Hi from Suffolk, UK

[Skydive130]

Hi all,
I am a British Soldier with 36 years service, 4 to go, yep that makes me old as heck!

My modelling experience is RC aircraft for 30 years and boat building for the past 4. Just to ring the changes I have dabbled with 1 or 2 of the cheaper tanks but am now about to start a Tiger 1 full option eBay bargain. Seems to be a wealth of info on here but I am sure I will have a few questions of my own which I’m sure your guys with the expertise will no doubt help.

[RobW]

Welcome: that'll make you younger than some on here!

Have a look at the meets section, depending on where you are (Suffolk is quite big) you may be relatively close to Grantham or another group.

[jarndice]

Welcome to the Forum There are a number of good reasons to start with a Tiger 1 the first being you get a lot of Tank for your hardearned,
This leads on to the next and that is there is a lot more space in the hull so that newbie fingers have a better chance of not tearing out wires which in a Sherman or a Panzer 111 is far too likely thereby evoking bad language something that a jumper is of course totally unacquainted with and then there are the upgrades,
The Tiger 1 has more upgrades available than any other 1/16 Tank and because most of us have owned/Built a Tiger 1 we are well versed in its failings and its fixes.
By the way do the Hercs still have those pox awful plastic/Nylon Jumpseats,
Because the windows are so high in the fuselage compared to the Argosys and Beverlys we found out the hard way when we were in our first C130 that standing on the seats to look out tore the things to shreds,
The Jumpmaster was almost in tears,
Blo*dy pongoes, Sod*ing brown jobs and other not very welcoming words to his new aircraft followed on.
I always preferred the seats in the Argosy they seemed to be weaved/Plaited from Paracord, much more forgiving
Ask all the questions we will try very hard to answer them, Enjoy the Forum.

[43rdRecceReg]

A warm welcome I guess when the door on your squaddie life finally closes, you'll need new ones to open. What better than military life in 1/16, then, for a hobby, anyway ....and..here's the clincher, it's absolutely under your (RC) control
When you say Tiger 1 full-option, do you mean a Tamiya Tiger 1? Tamiya markets its RC model as 'full option', so I figured that must what you'd opted for.
Plenty of upgrades exist for Heng Long and Taigen versions, but perhaps not so many for Tamiya. I think that's because, traditionally, Tamiya models are a cut above the rest. It's also because compatibility issues crop up. Most Taigen and Heng Long bits are interchangeable; but this isn't the case with Tamiya (without a lot of tinkering), especially in terms of running gear, and electronics.
Agewise, even when you pack up your No 2 dress suit, you'll still be a spring chicken in comparison to some of us here

[43rdRecceReg]

I just discovered that you gave details of your bargain full-option Tamiya Tiger 1 on a separate thread. I'm having a break from my Comet project, as it happens, and thinking of building a Tamiya Tiger 1,to pass the time. It will be bog standard (for now)...until the Mephistophelian upgrade Demon gets his way. I will post pics eventually. The only non-standard part will be a DKLM metal elevation arm. The Tamiya plastic one is reputed to break. Yours was fully a 100 quid cheaper than mine ...and mine was the cheapest around at the time (Brand new- unbuilt)., and so you've done well.
Still, you'd have to be a complete mug, or newly landed from another planet, to buy one of the fully built £2,000 offerings you'll see, from Japan, on Ebay.

[Skydive130]

Welcome to the Forum There are a number of good reasons to start with a Tiger 1 the first being you get a lot of Tank for your hardearned,
This leads on to the next and that is there is a lot more space in the hull so that newbie fingers have a better chance of not tearing out wires which in a Sherman or a Panzer 111 is far too likely thereby evoking bad language something that a jumper is of course totally unacquainted with and then there are the upgrades,
The Tiger 1 has more upgrades available than any other 1/16 Tank and because most of us have owned/Built a Tiger 1 we are well versed in its failings and its fixes.
By the way do the Hercs still have those pox awful plastic/Nylon Jumpseats,
Because the windows are so high in the fuselage compared to the Argosys and Beverlys we found out the hard way when we were in our first C130 that standing on the seats to look out tore the things to shreds,
The Jumpmaster was almost in tears,
Blo*dy pongoes, Sod*ing brown jobs and other not very welcoming words to his new aircraft followed on.
I always preferred the seats in the Argosy they seemed to be weaved/Plaited from Paracord, much more forgiving
Ask all the questions we will try very hard to answer them, Enjoy the Forum.

If you Remember Beverley’s and Argosys, that makes you older than me!

[Skydive130]

I just discovered that you gave details of your bargain full-option Tamiya Tiger 1 on a separate thread. I'm having a break from my Comet project, as it happens, and thinking of building a Tamiya Tiger 1,to pass the time. It will be bog standard (for now)...until the Mephistophelian upgrade Demon gets his way. I will post pics eventually. The only non-standard part will be a DKLM metal elevation arm. The Tamiya plastic one is reputed to break. Yours was fully a 100 quid cheaper than mine ...and mine was the cheapest around at the time (Brand new- unbuilt)., and so you've done well.
Still, you'd have to be a complete mug, or newly landed from another planet, to buy one of the fully built £2,000 offerings you'll see, from Japan, on Ebay.

Hi there, I’ve taken your advise on the metal elevation arm and hit the buy now button on forgebearers website. Many thanks

[43rdRecceReg]

I just discovered that you gave details of your bargain full-option Tamiya Tiger 1 on a separate thread. I'm having a break from my Comet project, as it happens, and thinking of building a Tamiya Tiger 1,to pass the time. It will be bog standard (for now)...until the Mephistophelian upgrade Demon gets his way. I will post pics eventually. The only non-standard part will be a DKLM metal elevation arm. The Tamiya plastic one is reputed to break. Yours was fully a 100 quid cheaper than mine ...and mine was the cheapest around at the time (Brand new- unbuilt)., and so you've done well.
Still, you'd have to be a complete mug, or newly landed from another planet, to buy one of the fully built £2,000 offerings you'll see, from Japan, on Ebay.

Hi there, I’ve taken your advise on the metal elevation arm and hit the buy now button on forgebearers website. Many thanks

You're very welcome. I remember the Beverley as well. It had an unforgettable shape. I saw one on display at RAF Dishforth once, where my cousin and uncle trained. They had gliders, and a few Spitfires, on display as well (not fully retired from service for some bases until 1956). Shaun (Jarndice) goes back even further than I do.

[jarndice]

Ahh the Blackburn Beverly, Good and not so good memories of them,
They were big and slow and versatile,
You could deploy through the side doors in the main cargo area or when we were in the Far east they would often fly without the back doors and we would step off from there
In the Boom was I think 20 or 30 seats, Someone will remember, and in the floor of the Boom was a Hatch and we would exit through there which was the Rolls Royce of deployment
I was on a flight which we shared with an RE Heavylift section who were dropping a "CAT" into the area to build an airstrip,
To our amusement and the horror of the Sappers not all the chutes deployed and it candled in at great speed
We were scheduled for a job just before Christmas but the weather was forecast to be filthy over the DZ so we were scrubbed but the flight went ahead without us,
It "Went in" with the loss of all on board, Flying into high ground.
And it was the only Transport aircraft with piston engines that I ever saw reversing,
Trust me you hav'nt lived until you have seen a Beverly reversing down a jungle airstrip blowing red laterite dust and foliage everywhere.

[Black Knight]

Hi all,
I am a British Soldier with 36 years service, 4 to go, yep that makes me old as heck!

My modelling experience is RC aircraft for 30 years and boat building for the past 4. Just to ring the changes I have dabbled with 1 or 2 of the cheaper tanks but am now about to start a Tiger 1 full option eBay bargain. Seems to be a wealth of info on here but I am sure I will have a few questions of my own which I’m sure your guys with the expertise will no doubt help.

Welcome. Always good to have another squaddie aboard - what mob? I'm guessing you weren't a tracie?