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First off, I'd like to thank BogdanX, EternalDarkness, Leehopard, and BoganBoganTheMan for being my test dummies and all the advice given. Without them, this tank would likely be plagued by a plethora of little, annoying 🐛

CONTROLS

• Pitch and Roll to steer
• Yaw to turn the turret
• VTOL to elevate the gun
• Trim to raise the ground clearance
• AG8 to lock the turret and gun in place (activated by default)
• AG1 to power the stabilizer
• AG2 to start the amphibious engine, which is linked to Throttle. To steer, you use Roll
• AG3 to activate the main gun
• AG4 to activate the coaxial MG
• AG6 to close the viewing ports
• AG7 to power the lights (they start working around 10 kph / 4 mph)
  

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FEATURES

• Two-plane stabilization makes shooting on the move easier
• Hydropneumatic suspension allows for comfortable driving on both roads and uneven terrain
• A powerful 105 mm gun, capable of shooting APFSDS shells with deadly accuracy
• Respectable maneuvrability, allowing the vehicle to relocate quickly if met with heavier opposition
• Armor:
  
  
  
  • Hull: 45/25/25 mm (front/sides/rear)
  
  
  • Turret: 65/42/25 mm (front/sides/rear)
  
  
  • Overall, the armor was calculated as thickness x 200
  
  

THE AMX-10 RC

The AMX-10 RC (roue canon - wheeled cannon) is a heavy 6x6 reconnaissance armored car that entered service with the French Army in 1979, in an effort to replace the aging Panhard EBR.

Also classified as a tank destroyer, the AMX 10 RC is a testimony to France's long-lasting love for armored cars. Starting even before the war with designs such as Panhard 178 or the experimental Panhard 201, this armored car is the result of years of research, perfecting the concept of reconnaissance and high-mobility fire support.

AMX's armored car was armed with a lightweight 105 mm F2 gun, capable of firing very potent shells. However, the ammunition is not NATO-compatible.

The gun, however, lacked a proper stabilizer. Fire control was usually a cooperative effort between the gunner and the commander, the latter being able to override the former and, thus, laying the gun on target much faster.

Later variants would see the addition of a SIT (Système d'Information Terminal - System of Terminal Information) battlefield management system, allowing platoons to better coordinate their effort.

The armor is made out of aluminum and is said to protect against small-caliber guns (20-30 mm). Why aluminum? It's a material that behaves similarly to steel against most shells, with the added benefit of being much, much lighter.

Speaking of weight, the AMX 10 RC has two aces up its sleeve compared to other armored cars:

• Being so lightweight (just shy of 16 tonnes), it is air-transportable.

• In an effort to increase its mobility, designers at AMX also made it amphibious. Two propellers at the back offer just enough power to move in the water. However, this feature was dropped with later variants as the weight from additional armor rendered it too heavy.

Currently in service with three countries (France, Morocco, and Qatar), the French Army expects to replace the formidable AMX with state-of-the-art Jaguar EBRC, slowly phasing them out in 2020-2025.

PERSONAL OPINION

This has so far been my most ambitious project. I've actually taken time to perfect it (unlike most other builds which are a little rushed).

It started out well over a month ago. You might remember this teaser, which was a very, very early variant mounting a rather new kind of rocket cannon. At one point in time, I even made a composite shell configuration (basically a bomb and a rocket, simulating a HEAT-FS shell). But due to complications with this experimental design, I had to drop it and return to the good ol' minigun cannon, which proved far more reliable.

Originally, I planned to release it on Bastille Day (cause why not), but as I furthered down the rabbit hole of perfectionism, I delayed it by... almost a week?

The mobility was the hardest to balance as SP doesn't accurately simulate wheel physics in my opinion, with things such as acceleration and resistance, ground pressure, power distribution... I understand it's a very simplistic model and I wouldn't blame them for delaying its eventual revamp - it's a pain in the arse to put it lightly.

Oh, and for anyone curious: this is not a blueprint match. Although I will admit the hull was made using blueprints but, due to practical and personal reasons (in short, laziness and impatience), some shapes were kept from the original (which was its own kind of "terrible"). You might notice the turret doesn't really match the real thing; you are correct. It carried over from the original to save some time.

Overall, to say that I gained a bit of experience is like saying drinking twenty-four bottles of Coke a day ain't nothin': a severe understatement.

I wish you a good ride in this bad boy and hope you're gonna enjoy every second blasting convoys in the middle of the desert while bombing around like a... Ferrari? NON! Like a Peugeot ;)