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Jonathon Gillham

Tank kits

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So I can honestly say this is entirely driven by my son, not me. He has developed an interest in tanks and made one over the school holidays out of boxes, paper mache etc and now wants an rc one. Christmas is coming up, so if he keeps the interest up then why not?

Kits are hard to come by, I have found Heng long rtr for pretty good prices - are they any good? Tamiya also make them but I have seen them up to $1,100 which is out of the question.

So, a few questions.

What scale is worthwhile? 1/16 seems good but are the smaller ones very good for running in the backyard?

What brands to look at?

If its not RTR then whats involved - how many channel rc, do you need extras like sound and smoke units etc?

Ideally an M4 Sherman as my grandfather drove one in WW2, British tank regiment attached to the New Zealand division so I will do the research to make a replica.

Also, I know nothing about rc tanks, I don't know what i don't know so any advice appreciated. 

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I've run 1/16 Tamiya tanks outside, and would not want to run anything smaller. I've been running mostly a Tiger I and 2 very old king tigers, which are large compared to the Sherman even in the same scale.

Tamiya tanks out of the box are not RTR, so you will need a 7.2V battery or a 2 cell Lipo, plus charger, plus a set of 4 channel radio gear with analogue trim adjusters.

Newer Tamiya tanks are 'full option', which have sound and gun recoil, gun elevation, and turret rotation. They also feature gearboxes with 380 motors in (1 for each track). These provide a more immersive experience due to the sound system and more advanced mechanical systems. I don't think any of them have smoke generators.

Older Tamiya tanks do not have the sound and recoil systems, and some have a single 540 motor driving a gearbox with twin clutches for steering. This old system can be unreliable and difficult to set up due to the clutches being made of cork and the tanks were released when a 6v battery was standard, not the 7.2V packs of recent years. I got around this with my king tigers by building a gear to fit 2 540s in :D

With regard to brands to look at, Heng Long are good if you are on budget, if money is no object then look at Tamiya tanks as they are better detailed and  more 'scale' out of the box.

A good start would be to use google to find the manuals for any tanks you are interested in, this will tell you more than I can describe. 

 

 

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I have a Heng Long Tiger.  The barrel sleeve was a bit short, not that many would notice.  I extended the outer barrel with my wife's lipstick case.  I forgot what I did to the BB barrel inside.  I might have used a longer barrel and cut it to length.  It shoots plastic BBs.  The turret rotates, gun elevates, it's got a speaker, a smoke unit too.   For 12-18% of the price, you get 90% of the product.  What's the 10%?  Minor cosmetic things like the stowage bin being wedge shaped, cupola vision port not lining up properly, gun pivot point should be flanged, etc.  I don't have a Sherman, so I don't know Heng Long Sherman's inaccuracies. (That's so cool that your grandfather was Sherman driver!) 

All these are hard to notice unless you are a tank nut.  (I was a tank nut as a child too, but I doubt that I would have noticed these things. Then again, your son might be sharper than me...)   It comes with everything.  Tracks are plastic, but unless you run it on a rock face all day long, they should last.  It looks like they have extended the barrel to the correct length.  At least, that's good.  It looks like this guy spent a lot of money on metal tracks too.  

 

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Thanks for the great responses. It looks like it will have to be Heng Long, I can't justify the price difference especially when its for my son but he won't be building it. They look like a fun build though. 

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You could go second hand, scored a old tamiya for 150€ shipped. Starting to make a firefighting tank out of it.

before

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After some cans of Nato black and bright red. :rolleyes:

eqRAaHYnlQAH1toFl-N_Ah5ldvRtTcGDEkUrN01oZ18X7Uyfh5eSEFkQpm0Yt4zy8B80wSIGylBN5vr2BN40eA7Qmk4Vako-kv6V5jTZhdFOmJDnzr_0dpG8OeCW2fB-MRJiPBkYPX-up9vPR0V-c9VlOWGXlyUYDHt9h5HIvN9ML6lClW8cFQgY9HDvSDUatg2qTBEszWFnIfCCCF98t8sMSnQe2nJcUlHelHGiOnnf3WeOtApoaot85qQzcNtdRDVpbsFFXBa7_H1geqE1SmBssSfrdPwYvraPnW5Jgriimm2wac6_8aJFw3UXi_jgIp2T-lLetLwLfI3_GWmsW4QrBZe17v_dSNQ17HExLQ2D05iTfz4P04KU5vaLWa4B3qD8IbElq8ODHbANevo66QbkQ84Gwo5oCHKLki-0lO0lPgoyiGOiIf3jdlRJlicAkYmOITpbBPlB95sfQWkolLPYxbz-KF4GvrCC3NCA--n6_n6wWe1Z6AaaTdO_pSTGCtkG-OD90JYS1kUEan4GEVxSax0pBE6sUSVgdiX0Hiof4hJa2qlJulSXL5K7hHSmJKWBcxwf5bMX5c0IPNCiJqKdhJBrp4JezYPgjzheWg4dlchs1t-nus9vTGgn86AZ=w2157-h1213-no

This is what the old gearbox looks like

P0lbAJcv_S29Zdr2bfVM6LsXgmnFIVj6pHfekQTu_R7vzLgxgeGACshyVLwPlM9rhLVZFJh1dIgjdJk9BOUiQXP9mV4X_yE9kVAQwMCIyWICfdV7O-C1ojaIaxuBFFeIeaqAVSkWm_HVr3NLR7NftcX0CSfOUatFluZN4nNrDvBiVoTfn5iQYOLrMsaIB4xz65I54IoR1pV06Yd-Sk6Cuq_LlVEcv7ao06TYNYgTnHGs2kNxwIwgMsjoB7BBi1mm-jyrliB6NXgKsAsX_WQXUiCNTGn2K4vHYkxsd4H4GyazWP2uGGDSlMUpiuicyolcIlsi_JKX3lvPsWphnbqtEz1Sjf8u56EmXsrKLoKOLdpC6r6TgBnylMaBsbF3LzjAgPlFHeEd_SVsMkMPMHDO8YrZ13C8GJ9xBG5uY_TLqKsiyEdASdMtXyfGVm56tVSa35uST6a5ieRmwECQAtBoswIrNS28FZytKUl0TuWWCMORWw9z76NEW-GNF2sFCJv68I0vdHzQ4sn_FqZqaXYuGTILD6YozoMJHtv0HFcD1Seqf1jXkhK9r-GZJIYkNwFZ-EoBjML06e2CFlR1QPGwUDotNfF02fpZNQkiJD2lXagY3bpM-_j6IJAmbXU3ZNy7=w2157-h1213-no

The cork plates

t7jWpubItR7hOB8WVKFGYCd9-5jg0ubA1uVN1ASsWEgzXsDz1TJZzVfiN-r86u0q1WUCHoQrVzPVaoti52DWz4CEAeb5QLKxNO3oHhAYfxAqaUWVD4AufuCuSbBfdM1SidrehMDDK8eWVRrlcJG8pGx2N9RCKCVpo6njthAgo-eMP8932qjG8lgLKqHZCFkmoxbmdAjPw6E_MKPsjmUmMmt6dHYR9xtVYj9Zkg9yCpC3m018979dgv35aYlJvlGB3aPuE-QgKDccA9oXvG4QLo-d9Z-4UrYOSpJ3BFgph4oMJg2zILmqXICz_-k7YciqcKCYAaNNoU-VC087F7r7QLabOwneM4lpAf0LloTGppI4LLdQgRyDyXSd83eJhD2LJ5k2YqNrkje7g4F3Xj4A7JSV5n7J9QWE6rWIuHTspZssc25HxAC6BVJv0v5_QGr7KSblUC-QYBfqDiy9vuh6ZyJy_oJ8cMWoxGcstKQCLiqe_qD3tDVDwL6e986eZuObT-QJVCGsDXTvOjjIE20c_KrJubUr88-oNutRqCA6kJ_7GIXQL72iUgLjQKYrVMjwsUxrdKcl9rFYB_8xOl5OCA_NRl13knbmFAXeO7a1tEmvYEnaqXVFeWsr86S4lYyi=w2157-h1213-no

 

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Tamiya also did some fun 1/35 panzer with full option, Some as cheap as 130€ each on sale.

The Panther G was a pain to build with all those tiny parts, also takes some patience to get all electronics fitted.

Fun to battle but main concern is how long the tracks will hold on.

1JF44CqKaQHmZviboDOG7qRYQbFFjDJo8siPgC-prKEEBpgkyZ2LXSZkxuNH3QMpjv6tITMIaEstUNeQpxEprAxQYFLwWR_ZSljC_OcC1L6q49FFQcTI5G1KusydCpc0mhDYckmuW4uXI_lTvWsa0PE0usEJvR-xqbgFyN9P9VXBJDNUHU_Jzp6YqAHQYJOCC3HJbMZdkfmhRHKrON5VbIIVEfOIMcrkwBFBc8TiTPJwK0T2tCta65vIoILosD80DjH9ZEEJqNGlSTLcaajveu9If3MudkRtCHqN7xpbyVa9lelnK4-9sMb03Dz_mbg9HahLJsGx29LAXcGHCUoG9fgvB4QtgMwaZd7FMTUd7Lt8E6iA-XIGXB9Ik_MXx3U1sC52SKnHHMxZDv9qMWAdVltGcUJJ9tv8Ev5F77N2RTCoi_1LPqLC9M2YYXjea4lDjM8gejEYCvaXCW9ancuIgDarRnnkB2pjj3WOgZlrR13unILWOmsfuJ_mF0Xp3knRGPyCCf_yXGke87opvfTtlSLBBWeHtilpmS0nknVkX6qL7alWPpSA7daRNa4ldHAkShn_VJgwyhhjKMILXoeeka30JPumE9upaMCebrx-kCJsn26v_Clu2Mrojm7tjhI=w1618-h1215-no

There is even an add on that simulates land mines. sensor in tank and some Neodymium magnets to hide.

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65ACgxi7oCJvcgY1Z8o26JLVEr6IyiR4K7t04qMM

 

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I think 1/16 Heng Long tanks are still RTR?  Here is the dusty transmitter for Heng Long.  It's about the same size as a regular stick controller.  Dual sticks for the tracks. Traverse, elevation and BB fire are buttons.  No servos or ESCs I could recognize. These are their own circuitry.   

 Hlg2KT8.jpg?1

mC1mFMd.jpg

 

Much smaller 1/35th scale tanks are basically static kits with RC equipment.  It comes with a simple AM radio set.  Unless he's into building static kits (a lot of parts!), this isn't really suited for RC operations.  Vinyl tracks are not the sturdiest thing, and with time it could develop a crack. 

Waterbok's kits are newer, and it seems like Panther comes with track bands. That's better. I think mine were gluing kinds which are weaker.  I love Tamiya anything.  But unless you want to do a tabletop battle simulation (which could be fun too), 1/16 Heng Long would be a better value.  

COt9dxE.jpg

uhmVloT.jpg

 

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The Heng Long tanks look incredibly good value for money given they are RTR with working turrets and shoot BBs. Banggood also sell them so parts will be cheap, but take a month to arrive.

I checked out Trademe (NZ version of ebay) and there are some cheap pairs of tanks which use IR to have tank battles. They are quarter the price of a Heng Long for 2, but they are small and really for inside. They could be a good compromise though as everything is better when you can play with others.

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I've had quite a few Heng Long, Taigen, and Tamiya tanks and hands down the Tamiya kits are the best.  All of the Heng Longs have some issues that need to be worked out (mainly throwing tracks), but parts and upgrades are generally cheap.  The HL tanks are good for running on pavement and dirt.  Running them on grass will clog up the drive wheels and mud will cause issues as well.

Taigen metal tanks are a step up from HL, but still not up to Tamiya quality in my opinion.  They will still throw tracks constantly under hard running (just like the Heng Longs).

If you want a kit Taigen has started offering kits, might be something to look into.

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12 hours ago, Juggular said:

Vinyl tracks are not the sturdiest thing, and with time it could develop a crack. 

Waterbok's kits are newer, and it seems like Panther comes with track bands. That's better. I think mine were gluing kinds which are weaker.

The Panther tracks are the same material as the T34, do you have a picture of the 'old' tracks?

I think Tamiya now has a static 1/35 with 'real'tracks like the big ones but just clicked together not with pins.

Was contemplating using those or maybe those metalcast tracks from Fruil 

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I have ten Tamiya tanks and one upgraded Heng Long.

Speaks volumes but it all depends how you want the finished tank to sound and move.

Realistic sounds and movement for me is the most important, not interested in toy like details or movement and BB firing.

we do infra red battling at our rc tank meetings and you have to have a Tamiya compatible system to battle.

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Aftermarket tank boards are available for all makes of tank, Elmod, IBU and Clark just to name the most popular.

Beier and Benedini can be used too.

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Did you go for anything in the end Jonathon? Like AdLav says Tamiya full option 1/16 tanks have amazing control and sounds, will give you a long and challenging/enjoyable build experience, but obviously at a higher cost.

Heng Long have actually gotten very good with their RTR products. Movement and sounds isn’t on a par with Tamiya but it’ll give you the feel and if you like it, all the internals can be upgraded. Externally they are 80-90% what you’ll get from Tamiya with a lot of parts interchangeable. Plenty of upgrades out there. 

Check out Welsh Dragon Models and Forgebear on eBay!

If you’re thinking of a British Sherman then Heng Longs M4A3 is very nice straight out of the box. If you want a little BB fun it was the best performing shooter I had! All I did to mine was weather effects, modify the commander and add some stowage. 

02F78940-0D0A-4D39-9315-897ACF301B8A_zps

FB508EF5-EFA8-4657-946E-8F51C0A9F3AD_zps

There are tank meets around the country. AdLav often organises one in Tunbridge Wells if your close.

Nic

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19 hours ago, mr crispy said:

Did you go for anything in the end Jonathon? Like AdLav says Tamiya full option 1/16 tanks have amazing control and sounds, will give you a long and challenging/enjoyable build experience, but obviously at a higher cost.

Heng Long have actually gotten very good with their RTR products. Movement and sounds isn’t on a par with Tamiya but it’ll give you the feel and if you like it, all the internals can be upgraded. Externally they are 80-90% what you’ll get from Tamiya with a lot of parts interchangeable. Plenty of upgrades out there. 

Check out Welsh Dragon Models and Forgebear on eBay!

If you’re thinking of a British Sherman then Heng Longs M4A3 is very nice straight out of the box. If you want a little BB fun it was the best performing shooter I had! All I did to mine was weather effects, modify the commander and add some stowage. 

02F78940-0D0A-4D39-9315-897ACF301B8A_zps

FB508EF5-EFA8-4657-946E-8F51C0A9F3AD_zps

There are tank meets around the country. AdLav often organises one in Tunbridge Wells if your close.

Nic

That looks great, I really like the Sherman.

In the end I bought a tank chassis and my son will make a body for it. He likes making things which is something I want to encourage. Not sure if he'll use cardboard or balsa yet, so it will be tankish but I doubt it will resemble a real tank. The chassis has a small (260?) motor per track and I've got ESC and servos on the way as well so hopefully the turret will move and the gun have elevation. Hopefully

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