what to do help

[PainlessWolf]

Good Evening,
Sir, you remember?, back when HL first brought out the Walker, it was discovered that the hull was too wide. In reality, the Walker is a smaller tank. I have seen a couple of threads in other places where a tanker with a lot of time and patience took the HL Walker apart and cut it down and put the pieces back together to correct scale.
regards,
Painless

[ALPHA]

Good Evening,
Sir, you remember?, back when HL first brought out the Walker, it was discovered that the hull was too wide. In reality, the Walker is a smaller tank. I have seen a couple of threads in other places where a tanker with a lot of time and patience took the HL Walker apart and cut it down and put the pieces back together to correct scale.
regards,
Painless

YUP reason I didn't use the chassis for my CHAFFEE build I actually found the PERSHING'S hull to be more suitable

ALPHA

[whjohnson]

Hi guys,
Am new here so apologies in advance for butting in unannounced.

Having read through this thread, would it be correct of me to conclude that a decent off-the-shelf ready-to-run 1/16 scale Panther has yet to exist?

I am looking for my 1st 1/16 scale tank and was initially attracted to the Tiger 1, but I am now completely lost.
and am completely confused by everything I've read about what is available in the mktplace!

I see Heng Long with 3 different versions of the same model. I see something known as Taigen and have no idea what a Taigen is!
I also see Torro and Mato?
I have read about what is all metal and what is not. What a metal gear wheel is - zinc or steel?
I began to look at Panthers because they are just about my favorite, only to find that the ones in the market are inaccurate off the shelf, and require extensive surgery to the hull in order to accurize them.

Is there an online buying guide anywhere which highlights the various brands and their respective marques?

I'll nip out to the intro section for new members to say hello.

Cheers
Will

[PainlessWolf]

Good Afternoon,
Will, there are a couple of good threads concerning builds using Heng Long's Panther G which is not to be confused with the 'PanTiger' or 'Taipanther' you see on this thread. This tank, while a good runner, needs some work to turn it into an accurate Panther. The much more recent Panther 'G' that Heng Long has brought out is also much more accurate. Check out Jeff1101's Build in the section: 'Heng Long Builds' for a look at the spectacular results that can be achieved with some plasticard and aftermarket parts and a bucket of patience and eye to detail modeling.
regards,
Painless

[whjohnson]

Many thanks for the clarification wolf.
So the latest 1/16th HL Panther G is the one to chase down then?

[PainlessWolf]

Good Evening,
Definitely one that you should seriously look at. It is available bone stock with plastic wheels and tracks from Heng Long all the way up to a 2.4 GHz radio setup with metal lower hull, tracks, Sprockets and much more from Taigen ( a company that builds custom tanks using the basic Heng Long models as a starting base) Tamiya also makes the Panther G. Very pricey but you get to build it from the ground up. Check out the Forum for the Build sections on both Heng Long and Tamiya. There are Panther G builds in both of them. Have fun which ever direction you decide to go in.
regards,
Painless

[whjohnson]

Hello Wolf,
Many thanks again for your guidance.

It seems that Nitrotek, who supply the Taigen versions don't enjoy a good reputation here -( yup, I've been browsing extensively!) which doesn't leave much option in terms of good prices for UK buyers.
Every other UK outlet seems to have sold out of the Panther G Pro version, most likely due to pre-Xmas demand
Have been looking at Howe's as a potential supplier, and since this will be my first tank I am wondering to just go with a HL Pro version of the Tiger 1. They have it right now for £99+carriage.
That way, I have a tank without plastic tracks and plastic gears and can use it as a prototype without emptying my wallet straight off.

I'll keep you posted.

Cheers
Will

[ALPHA]

Hello Wolf,
Many thanks again for your guidance.

It seems that Nitrotek, who supply the Taigen versions don't enjoy a good reputation here -( yup, I've been browsing extensively!) which doesn't leave much option in terms of good prices for UK buyers.
Every other UK outlet seems to have sold out of the Panther G Pro version, most likely due to pre-Xmas demand
Have been looking at Howe's as a potential supplier, and since this will be my first tank I am wondering to just go with a HL Pro version of the Tiger 1. They have it right now for £99+carriage.
That way, I have a tank without plastic tracks and plastic gears and can use it as a prototype without emptying my wallet straight off.

I'll keep you posted.

Cheers
Will

If you want the Panther G .. there is a place in Canada ...MATOMART that has the super IR version available... it has the metal gearboxes but plastic tracks and drivers...I have the JagdPanther... same set up... and I haven't found the need to change the tracks out yet (knock on wood)... but yes If you really want the metal version you do save a few dollars

http://www.matomart.com/prodview.php?p=1275

My mistake they have the version with the metal tracks but you have to install them yourself

http://www.matomart.com/prodview.php?p=548

and

http://www.matomart.com/prodview.php?p=542

Pros and Cons to the metal hulls... I know most of the veteran modellers here prefer them...but I've had two HENG LONGs fall from eight feet... acquiring minor damage....and zero to the hull... an eight foot drop with a metal hull... would tweek it so much it wouldn't operate correctly afterwards ...the Pro to the metal hulled models is the suspension is usually better than the springs HENG LONG uses ...not all but some are torsion bar so the "action" is a little smoother...

With that said... I like my HENG LONGs

ALPHA

[whjohnson]

Hi Alpha,
Thanks for your input. I reckon that the carriage and import duty would cost more than the tank itself if I ordered from Canada.

I have just ordered a Tiger 1 Pro version and a higher capacity battery from Howe's for £124.99 and will see how I get on with it before committing to spending any higher sums!
The tank itself is on their site at £99+ carriage of £10.
The only thing I didn't notice on their 'info' section before I placed my order was that it said the tank came with a R/C controller which had crystals in it, so I guess that this one won't have the latest 2.4GHZ RX18 board.

Horses45 is only about 2 miles away from me, so I hope our signals don't cross!!

Cheers
Will

[seafire]

Hi Horses,
Thanks for putting the PanTiger next to a Bulldog I never realised that the Bulldog was so big ! I was under the impression that it was a really small light tank.. ...I will have to go and look up the Stats for it.

The Heng Long Bulldog is actually a bit over scale and the proportions aren't quite right (track width, for example), but it's still a decent tank and is a great subject to customise and accessorise. It just doesn't look quite right parked next to some other models in the same scale.
One of these days I'll get round to putting up photos of mine when I get a decent camera!

Seafire.