Guards Division Stalin-7:
Gameplay Info
Cost: 1600
Tech Level: High
Strength: 700
Armor: Heavy
Weapon: 130mm S-70
Range: Average
Speed: Fast, tracked

Background Info
Soviet tank design in the RAverse follows two schools of thought: the multi-gun and single-gun. The multi-gun school is dominant and is all about having two medium-caliber guns and very thick armor wherever possible. The single-gun school looks toward sloping frontal armor, high mobility and high velocity guns as the way of the future- and has had little success promoting that view in the Soviet military.

The Stalin-7 is the logical extreme of the single-gun school. Thick frontal armor is radically sloped from all angles, while side and rear armor is kept to a minimum. The 130mm cannon packs close to 50% more destructive power than the 125mm cannon of the Mammoth T-57. All the weight saved from the reduced protection and firepower goes toward a larger engine and better transmission, that makes it much faster than your run of the mill heavy tank.

Production of the 7th iteration of the Stalin series was started after the armistice, after series of stunning tests to Soviet officials. The Stalin-7 was shown to be capable of keeping up with Allied medium tanks and resistant to most conventional anti-tank weapons. Its 130mm cannon was found to capable of defeating any armor but its own and the Mammoth's. Soviet officials were needless to say, impressed.

So impressed that the Stalin-7 has completely replaced the Mammoth Tank in the Soviet Union's elite Guards divisions by 1966, despite all its drawbacks compared to the Mammoth, like lesser armor, one gun and no missile pods.

Field Report
>Fast!: The S-7 is actually slightly faster than the Allied Medium Tank and can participate in flanking strikes and blitzkrieg type tactics. However, it has very poor turning and takes awhile to reach its top speed. This makes it good at pursuing enemies but very vulnerable to ambushes and poor at retreating.

>Not a Mammoth: While the S-7 is well armored, it isn't a Mammoth. Most of the armor is concentrated on the front and even then is still vulnerable to enemies with high angles of attack.

>Average Firepower: The Stalin-7's 130mm cannon is significantly more powerful than one of the Mammoth's 125mm guns, but the Mammoth has two barrels. It also lacks missile pods, which makes Soviet armored divisions even more dependent on Mobile SAMs for air cover.