Page 1 of 2

NEW 1974 Tamiya 1/35 T-34 Motorized Remote Control >RRC

Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 6:12 pm
by modler
RRC= Radio remote control

This was a NEW factory sealed box Tamiya T-34 scale model kit pulled from my model stash that will be built from start to finish in this thread.

Some of us take for granted building a military scale model but many these days have never built a kit due the a lot of cool stuff you can buy from China that not only is built but detailed in a lot of cases and is ready to run out of the box 8)

Of course these pre built models have no soul as they are mass produced all the same and that's OK, the price is reasonable and a lot of people do not have the time to build a model correctly plus many want to do more than just admire the looks of the model, they want to drive it immediately!

But then there comes the time when you want to build a model with soul and it will be a extension of its master :crazy: sounds crazy but in reality it is obsession with the beauty of these war machines. Well, that is my take on it ;)

It is like opening a time capsule with this model, to think that somehow this model has kept its original sealed cellophane seal in place on the box for 46 years is a bloody miracle if you ask me. It is a real treat for me to open it after all those years :D

Ok sorry for all that but it really is special to open a 46 year old time capsule of a beautiful scale military model. This is part of the adventure of scale modeling and is a special treat for an advanced modeller like myself. I am happy to share this treat here at this great site.

This kit is a wired 2 channel Motorized Remote Control system which in 1974, was top shelf! Radio control at that time was for serious electronics enthusiasts which often built their radio control systems from expensive Heathkits. I first saw a radio controlled plane in Heilbronn Germany in 1968. The guys at the base had them and built them in the barracks to pass the time in their free time and they were very smart and talented guys that I much admired. Anyway, I got to see a 2 meter Pod motorized plane get catapult launched and with motor assist climb to a very high altitude and fly around just barely visible to the naked eye. Man, that made an impression on me as a young man and gave me something to aspire to. I am a R\C pilot as well as a multiple model Tank commander and these days, I am becoming more enthusiastic about the ground models as I can operate them right on the kitchen table, very convenient in the winter months.

So I start the assembly of this very high Q model.

The twin motor all metal gearbox has had its motors wired and noise cancelling capacitors added and has been run in on using a Japan T-90 Tank. Motors disassembled after the first short run as these are 46 years old and the brush grease\cooling lube has gotten pretty stiff and needs cleaned off and replaced and reassembled and tested again. That why there are marking on the motors. They are ready for installation now.

Re: NEW 1974 Tamiya 1/35 T-34 motorized Remote Control >RRC

Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 6:52 pm
by Von Mooflesaaa
Nice man, great progress so far.

Re: NEW 1974 Tamiya 1/35 T-34 motorized Remote Control >RRC

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 1:42 pm
by modler
Got the chassis together and tracks installed. A issue is now noticeable with the track tension. The T-34 tracks are solid and seem a little stronger than most of the soft plastic Tamiya tracks I have worked with. Also the T-34 track sprockets are a different design from most other sprockets I have seem as they have no sprocket edge teeth. This track uses track center teeth and center sprocket drive teeth. From my experience, this type style of track drive is very stable and has superior track retention.

This tank has two track tensioners, one forward and one aft. Unusual in Tamiya models.
Hopefully these tracks will stretch a bit now that they are mounted as they are too tight at this point. They work but you can see that they are too tight as it causes some uneven movement of the track as it is under a high load due to the over tension. If required, I will manually stretch the tracks but only as a last resort. This is an unexpected issue and have never ran into this before on a Tamiya model :think:

Re: NEW 1974 Tamiya 1/35 T-34 motorized Remote Control >RRC

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 2:17 pm
by Von Mooflesaaa
Really coming together, my favorite moment is when it moves under its own power for the first time.

Re: NEW 1974 Tamiya 1/35 T-34 motorized Remote Control >RRC

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 2:40 pm
by jimbo_wa
Looks like a great kit, are the tracks using metal pins?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Re: NEW 1974 Tamiya 1/35 T-34 motorized Remote Control >RRC

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 2:49 pm
by Von Mooflesaaa
jimbo_wa wrote:Looks like a great kit, are the tracks using metal pins?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I would hazard a guess being a vintage kit, that these are one piece rubber tracks. Just a guess mind.

Re: NEW 1974 Tamiya 1/35 T-34 motorized Remote Control >RRC

Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2020 2:01 pm
by modler
Von Mooflesaaa wrote:
jimbo_wa wrote:Looks like a great kit, are the tracks using metal pins?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I would hazard a guess being a vintage kit, that these are one piece rubber tracks. Just a guess mind.
Stock flexible PVC tracks. These are what I prefer as they are trouble free and will not damage fine surfaces like my kitchen table. Actually, rubber tracks deteriorate over time and Tamiya switched from natural rubber to PVC tracks sometime in the mid 60's. I have a Tamiya JSIII that came with natural rubber tracks and they literally crumbled away. Now I have a tank NIB with no usable tracks.

https://youtu.be/Uv6y2BjT0EM

Re: NEW 1974 Tamiya 1/35 T-34 motorized Remote Control >RRC

Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2020 3:12 pm
by Von Mooflesaaa
Bummer about the plastic degrading. Cheers for setting us straight on the track tyoe..that's an impressive collection you have there.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

Re: NEW 1974 Tamiya 1/35 T-34 motorized Remote Control >RRC

Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2020 5:36 pm
by modler
Von Mooflesaaa wrote:Bummer about the plastic degrading. Cheers for setting us straight on the track tyoe..that's an impressive collection you have there.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

Well, the current Tamiya track is soft PVC, the track from the 1965 Tamiya model were made of natural rubber.


Here is more of my model RRC collection on "Table Parade" below..

Re: NEW 1974 Tamiya 1/35 T-34 motorized Remote Control >RRC

Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 11:10 pm
by Von Mooflesaaa
Wow that looks great mate.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk