@@Pridefallen975 I think AFW is a more over including Term A armored Fighting vehicle can be practically everything Armored on Wheels or Tracks (MBT)(apc)(IFV)etc A apc is more special sub thing
In the First World War, the British decided to differentiate their tanks in two ways: there were Male Tanks with Cannons and Female Tanks with Machine Guns. After the war, it was generally agreed that Gendering Tanks was a bad idea.
As a Steel Legion player, the Chimera is the dependable metal box that gets my dour Guardsmen up the board as a full unit. It eats up damage and sometimes even does decent damage to infantry. The Leman Russ draws attention but the Chimera scores points.
Ah yes, the Steel Legion. If only they continued the line. Oh well. I can always enjoy myself in Unification Mod for Dawn of War. Absolutely my favorite faction. And yes, the Chimera is a big reason why.
The Chimera really in the jack of all trades chassis. It's not the best Tank/IFV for combat, troop transport, or any role it can fulfill. But it's nowhere near a bad vehicle. If you need a job done, the Chimera is the vehicle for you. If not, then one of its siblings with different configurations can. The Chimera really in the best the Guard have, which is why they still use it even when other vehicles are being replaced or dumped. The Rogal Dorn comes to mind with it possibly being created to replace the Leman Russ Tank that has been in service since the Great Crusade.
The Rogal dorn is meant to replace the bane blade and its variants. Bane blades are “small” in number and can’t be fielded in all the battlefields that they are needed in. The rogal dorn can go to the battlefields that the bb is needed but can’t go to and to other battlefields that they aren’t “needed”.
Check out the BMP! This is the first infantry fighting vehicle and I strongly believe that the chimera was based on this design that is still used today by modern militaries. I was in a Bradley fighting vehicle in Iraq with the First Armored Division. I got to see some captured BMP's up close. They have three firing ports on each side for AK-47's and a small turret on top.
i'm aware, im aware 😂 lol. i even put a pic of the bmp in the video. but most of the models i looked at prior to writing the video had just the drop ramp and a single door. only a couple of the steel legion ones had the fuel tank double doors
M113 and bradley is kinda closer to chimera as not alot of vehicles types and modificatioma were created on the BMP chassis (except the direct improvements like BMP 2,3,4) M113 is that exact metal box that can to almost anything if you put the right equipment on it. Gun ports are not the primary thing that chimera does Chimera is the a very similar metal box
The Chimera is like insane not because it has like 13 barrels of fun like the BANEBLADE!! Or like a super box like a Leman Russ, it's just. A normal fucking vehicle that's realistic in 40k. That is crazier than anything. It just makes sense and that breaks my brain
The Chimera really was designed by someone who knew what infantry want and need. It carries 12 men, but is used by squads of 10 men - so if yours gets knocked out, your squad can hitch rides in the rest of the platoon's vehicles. It has a Multilaser, which is a potent suppression tool - perfect for making enemy troops keep their head down while you pile your wounded inside. The ball turrets are remotely operated - the whole tank can be sealed for operation in toxic or irradiated environments, because someone knew how damn trigger happy Mankind gets with WMDs. It's actually amphibious to an extent, so you can just drive straight into a lake if you're desperate!
Minor clarification about the gun ports, they aren't actually ports, the guns you see are lasgun equivalents hard mounted to the chimera and fed directly from it's own internal power/laspack recharger. Not sure if that mitigates the weakness or not, but I felt it should be noted all the same. Another great video, cheers!
As I understand, those las-gun firing points have joints that allow movement. That means there are still holes in the hull, from which stress points when an anti-armor weapon hits it can lead to failure of the armor. So fixed or not, it still will suffer the same weakness.
the chimera, competency is a battle taxi because the guys designing insanity are all focused on the tanks (see leman russ, rogal dorn, repulsor, & repulsor executioner,) the primaris impulsor kind of feels like a hover technical to be honest, (i know the gladiators are built on it, but as weird hover tanks go they aren't too horrible.) and I'm pretty sure the rhino is literally just the imperium finding an m113, scaling it up and filling it with marines. and all the most reasonable imperial armor seems to be the transports with aftermarket mods. half the guard motor pool? aftermarket add ons to a chimera. half the first born astartes motor pool? after market add ons to a rhino. the only sane primaris tanks? again, after market add ons to an impulsor. and funnily enough these vehicles usually have a little more of an intuitive relationship between their appearance and how you would expect they're operated than the 'tanks' all the chimera variants can be resupplied via chimera, (outside the giant missile variants that probably shouldn't be on the front line anyway and theoretically aren't being fired nearly as often.) the rhino variants and impulsor variants either carry weapons that are making use of what used to be a troop bay for ammo or they stuffed it with a generator. predators tend toward a small bore autocannon for general purpose work or if a chapter is actually hunting tanks with it they go with a generator and lascannons. the exception to the small bore & energy rule with rhino variants are the hunter and the vindicator. both of which are specialist pieces for a specific job and probably have a supporting rhino and a techmarine minder. ones a SAM platform. and the other is a dedicated fortification breacher on a budget. (because a rhino is cheaper to replace than a spartan or a land raider) compared to repulsors that are covered in more weapons than they should reasonably have room to carry ammo for or the land raiders that are massive targets, & I believe the leman russ has already been shelled on this channel so that doesn't need repeating. the impulsors are an odd family, (probably because their grav vehicles.) but the open bed pick up asthetic actually works ok for the walking bunkers that are astartes. the gladiator flavors are the reaper(designed to chew massed infantry that could overwhelm the astartes) the valiant(a short range ambush tank destroyer for pursuing enemy armor in tight spaces,) and the lancer, (which seems to be the result of someone taking the one gun everyone really wanted off the repulsor executioner and sticking it on a platform they could actually use) the repulsor executioner has to many guns with too many ranges and a transport bay, something isn't getting used properly with that design. the lancer takes the the idea of "hey, what if we stick the executioners big doom laser on an impulsor with some armor, keep the impulsors little go away guns, and let it just happily go hunting for tanks?"
A good assessment, but if I may offer a bit of advice in written expression, such a large volume of text really should be broken into paragraphs. It was a difficult read, not for any lack of logical coherence, but just because my eyes had trouble keeping track of where I was at.
Even the base Chimera makes a lot of sense with its weapons as IFV Multilaser is kinda 25-30mm cannon hunter killer for those extra oompf shots into enemy heavy targets it can even get a frontal lascanon for that purpose too
So the chimera and it's variants being shockingly reasonable was because a lot of the hard numbers about the tank came to the cannon via the imperial armor series of articles and then books. These were written by people more familiar with historical military books used for modeling, as modern tabletop gaming was still relatively young. So they were written by more armor fanatics than sci fi fans. The same reason why it's variants and adaptability actually makes some sense, they were made by people who were making 1 to 1's of real vehicles.
The Chimera was primarily based on the Soviet BMP-1. The Bradly was designed to do everything it could do, but better. That’s why it has a few random add-ons that don’t quite make sense, like the ability to swim and shoot out of the hull in a toxic battlefield.
1:36 That particular M113 blurs the line because while the chassis was designed as an APC, that turret, 25mm chaingun and added armor is an upgrade package specifically made to upgrade the M113 into an IFV. A better example might have been the M113 T50 with it's little .50BMG turret
Look Chimeras! Chimeras! Our enemies hide in metal boxes! The cowards! The fools! We...We shall take away...their Metal Boxes! Where the heck did you find that Chimera for Sprocket at?
The firing ports for the cargo, (oops, infantry) are intended primarily to clear infantry attacks from the side so the cargo (oops, troops inside) can be offloaded
And then there's the Salamander, which takes the engine, tracks and suspension of a Chimera but discards everything else to save weight and basically becomes a tracked racecar :P.
Another late comment but In retrospect it’s more akin to the British CVRT family which ranged from the bunker busting scorpions with a 40mm howitzer, to the scimitar light tank armed with a Raden L30 chain gun, to the Samaritan ambulance to the Abbot self propelled artillery. My only real complaint would be the guards lack of suspensions but other than that, the chimera and all of its derivatives are all built to suit modularity, ease of manufacture and maintenance/ repair/ replacements, it follows the CVRT/ M113 philosophy of adaptability and modularity, whilst combining the cost effectiveness and logistics of the M4 Sherman which was one of the worst tanks in ww2 for many of its failures but was absolutely fantastic and loved by everyone for the exact same reasons. The Sherman was cheap, relatively speaking, it used a mix of casting and riveted armor, meaning that whilst the Sherman wasn’t the most heavily armored tank of the war, it’s casted hull was easy to produce in massive quantities and the fact that whilst riveting was the worst thing for a tank, most of the rivets and bolts were located in highly inaccessible/ accessible areas, such as the front drive shaft which transferred the power from the engine to the front wheels on the tank, which posed reliability problems, which were again negated by the simple fact that any idiot with a big enough spanner, enough swear words to last a lifetime and a crane could easily remove the front sprocket guard which unlike most other tanks were located at the back, this of course meant that a Sherman was actually pushing its way along rather than pulling which did leave it with a very low amount of torque, but at the same time you can practically gain access to any and all vital components of the Sherman within a few hours and with a crane, and again if a Sherman was lost due to an enemy shell killing all of the crew, they’d simply hose out the former occupants, weld up the hole and drive off, if not tow the thing back to a camp, park it under a large tree and use that tree as a make shift crane, by tying a rope to the back of another tank and then start dismantling the thing then and there, unlike most German tanks which if they were damaged or destroyed, had to be salvaged and taken back to the factory in order to be repaired and the same went to the British and French, the only other example would be the Russians, which again is what makes the chimera the standard basis for any and all other imperial vehicles, because much like the Sherman, where yes the Sherman was a terrible tank, the Sherman could be either armed with a rack of missiles to become a form of mobile artillery, it could be mounted with a flail and be used to clear minefields or as the Australians tended to do and that’s to convert their Sherman’s into kangaroos, where they would remove the turret, widen the turret ring and add a floor plate and use it as a troop transport 😂, and whilst there may be more advanced vehicles out there like the tau or eldar hover tanks, the problem starts when such vehicles require the need for highly sophisticated and advanced systems and technology and whilst they may be superior in almost every aspect, the fact is that some stone aged barbarian could be easily trained on how to replace a tank track vs having to use a anti gravity plate which yes is common for civilians to use again requires highly specialized skills to produce and rare materials to manufacture which could be spent elsewhere not to mention that it’s more economically efficient to stamp out tank tracks by the trillions rather than the couple of hundred hover plates which would have to deal with incoming fire, as for space marines they can use anti gravity tanks and technology simply because they have the capability to not only use such valuable materials and resources more efficiently and efficiently but they also have dedicated engineers assigned to them via a tech marine who could easily repair a damaged landspeeder the same way he could fix a squads rhino 😂
If anything there was a Soviet IFV form the cod war that the Chimera always reminds me of. I it Also hade slots so Ak47s could shoot out the side. I Just can't remember the Modle Name thought
@@atankersview lmao, I already bought mine and was glueing it while watching the vid. The only thing bad about the model is the bottom missing sadly. Also to save up on shitty painting it's best to use airbrush.
Firing ports were an idea in the 70s and 80s. You'll find them in pretty much every IFV developed in that period, including the Bradley, Marder, and BMP. All of the upgraded variants cover the ports with armour instead. Games Workshop is also enamored with undersized turrets, leaving no room for both gunner and commander. This would result in a less than effective vehicle, but that doesn't seem to be important in designing fictional plastic models.
Also the thing about GW is that they make and sell models. You want a new vehicle? Instead of setting up an assembly line to make an all new model from scratch, make a different turret with a flamer and plop it in, maybe with some extra doo-dads as well.
To be fair, it also makes sense logistically. When you have to take all your spare parts with you to a battlezone light years away, you probably want them to be as cross-compatible as you can.
Makes sense for real tanks just as much. Just retrofit what ever you need on a platform you are producing already instead designing stuff from scratch.
@@stephenwood6663 That's actually one of the common things explained in fluff 'Yeah so this 'variant' was made because we couldn't fix this tank, but we have half a dropship full of Chimera parts so we transplanted the turret from the tank to the Chimera. Recoil? What's that?'
One of the few Eldar soliders who cares: What does this monstrosity do?-pointing to the Chimera- Guard Man: absolutely anything you need-points at the version with coffee machine in it-
Chimera variants (Known) Multi-laser APC Heavy Flamer APC Gryphonne Variant Twin Heavy Bolter APC Kronus Variant Autocannon APC Basilisk Long Range SPG Griffon Heavy Mortar SPG Colossus Heavy Artillery SPG Medusa Bunker Buster SPG Hellhound Flamethrower SPG Devil Dog Melta SPG Bane Wolf Chemical Warfare SPG Hydra Flak SPG Wyvern Area Suppression SPG Manticore Missile Launcher Deathstrike Missile Launcher Salamander Scout AFV Trojan AFV Chimerax Flak APC Chimedon Tankette/SPG Chimerro ISV Defender IFV And that's the ones with models. There's also background/fluff describing PDF battlefield ambulances, minesweepers, bridging vehicles, and chuckwagon variants, as well as various scrap-use chimera chassis.
The riveted armor makes it a rolling suicide box. A WW1 era anti material rifle would be able to shake it apart through repeated hits. Something like and auto cannon or automatic grenade launcher might just shear off armor plates entirely.
I think the chimera and it's variants are based on the FV430 line of armoured vehicles used by the British army rather than the Bradley or M113. Remember, GW is a British company.
the biggest issue with alot of imperial armour is.. suspension or the lack of it trying to build large scale working models shows the issues they need abit of suspension rather than just huge armour plates to the ground.
Ok I'm glad you covered that in the beginning because I was gonna say the Chimera would fall more under the category of APC/IFV then a actual tank given it's role, capacity and armament.
It appears to utilize a flat bed system similar to say a taliban technical or as you stated a m113 or SAS a Brit it would be mostly akin to the British CVRT or even FV432 being utilized in almost any similar roles from the Abbots to Samaritans to the scimitars and outside of its lack of suspension agreed the chimera is whilst on the larger size the most realistic thing 40K has to offer, plus being from the same chassis Also helps keep the cost of the model down at least
I'll admit, you made me pause for a moment when you described the topside hatches as "anachronistic". "But Tanker's View," I asked myself "how can we know what'll be anachronistic in the 41st millennium?" I realised, a moment later, that you meant anachronistic by modern standards. XD
I like to buy conversion kits from Models and Minis that turn that silly top hatch into an environmental filter. Check out their HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT EQUIPMENT FOR CHIMERA vehicle upgrade kit.
Loved the video @A Tankers View! Can't wait for the next video man! If you ever need a Break from Dispensing the Emperor's Justice in Warhammer 40K, maybe take a Look through the History Books and cover Tanks and Other Vehicles like the M4 Sherman Medium Tank Lineage, The M3 and M5 Stuart Light Tanks or the Later M24 Chaffee Light Tank, The M10 "Wolverine" , M18 "Hellcat" or M36 "Jackson" Tank Destroyers, The Panzer III Medium Tank, Panzer IV Medium Tank, Panther Heavy Tank, Tiger or King Tiger Heavy Tanks, The Crusader, Cromwell, Challenger or Comet Cruiser Tanks, The Matilda II, Churchill or Valentine Infantry Tanks, The T-34 Medium Tank lineage, The IS-2 Heavy Tank or even the God Awful Type 95 Chi-Ha tanks from World War Two just to name a Few.
A good video. Please cover BattleTech tanks too. I bet you'd love Patton, but it's gonna get immobilised and turret locked before armor gives up. Manticore has less armor, but more firepower, range, and less reliance for ammo because energy weapons. Both have nuclear fusion engine. Hovertank and derivatives (LTV4, Drillson) own the open terrain & wet ground (rivers, swamps etc.). Manteuffel has dakka and a very cool story in Total Warfare rule book. Please look into it.
There are so many vehicles in both sci-fi and fantasy out there and its fun to hear a real drivers point of view, im also getting more curious on what tank drivers view on walkers are in general, anything worth developing in real life? 😁
Working thru a list. If you have any that you would suggest, I'd love to hear it. Im working on the Manticore from Battletech, and aat from star wars right now.
Tearing the Chimera a new one is as easy as any other guard vehicle, barring the Atrox, and new Sentinel. *Rivets.* That's it. A Guard player should need to roll a D6 every time a Guard vehicle takes a wound, and on a 6 it takes an additional wound from a rivet popping and ricocheting in the cabin, causing additional damage and injuring the crew.
The Chimera model dates to 1995, but was first seen in Epic 40k/Space Marine in 1990, where if I have the right pictures, it seems to have had a smaller turret that was a little more to right rather than dead centre like the later versions. It's a shame they really botched the Taurox though, that thing just looks silly. Could have made a futuristic Stryker or even just a grimdark Alvis Saracen/Saladin thing to fit the 40k vibe a little better and also Be British™ but nope. Van with four sets of tracks it is!
Actually, the chimera doesnt have ports, the lasguns that you see sticking out of the sides are fully intigrated into the vehicle, though i dont blame you in the slightest for the confusion.
@atankersview I would be interested in your opinion on track constructions that run the hole side of a vehicle instead of heaving room over the wheels to hang. To my knowledge the concept performance rather poorly why it was mostly abandoned after ww1. (I hope I could get my point across even if lacking the proper english terminology)
I understand completely friend. The main reason it was abandoned is due to the ease in which spoil( mud, earth, rock) would get into the system causing tracks to break. And far too difficult to maintain the drivetrain components.
@@atankersview so that would still be a major issue for the Chimera, leman Russ, landraider, rhino and what ever HH Tanks I'm forgetting here, wouldn't it? An I know I'm nitpicking (I genuinely like the Chimera family) but isn't the ressed hullweapon an unnecessary funnel for penetration charges?
The Chimera (cutaways) actually kind of explain why the tracks do that. Also the model, up close you can see exhausts on both sides, on the outside of the tracks. The V16 Omnifuel is ...technically 2 engines. 2 V-8s with a mechanical linkage, inset in the tracks. So the return rollers run above the engine, and the engine and transmission sit on top of the road-wheels. (The engines are also rear-mounted, the drive-cog is at the front according to cutaways, above the tensioner piston)
Will you ever do a review of the armored vehicles of other factions on 40K? Can you review these vehicles from C&C Generals/Rise of the Reds? And how soon will there be a “I made improvements to these tanks” video? (Are you a fan of Spookston).
The only thing I can really think of to criticize the Chimera is it's suspension. It looks as though going top speed would batter the crew and passengers pretty badly. Other then that, seems well rounded
Where's the engine and exhaust located? I thought it might be where the hull mounted gun is but... well, there's a gun in the way. Did they forget a place for the engine?
Gee dubs actually used to design their stuff exactly like this. Take reality, augment it with Fantasy and ... awesome! It's when they lose this core component that things become silly and awful. Fantasy used to be just like this. And take the most beloved Guard regiments: Armageddon and Krieg. Again, augmented history. Armageddon is even known for their heavy use of Chimerae. So, there's a doubly whammy when talking about Blitzkrieg(ASL's playstyle). Or DKoK happy row + shovel noises, remind you of anything(WW1)? Neh, sorry for that rant. I miss the good ole, awesome Warhammer. Nowadays it's something, best exemplified by Age of Whatever.
You really should tackle a battletech vehicle at some point, some of them are stupid some of them are not too bad imo. I mean vehicles though so not mechs.
Seconded. I recommend the manticore to start, as a fairly typical example of a BT tank that has both good tank design and bad tank design features to comment on.
looking into it. i don't know anything about battletech at all, so i want to talk to some people. make sure i'm getting the correct reference material, etc. wouldn't do for me to make a total ass of myself every episode. just a partial one. 1/10 of an ass as it were.
Guns on the side IRL are useless and dodgy but if you often go around genociding stone age aliens a lot being able to shoot out of the armored box on all sides would help keep them off your back and rear.
Hope you enjoyed this shorter video, if you're interested in AFV please check out
Ryan McBeths Video on HATS
th-cam.com/video/hEna9T4zSM0/w-d-xo.html
i dont know if i agree on this tank definition !
APC and AFV both do the same things right? what is the difference?
@@killerkraut9179 fair enough he did say that this was his own opinion as a tanker himself
@@Pridefallen975 I think AFW is a more over including Term
A armored Fighting vehicle can be practically everything Armored on Wheels or Tracks (MBT)(apc)(IFV)etc
A apc is more special sub thing
@@killerkraut9179 thank you for clarifying It's been bugging me for a long time
In the First World War, the British decided to differentiate their tanks in two ways: there were Male Tanks with Cannons and Female Tanks with Machine Guns. After the war, it was generally agreed that Gendering Tanks was a bad idea.
Non-binary tank superiority.
@@GaldirEonai Thumbs down hehehe !
As a Steel Legion player, the Chimera is the dependable metal box that gets my dour Guardsmen up the board as a full unit. It eats up damage and sometimes even does decent damage to infantry. The Leman Russ draws attention but the Chimera scores points.
Ah yes, the Steel Legion. If only they continued the line. Oh well. I can always enjoy myself in Unification Mod for Dawn of War. Absolutely my favorite faction. And yes, the Chimera is a big reason why.
The Chimera really in the jack of all trades chassis. It's not the best Tank/IFV for combat, troop transport, or any role it can fulfill. But it's nowhere near a bad vehicle. If you need a job done, the Chimera is the vehicle for you. If not, then one of its siblings with different configurations can. The Chimera really in the best the Guard have, which is why they still use it even when other vehicles are being replaced or dumped. The Rogal Dorn comes to mind with it possibly being created to replace the Leman Russ Tank that has been in service since the Great Crusade.
The Rogal dorn is meant to replace the bane blade and its variants. Bane blades are “small” in number and can’t be fielded in all the battlefields that they are needed in. The rogal dorn can go to the battlefields that the bb is needed but can’t go to and to other battlefields that they aren’t “needed”.
Check out the BMP! This is the first infantry fighting vehicle and I strongly believe that the chimera was based on this design that is still used today by modern militaries.
I was in a Bradley fighting vehicle in Iraq with the First Armored Division. I got to see some captured BMP's up close. They have three firing ports on each side for AK-47's and a small turret on top.
i'm aware, im aware 😂 lol. i even put a pic of the bmp in the video. but most of the models i looked at prior to writing the video had just the drop ramp and a single door. only a couple of the steel legion ones had the fuel tank double doors
M113 and bradley is kinda closer to chimera as not alot of vehicles types and modificatioma were created on the BMP chassis (except the direct improvements like BMP 2,3,4)
M113 is that exact metal box that can to almost anything if you put the right equipment on it. Gun ports are not the primary thing that chimera does
Chimera is the a very similar metal box
The Chimera is like insane not because it has like 13 barrels of fun like the BANEBLADE!! Or like a super box like a Leman Russ, it's just. A normal fucking vehicle that's realistic in 40k. That is crazier than anything. It just makes sense and that breaks my brain
The Chimera really was designed by someone who knew what infantry want and need.
It carries 12 men, but is used by squads of 10 men - so if yours gets knocked out, your squad can hitch rides in the rest of the platoon's vehicles.
It has a Multilaser, which is a potent suppression tool - perfect for making enemy troops keep their head down while you pile your wounded inside.
The ball turrets are remotely operated - the whole tank can be sealed for operation in toxic or irradiated environments, because someone knew how damn trigger happy Mankind gets with WMDs.
It's actually amphibious to an extent, so you can just drive straight into a lake if you're desperate!
Minor clarification about the gun ports, they aren't actually ports, the guns you see are lasgun equivalents hard mounted to the chimera and fed directly from it's own internal power/laspack recharger. Not sure if that mitigates the weakness or not, but I felt it should be noted all the same. Another great video, cheers!
As I understand, those las-gun firing points have joints that allow movement. That means there are still holes in the hull, from which stress points when an anti-armor weapon hits it can lead to failure of the armor. So fixed or not, it still will suffer the same weakness.
@@urbypilot2136 Weaknesses in the hull are the least of your concerns when being bum rushed by nids or orks.
@@urbypilot2136 if the enemy gets a shot at the chimera's back deck you have bigger problems
1:51 " 'non-service connected' hearing loss.' Love that attention to detail. Navy vet here and yeah, that 'sounds' about right.
I cant hear you over my military grade tinnitus lol
Hello A Tankers View, thanks for crediting my video!
The Chimera really reminds me of a BMP-1 due to the bulbous doors in the back.
Would definitely identify the BMP-family as aesthetic fathers for the Chimera
The steel legion ones for sure. Most of the models i looked at had the ramp with a single door.
@@djcy9219 The backdoor fuel tanks are VERY appropriate for the grimdark anyhow.
@@atankersview for me its the side port las-guns
@@atankersview Ah ok.
the chimera, competency is a battle taxi because the guys designing insanity are all focused on the tanks (see leman russ, rogal dorn, repulsor, & repulsor executioner,) the primaris impulsor kind of feels like a hover technical to be honest, (i know the gladiators are built on it, but as weird hover tanks go they aren't too horrible.) and I'm pretty sure the rhino is literally just the imperium finding an m113, scaling it up and filling it with marines. and all the most reasonable imperial armor seems to be the transports with aftermarket mods. half the guard motor pool? aftermarket add ons to a chimera. half the first born astartes motor pool? after market add ons to a rhino. the only sane primaris tanks? again, after market add ons to an impulsor. and funnily enough these vehicles usually have a little more of an intuitive relationship between their appearance and how you would expect they're operated than the 'tanks' all the chimera variants can be resupplied via chimera, (outside the giant missile variants that probably shouldn't be on the front line anyway and theoretically aren't being fired nearly as often.) the rhino variants and impulsor variants either carry weapons that are making use of what used to be a troop bay for ammo or they stuffed it with a generator. predators tend toward a small bore autocannon for general purpose work or if a chapter is actually hunting tanks with it they go with a generator and lascannons. the exception to the small bore & energy rule with rhino variants are the hunter and the vindicator. both of which are specialist pieces for a specific job and probably have a supporting rhino and a techmarine minder. ones a SAM platform. and the other is a dedicated fortification breacher on a budget. (because a rhino is cheaper to replace than a spartan or a land raider) compared to repulsors that are covered in more weapons than they should reasonably have room to carry ammo for or the land raiders that are massive targets, & I believe the leman russ has already been shelled on this channel so that doesn't need repeating. the impulsors are an odd family, (probably because their grav vehicles.) but the open bed pick up asthetic actually works ok for the walking bunkers that are astartes. the gladiator flavors are the reaper(designed to chew massed infantry that could overwhelm the astartes) the valiant(a short range ambush tank destroyer for pursuing enemy armor in tight spaces,) and the lancer, (which seems to be the result of someone taking the one gun everyone really wanted off the repulsor executioner and sticking it on a platform they could actually use) the repulsor executioner has to many guns with too many ranges and a transport bay, something isn't getting used properly with that design. the lancer takes the the idea of "hey, what if we stick the executioners big doom laser on an impulsor with some armor, keep the impulsors little go away guns, and let it just happily go hunting for tanks?"
A good assessment, but if I may offer a bit of advice in written expression, such a large volume of text really should be broken into paragraphs. It was a difficult read, not for any lack of logical coherence, but just because my eyes had trouble keeping track of where I was at.
What's wrong with the repulsor? In my opinion, it looks quite normal, taking into account the specifics of the universe
Even the base Chimera makes a lot of sense with its weapons as IFV
Multilaser is kinda 25-30mm cannon
hunter killer for those extra oompf shots into enemy heavy targets
it can even get a frontal lascanon for that purpose too
Thanks for this. Loved a real fighters pov. Also Angry Cops cameo :)
So the chimera and it's variants being shockingly reasonable was because a lot of the hard numbers about the tank came to the cannon via the imperial armor series of articles and then books. These were written by people more familiar with historical military books used for modeling, as modern tabletop gaming was still relatively young. So they were written by more armor fanatics than sci fi fans. The same reason why it's variants and adaptability actually makes some sense, they were made by people who were making 1 to 1's of real vehicles.
The Chimera was primarily based on the Soviet BMP-1. The Bradly was designed to do everything it could do, but better. That’s why it has a few random add-ons that don’t quite make sense, like the ability to swim and shoot out of the hull in a toxic battlefield.
It's kinda like the Rino hull "If it fits it works, if it works DO IT!" thanks for the vid
1:36 That particular M113 blurs the line because while the chassis was designed as an APC, that turret, 25mm chaingun and added armor is an upgrade package specifically made to upgrade the M113 into an IFV. A better example might have been the M113 T50 with it's little .50BMG turret
True.
Look Chimeras! Chimeras! Our enemies hide in metal boxes! The cowards! The fools! We...We shall take away...their Metal Boxes!
Where the heck did you find that Chimera for Sprocket at?
This was an awesome video! And I love the angry cops clip good old POTB
The firing ports for the cargo, (oops, infantry) are intended primarily to clear infantry attacks from the side so the cargo (oops, troops inside) can be offloaded
I always felt it looked closer to a BMP/BMD-1/2, but overall an amazing video! Keep it up!
And then there's the Salamander, which takes the engine, tracks and suspension of a Chimera but discards everything else to save weight and basically becomes a tracked racecar :P.
Salamander Scout Vehicle. One of the fastest things on the board outside of actual jets.
Another late comment but In retrospect it’s more akin to the British CVRT family which ranged from the bunker busting scorpions with a 40mm howitzer, to the scimitar light tank armed with a Raden L30 chain gun, to the Samaritan ambulance to the Abbot self propelled artillery. My only real complaint would be the guards lack of suspensions but other than that, the chimera and all of its derivatives are all built to suit modularity, ease of manufacture and maintenance/ repair/ replacements, it follows the CVRT/ M113 philosophy of adaptability and modularity, whilst combining the cost effectiveness and logistics of the M4 Sherman which was one of the worst tanks in ww2 for many of its failures but was absolutely fantastic and loved by everyone for the exact same reasons.
The Sherman was cheap, relatively speaking, it used a mix of casting and riveted armor, meaning that whilst the Sherman wasn’t the most heavily armored tank of the war, it’s casted hull was easy to produce in massive quantities and the fact that whilst riveting was the worst thing for a tank, most of the rivets and bolts were located in highly inaccessible/ accessible areas, such as the front drive shaft which transferred the power from the engine to the front wheels on the tank, which posed reliability problems, which were again negated by the simple fact that any idiot with a big enough spanner, enough swear words to last a lifetime and a crane could easily remove the front sprocket guard which unlike most other tanks were located at the back, this of course meant that a Sherman was actually pushing its way along rather than pulling which did leave it with a very low amount of torque, but at the same time you can practically gain access to any and all vital components of the Sherman within a few hours and with a crane, and again if a Sherman was lost due to an enemy shell killing all of the crew, they’d simply hose out the former occupants, weld up the hole and drive off, if not tow the thing back to a camp, park it under a large tree and use that tree as a make shift crane, by tying a rope to the back of another tank and then start dismantling the thing then and there, unlike most German tanks which if they were damaged or destroyed, had to be salvaged and taken back to the factory in order to be repaired and the same went to the British and French, the only other example would be the Russians, which again is what makes the chimera the standard basis for any and all other imperial vehicles, because much like the Sherman, where yes the Sherman was a terrible tank, the Sherman could be either armed with a rack of missiles to become a form of mobile artillery, it could be mounted with a flail and be used to clear minefields or as the Australians tended to do and that’s to convert their Sherman’s into kangaroos, where they would remove the turret, widen the turret ring and add a floor plate and use it as a troop transport 😂, and whilst there may be more advanced vehicles out there like the tau or eldar hover tanks, the problem starts when such vehicles require the need for highly sophisticated and advanced systems and technology and whilst they may be superior in almost every aspect, the fact is that some stone aged barbarian could be easily trained on how to replace a tank track vs having to use a anti gravity plate which yes is common for civilians to use again requires highly specialized skills to produce and rare materials to manufacture which could be spent elsewhere not to mention that it’s more economically efficient to stamp out tank tracks by the trillions rather than the couple of hundred hover plates which would have to deal with incoming fire, as for space marines they can use anti gravity tanks and technology simply because they have the capability to not only use such valuable materials and resources more efficiently and efficiently but they also have dedicated engineers assigned to them via a tech marine who could easily repair a damaged landspeeder the same way he could fix a squads rhino 😂
If anything there was a Soviet IFV form the cod war that the Chimera always reminds me of. I it Also hade slots so Ak47s could shoot out the side. I Just can't remember the Modle Name thought
Bmp-1
Chimera with the multi-laser always reminded me of BMP-3 or BMD-4M, especially the pseudo double barrel turret.
Damm I kinda want a Rogal Dorn Tank video to compleate the Guard saga
So do i lol. Im saving it until i get my mitts on the model. It'll let me showcase my worlds shittiest painting skills.
@@atankersview lmao, I already bought mine and was glueing it while watching the vid. The only thing bad about the model is the bottom missing sadly. Also to save up on shitty painting it's best to use airbrush.
Firing ports were an idea in the 70s and 80s. You'll find them in pretty much every IFV developed in that period, including the Bradley, Marder, and BMP. All of the upgraded variants cover the ports with armour instead. Games Workshop is also enamored with undersized turrets, leaving no room for both gunner and commander. This would result in a less than effective vehicle, but that doesn't seem to be important in designing fictional plastic models.
Novelization fluff explains that the vast majority of turrets are either remote operated, or a servitor (Who takes up less space than a full human)
Also the thing about GW is that they make and sell models. You want a new vehicle? Instead of setting up an assembly line to make an all new model from scratch, make a different turret with a flamer and plop it in, maybe with some extra doo-dads as well.
To be fair, it also makes sense logistically. When you have to take all your spare parts with you to a battlezone light years away, you probably want them to be as cross-compatible as you can.
Makes sense for real tanks just as much. Just retrofit what ever you need on a platform you are producing already instead designing stuff from scratch.
@@stephenwood6663 That's actually one of the common things explained in fluff 'Yeah so this 'variant' was made because we couldn't fix this tank, but we have half a dropship full of Chimera parts so we transplanted the turret from the tank to the Chimera.
Recoil? What's that?'
@@NikkiTheOtter that's pretty much the lore for pretty much almost all patterns of the baneblade
One of the few Eldar soliders who cares: What does this monstrosity do?-pointing to the Chimera-
Guard Man: absolutely anything you need-points at the version with coffee machine in it-
Chimera variants (Known)
Multi-laser APC
Heavy Flamer APC
Gryphonne Variant Twin Heavy Bolter APC
Kronus Variant Autocannon APC
Basilisk Long Range SPG
Griffon Heavy Mortar SPG
Colossus Heavy Artillery SPG
Medusa Bunker Buster SPG
Hellhound Flamethrower SPG
Devil Dog Melta SPG
Bane Wolf Chemical Warfare SPG
Hydra Flak SPG
Wyvern Area Suppression SPG
Manticore Missile Launcher
Deathstrike Missile Launcher
Salamander Scout AFV
Trojan AFV
Chimerax Flak APC
Chimedon Tankette/SPG
Chimerro ISV
Defender IFV
And that's the ones with models.
There's also background/fluff describing PDF battlefield ambulances, minesweepers, bridging vehicles, and chuckwagon variants, as well as various scrap-use chimera chassis.
@@NikkiTheOtter So that means there isn't one with a coffe machine in it???
😭😭😭
@@aronnemcsik Salamander and Trojan both have Kaff machines.
@@NikkiTheOtter Oh thank the emperor
The riveted armor makes it a rolling suicide box. A WW1 era anti material rifle would be able to shake it apart through repeated hits. Something like and auto cannon or automatic grenade launcher might just shear off armor plates entirely.
love this stuff mate, keep doing it even if the sub rate slows down
I think the chimera and it's variants are based on the FV430 line of armoured vehicles used by the British army rather than the Bradley or M113. Remember, GW is a British company.
I swear if they model something after the boxer, im gunna have to have words with them lol.
the biggest issue with alot of imperial armour is.. suspension or the lack of it trying to build large scale working models shows the issues they need abit of suspension rather than just huge armour plates to the ground.
You mentioned the M113 a few times here, but I’d like to point out the Space Marine rhino. Looks near identical to older M113s.
Wasn't the rhino based on the fv432 ?
Ok I'm glad you covered that in the beginning because I was gonna say the Chimera would fall more under the category of APC/IFV then a actual tank given it's role, capacity and armament.
My friends would never let me hear the end of it if i didnt 🤣
Great vid! Chimera is one of the classics, and I for one like it more than the somewhat doofy Leman Russ. Ork battlewagon next? :^)
It appears to utilize a flat bed system similar to say a taliban technical or as you stated a m113 or SAS a Brit it would be mostly akin to the British CVRT or even FV432 being utilized in almost any similar roles from the Abbots to Samaritans to the scimitars and outside of its lack of suspension agreed the chimera is whilst on the larger size the most realistic thing 40K has to offer, plus being from the same chassis Also helps keep the cost of the model down at least
I'll admit, you made me pause for a moment when you described the topside hatches as "anachronistic". "But Tanker's View," I asked myself "how can we know what'll be anachronistic in the 41st millennium?"
I realised, a moment later, that you meant anachronistic by modern standards. XD
I like to buy conversion kits from Models and Minis that turn that silly top hatch into an environmental filter. Check out their HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT EQUIPMENT FOR CHIMERA vehicle upgrade kit.
Ah, the Chimera. An actually well done "tank"
Loved the video @A Tankers View! Can't wait for the next video man! If you ever need a Break from Dispensing the Emperor's Justice in Warhammer 40K, maybe take a Look through the History Books and cover Tanks and Other Vehicles like the M4 Sherman Medium Tank Lineage, The M3 and M5 Stuart Light Tanks or the Later M24 Chaffee Light Tank, The M10 "Wolverine" , M18 "Hellcat" or M36 "Jackson" Tank Destroyers, The Panzer III Medium Tank, Panzer IV Medium Tank, Panther Heavy Tank, Tiger or King Tiger Heavy Tanks, The Crusader, Cromwell, Challenger or Comet Cruiser Tanks, The Matilda II, Churchill or Valentine Infantry Tanks, The T-34 Medium Tank lineage, The IS-2 Heavy Tank or even the God Awful Type 95 Chi-Ha tanks from World War Two just to name a Few.
A good video. Please cover BattleTech tanks too. I bet you'd love Patton, but it's gonna get immobilised and turret locked before armor gives up. Manticore has less armor, but more firepower, range, and less reliance for ammo because energy weapons. Both have nuclear fusion engine. Hovertank and derivatives (LTV4, Drillson) own the open terrain & wet ground (rivers, swamps etc.). Manteuffel has dakka and a very cool story in Total Warfare rule book. Please look into it.
With the new episode of Hired Steel that came out, we got a nice high-res video of a Manticore in action too.
Great job on the review.
There are so many vehicles in both sci-fi and fantasy out there and its fun to hear a real drivers point of view, im also getting more curious on what tank drivers view on walkers are in general, anything worth developing in real life? 😁
Ive got a video coming on just that subject soon.
@@atankersview Sweet, looking forward to it 👍
You should do the Empire Steam Tank from Warhammer Fantasy just for fun.
Added to my list
Have you ever thought about reviewing fictional armored vehicles from other franchises like Valkyria Chronicles or Foxhole? Love your work!
Working thru a list. If you have any that you would suggest, I'd love to hear it. Im working on the Manticore from Battletech, and aat from star wars right now.
I like the Chimera, wish I had a cheaper transport to shove guys into so I could truly have an all mechanized list. Bolt Action spoiled me.
Taurox are cheaper
Please sire, longer videos
Tearing the Chimera a new one is as easy as any other guard vehicle, barring the Atrox, and new Sentinel.
*Rivets.* That's it. A Guard player should need to roll a D6 every time a Guard vehicle takes a wound, and on a 6 it takes an additional wound from a rivet popping and ricocheting in the cabin, causing additional damage and injuring the crew.
The Chimera model dates to 1995, but was first seen in Epic 40k/Space Marine in 1990, where if I have the right pictures, it seems to have had a smaller turret that was a little more to right rather than dead centre like the later versions.
It's a shame they really botched the Taurox though, that thing just looks silly. Could have made a futuristic Stryker or even just a grimdark Alvis Saracen/Saladin thing to fit the 40k vibe a little better and also Be British™ but nope. Van with four sets of tracks it is!
The offset turret is still common on several variants, and it's a fairly common mod to make even to the standard Chimera.
Would you be willing to go over the MARV from C&C3? Would love to see your thoughts on it
Can you make a video about eldar falcon anti grav tank?
Actually, the chimera doesnt have ports, the lasguns that you see sticking out of the sides are fully intigrated into the vehicle, though i dont blame you in the slightest for the confusion.
@atankersview I would be interested in your opinion on track constructions that run the hole side of a vehicle instead of heaving room over the wheels to hang. To my knowledge the concept performance rather poorly why it was mostly abandoned after ww1. (I hope I could get my point across even if lacking the proper english terminology)
I understand completely friend. The main reason it was abandoned is due to the ease in which spoil( mud, earth, rock) would get into the system causing tracks to break. And far too difficult to maintain the drivetrain components.
@@atankersview so that would still be a major issue for the Chimera, leman Russ, landraider, rhino and what ever HH Tanks I'm forgetting here, wouldn't it?
An I know I'm nitpicking (I genuinely like the Chimera family) but isn't the ressed hullweapon an unnecessary funnel for penetration charges?
@@atankersview and thanks very much for the quick response and competent answer
The Chimera (cutaways) actually kind of explain why the tracks do that. Also the model, up close you can see exhausts on both sides, on the outside of the tracks. The V16 Omnifuel is ...technically 2 engines. 2 V-8s with a mechanical linkage, inset in the tracks. So the return rollers run above the engine, and the engine and transmission sit on top of the road-wheels. (The engines are also rear-mounted, the drive-cog is at the front according to cutaways, above the tensioner piston)
Multi role chasis are good to an extent.
Will you ever do a review of the armored vehicles of other factions on 40K?
Can you review these vehicles from C&C Generals/Rise of the Reds?
And how soon will there be a “I made improvements to these tanks” video? (Are you a fan of Spookston).
Might I suggest the Demolisher from Battletech or the C&C Generals tanks?
Can you do a thing on both tau tank variants? pluss how their hover ability would influence how they work on the battlefield?
REV UP THAT CHIMERA WHEEEEY~
the only thing about the chimera that doesnt look too convincing is the rear guns, they look way too close to the roof to be usable from inside.
The only thing I can really think of to criticize the Chimera is it's suspension. It looks as though going top speed would batter the crew and passengers pretty badly. Other then that, seems well rounded
Comfort is only secondary to The Emperor's light.
Where's the engine and exhaust located? I thought it might be where the hull mounted gun is but... well, there's a gun in the way. Did they forget a place for the engine?
4:35 to me it looks more like a bmp
Do da Grot Tank
you have a twitter or discord? I would love to suggest some gundam vehicles, from the magella to the huge and rare Hildolrf
What tanker units where you in? I deployed attached to K troop 3/3 ACR back in 11/12 even though I'm a 13 series officially.
LdSH(RC) A SQN. i was in C/S T12B
Gee dubs actually used to design their stuff exactly like this. Take reality, augment it with Fantasy and ... awesome! It's when they lose this core component that things become silly and awful. Fantasy used to be just like this. And take the most beloved Guard regiments: Armageddon and Krieg. Again, augmented history. Armageddon is even known for their heavy use of Chimerae. So, there's a doubly whammy when talking about Blitzkrieg(ASL's playstyle). Or DKoK happy row + shovel noises, remind you of anything(WW1)?
Neh, sorry for that rant. I miss the good ole, awesome Warhammer. Nowadays it's something, best exemplified by Age of Whatever.
awesome
its here!
don't tell me the thing is not modeled after the BMP1
If you remove the side ports for troop gunners you make the Chimera worthless in Dawn of War.
What breaks first the lore or the gameplay?
Do you have any plans on analysing any Supreme Commander's units, or are they too ridiculously exaggerated for this channel and/or type of content?
Fat boy is on my list
@@atankersview Great.
I always like to see experts and enthusiasts analysing exaggerated exaggeration.
Just for the lols.
Its my favorite unit in forged alliance
So it's a chunky CV90?
Thicc lol
Have you seen the new Rogal Dorn tank yet?
Wellllll i seen the front, top and sides. The bottoms a little "thin" lol.
You really should tackle a battletech vehicle at some point, some of them are stupid some of them are not too bad imo. I mean vehicles though so not mechs.
Seconded. I recommend the manticore to start, as a fairly typical example of a BT tank that has both good tank design and bad tank design features to comment on.
looking into it. i don't know anything about battletech at all, so i want to talk to some people. make sure i'm getting the correct reference material, etc. wouldn't do for me to make a total ass of myself every episode. just a partial one. 1/10 of an ass as it were.
But ATV, how about the Merkava? Is that an MBT or AFV? ;)
Its the el camino of tanks lol.
SchützenPANZER, the Germans say its a tank.
To me, it looks much like a BMP
Okay man lets get the obvious easy target for 40k... cover the landraider lets rip off the bandaid
Hydra = Gepard fight me.
Guns on the side IRL are useless and dodgy but if you often go around genociding stone age aliens a lot being able to shoot out of the armored box on all sides would help keep them off your back and rear.
Would me unsubscribing and resubscribing multiple times help your numbers?
haha, i wish it did or i'd do it with my alt accts too.
Hello how are you
I do like some of the Warhammer tanks especially the Imperial Guardsman or the Space Marines
МТ-ЛБ!!
lol u should check out all the dumb tanks in battletech.
The chimera seems more like a mix of an M113 and a bmp than a bradley
40k is sexy in grimdarkness, but not necessarily the grandest scale
If you think the chimera is similar to the m113 just wait till you see the space marines rhino 🦏 🚙 😂