Tsar Tank

Overview
The Tsar tank, also known as the Lebenenko tank, was one of the strangest fighting vehicles of all time, arguably surpassing the UFO-shaped Object 279 in oddness. If its designer, Nikolai Lebenenko, was trying to make something steampunk, he definitely succeeded, however the tank turned out to be a failure in performance. Lebenenko claimed that if his tank could be produced in quantities of up to 100, it would smash through the German lines, and Russia would win WWI.

Design
The Tsar tank did not use tracks like most tanks, instead it was propelled by two huge, 30 foot wheels placed at the front of the vehicle, giving it the appearance of a steampunk tricycle. The idea behind these huge front wheels was to allow the Tsar tank to climb any obstacles it would meet, however the tiny rear roller overturned this purpose. The rear roller was intended to be used for steering, and was minuscule compared to the drive wheels. The tank was 12 meters wide, and the belly sat 8 meters off the ground. These proportions made for a truly colossal vehicle. The two 240hp airplane engines were greatly underpowered, given that the tank weighed 60 tons. This resulted in an abysmal power-to-weight ratio, which produced a terrible top speed of about 5 mph.

The tank was well-armored for the time, and was equipped with a huge arsenal of cannons and machine guns. Some were mounted in a turret at the top, while others hung from the bottom or protruded from side-mounted housings. The tank was meant to be crewed by ten men.

The Tsar
A Tsar tank model had been sent to the Tsar himself before the actual, top secret construction of the vehicle. It has been recorded that Lebenenko met the Tsar, and they played together for hours with the model, using it to climb over improvised obstacles and piles of books. They supposedly left as good friends, and Lebenenko was given funding.

Action
The tank was taken to a proving ground outside Moscow for its trials. It lurched forwards, crushed a birch tree (There is debate as to whether it was a young or old birch), and headed for boggy ground. As soon as it was off the road, it sank into the bog. It continued to move for some distance, however the rear roller became lodged. Most of the vehicle's weight was put at the rear, instead of on the larger front rollers. Furthermore, the small rear rollers had little contact surface, resulting in high ground pressure. As the vehicle advanced into the swamp, the rear roller became lodged, and the Tsar tank was hopelessly stuck. It rusted in that swamp until 1923, when it was broken up. Impressive as it was, it turned out to be an absolute failure in practice. Lebenenko's fate is still unknown.