Battle Day 1996

Rich was instrumental in the design and construction of B.A.T.’s special effects system. The central component was a "Blast Box" console holding pneumatic valves that controlled 12 buried air lines. These lines terminated in small funnels flush with the surface of the ground. When activated, CO2 would blow a fine dirt and cornstarch mixture about two feet into the air from the surface. Kevin Gray built a sound control box which provided sounds of explosions and machine guns through concealed battery-powered speakers.

Along with some plaster "dragons teeth" barriers, pillboxes, burnt-out tanks, and other assorted structures, this set-up brought to life our very first "Battle Day" for 1/16th scale tanks.

The randomly placed "mine field" controlled by Rich became a hazard as the participants decided that if any tank drove within 6" of an explosion it was considered destroyed. This explosion system introduced a new element to war gaming for the combatants and paved the way for future battle simulations.

Jerry Carducci’s 1/10 gas-powered Tiger 1 (late version) ran a few circuits around the battle field.

Battle Day 1996 (CLICK THUMBS TO GET LARGER VIEW)

BACK TO EVENT GALLERY