thecommander

Hello Kids,

I hope everyone has recovered from the Thanksgiving weekend. Did you guys get to take in some of the tank shows during "Tanks-giving" on the Military Channel? I got about 10 hours of DVD recordings. Now I have some fine tank shows to keep me happy while I'm hunched over the workbench.

One of the many phone conversations I had this weekend was from Doug Gasser. He invited our NEAD tank group to take over the sponsorship of the November tank battle-weekend/car show for 2011. This event has grown in leaps and bounds for the AAF Tank Museum and with increasing attendance of knock-out showcars and spectators, and the fine turnout from the RC tankers, we have been asked to assume responsibility for this event. On behalf of NEAD, I am flattered and honored for the invite. Doug, Dan and the staff are so busy duing these events that they just can't get it all done to the high standards they strive for and the realism that we all expect.

HEAT has always gone above and beyond the "call of duty" for the Museum. As the closest club, they have bore the brunt of the burden for quite some time. Many of you guys don't know how many man hours of hard work they put in in before any of us show-up to ensure that this is the best tank battlefield, bar none. IMHO of course! Since we are planning for increased RC tanker attendance for the 2011 events, we are trying to spread this increased burden a little as well. In the past the April event was sponsored by an ad hoc group called the Tank Buffs. Dana and I are trying to enhance the event even further and NEAD will be co-sponsoring the Tank Extravaganza 3 day battle-weekend with HEAT for 2011. We both hope that this will give each group time to relas and enjoy the festivities and then devote time to the battles when required. We plan on making this the stand-out RC tank event in the US. We had 20 tankers battling at the last battle-weekend and the action was non-stop and very exciting. We even had four teams of five tanks to a platoon, battling it out. Plus, 10 on 10 battles that were like bar-room brawls. The every man for himself was one of the best that we have ever had. Steve came up from FLA and shot some nice video as did Dana, Willy and I. Check elsewhere on RCU for their respective posts.

The Tank Extravaganza is the premier annual event for any tank enthusiast in the USA. Karen, Bill, Doug, Daniel Gasser, Tasha and all the carious volunteers from all over the counrty, come to Danville to make this a "Must See" experience. Plan on making the trip now so you don't miss out on this for 2011.

Where else in the USA can you see a world class collection of hundreds of weapons, thousands of artifacts, rare pieces, support vehicle, artilery, helicopter, live fire of mortars & machine guns (last year we did the MG 42, WOW!!!), car crushing tanks, and dual flame-thower demonstrations? You have got to feel the intense heat that comes from those monsters(I'm the volunteer nearby with the fire extinguisher). Only at this event in Danville.

The dates will be Friday April 29th, Saturday the 30th and Sunday the 1st of May, 2011. DON'T MISS IT THIS YEAR!!!

Bob, NEAD CO