Metal Suspension Arms for TAMIYA Leopard 2A6

[Herr Dr. Professor]

I am sorry that a Tamiya RC AFV is in any way inadequate, given Tamiya’s fine reputation. I am glad that you are making this comparison, for it will be of value to others with Tamiya Leopards and interesting to others.

[zooma]

I am sorry that a Tamiya RC AFV is in any way inadequate, given Tamiya’s fine reputation. I am glad that you are making this comparison, for it will be of value to others with Tamiya Leopards and interesting to others.

Thank you - that was the reason for my other thread "Tamiya or Heng Long Leopard 2A6 for Regular Use" where I am comparing the Heng Long and Tamiya modern tank models directly against each other.

I have been building Tamiya r/c model tanks ever since they first came out, and it is worth pointing out that I have never had any problems with any of the other Tamiya r/c tank models (as far as reliability is concerned) so by way of a comparison the Tamiya Leopard 2A6 is by far the worst model that they have ever made.

I know of no other 1/16 scale Tamiya r/c model tank kit that needs to have metal suspension arms added - just to make it run well and without breaking. The kits plastic suspension arms fracture around the mounting screw that holds them onto the black plastic axles and until detected the tank runs roughly and the tracks gives the impression of being too long and needing adjusting.

This fracture at the base of the kit suspension arms is not likely to be caused by over tightening the fixing screws as they screw into the black plastic axles, so they have been tightened firmly but with care to avoid any possible damage to the axles.

Ball bearings are also needed on the black plastic axles as the kit supplied plain bushings actually turn inside the chassis and start to grind away the chassis where it should be able to retain them and hold them fast (without success). Any "pick-up" between the plain bushing and the axle tends to lock the axle to the three bushings (that are on every axle) and then turns the whole assembly in the chassis.

The ball bearings generally turn better (and for longer) and do not grind away the inside of the chassis where they are retained.

I have yet to discover if the black plastic axles will be OK for long term use. So far, they seem to be doing their job and are working well with the ball bearings and the AFV metal suspension arms.

None of the above options has been NEEDED on any of my other Tamiya r/c model tanks just to make them run well and without breakage.

It is a shame that in all other respects I think the Tamiya Leopard 2A6 is an excellent model. Once the bearings and metal suspension arms are added the tank runs well and it is then possible to relax and enjoy its good points. The model looks good and sounds good. It has nice scale detailing and the gun mechanism looks good in operation too.

.... its just that it costs so much extra cash to be spent on non-standard option parts only to get a Tamiya Leopard 2A6 to work reliably. If I was aware of this defect before becoming the owner of these tanks I may well have still decided to have them as I really do like them, but it does not stop me thinking that Tamiya should and could have done better to make the model more useable in its standard form.

As a matter of interest, I have bought several new Tamiya sprues that have suspension arms moulded on them (three per sprue) as spare parts to make repairs to the failed suspension arms. These new parts were fitted and they failed just as quickly as the ones that were already on the tanks, so the theory of the "plastic becoming brittle with age" may not actually contribute that much to the suspension arms failing so easily?

Many of us choose to spend a lot of extra cash on our model tanks to up-spec them to improve the appearance or to add functions or modifications ( I would like to add a smoke feature to my Tamiya 2A6 for example) BUT, these are things that we CHOOSE to do - not things that we HAVE to do just to be able to run the model well and without breakage.

[zooma]

These have just arrived today.

Nice fast delivery!

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[zooma]

It looks like the supply of these Tamiya upgrade parts has now stopped and there is no stock left anywhere, so I have to hope that the King Kong ones fit OK!

.....maybe Tamiya will include these essential metal suspension arms in their new re-release of this kit

........or possibly make these option parts available again - they should be a good seller!!

[zooma]

Here are the unused discarded kit parts, and the picture below shows the metal parts from the two Tamiya upgrade kits that replaced them.

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[zooma]

All of the Tamiya metal upgrade parts fitted perfectly on the new build that I am slowly putting together from an unboxed kit.

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[tankme]

I hope the King Kong ones work for you also as I know folks have had issues with Leo parts from that company.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... q7XNWjnscv

[zooma]

I hope the King Kong ones work for you also as I know folks have had issues with Leo parts from that company.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... q7XNWjnscv

Thank you Derek,

I hope they fit OK as I cannot find any more of the Tamiya ones for sale anywhere.

The Tamiya ones were a fair price, the delivery was good, and they fitted very well....and they were a good combination buy with the matching track tension adjusters.

If I had a choice I would buy another set of the Tamiya metal arms and adjusters. If another set should pop up for sale anywhere (at the same price 125 dollars or less) I would be very tempted to buy them!

Stay safe,

Bob.

[zooma]

KingKong metal suspension arms have arrived

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t

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[Ecam]

I hope the KingKong arms work out as the Tamiya arms not available. With your experience with the different brands, this will be a great comparison.