New To RC & Tanks

[Wolfman]

Hello!

New tanker here. Also new to any sort of RC (beyond the £10 toys my daughter plays with!).

I haven't actually got any kit yet but was hoping for a little help in that department. Because I'm that sort of person I kinda want to build something a little different / personal rather than just buy a RTR.

I have a local club so IR (need to check, but assume Tamiya compatible required) would be my route. I don't however have a massive budget. So here is my plan. Its probably massively crazy, but that's why I thought I would say hello and hopefully get some sage advice.

(Current) Plan:

1) Initial buy:
- Open Panzer TCB
- Sabretooth Dual 5A driver
- Compatible receiver & handset
- Battery
- Ancillary cables required
- Lower hull (all running gear inc tracks)

2) Get them working all together. Trial by fire learning. This would give me the ability to play with the tracks using the RC & get a better understanding of stuff, but allow for future upgrades.

... (sometime later)

3) Get Upper hull + turret, plus Tamiya compatible IR system - tank should now be playable in the club but not yet complete

... (sometime later)

4) Get smoker & sound - tank should now be done.


I want to go down this route as I think I will learn lots about the hobby, but I can pick and choose exactly what I want rather than having to throw away parts from an RTR. I will also be able to spread the cost out over time, but still have fun along the way.

Tank hulls in my mind: Panzer III is my current first choice, but might look into an Abrams or a Chally II.

So now, can people tell me I'm crazy for a noob and to go buy an cheap HL RTR?

-ralph

[Rad_Schuhart]

Hi and welcome! If you are completely new for the world of RC, I think you are going to start the hard way. I mean, starting the house at the roof, lol.

I started with a RTR heng long... Then I got a couple of tamiyas, and then I replaced the tamiya electronics with various aftermarket ones. I dont see myself starting in a project like yours as a beginner... But definitely you can skip the RTR heng long part too. Also buying the tanks in parts my experience says is always more expensive than just buying one and sell what you dont need.

Regarding your idea, IMHO the Panzer III is a tank too small to carry that electronics you want, and if using airsoft I´d say it is just a no go. I mean, you have to squeeze in an already tiny tank a lot of things. (Dont forget the battery, which takes a big cut!) Id recommend you to start with a bigger tank. I have a Panzer III and open panzer board, so I decided to fit into my king tiger and runs great.

I have no abrams or challenger, but I guess it will give you plenty more room inside.

[jarndice]

Hi Ralph,
First off you are not crazy, Well no more crazier than the rest of us in your new hobby
I would not start with a PZ111 hull, Quite simply there is nowhere near enough space,
I would go for a Taigen New/Used Metal Hull, Probably a Tiger 1 because they are spacious, readily available and spares and upgrades are in abundance.
Whereabouts in the World are you, We always ask so we can send the boys round if you upset us
Actually its so we can point you in the direction of more useful dealers and other local help.
And Welcome to your Forum
Search all the pages for answers and then get back to us with your questions.
Shaun.

[RobW]

Welcome. Where are you?

I'd agree with the P3 being a bit small, if you're going to rip out all the innards I'd look on Ebay for a cheap King Tiger or KV 1. Plenty of space and both look much better than the Tiger....

[Wolfman]

I'm on the south coast of GB. Closest club is the Worthing Model Tank club so should have some people nice and close if something goes horribly wrong! I've already been in touch with them and will probably pop along to a meet this weekend!

I didn't realise the PzIII was that small. This is the type of advice I needed thank you!

I do prefer the look of the KV1, but I think if this is a build-it-up project it sounds as though I'm probably better off with a Tiger 1 if there are loads of parts available for it? Should also mean second hand parts would be plentiful?

Thanks!

-ralph

[Rad_Schuhart]

Lol, the PIII is indeed a small tank, but the electronics that you are planning to use are bigger than average. So is a bad combination. But is great you asked before buying!

About spare tiger 1 parts... I think it is by far, the most common tank out there, so you will always have plenty of spares. New, used, or salvaging used tanks. That will be the least of your concerns.

[rochesb]

I am also new to R/C tanks & am just ahead of you going down a similar route to you, I don't think 'we' are crazy.......

I bought a 'kit' of mostly metal Taigen/Torro parts for a King Tiger from Forgebear (a first class supplier & highly recommended by many members of this forum), I have also gone down the Open Panzer board route but I chose HobbyKing XCar 45A ESC rather than Sabertooth for motor control. I am in the process of ordering my radio kit, most likely FrSky XM Plus receiver (unbelievably small) and Taranis Q X7 after taking advice from members on the forum.

My next big challenge is painting the 'beast'....... I still have a lot of reading to do about the merits of spray cans, airbrushing or paintbrushing not to mention the choice of paints.

[Wolfman]

Rochesb,

Great to hear there is someone already doing what I am considering, its making me feel my plan is a reasonably valid route!

I'm interested to see you chose the HobbyKing ESC, I was considering the Sabretooth because apparently I totally skipped over a page when reading the Open Panzer wiki! Thats definitely a cheaper option, so I'm going to go and do some more research now! Thanks!

-ralph

[43rdRecceReg]

Research, and planning, can save you a lot of head scratching later- and money too. To Wolfman and RochesB, I think you're both taking the right approach. The trick is not to make avoidable mistakes. Cramming the lower hull with electric gizmos is a challenge in itself, and you can give yourself a little congratulatory pat on the back when it's done. But now that you have the rolling chassis functioning properly, you think that you've cracked it..until, that is until it's time to mount the upper hull and turret. That's when the disposition of the lower hull components can impact on, or block the functions of the upper hull, for example: the Gun can't elevate; the turret can't turn properly, or- worst case scenario- the upper hull can't even sit on the lower one comfortably without being compressed like a bulging suitcase!
Put simply, the safest bet is to buy the biggest, deepest, and longest hull you can for starters. That would probably be the King Tiger or the KV-1.Once again, when considering the hull closer method, Taigen/Torro alloy hulls
offer a reliable quick release system- which as the names suggests- allows easy access to the tank's interior. You don't want a plastic hull as these are generally screwed together in an awkward, time consuming fashion.
This is what I crammed into my Cromwell project. Twice before, I had to reposition the entire contents (barring motors ) of the lower hull, as they prevented the gun from elevating properly, and also made closing the two halves a real pain.
This is the final disposition (n.b. The Cromwell has relatively low profile, and subsequently shallower hull real estate):

Cromwell interior and electronics

This has the sizeable Clark TK60 fitted. I had to buy a more compact 7.2 v battery than the usual type in order to find space in the narrow hull. Incidentally, the Cromwell is about as long as the Tiger !, but as narrow as the PzIV.
here by contrast, is the interior of my Torro (metal ed.) King Tiger, with a Clark TK22 at its heart.

Torro Metal ed King Tiger interior

.. As you can see, there's space enough for everything.What you don't want is a space that resembles that old 15-puzzle where you have to shift everything to relocate just one crucial piece

Fifteen puzzle- for space awareness

Fifteen-puzzle.jpg (19.93 KiB) Viewed 2638 times

Get the basics right to begin with, and you'll both end up with a great model. Still, having a few problems to solve is also par for the course, and part of the fun Welcome , Wolfman, by the way

[jarndice]

One sure fire way to make the most of the available space in the hull is to line the floor and sides with "Velcro" and applying it to the base of everything to be fitted in the hull including the Battery,
This allows the trouble free relocation of every internal fitting EXCEPT the Gearboxes and of course while everything is easy to move and remove while it is in place it is totally secure. and no wasted space.
Shaun.