Russian RC tanks 1\6,1\8 How good are they?

[Marco Peter]

I have an opinion on this, after several years in the big scale tank business hahaha!
Current owner of 2 Armortek tanks and 2 MarkOne builds

Armortek

+ You build it yourself!
+ Metal!
+ Looks and feel! Not plastic! Scale Armor!
+ Lots of aftermarket detailed parts available
+ Quite correct
+ It retains its (resell) value

- Lot of money
- Lot of money
- Lot of money
- You have to build it yourself!
(You better be ready to solve some engineering problems)


MarkOne / BigTanks / Etc

+ Cheaper than Armortek
+ Nice runners
+ Less weight

- Still a lot of money!
- Plastic
- Incorrect details/shapes
- Mostly one big piece of plastic so fewer fine details


Field of Armor

+ Cheaper than Armortek
+ Less weight

- Still a lot of money!
- Thin metal
- The FOA Company SUCKS, They've never heard of customer service...


I would advice you to find a nicely priced second-hand model to start.

Oh, and stick to 1:6 please, 1:8 is a very handy size but a pain in the #ss to find ANY accessoires, puppets, details, etc.

[rctiger1]

Hello
Many thanks for your reply,good to hear first hand information.sorry for misspelling ARMORTEK.Wish I had the money for one of theirs!

[Xiaoshan_Sailor]

Lets keep an open mind towards some other, less costly alternatives you'll want to consider, offered either as kit or RTR:

Warprints 1/6 Hetzer: new3DP kit hitting market / STL files now available for DIY. Tomas' proto sample available now for 2500€. Is to begin working soon on Cromwell for his next release in 1/16 & 1/6.

viewtopic.php?f=150&t=30831&hilit=1%2F6+Hetzer
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=31462&p=308889&hil ... er#p308889

Full Metal Panzer (FMP): 1/6 Pz III F, Tiger1 available now; Pz2 Luchs pending June release. Small manufacturer near me who currently supplies some well-known OEM 1/16 parts. I've got their Luchs ordered so can vouch for their quality & overall business sense. Costs range $3900+ for RTR metal tank with accurate detailing & overall build quality. IMHO, overall best Chinese source currently in the market.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28709&p=305132&hili ... er#p305132

[Saracen]

I have mainly Armortek but also have a couple of Shlakhter tanks, a Vantex Sherman and a couple of scratch builds.

If you're really not mechanically minded, I would probably advise caution about getting into 1/6th scale in the first place. If something breaks, how are you going to get it fixed, and bear in mind these things usually break in the middle of the garden, or a field, or where ever you are running.

I drive mine mainly at country and military shows, with a group of friends, and it does take some planning around battery charging, maintenance, in-field repairs of broken track links etc.

The last thing you want to do is spend several thousands of euros buying a tank and end up sticking it in the back of the garage the first time it goes wrong. It happens more than you might expect.

The full metal tanks such as Armortek, WarSlug or FMP are going to cost over 9000 euros by the time you've paid VAT and shipping. Armortek you have to build yourself, the Chinese ones arrive fully built, although WarSlug seems to have dropped 1/6th for 1/35th models. There's chicken/egg resistance to buying from China as no one has one, so they're an unknown quantity and people are unsure of how their support will work at that distance.

Both my Shlakhter tanks have the issues you mention with poor gear boxes and weak lower hulls and tracks, but they were bought cheap second hand and are both pretty old, so I have no knowledge of what is being supplied currently as far as electronics, hull design, drive train etc.

The other option is to buy second hand and see how you go. The issue there is 1) availability and 2) provenance. There is an Armortek 2003 Tiger 1 for sale from a chap in Denmark, who is part of quite a large group of tank owners with their own running ground.

Have you investigated tank clubs in Norway ? Before I bought my first tank, I went to a couple of club meets to discuss the ups and downs of owning these things and found it a very useful experience.

Adrian.

[Kaczor]

And remember about space in car and some kind of ramp. This 1/6 plastic Dragon Sherman is small and easy to take out by one person. With full metal tank it will be impossible

[rctiger1]

I have mainly Armortek but also have a couple of Shlakhter tanks, a Vantex Sherman and a couple of scratch builds.

If you're really not mechanically minded, I would probably advise caution about getting into 1/6th scale in the first place. If something breaks, how are you going to get it fixed, and bear in mind these things usually break in the middle of the garden, or a field, or where ever you are running.

I drive mine mainly at country and military shows, with a group of friends, and it does take some planning around battery charging, maintenance, in-field repairs of broken track links etc.

The last thing you want to do is spend several thousands of euros buying a tank and end up sticking it in the back of the garage the first time it goes wrong. It happens more than you might expect.

The full metal tanks such as Armortek, WarSlug or FMP are going to cost over 9000 euros by the time you've paid VAT and shipping. Armortek you have to build yourself, the Chinese ones arrive fully built, although WarSlug seems to have dropped 1/6th for 1/35th models. There's chicken/egg resistance to buying from China as no one has one, so they're an unknown quantity and people are unsure of how their support will work at that distance.

Both my Shlakhter tanks have the issues you mention with poor gear boxes and weak lower hulls and tracks, but they were bought cheap second hand and are both pretty old, so I have no knowledge of what is being supplied currently as far as electronics, hull design, drive train etc.

The other option is to buy second hand and see how you go. The issue there is 1) availability and 2) provenance. There is an Armortek 2003 Tiger 1 for sale from a chap in Denmark, who is part of quite a large group of tank owners with their own running ground.

Have you investigated tank clubs in Norway ? Before I bought my first tank, I went to a couple of club meets to discuss the ups and downs of owning these things and found it a very useful experience.

Adrian.

Good Day Adrian
So good to hear from you,and many thanks for all the observations and advice.Fist thing their are no tank clubs here in Norway found only one chap with a part built AMORTEK and that was it.I am very concerned about the Russian tanks and will not buy one unless they are worth the money asked.
REgards Steve

[rctiger1]

And remember about space in car and some kind of ramp. This 1/6 plastic Dragon Sherman is small and easy to take out by one person. With full metal tank it will be impossible

Hello
Good to hear from you,I dont have a car,so no issues there!
I would be very happy with a full spec Plastic tank frome Dragon,(Sound e.t.c.)

Regards Steve

[Kaczor]

I would be very happy with a full spec Plastic tank frome Dragon,(Sound e.t.c.)

This is my colleague's tank. No main board or sound inside yet, only simple setup with ESC.

[rctiger1]

Hello Kaczor
I am impressed by the tank,does anyone custom build\upgrade these tanks?

[Kaczor]

If you want a huge tank you should try to build and upgrade yourself. It's great part of this hobby IMHO