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Spetulhu wrote:

 Zewrath wrote:

And do tractor translate to something else in my country? Because I see several tractors every day and I simply do not see the similarities.

It usually doesn't, but IIRC the Germans actually masked their pre-WW II tank projects as development of agri tools.

And some of the less succesful early "tank" designs were in part or fully based on agri tractors.

It's actually two separate ideas conflated. Tractors come from the military, because cannons were becoming so heavy and numerous that it was impractical to keep using bigger and bigger teams of horses. The wheels had to be completely metal due to the machines' weight, so planks of wood were strapped on to make flat surfaces for traction. This is the origin both of off-road equipment pulling tractors, and of tank treads that were (not yet) continuously in contact with the ground.

The word "tank" itself comes from hiding the machines, since they were disguised as tanks for fuel and water.

Re: not liking bikers, Hunam, the problem is that they have the same use as basilisk earthshaker cannons, death strike missiles, and Land Raiders Achilles. That is, they are supremely useful in fights on fields thirty seven times as large as a normal tabletop game and last for 12 or 28 turns instead of six. The death strike missile is built to fire at things thousands of miles away, it should be an objective marker. The basilisk should come in units of five and really only be able to fire at enemy units while they are in reserve, and bikers should allow you to set up the board differently if they are the only thing there at deployment. None of those things are part of the game though, so you have a bunch of outrider and artillery units fighting a battle the size of a prison riot.

 ClockworkZion wrote:
The only army I know of that doesn't have bikes in some fashion are the Grey Knights. Salamanders fluff wise don't use Landspeeders though (they don't work on their planet because of the fluctuating gravity), but that's about it.

Actually Salamanders (at least in the Nick Kyme books) use Landspeeders. In the "Fire Born" series they use Land speeders to track the progress of the initiates... But bring up how they don't use them in war.

But yeah only grey knights don't use bikes. Salamanders (in the older codex's) could only use one fast attack. But I think that changed with the editions.

 ClockworkZion wrote:

 CalgarsPimpHand wrote:

 ClockworkZion wrote:

 Zewrath wrote:

 ClockworkZion wrote:
not the tractors made into tanks]

Why do people keep saying this? They are very obviously based on WW:I tanks.
And do tractor translate to something else in my country? Because I see several tractors every day and I simply do not see the similarities.

Because fluff wise the Leman Russ was a Tractor that they put guns (and probably armor) on (though that may have changed).

I don't believe it's changed. All the silliness is still there: Leman Russ tanks were based on STC tractors, Rhinos are based on STC ground transports for colonists, and Terminator armor is based on protective suits for working inside plasma reactors (in spite of plasma being one of the few things Terminator armor DOESN'T provide near-complete protection against).

Never understood why, in GW's grimdark universe, they felt the need to come up with peaceful origins for iconic weapon systems.

I'm going to say "irony"?

That kind of irony is why I like 40k. All of the things man creates will be used to fuel the war machine. That's the Imperium's MO.

 Powerfisting wrote:

 ClockworkZion wrote:

 CalgarsPimpHand wrote:

 ClockworkZion wrote:

 Zewrath wrote:

 ClockworkZion wrote:
not the tractors made into tanks]

Why do people keep saying this? They are very obviously based on WW:I tanks.
And do tractor translate to something else in my country? Because I see several tractors every day and I simply do not see the similarities.

Because fluff wise the Leman Russ was a Tractor that they put guns (and probably armor) on (though that may have changed).

I don't believe it's changed. All the silliness is still there: Leman Russ tanks were based on STC tractors, Rhinos are based on STC ground transports for colonists, and Terminator armor is based on protective suits for working inside plasma reactors (in spite of plasma being one of the few things Terminator armor DOESN'T provide near-complete protection against).

Never understood why, in GW's grimdark universe, they felt the need to come up with peaceful origins for iconic weapon systems.

I'm going to say "irony"?

That kind of irony is why I like 40k. All of the things man creates will be used to fuel the war machine. That's the Imperium's MO.

Well that and it's the only game I've seen a parody of the Catholic church that rolls into battle with an organ mounted on top of a tank that someone decided wasn't cool enough and made it shoot missiles (seriously, I LOVE the Exorcist tank. It is responsible for me having a Sisters army!).

 Zewrath wrote:

Spetulhu wrote:

 Zewrath wrote:

And do tractor translate to something else in my country? Because I see several tractors every day and I simply do not see the similarities.

It usually doesn't, but IIRC the Germans actually masked their pre-WW II tank projects as development of agri tools.

And some of the less succesful early "tank" designs were in part or fully based on agri tractors.

Lol. Wasn't aware of that. Fun fact.

Indeed. The very first US tank was actually made entirely out of Ford tractor parts that were already available.

So in fact all tanks are derived from tractors.

 Grey Templar wrote:

 Zewrath wrote:

Spetulhu wrote:

 Zewrath wrote:

And do tractor translate to something else in my country? Because I see several tractors every day and I simply do not see the similarities.

It usually doesn't, but IIRC the Germans actually masked their pre-WW II tank projects as development of agri tools.

And some of the less succesful early "tank" designs were in part or fully based on agri tractors.

Lol. Wasn't aware of that. Fun fact.

Indeed. The very first US tank was actually made entirely out of Ford tractor parts that were already available.

So in fact all tanks are derived from tractors.

Considering the tread heads they have (and had) at GW, I wouldn't be surprised if the Leman Russ' origins were a nod to that fact.