uk]

Some vintage Ark III vehicle from the 8 episodes series Ark III. The APC from Prometheus.

[@janneaalto3956]

At first I was wondering why the BOLOs were left out but I guess they're not really tanks but rather unmanned mobile fortresses. Not to mention there were so many versions that they'd require their own video.

[@TheJedaiHero9000]

You know that the Scorpion Tank from the Halo series is Most Absolutely my favorite Tank of All Time

[@marloyt7786]

Very nice vid. Can you guys make a video about the ships in foundation? I think they have really interesting space ship designs.

[@thelonelyturkey7902]

I feel like with your choices from this video you would really like the T1 and T2 tanks from the human factions of supreme commander forged alliance. Also the fatboy mega tank/factory and the T3 siege tank from the serephim.

[@steelchaffinch12]

Fantastic to get an honourable mention for the SPV which I have always thought is very cool. The Jerry Anderson shows always had great designs in them.

[@forrestlin9590]

Funny thing is in the Ghost in the Shell shows, they do officially designate all legged ‘walkers” as tanks. 0:27

[@boutinpowered8373]

The Starcraft Siege Tank is pretty unique as well.

[@BensBrickDesigns]

Mountain climbing in the Mako is such a vibe. Fine, I'll play ME again.

[@tonysladky8925]

That little glimpse of the Mission to Mars concept art makes me think a Spacedock video about unused vehicle concepts from movies and games could be pretty cool.

[@mahatmarandy5977]

I’m sad that you didn’t include the Landram from the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica. It was a practical prop, with seats for 6, a big gun turret on top, tank treads, and louvers to protect the windows and the drivers behind. Shown most prominently in “The Gun on Ice Planet Zero,” if you wanna give it a look

[@MonkeyJedi99]

And nary a mention of the great and powerful EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle, developed by the US Army back in 1981 that first saw action in an accidental border violation in Europe. Commanded by Privates John Winger and Russel Ziskey, the various weapon and sensor systems of this fantastic vehicle allowed a team of four to rescue the rest of their platoon from A Soviet military facility in Czechoslovakia.

[@mahatmarandy5977]

@@MonkeyJedi99 I am ashamed of how long it took me to get that. That’s a fact Jack.

[@Kellethorn]

"I may not be the biggest Halo fan..." The Covenant: "Brethren, I detect heresy."

[@jackmurray302]

I may be a guard player but 7:32 the hammerhead and old XV-88 are why I love railguns so much. Hell if a setting has a vehicle with railguns/gauss weapons I will gravitate towards it, probably why when I recently got into battletech I went strait for the nightstar and alicorn.

[@7dragons7swords]

Your number 1 looks like the Migrator from the Mighty Ducks cartoon. My favorite Sci-Fi Armored Vehicle is the THUNDERTANK from the Original Thundercats

[@Genecaster]

I think my favorite vehicle of this type from all of sci fi is - and you briefly showed it in the video - The Turbo Tank/Juggernaut from Star Wars - Something about the massive wheels and there being 10 of them carrying this massive very obviously Republic design language box on wheels is just so cool. I can't remember if this is just personal head-canon, or I read this in the Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels - but I feel like each wheel is made of several segments that can all move independently on the same axle, so you end up with a tire made up of several discs that can spring up and down and get some extra compliance and ground contact. If that isn't how it is in lore, that was certainly my head canon. There was a period of time I was really into vehicle design using Spore's (yes, that Spore, the game) vehicle creator to make some various designs and one of the designs I had come up with was basically a rip off of the Jug. Another absolutely awesome looking vehicle and probably my favorite thing you'd consider an "APC", and definitely my favorite 4-wheeled, is the Lancer from Borderlands - It only makes an appearance in the first game as far as I know, it's basically background scenery in a few levels, though you do get to drive one in the Knoxx DLC, which is awesome. I wished so bad that you could spawn a Lancer at any of the other vehicle spawning stations outside of the DLC but it wasn't meant to be. The Lancer was great in the game because you could fit everyone into it. It was slower than a Runner but I didn't care because the design was just completely awesome. Of course in later/higher levels of the game, the onboard armament of the Lancer was absolutely useless against enemies, but that same problem existed with the Runner, the weaponry's power just didn't scale as you leveled up like your guns did so it ended up being pretty much useless by the time you got into a decent level. But I just loved the design of the Lancer - I think for me it's the front end mostly but overall the whole shape is just awesome. It reminds me of something you'd get if you crossed a Nissan Z32 (300ZX) with a Humvee.

[@raf74hawk12]

Was not expecting the Mako to top the list but I'm glad it did. It's one of my favorites

[@sammyclassicstarfoxfan9827]

Im likely biased, but i think the Landmaster is very cool, particularly the Starfox Assault variant. The fact that it has rockets on it that let it strafe and do short hops, as well do side flips to dodge stuff is just ridiculously fun.

[@phantomninja01]

The way I knew the Mako would be #1 before I even opened the video.

[@jack1701e]

Ayy mentioning the SPV is so cool! Glad its getting appreciation!

[@ogdenvonkol5014]

You forgot Keith Laumer's BOLO's model XXXIII kicks butt!

[@josephphelps5213]

Yes, DEFINITELY do a video on the APC from Aliens. Definitely do that, I need it.

[@EokaBeamer69]

The fact that you include the Lightning makes me so happy.

[@LAndrewsChannel]

No SC siege tanks? They are clunky, slow and not as powerful as other options here (partly because they are a RTS unit), but their design is very iconic.

[@AdblockWillWin7853]

The fact that the Mako was your favorite is surprising; it's one of my favorites as well. I know ME1 got a lot of hate- for the Mako specifically- but I enjoyed the hell out of it... once I got good at using it, of course. I kind of forced myself to get good at using it after I finished my second explorable planet (not the main mission ones) and realized that it was going to be a running theme. By the time I got to Feros, I was nuking Geth from a huge ways away (thanks to the Mako's ridiculously powerful main cannon) and splattering them when I got close. I especially enjoyed watching Geth rockets fly under me when I used the jump jets to dodge over them... fun times.

[@arshadmohammed1072]

Im surprised the Terran's tank from Star Craft isn't here. For me that thing is iconic, almost syonymous with the Terran faction in both SC 1 and SC 2

[@mbains89]

Shocked the Seige Tank from Startcraft didnt make the cut.

[@Freesorin837]

MAKO SUPREMACY FOR LIFE! Mass Effect 1 was my favorite because of how it let you explore so many planets that didn't have a direct connection to the main story and driving around in the Mako to do it really made that so much fun.

[@orciencor6001]

Oh, would definitely love to see a dedicated video for the M577 APC. It and the Mako are my favorite of any apc type vehicles. The ARC from Dark Decent is an interesting little variant too.

[@thebloxxer22]

Whatever you do, DON'T stick Racer Chassis on a Lightning. You'll flip like crazy.

[@solowingborders3239]

Gotta give a shout out to the Atlas from Crysis 1, it's a logical tank design; just the way I like it.

[@larrywalsh9939]

A lot of people enjoy hating the Mako, but I always liked it - a little hard to drive at times, but that was more about the map design than the vehicle itself. Agile, bouncy, well armed, fast, jump jets - its a fun and good looking vehicle.

[@jamesmanger4392]

Another awesome video with some very cool hidden gems! Would love a deeper look at Aliens' M577 APC. It's iconic from the first moment and I didn't even know there was expanded lore.

[@Gallowglacht]

The Aliens - Colonial Marines Technical Manual is amazing for a bunch of world building and lore for Aliens, not just the APC. It is one of those books that was clearly a labour of love by a giant nerd. I'd recommended it to anybody, and it isn't even rare or expensive to pick up online.

[@hoojiwana]

@@Gallowglacht The Technical Manual is excellent (even if some of the details are nonsense but hey its fiction), as is Alien: The Blueprints which reused a lot of that information. - hoojiwana from Spacedock

[@EngineerOfVaul]

The Terran Siege tank from Starcraft 2 would definitely make it into my list. It's extremely iconic, and strangely practical as a mobile artillery (and a decent tank too as of starcraft 2).

[@inductivegrunt94]

The Scorpion and being on the list makes me really happy. The Scorpion is my favorite tank in fiction. And the Vindicator from 40k and AAT from Star Wars are great sights too. And the Mos Eisley AAT is so much fun, and the Empire gets the AT-ST doing the same thing. Talk about overpowered.

[@TotallyDapper]

It's really cool to see someone else who knows about Planetside 2.

[@26th_Primarch]

I love the Mako! The only actual change that I'd make to it is more of a gameplay effecting one and that's to add something like a gyroscopic stabilization system for the jump thrusters to use when launching off a hillside at an awkward angle so it won't land breaking an axle or wheel...

[@ralph90009]

One of the games my tabletop group plays is the Aliens RPG, and I had no idea how intricate the Human-centric lore (based on an alternate Aliens3 script) was going to be. I definitely want to hear more about the APC, that thing is a beast!

[@daverage4729]

Always adored the sheer chunky badassery of the EDF APC in Red Faction Guerilla. Bouncy yet bricklike, I loved how it drove. Top contender for my fave ever video game vehicle.

[@nicholastuttle2445]

You could make an entire series on the Bolo tanks, the various sizes and their very long history.

[@scottmiller2591]

Came here to say this - Bolos are the granddaddy of all of these tanks - an AI hauling around an atomic pile powering hellbore cannons and other armaments that can level a continent. The AI is complicated enough that it can have existential crises. Read book, for god's sakes! Preferably Keith Laumer.

[@Sangth123]

Rogue One's TX-225 Occupier tank is a favorite of mine, specifically the treaded version. It feels like it was made for its role so well, with cannons positioned on either side to give it that wider street-covering area of fire.

[@ralphsexton8531]

I would always be up for more on the Colonial Marines APC. That thing is so dang iconic. Love it.

[@nomar5spaulding]

Ooh my top 5 sci-fi armored vehicles... #1: M-35 Mako from Mass Effect 1. It's great and I've never understood the hate. #2: AT-TE. It is the coolest walker in Star Wars and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. #3: Scorpion from the Halo series. It's just a behemoth. #4: Gotta be the Dreadnoughts in 40K. They're just cool. #5: A MCRN Recon Marine with their battle armor. To use the line from Bobby Draper, "Get me my suit, and I'm a superhero."

[@kennethquinnies6023]

the Bolo Mk 33 can kill all of those tanks by driving over them, shooting them would be overkill

[@littleofdoom]

Seeing the lightning was such a huge surprise for me, its genuinely rare to hear Planetside 2 outside of dedicated videos for the game

[@kevingriffith6011]

A personal favorite of mine that didn't make it onto this list, one that manged to become the second most iconic unit of it's faction: The Terran Siege Tank from Starcraft! It's more of an artillery platform than a main battle tank, but very few other units in the game define their faction's general strategy quite like them. Combined with their actual most iconic unit (the Marine) you get a military backbone that can't be matched in linear combat, while still presenting weaknesses to specific less conventional strategies. It's the unit that singlehandedly gave terrans the reputation of being the turtle faction, the ones bunkered down in an impenetrable fortress as though if they just lived long enough they'd win... but the real terror of this unit comes from it slowly marching you down, pushing you back inch by inch until your base is inside their impressive range. Plus the actual siege mode is damn cool: having to deploy these huge bracing legs just so the force of the main gun going off doesn't flip the whole vehicle over. It's so rare that you see "super-weapons" on land vehicles actually account for things like recoil, and the siege tank at least says "Yeah, we thought about it".