Advice Required

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AMX-30.
Recruit
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2018 9:55 pm

Re: Advice Required

Post by AMX-30. »

General Jumbo01 wrote:You'll quickly find that there's as much snobbery in this hobby as any other! Tamiya used to be the only player and their prices kept the hobby base small. In the past couple of years the game has completely changed where the Chinese using odd named brands (or no brands!) crept in and, justifiably at first, the various RC fans, not just tankers, held them with suspicion, particularly given they were often just 10% price of the established makes. They nearly still are, but the quality is now up to spec too.

Most Tamiya tanks, when you include the prices of the esentialparts that are NOT in the box, come out around 600+£ yet a fully finished HengLong with radio gear, sound, etc, ready to run, built, airbrushed etc from under £90, posted. That difference is very hard to justify! If you want metal tracks/gearbox you can upgrade, just as you'll need to with Tamiya, but they come fitted with Henglong. Taigen use the same plastics but offer more metal options, as do Torro, so you pay a little more.

My advice: If you have fallen in love with tanks but you are not a seasoned model maker then why not start with a HengLong Tiger 1 or Sherman. Both go for around £89 on eBay from UK based supplier - Dave at Forgebear can maybe help, and will arrive within a week with no customs to deal with and all you'll need is a pack of AA batteries to go. Spend the first few weeks learning how to operate it, practice slow driving, not racing techniques, and fire at each others ankles, not the cat. When you get tired of that, find a good cross head screwdriver and dismantle it, taking lots of photos so you'll know how it goes back together. Before pulling any small plugs out of any socket (there are lots), use a set of permanent marker pens to colour code the plugs and sockets!!

Then, when you realise how much fun can be had from customising, detailing, adding electronics etc, THEN consider spending more. And don't forget, you can buy half a dozen HL/TaigenMTorro tanks for 1 Tamiya!!

I'm not knocking Tamiya, l have several and their quality is great (if you have the skills to build them) but there is now't wrong in being a working class tanker :wtf:

One last tip. Most UK model shops will not have the stock, the experience or price to satisfy your needs - harsh words! You will need to shop on line to find a good service, including the places mentioned above. They don't buy their reputation, they earn it!
Thanks for your advice.
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midlife306
Warrant Officer 1st Class
Posts: 2238
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:34 am

Re: Advice Required

Post by midlife306 »

AMX-30. wrote:Hi Chaps
Any view on this model I found on ebay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hooben-1-16- ... Swr6FaKi8k
I would appreciate your views
Regards
Will
Hi Will, take a look at some of the Hooben builds & discussionsImage
Cheers
Wayne


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jarndice
Colonel
Posts: 8003
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 11:27 am
Location: the mountains of hertfordshire

Re: Advice Required

Post by jarndice »

Hi Will, The problem with HOOBEN is that there is very little compatibility with any available upgrades whereas both Taigen, and Heng Long upgrade parts mostly fit just fine,
Aftermarket Electrics are ready for either of those two but HOOBEN is not on most aftermarket suppliers radar, Metal Tracks and Sprockets are pretty much one offs,
Dave at
http://www.forgebeartanks.com
Dom at
http://www.rctank.de
and
http://www.heng-long-panzer.de
Are just 3 very trustworthy dealers who will not rip you off and Dave is a member of this Forum the others are German based but Pay-Pal is the common denominator in each case and they err on the side of the buyer in disputes.
The reason most of us begin with a 1/16 Tiger 1 is because internally there is a lot of room so that beginners fingers are less likely to pull wires or plugs out by mistake also there are more upgrades for the Tiger 1 than for any other 1/16 Tank.
AVOID "NITROTEK and TANKZONE" they are bad news,
MAX-U52 (Gary) knows his stuff and the Taigen Tiger 1 "KIT" is a brilliant suggestion but it is not easily found BUT if you want to build from the ground up without having to take out a second mortgage for a Tamiya Tank the Taigen Tiger 1 "KIT" is the way to go.
www.heng-long-panzer.de are selling the Taigen "KIT" for 395 Euros.
Keep asking the questions.
I think I am about to upset someone :haha:
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General Jumbo01
Warrant Officer 1st Class
Posts: 1765
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:06 pm
Location: I'm a Londoner that moved to Essex. Says it all really...:(

Re: Advice Required

Post by General Jumbo01 »

Agreed, or ask Dave to send you a tool set so you can dismantle and then rebuild a Taigen Tiger!

One point l missed, always go for the latest version of any model as radio gear is co stang improving.
Owner - Fuckleburgh Tank Collection
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Ad Lav
Captain
Posts: 4154
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 4:44 pm
Location: Kent

Re: Advice Required

Post by Ad Lav »

Hooben T55 not for a beginner. Needs many improvements just to run nicely - I had one and once improved she ran as well as any of my Tamiya tanks.

For starting out and wanting to build one you can’t go wrong with a Tamiya. Just a bit more expensive to start with.
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