Hello and welcome one again to my tank review! Today we're going to be examining the French tier 5 light tank: the AMX ELC. Coming from the slow, heavily armored AMX 40 this tank can be a real shock. Your armor is almost completely stripped away, with the entire tank barely having more then 20 mm anywhere. However, in return your tank is now easily one of the fastest machines at tier 5. When it's stock the ELC comes equipped with a very inadequate 76 mm gun that you get as the top gun on the AMX 40. This gun could have some surprising results if in a tier 4 or 5 game but was nearly completely worthless in a tier 6 game. Well, get ready because the ELC doesn't just see tier 6. In fact, it doesn't even see tier 7 like most tier 5 tanks. No, this tank has scout matchmaking which means you will see tier 8 tanks which will be all but impenetrable to both 76 mm guns on this tank. However, this tank has a secret weapon which we'll cover in the next section.
Once you fully upgrade the ELC you will notice one massive change. The top gun is a huge 90 mm cannon that looks more at home on a tier 6 Heavy tank then it does a tier 5 light. You have one of the largest alpha punches at your tier with an impressive 240 and a high degree of penetration, 170, to match. In fact, you won't see another 90 mm gun on this line of tanks until tier 8! So surely having this massive cannon must have some massive drawbacks to match? Right you are! With a 2.9 second aim time and absolutely abysmal accuracy on the move the ELC simply can not hope to fire accurately unless it sits absolutely still. So, what's the point of having a massive gun if you can't hit anything? Well, as many ELC drivers will tell you it's all about how you use your accuracy. If you sit still for the full aim time the gun is fairly accurate, and with the high degree of penetration as long as your shell hits you have a decent chance of penning your target. This playstyle makes the ELC feel like a pocket sized TD. It can be fairly effective as your small size and light tank statues gifts you with a very good camo factor. However, there is another strategy for hitting your target. One that makes this one of the most exciting tanks to play in the game. Using your speed and small size you close to point blank range on an isolated and distracted tank and unleash your shell when you have no chance to miss regardless of how poor your accuracy is. Then, as quickly as you appear you retreat using your speed to scoot back to safety before most tanks even realize what happened much less have time to react. This attack is especially effective against tall tanks such as the Japanese heavy tank line as an ELC is so small that they simply cannot shoot you at close range! This strategy does have some risks however. First off, while the ELC is equipped with a turret it does not traverse fully. It is locked forward with a few degrees of traverse to either side. This means that a tank behind you or even to your side can not be shot without turning your tank to face them. Secondly, you only have 400 HP and no armor meaning that tanks at tier 6, much less tier 8, can send you back to the garage with one shot. Also, your tank weighs almost nothing so getting too excited and ramming an enemy tank will usually kill you. This gives ELC has a very unique play style that is high risk and high reward. You have a devastating gun, you are hard to hit on the move, but if you are hit it will usually spell your doom as your HP will seemingly evaporate in just 2 shots.
Now, let's talk about crew skills and equipment. For the crew skills: Sixth Sense, Camo, Smooth Ride, Brothers in Arms, Green Thumb, Clutch Braking, Off-Road Driving, and Deadeye. For equipment choices there are radically different set ups depending on how you want to play. For a long range TD mode I would suggest a Camo Net, Rammer, and Gun Laying Drive. If you prefer to spot then replace the GLD and Rammer with Binocs and Coated Optics. If you prefer the high speed shoot and scoot method I would suggest Rammer, Coated Optics, and Vents. Radically different equipment but the ELC can be played radically differently depending on the player. Whether spotting or shooting if played well this tiny Titan can sweep the battlefield of any enemy resistance without ever being hit.
Have a question or think I missed something? Want to request a review? Just want to say hi? Let me know down below and good luck!
Edit: Looking for part 7? It's here! http://forum-console...-m46-patton-kr/