Tamiya Tanks? Anyone Here With Opinions?

[TheBlueDragon]

Hi people,

I looking at what Im going to save my money for next and Im thinking of a tank. Is there many people with tanks on here? the one Im looking at is a "56014 Tamiya M4 Sherman Tank Kit". What do people think of this? Obviously its alot of money so I want to check Im chooing the right one.

[blakeatron]

Not got one but really want one!

I have heard the sherman is the smallest one, and is quite tricky to fit all the electrics into, I am seriously considering the leopard as i think it was the first 'new' designed tank - where as the others are all quite similar to each other!

Also they need painting up as you go.

Did you ever get your rig painted?

[TheBlueDragon]

Nah I decided to just leave it and put all the chrome on and it actually looks ok, Im just lazy.

Do all the tanks need painting as you go?

[blakeatron]

Well im still here if you ever want it doing - just about to strip my Scania, wish me luck!

Im sure they all need bits painting as you go!

Have you considered getting a trailer for your rig? They really do make it a lot more fun to drive!

[TheBlueDragon]

Yes I have but I deecided not to due to the size of them, Make it difficult to carry on my wheelchair. When Im goping bashing sofar I take my Truck and Minizilla with me.

I guess its easier to paint the tanks as you dont need to worry about a shiny finish do you

[blakeatron]

Probably the only model to look better with a 'bad' paint job! They are pretty heavy though...

What about the new crawler or pajero - both appear to be great fun

[Bluefoot]

Love my Shermans! Excellent fun and would recommend them to anyone. They are the smallest of the 1/16th Tanks, and the electronics are a tight fit, but then so they are in the Pershing as well. The one thing the Sherman lacks, is the main gun recoil which the Pershing does have. However I still prefer the look and feel of the Sherm.

The German tanks are bigger and easier to fit internally. I don't have a new Leopard, but I hear that they are the sports-car of the Tank world. All the bells and whistles and go like rockets.

[pagedm_f350]

Stefan(2) is into tanks a fair bit. I would love to have one but the price keeps me away.... I guess I don't love them enough to pay the $$$

[taliesin]

i've wanted one since the 1st day i saw one, but the price keeps me at bay as well. its not that they aren't worth it because they are. its just so many other kits that i can't buy if i get a full option tank

i've been consoling myself with a tokyo marui tiger I tank and it is really a treat for the money. it lacks the functions and sounds of the tamiya tanks, and its much smaller [1:24] but the scale realism and quality is great. the price is very appealing too. i'm not overly keen on the airsoft thing, but then again i don't use it either, so who cares.

someday when money isn't an option, i'll get a tamiya leopard. and a [insert horribly long and expensive list here, plus a display room and a work room, and a...]

[MetBoy]

I went with the leaopard, purely from a more interesting to build point of view.

I prefered the look of the King Tiger with its over lapping idler wheels, but it was smaller, came with only the DMD T-01, and the gearboxes were already built. Where is the fun in that?

The Leopard is huge, has the cleverer DMD T-07, and has the more realistic three diff one driving motor and one steering motor arrangment and the photo etched bits!

Not really into the whole military vehicle thing though, so mine is going to be a road going version, Gunmetal grey maybe, three piece Gold/silver wheels maybe, have not decided yet. In fact it is still sitting in the big brown box it came in, and I am embarrassed to say it has almost been twelve months!

Cristian..

[pagedm_f350]

...In fact it is still sitting in the big brown box it came in, and I am embarrassed to say it has almost been twelve months!

Nothing wrong with that, I always keep a NIB in stock for a rainy day, you never know when the money will dry up or you break a leg and are house bound for a few weeks, then you will be glad you have it!

[Happy Harry]

Hi Bluedragon,

I'm more of a car and truck fan but always wanted a tank, it really was the cost that prohibited me buying one. However last Christmas I bit the bullet and bought a Tiger 1 from Stella models (big big difference from UK prices). Full option plus metal tracks and barrel.

The tank is truely amazing, I get the best part of an hour out of the two batts whilst still using all the functions and putting in a fair bit of track time. I really cant recommend them enough, there an absolute pleasure to drive, watching the tracks articulate over ground is a sight I wont get bored of. One you get to grips with the steering, you will soon be tracking targets whilst on the go and using the main gun.

Well worth saving for and an absoulte pleasure to own.

Hope this helps

Neil

[dinodog]

I don't mean to undermine Tamiya because they are the best on the market!

However, have you had a look at the 1:16 WSN aka Trumpeter range? Tankzone.co.uk have some.

I can't recommend them myself (anybody?) because I don't own one but I see the range includes the superb looking T34/85 which always turns my head...

The starting price is much lower than Tamiya but of course it won't be anything like the quality but as an entry level tank in 1:16 it seems a worthwhile proposition The T34 would look great next to Tamiyas in future dioramas or battles...

There were rumours going around that a WSN 1:16 half track was being released soon.

I think you can get Tamiya compatable infra red battle systems for them as well now...

I have done a scale conversion on a Hailiang Model 3088 with Futaba etc, you know that big 1:12 Abrams on ebay with the funny rockets on top just to compliment my beloved 1:12 Tamiya Hummers.

Doing a 1:14 king Hauler to 1:12 M813 6x6 LWB military 5 Tonner conversion at the moment. Check out my showroom.

I guess I seem to like alternatives to the main stream, I find them much more interesting and individual.

It's sometimes nice to work without the excellent Tamiya manual we all know and love just to get the grey matter working and sorting out the problems using some imagination!

Happy trails whichever way you chose to go.

[TheBlueDragon]

Wow some of them tanks look amazing. i just looked on youtube and they look ad sound amazing, specially with the smoke effect

[dinodog]

Wow some of them tanks look amazing. i just looked on youtube and they look ad sound amazing, specially with the smoke effect

Hiya, yes they do look very appealing don't they. I like the fact that you can mix and match parts from Tamiya or Heng Long or even go the Futaba 6 channel and ESC route if you desire, although there's not much space for that approach in a 1:16 it works fine for a 1:12 or above.

One thing I find interesting is that during WW2 it took something like nine T34/85s or five Shermans to knock one Panther out!

OK OK Guys calm down, maybe two Sherman Fireflys with their more powerful cannons would have had a better chance.... maybe.

This high kill ratio only applied if the overloaded and subsequently unreliable Panther final drive gears didn't go crunch and grind to a stop though...

As RC imitates life so well it takes something like 9 Heng Longs or 5 WSN Trumpeters to match 1 Tamiya! Unless the Panther final drives didn't go oval and grind to a stop that is...

Check out the rcuniverse Tank forum for info.

There was a real war going on on that forum sometime ago involving Tamiya and Heng Long owners arguing about which brand is best etc.

A question without an answer really because the quality and price is so very different. You pay your money and make your choice. I suppose you could weigh them and argue over price per kilo?

If you are used to Tamiya car or truck build quality and manuals then Heng Long or WSN will be a bit of a shock but still a lot of fun sorting out all the issues, none the less I don't ever forget they are not Tamiya and they do make excellent targets!

All seems quiet on the Tamiya/Heng Long front at the moment but all "opposite to Heaven" could break lose with a counter attack at any minute! TAKE COVER!

[Stefan(2)]

Would not mind having some of those flimsy heng long's < let the fight begin! >

To gut em & use as statics in the back garden.

My Tamiya's need some target practice

Bit of side info , the smoke units are usually the first parts that die on the models.

Serieusly considered getting a Torro / Heng Long T34/85 , eyeballing the local

auction site a bit for some broken one's for above mentioned reason.

Had a good look at the Panzer IV from heng long last week, nice model, but..

" ain't Tamiya " , you can see why you pay 1/5 of a Tamiya kit price.

BUT.. to be fair.. is it 5x worse then a Tamiya ? No, they are not.

Put the Tiger 1 from both brands in one photo, it is not "ovious" at first look, certainly when

the heng long / torro has a decent weather job.

Stefan

[dinodog]

Hello Stefan, I was wondering when you would break cover... What chance would any Heng Long army have against your excellent line up? Slim and he just left town!

Quality Tanks with experienced Commanders do tend to have the upper hand mate!

It's nice to have a choice though and what appeals to me is to be able to add lower value Tanks etc to bolster ones collection for certain jobs like disabled or burning Tanks for diorama or they could just be used as runners for a bit of fun whilst defending or attacking that valuble Tamiya!

Not everyone wants to invest so much in one Tank or any single model for that matter but there are plenty who do and do a great job at that, yourself included Stefan!

Tamiyas Tank collection could do with some more non Nazi models, like the T34/85, comet, Grant/Lee etc. and imagine a 1:16 halftrack with scale crew, it would be a dream come true!

Modern Tanks and AFVs are my favourite as WW2 must be over by now surely? TAKE COVER! I know everyone loves the WW2 stuff but like the Marine said in the film Jarhead when a Vietnam era film came on to the screen "when do we get our own music?" The Leo is beautiful but so lonely it needs a T90S MBT to take it on right now!

Personally I opted to go all 1:12 and not the standard 1:16. So maybe I shouldn't comment really... This all came about when I found the Hummer to be somewhat lacking. Where was the Gun, crew, stowage or other models to match in 1:12? There wasn't any so I rolled my own.

I do miss being able to buy 1:12 accessories straight off the shelf but hey, looking for or making new parts is part of the fun.

BTW the new oil shocks on the Hauler are perfect! Cheers Dino.

[Stefan(2)]

Hello Stefan, I was wondering when you would break cover... What chance would any Heng Long army have against your excellent line up? Slim and he just left town!

Quality Tanks with experienced Commanders do tend to have the upper hand mate!

It's nice to have a choice though and what appeals to me is to be able to add lower value Tanks etc to bolster ones collection for certain jobs like disabled or burning Tanks for diorama or they could just be used as runners for a bit of fun whilst defending or attacking that valuble Tamiya!

Not everyone wants to invest so much in one Tank or any single model for that matter but there are plenty who do and do a great job at that, yourself included Stefan!

i know nothing, -hiding between me toysz-

Tamiyas Tank collection could do with some more non Nazi models, like the T34/85, comet, Grant/Lee etc. and imagine a 1:16 halftrack with scale crew, it would be a dream come true!

Indeed, but check out those 21ste century WWII scale 1:18 .. there quite a close match to 1:16 < hard to see actually>

But, after taking a close look. Needs a expert and a lot of work to make rc.

With other words, only useble is the top side, drive & steering would be (imho!) close to impossible to make a decent running version off.

Modern Tanks and AFVs are my favourite as WW2 must be over by now surely? TAKE COVER! I know everyone loves the WW2 stuff but like the Marine said in the film Jarhead when a Vietnam era film came on to the screen "when do we get our own music?" The Leo is beautiful but so lonely it needs a T90S MBT to take it on right now!

Personally I opted to go all 1:12 and not the standard 1:16. So maybe I shouldn't comment really... This all came about when I found the Hummer to be somewhat lacking. Where was the Gun, crew, stowage or other models to match in 1:12? There wasn't any so I rolled my own.

Indeed, indeed would be nice to play out a cold war II in the backyard or on a meeting

-i'll bring the mini nukes ok?- Seems that the 1:1 Titans are up for sale, could be nice example models

I do miss being able to buy 1:12 accessories straight off the shelf but hey, looking for or making new parts is part of the fun.

BTW the new oil shocks on the Hauler are perfect! Cheers Dino.

Agree fully, as it is just to far away from regular 1:10 and also just a mis-match with 1:16.

Cool learned my lesson the hard way.. when vibrate, use lube.. ehm, i mean oil in the shocks

Indeed a lot of work on you Hummer, nice custom job.. but.. must admit..

I prefer the 6x6 King Hauler !

Stefan < off to unpack a big-hiny box, fresh toys arived! >

[MikeG8]

Sometime in 1968/1969 I got a Tamiya Chieftain (at that time the UK's new MBT) as a remote control (not radio). My Dad built it and I ran it to death over the years: I adored it! A couple of years back, I got the Pershing...an I'm running that to death now! It was a fascinating build and is huge fun to drive around. Yeah it'll throw a track if you're not careful and yeah the turret rotation is a real pain, but otherwise it is very clever, looks terrific, sounds terrific and drives really, really well. Recently, it underwent a full overhaul and clean and then I weathered it and added some 'damage' too (soldering iron). I've never tried that before and was really pleased with the way it turned out. A great kit, all in all.

Mike

[Panther F]

Nice looking Pershing! That's funny, I have one of those Chieftains in my armor stash.

Too bad it's not available in 1/16th, I love it and the Centurion too.

[MikeG8]

Hey Panther F

Sorry if this is a little off topic, but I remember 'losing' my Chieftain to the Army for 3 months while they toured it around the German towns likely to see it rumbling through so the locals could get to see the Centurion replacement. It was a great model and a great toy too. Finally after some 20 years it just fell to pieces, though I still have some of the road wheels and track sections!

Mike

[BRELs]

the Leopard 2A6 is a great tank to build and drive

[Guest Greg67]

Sometime in 1968/1969 I got a Tamiya Chieftain (at that time the UK's new MBT) as a remote control (not radio). My Dad built it and I ran it to death over the years: I adored it! A couple of years back, I got the Pershing...an I'm running that to death now! It was a fascinating build and is huge fun to drive around. Yeah it'll throw a track if you're not careful and yeah the turret rotation is a real pain, but otherwise it is very clever, looks terrific, sounds terrific and drives really, really well. Recently, it underwent a full overhaul and clean and then I weathered it and added some 'damage' too (soldering iron). I've never tried that before and was really pleased with the way it turned out. A great kit, all in all.

Mike

Mike man, that rules! Great quality job on it!

[MetBoy]

You really cannot go wrong with any 1:16 scale Tamiya tanks, they are all beautiful works of engineering art in their own right.

For me though, who really knows nothing about tanks, or the warfare they impart, or how they should be painted, or where they fit into a timeline, I just wanted to build and own one.

I am not too sure now, but when I bought my Leopard 2A6, it was the only one in the fleet that you had to build everything, including the gearboxes, and that clinched it for me.

To be honest, I have not actually built it yet, but I do pull the box out every now and then to marvel at it! (For marvel, read sniff!)

Still having lots of nice ideas about the paint job, the latest thought? Think Leopard 2A6 GT3RS!!

Maybe I will have to clear some space and get building it!

C..

[MadInventor]

Yes, I have tamiya tanks. I have 2 of the old King tigers with the single 540 motor and clutches, and one full option tiger I (Which is fantastic). My advice would be to look at the german armour. the tanks are larger and handle roughish ground better, have better suspension, and wider tracks. In hindsight I would probably have saved the money I spent on the 2 old King tigers and bought one of the newer full option models, as having had the FO tiger I, the sound system really makes a difference to the running experience. If you can't afford FO, a cheap alternative would be to buy an old King tiger with the 540 powered gearbox, then pull the gearbox and fit 2 full option tiger boxes and 2 speed controllers (Which I did with one of mine, after frying the clutches running it on 9.6V). I wouldn't bother with the heng long tanks if you want something to run outside. The tamiya tanks are definitely worth the extra money.

With regard to painting, it's easier to get a basic paint job looking good, as if the tank has rolled off the production line, but difficult to get that weathered, 'been in the field for 2 years' look. That is an art.

If it was me, I would save the extra cash needed for a panther or KT, they are larger and make a very impressive shelf model. There are also numerous after market goodies for them to improve the look them (E.g. metal track kits give the tracks a more realistic sag, and aber do massive etch kits for adding extra detail.

The leopards come with 2 540 instead of 380s, hence the better speed, but they are wallet meltingly expensive

PS if you think tamiya are rugged in comparison with heng long, I'm currently building this http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=59343 which makes tamiya tanks look about as strong as a nice bit of origami. Its the only model I've got I can belt with a claw hammer and not damage it