Wow, they made it pretty far from Georgia in just three years.

Tank spam is such a cheap trick. Just don't let them build Tesla coils near your base.

>easy to find information on the home page, like an address, would be nice.

try getting through up through the tiny roads in Woodside. it's an adventure

The guy who collected all those tanks died, and so they almost shut the whole thing down. Thats why they don't have an address and you need to fill out a tour request.

It was $20 before, may be more now

Leopard and cat

Thanks for the pic rider. I see they have Comet. Do they have any more of Santa's reindeer?

Arkanaut: Wow, they made it pretty far from Georgia in just three years.

Have a weekday off in two weeks. Looks interesting.

Gunner, tank at 2 o'clock!

Load sabot!

Fire!

/problem solved?

Actually looks really interesting now that I find myself closer to this coast at this point in my life. For those on the east coast even remotely close to MD, I highly recommend Aberdeen Proving Grounds - awesome tank collection and if you time it right, they might let you in the back room where they have probably one of the worlds greatest small arms collections of all times.

McShen: I highly recommend Aberdeen Proving Grounds

Apparently it's closed while they relocate.

"The United States Army Ordnance Museum is in the PROCESS OF MOVING TO FT LEE, VIRGINA. The Museum is no longer open to the public. The interior galleries have been closed and are relocating to Ft Lee. THE MOVE TO FT LEE IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN 2012. There is no longer an operational website or email access for the museum; phone only."

Link (new window)

(Predates C&C)

Don't forget the Patton Museum in Louisville, KY. Has some of the huge WWII experimental tanks.

flaminio: Arkanaut: Wow, they made it pretty far from Georgia in just three years.

[www.geekologie.com image 450x450]

I love those

RED ALERT, Subby

fixed the thread (new window)

Having not seen the other museums I of course cant say...but I'd find it really hard to believe anyone has as good a collection from all over as this place.

Sure Fort Dingleberry might have 2,000 junked US tanks and a few british and 1 Canadian. yay.

This place has Nazi, USSR, Russian, Israeli, DDR, GDR, british etc etc...

and if you're between Sacto and Monterey...Castle AFB has a pretty friggin decent plane collection....and Hiller Aviation has a lot more shee- att that you'd guess from the apparent size of the bldg as seen from the freeway...

Felix_T_Cat: Don't forget the Patton Museum in Louisville, KY. Has some of the huge WWII experimental tanks.

Also in the middle of moving IIRC...

McShen: Actually looks really interesting now that I find myself closer to this coast at this point in my life. For those on the east coast even remotely close to MD, I highly recommend Aberdeen Proving Grounds - awesome tank collection and if you time it right, they might let you in the back room where they have probably one of the worlds greatest small arms collections of all times.

It is awesome but it was kinda sad the last time I was there. They're so low on funds that a lot of the tanks are rusting away. There was a bird's nest in one gun barrel and the Tigers were off on loan somewhere else. But they have a great collection, both the tanks and the artillery pieces. It used to be completely open to the public, free of charge. Hopefully they don't change that.

DjangoStonereaver: Paris1127: I never went to the museum itself, but they had most of their exhibits outside anyway, and I did get there one foggy morning and had a great time (back in the halcyon pre 9/11 days when the base was open to the public at odd hours).

Hard to believe those years prior to unsubstantiated paranoia are gone. Sure, some measures were reasonable, but remember when we could take pictures of buildings and our mailman didn't have to make suspicious activity reports? What a world.

one of these days I'll find my picture from the air force base in Luxor Egypt... 2002 or so. I think....

Used the same runways as the commercial airport...which means while waiting to board I was able to snap a photo of the "NO PHOTOS" sign with an F4 Phantom in back. Which was not part of their museum.

Bonus- no noise restrictions which meant the pilot cranked a 270 degree or so turn waayyyy low to the ground in our 747. Best fuggin flight evar.

yeah that mythbusters pic is from the museum from subbys link...

and for once, its a tour that leaves you thinking "my God there's is still more?" instead of "I paid for this sh--- 29 minute tour??"

Grandma and grandpa aint gonna make it all the way through

DjangoStonereaver: I never went to the museum itself, but they had most of their exhibits outside anyway...

There's still hope then, Wikipedia says, "The U.S. Army Ordnance Museum ...in Aberdeen, Maryland-was closed in September 2010, although many outdoor exhibits are still accessible to the public"

I'm friends with some of the folks who run the foundation.

Sign up for a tour - you won't regret it. The MVTF hosts the finest collection of privately owned tanks IN THE WORLD. It is located on the Pony Tracks Ranch at the top of Portola Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Each tank is drivable and fully restored with all accessories - no rusty stuff except for a few tanks that have yet to be restored being stored outside. Everything else is indoors. The tour guides are often very knowledgeable people who have studied the subject very deeply and/or have written books about it.

They even have a scud missile launcher! that was fun getting through customs. All weapons are De-militarized of course, but look functional. No sawed off barrels, everything looks complete.

Here's a gallery of photos from MVTF: Link (new window)

Pic of one of one end of one of the four halls.

harlock: I'm friends with some of the folks who run the foundation.

Sign up for a tour - you won't regret it. The MVTF hosts the finest collection of privately owned tanks IN THE WORLD. It is located on the Pony Tracks Ranch at the top of Portola Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Each tank is drivable and fully restored with all accessories - no rusty stuff except for a few tanks that have yet to be restored being stored outside. Everything else is indoors. The tour guides are often very knowledgeable people who have studied the subject very deeply and/or have written books about it.

They even have a scud missile launcher! that was fun getting through customs. All weapons are De-militarized of course, but look functional. No sawed off barrels, everything looks complete.

IIRC, this was the collection of the heir of the Utah Construction Company, and he created the MVTF to manage his collection. It was the largest private collection of military vehicles in the world.

YEAH! Tractor pulls!


Mechanized is no way to go. Just targets for medium range missiles. Think I'd rather customize a D-9 CAT.

UNC_Samurai:
IIRC, this was the collection of the heir of the Utah Construction Company, and he created the MVTF to manage his collection. It was the largest private collection of military vehicles in the world.

His name was Jacques Littlefield and he passed away a few years ago from Cancer. Still is the largest collection :) The mission I believe is to eventually have it pay for its own upkeep, hence the $20 admission, which is well worth it. I think eventually the best thing that could happen to this collection would be for it to go into a building adjacent to the Hiller Aviation Museum, where it would be more accessible. Currently the weekend guided-tours and more remote location are self limiting in terms of how many people can come and see it. Still, it's well worth the visit, and an enjoyable drive up Portola Valley with beautiful views from the top.

Here in Danbury, CT, we have a military museum with lots of tanks and military vehicales. It's great execpt they have bee's making nests in them (they are outside). Was this a problem to our tankers during the wars?..........or even during peace time (whenever that might have been).

harlock: Pic of one of one end of one of the four halls.

I like how they have the shells out in front of the vehicle. For those without a lot of armor experience, seeing 88mm or 120mm means a lot more than just hearing it.

Wished I wasn't so far away, would do it in a heartbeat.

Does anyone know if there is a cutoff for tours? Like, if me and a friend signed up could we get a tour, or is there a minimum number?

>Does anyone know if there is a cutoff for tours? Like, if me and a friend signed up could we get a tour, or is there a minimum number

IIRC, they wanted 12 minimum. There were five of us, and 8 or 9 other people. Including two hot babes who were probably drug along but seemed to dig it

my fav was the Israeli tank that had the nickel sized hole in the back...right where the engine was. hot copper cone engine death from a rocket

There is a minimum for a group I believe, call them up, but if you're just one or two people, they'll put you with another group that isn't full-up. A lot of times you can have a number of un-related smaller groups on the same tour It's generally not a problem from what I've experienced.

RidersOfLohan:
my fav was the Israeli tank that had the nickel sized hole in the back...right where the engine was. hot copper cone engine death from a rocket

I think my favorite stuff there is not even the tanks themselves...the half track motorcycle, the bike with the sidecar, the SCUD launcher, the bridge layer which reminded me of the GI-JOE version we had as kids, amphibious jeep, the huge collection of rocket and shell ammunition...lots of little details that most other museums don't have. Jacques was meticulous about his restorations. He'd pay a couple grand for a tank in scrap metal, spend $10,000 shipping it, then $100,000 restoring it. He once said tanks were like potato chips...you can't have just one! Of course, it helps to have the cash to indulge your hobby. :)

fusillade762: Tank spam is such a cheap trick. Just don't let them build Tesla coils near your base.

Obelisk of lights work well too.

Fano: RED ALERT, Subby

fixed the thread (new window)

Still have it. It is now free. You can download them in .ISO that EA put out but the CD installers don't work on 64 bit PC or go to http://redalert1.com/ and dowload Red Alert that has been updated to work with XP Vista, 7 and Linux just fine.

It also let you play with people over the internet for free. The C&C community has set up internet servers to play Command & Conquer Tiberian Dawn, Red Alert, Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2.

moike: RidersOfLohan: >easy to find information on the home page, like an address, would be nice.

try getting through up through the tiny roads in Woodside. it's an adventure

The guy who collected all those tanks died, and so they almost shut the whole thing down. Thats why they don't have an address and you need to fill out a tour request.

Shame they're moving... I remember years back when they got a flatbed hauler stuck on 84 trying to get a tank up to the warehouse. The solution? Drop the tank off the flatbed and drive it up to the warehouse... Shredding the asphalt on 84 in the process, he had to pay to have a good section of the road repaved. 84 was kneedragger paradise for a couple seasons after that incident.

Unless they plan to airlift the really large ordinance out I'd guess they're going to end up shredding parts of 84 in the move. Which could be good news for anybody who rides a motorcycle, 84 could use some new asphalt.

-Mike-

I think you're confusing them with the Aberdeen proving ground mentioned above, I don't believe there are any immediate plans to move the MVTF/Littlefield collection from the Pony Tracks Ranch, which you can visit by booking a tour.

Allen262: fusillade762: Tank spam is such a cheap trick. Just don't let them build Tesla coils near your base.

Obelisk of lights work well too.

Fano: RED ALERT, Subby

fixed the thread (new window)

Still have it. It is now free. You can download them in .ISO that EA put out but the CD installers don't work on 64 bit PC or go to http://redalert1.com/ and dowload Red Alert that has been updated to work with XP Vista, 7 and Linux just fine.

It also let you play with people over the internet for free. The C&C community has set up internet servers to play Command & Conquer Tiberian Dawn, Red Alert, Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2.

Nice. The Brotherhood of Nod approves.

Thanks tanks.

;)

fusillade762: Allen262: fusillade762: Tank spam is such a cheap trick. Just don't let them build Tesla coils near your base.

Obelisk of lights work well too.

Fano: RED ALERT, Subby

fixed the thread (new window)

Still have it. It is now free. You can download them in .ISO that EA put out but the CD installers don't work on 64 bit PC or go to http://redalert1.com/ and dowload Red Alert that has been updated to work with XP Vista, 7 and Linux just fine.

It also let you play with people over the internet for free. The C&C community has set up internet servers to play Command & Conquer Tiberian Dawn, Red Alert, Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2.

Nice. The Brotherhood of Nod approves.

Here is the link for other Command & Conquer Tiberian Dawn Link (new window) and it is internet ready as well.

I so wan't to see the t-34-85. I want to TOUCH it. I have a thing for T-34s since they basically were the best tank of WW2. They're farking just plain awesome looking too. Some guys like cars, I like tanks, and I'll never get to drive, fire or possibly even see one in person. Poverty blows.

/ subby be bummed, off to play World of Tanks to make up for it

Big Rock Star: schatzie: easy to find information on the home page, like an address, would be nice.

Because I would like to go to there.

this! who made this site???

I think that I'm going to sign up for a tour... maybe then they will tell me where to go.

I need to chime in here as well. How the fark can they not give an address so I can decide whether or not I want to drive to wherever the fark they are located for the tour?

Did anyone fill out the tour sign-up? If so, did you get their address from them or did they want you to meet somewhere where they take you on a black bag car ride to the secret facility?

Yelp gives the city at least.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/military-vehicle-technology-foundation-portol a -valley

Aberdeen Proving Ground in late '09 just as they were beginning to gather stuff up for the move:

Atomic Annie in all her glory:


"L-L-Leopold!!"


German Twin 88:


16" Coast Defense gun - was abandoned in place at its test site on Chesapeake Bay and moved, piece by piece, to the museum and restored:


"Tiger, Tiger, burning bright..."


For CrazyCurt:


The T249 Vigilante SP AA gun - never went into service, but it sure LOOKS badass...


The 'Davy Crockett' nuclear bazooka:


Not to plowshares, but flowerpots. Works for me.


One last look: The US Army Ordnance Museum 1918 - 2010.