New To RC & Tanks

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RobW
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Re: New To RC & Tanks

Post by RobW »

You don't have to screw the top down: I'm experimenting with magnets on my T90 and it's looking very promising. Frank uses LEGO on the Shermans. Maybe a JagPanther would work too? No turret to worry about and you can add yaw to the gun instead.
Wolfman
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Re: New To RC & Tanks

Post by Wolfman »

All of these suggestions are incredibly helpful, thank you all! :)

Got some more questions though:

Is the only disadvantage of a plastic chassis the fiddly mechanism for opening up the top hull? Or are there other advantages? I understand the need for metal running gear as it gives you longevity & extra traction. Could I get a plastic chassis to save cost and only worry about getting metal tracks etc?

-ralph
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jarndice
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Re: New To RC & Tanks

Post by jarndice »

A metal Hull gives you in one word RIGIDITY,
The Flex in a PLASTIC/ABS Hull usually end in metal reinforcement or a warped or split Hull, it also aids stability,
Lightness on the Body and Turret are desirable but some weight in the Hull is no bad idea,
The downside is as you add weight the Law of Diminishing returns kicks in,
A Metal Hull means the need for metal gearboxes which means metal wheels as well as metal sprockets and metal tracks.
If you drop an all PLASTIC/ABS Tank it may not suffer great damage but if you drop a Metal Tank it will do great damage and your foot might need hospital assistance.
Shaun.
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Wolfman
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Re: New To RC & Tanks

Post by Wolfman »

I was wondering if plastic hull with some reinforcement to stop the twisting, plus metal gearbox, sprockets and tracks would be an acceptable compromise?
rochesb
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Re: New To RC & Tanks

Post by rochesb »

I am not sure how much a plastic lower hull costs, but a metal King Tiger lower hull made by Torro costs around £90 including metal suspension arms & torsion bars. a Tiger 1 metal lower hull is available for less than £45.
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jarndice
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Re: New To RC & Tanks

Post by jarndice »

Dave at www.forgebeartanks.com is selling a New Taigen Tiger 1 Metal Hull with metal torsion bar suspension Pre-installed, Hull Quick Release, a fully fitted out back plate, a plastic full length floor liner and a gearbox mounting plate for £42.50.
If you can find a New PLASTIC/ABS Tiger 1 Hull that comes with the same ancillaries it will probably be a similar price.
The Basic Taigen Metal Hull allows you to fit your choice in electronics. Gearboxes and tracks ,Wheels, Sprockets and Idlers,
This gives you the flexibility to build an Early, Mid or Late Tiger1 with either a Heng Long or a Taigen Body and Turret.
Dave is on holiday until the 24th of February but he is taking orders right now.
Shaun.
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971wright
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Re: New To RC & Tanks

Post by 971wright »

Hi Wolfman I would go for IBUpro unit and radio cost is around £140 (or the IBU base £20 less)this would operate all your requirements . Its set up to run Tamiya compatible ,just need to add the battle unit and I.R. Which can be added later. The board will run all the stuff you have listed .see here https://www.rctankelectronics.com/store ... Deals.html
They are easy to use and set up use Heng Long wiring so not much cost there .Also you can change the sounds so no need to worry about which tank you decide to build ,you can swop the board from one tank to another in less than 5 mins.
Next is which tank I would go for a Tiger loads of parts plenty of room to fit stuff ,the later ones with metal hulls are just as good as Tamiya hulls ,if you intend running off road get some 4,1 gearboxes with steel gears almost indestructible use metal tracks . Forgebear should be able to help with most parts.

regards pete
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Raminator
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Re: New To RC & Tanks

Post by Raminator »

Nothing crazy about your plan, Ralph. I did something similar for my first tank (actually RC'd a static Trumpeter kit, there's a thread here), and I learned more about the hobby and had a lot more fun than if I'd just bought a ready-to-run Heng Long.

The Open Panzer TCB is an excellent, customisable system and I think it sounds and drives better than pretty much anything else out there. With some careful Tetris skills, it'll fit in a Panzer III:
  • Image
Basically the sky's the limit when it comes to choosing which tank you want, it's just a case of choosing whichever you like the look of most and going from there.
Wolfman
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Re: New To RC & Tanks

Post by Wolfman »

Oooh that gives me hope I could do a Pz III then! :D

Are the big black things the speakers? Could you get away with only 1? Or smaller speakers?

Thanks,

-ralph
Wolfman
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Re: New To RC & Tanks

Post by Wolfman »

So I'm having a hard time deciding which tank to start with. So I made myself a little list to see which one comes out on top. Unfortunately this has not helped me as there is no clear winner, they are all pretty close.

M1 Abrams
+ Best sounding tank (yes sue me, I love the turbine sound)
+ Modern
- Lack of parts
- Plastic hull (Tamiya too expensive for me)

Challenger 2
+ British
+ Modern
- Lack of parts
- Plastic hull (Tamiya too expensive for me)

Panzer III
+ Fav WW2 German tank
+ Lots of parts
- Lack of space in hull

Tiger 1
+ Lots of parts
+ Metal kit available for £220
- Not really excited by Tigers (Sorry!)

KV-1
+ Fav Russian tank
- Lack of parts

Am I missing any positives or negatives that will help me choose? I don't know the details of these tanks like everyone else yet! :)

Thanks,

-ralph
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