عبان is Arabic for 'snake' and will be incorporated into my 9th Special Forces Group (Airborne) stories and customs as an al-Qaeda aligned group operating in Afghanistan in 2001/2002 and across the world...
Excerpt from AFGHAN-SITREP: SNAKE/Type-98-Prototype
DATE REQUESTED: 22 JAN 2002
Covert Operator Codename: Chuckles
"... The Commander loved his tank. It was probably his most treasured possession in the province. He had money, wives, even young boys at his beck and call, for he was a man of influence in the Shah-i-kot Valley. Above all else though, he cherished the tank. It was a relatively new Chinese prototype for their 'Type-98' series of tanks, and was given to him from a Pakistani weapons broker in exchange for his sisters hand in marriage. He never heard from, or saw her again, but I don't recall him ever musing on if it had been a bad deal.
When it arrived a couple years back, the Commander was as excited as a school child, climbing all over the tank before they had even unloaded it from the Pakistani Air Force's C-130. His elation quickly turned to angst though, when he realized none of his men had any training in actually DRIVING a tank. He started going on and on, and I quietly informed him that the Soviets had trained me to operate some of their armored vehicles during the occupation and that'd I'd give it a try. That certainly brightened his mood.
The Chinese had removed most of their new tech gear, but it was still a fully functional tank, easily surpassing the old Soviet T-55's that still lumbered across the country in service of the Taliban. The Commander had us drive all over the countryside, shooting at whatever he felt like. I think he enjoyed the cramped Chinese cabin, as it probably made him less aware of his own height shortcomings.
The Commander used his tank almost every day, even for trips to the local bazaar, that was until the US started their air campaign. No armored vehicle would survive long out in the open, so he generally left it parked in the entrance to his cave compound..."
This is a PTE Chinese Type-98 tank that I've customized to somewhat approximate what it would look like in-use by the terrorists in Afghanistan 2002.
I still have a few tweaks to do most likely, but this was a fun 1-day project to see if anything could be done with the terrible original paint scheme
It's hard to find concrete stats on the Type-98, as it never made it to full production (They went with the Type-99 instead), but it seems to be maybe 1/19th or 1/20th scale instead of 1/18th.
This is how it started:
Thanks for reading, and be sure to let me know any criticisms or complaints! It's how I improve!!
Excerpt from AFGHAN-SITREP: SNAKE/Type-98-Prototype
DATE REQUESTED: 22 JAN 2002
Covert Operator Codename: Chuckles
"... The Commander loved his tank. It was probably his most treasured possession in the province. He had money, wives, even young boys at his beck and call, for he was a man of influence in the Shah-i-kot Valley. Above all else though, he cherished the tank. It was a relatively new Chinese prototype for their 'Type-98' series of tanks, and was given to him from a Pakistani weapons broker in exchange for his sisters hand in marriage. He never heard from, or saw her again, but I don't recall him ever musing on if it had been a bad deal.
When it arrived a couple years back, the Commander was as excited as a school child, climbing all over the tank before they had even unloaded it from the Pakistani Air Force's C-130. His elation quickly turned to angst though, when he realized none of his men had any training in actually DRIVING a tank. He started going on and on, and I quietly informed him that the Soviets had trained me to operate some of their armored vehicles during the occupation and that'd I'd give it a try. That certainly brightened his mood.
The Chinese had removed most of their new tech gear, but it was still a fully functional tank, easily surpassing the old Soviet T-55's that still lumbered across the country in service of the Taliban. The Commander had us drive all over the countryside, shooting at whatever he felt like. I think he enjoyed the cramped Chinese cabin, as it probably made him less aware of his own height shortcomings.
The Commander used his tank almost every day, even for trips to the local bazaar, that was until the US started their air campaign. No armored vehicle would survive long out in the open, so he generally left it parked in the entrance to his cave compound..."
This is a PTE Chinese Type-98 tank that I've customized to somewhat approximate what it would look like in-use by the terrorists in Afghanistan 2002.
I still have a few tweaks to do most likely, but this was a fun 1-day project to see if anything could be done with the terrible original paint scheme
It's hard to find concrete stats on the Type-98, as it never made it to full production (They went with the Type-99 instead), but it seems to be maybe 1/19th or 1/20th scale instead of 1/18th.
This is how it started:
Thanks for reading, and be sure to let me know any criticisms or complaints! It's how I improve!!
