What type of tanks do you buy and why?

[ALPHA]

Point well taken ALPHA. I'm beginning to think along those same lines as my inventory increases as does my need for realism. I'm finding if you want accuracy, then purchasing Tamiya parts trees is the way to go and thats getting expensive already. I need to figure out a plan for my realism needs which will include a budget and not cross that line. As far as the depreciation factor goes, I've never worried about that with my hobbies. I've never gotten involved with a hobby that I've looked to turn a profit.

Don't misunderstand my terminology when I refer to the depreciation... as I rarely sell my collections at all...it's just that there is a reality that some day all good things must come to an end...

With that said... some of my Trains have already quadrupled in value...and will only increase in time...so at least there is a legacy left when I'm six feet under Something I can't say for my tanks...no matter what brand they are

Bottom line is I just have fun ... because that's what it's all about Enjoyment is always in the hands of the Hobbyist

HAVE A GOOD ONE JAKE

ALPHA

I understand what you're saying, you're last sentence says it all.

Joe

Yes indeed JT...just like art is subject to the eye of the beholder .... Hobbies are all in the Hands of the Hobbyist...and all boil down to the enjoyment

ALPHA

[ALPHA]

lol This is Joe's thread Alpha......

KNEW THAT Brain farts do happen ...............


ALPHA

[jtracks]

Hi Joe,

I only have the IR versions (Tamiya & HL) have not messed with the Taigen or Mato yet, though I am impressed with the New Taigen Sherman...
I chose the IR because I really like running up to the tank museum and participating in the tank battles there! Its a load of fun and it is nice to see all the other builds.

I really could not see the point in the airsoft version for me, unless I can go after those pesky squirrels in the yard-------(light bulb appears above his head)
I guess its because the airsoft is only one way, that is you can shoot stuff, unless you have another person to play with, nothing shoots back,,,,,even if the other tank shoots back, there is no indication of damage.. IR on the other hand can be programmed for damage, like my Panther tank will take 3 hits and all functions are reduced to half speed, take two more hits tank is immobilized with exception of the gun,, last hit is knocked out... I am not sure the exact number of hits I mentioned, but the effects are correct...

So you see, like Alpha said, have fun! figure out where and what you will have the most fun doing and get the appropriate tool to do it, like a good German "88"!

Thanks for the reply Eastern Front. What you have just described is why I started buying the IR tanks. My wife and I are having lots of fun battling in the garage and outside. Unfortunately, there aren't any battle groups in my area. Besides, my Taigen IR's wouldn't be compatible with the Tamiya battle systems. However, I was reading yesterday, that RC Tanks Australia has developed a board that allows HL, Taigen, and Tamiya to all play together. I'm going to do some research into this product. Shooting squirrels eh, will have to look into that as I have plenty of those rats with bushy tails running around.

[spongehoobtank82]

Hey jtracks that rctanks Australia board is the Mako2 I have a couple in my tanks, they do work well with Tamiya etc, but have some peculiar features! There pretty good for the price though!

[jtracks]

Hey jtracks that rctanks Australia board is the Mako2 I have a couple in my tanks, they do work well with Tamiya etc, but have some peculiar features! There pretty good for the price though!

Hello spongehoobtank82, so you have experience. Tell me what the "peculiar features" are if you will please? Also, do you have yours wired to stop the tank recoil, does it completely eliminate track recoil? Thank you.

Joe

[spongehoobtank82]

Ah well am glad you asked! Well first off when you receive a final kill hit the tank shuts down as normal and you can restart the tank, lights start flashing and you can start the tank up again however the mako2 does not start up again unless you switch the tank off and on again, at first I thought the board was broken, but when I emailed the guys at rctanks Australia they said it was normal and to stop cheating in an rc battle ( I always assume all rc tank guys are honest!)
Now the other peculiar features is that if you have the track recoil preventer hooked up (which is very is to do by the way) in does indeed cut the track recoil but also any current too the motor pretty much, so when you fire stationary no recoil, if you fire on the move the tank violently jerks to a stop for a second then continues (if your still pressing forward) also as you take hits the tank dies not slow down and if you set the tank as 'heavy' or above (you need a Sony tv remote for that) the tank wont always make a hit noise as the henglong/taigen board the mako is hooked to is preset to only deal with five hits, so the mako gets round this by not sending all the hits to the mfu if you have set the tank to more than 5 hits although if you have a flasher ring plugged in it still flashes for all hits. Well I hope that's covered everything? I think! Feel free to ask any more questions! To be fair its a good little board That enables you to play against tamiya's etc I prefer my IBU2 equipped tiger to be fair but the IBU2 board is 4 times the price so it should be better ( it is I would very much recommend one!) but the mako great to in context, hope this all helps I waffled abit!

[wibblywobbly]

To be honest I usually buy junk, parts lots, or broken tanks, simply because I enjoy making something different out of them (another tank I mean, not a vase of flowers )

I never use airsoft, and if you ever attend a tank meet etc you will find that no one else does either, its all IR with no exceptions. The emitter tubes and the apples ( or at least the sensors) can be hidden from view with a little planning.

Cheapest mass production board that will give you IR and decent sound is the Clark TK22.
Next is IBU2
Then we move up to the Elmod Fusion boards.
Tamiya MFU's are dependable but a lot of work to fit into an HL tank

If you want sound and you want airsoft at a cheap (ish) price, then the Clark or IBU will do either as standard.

It all depends on your budget, but the boards above are the only ones that will give you proper tank sounds, and IR/airsoft.

Best bet is to take a look on You Tube, there are loads of videos on there with owners demonstrating their tanks, installs etc.

RobG

[ALPHA]

Ah well am glad you asked! Well first off when you receive a final kill hit the tank shuts down as normal and you can restart the tank, lights start flashing and you can start the tank up again however the mako2 does not start up again unless you switch the tank off and on again, at first I thought the board was broken, but when I emailed the guys at rctanks Australia they said it was normal and to stop cheating in an rc battle ( I always assume all rc tank guys are honest!)
Now the other peculiar features is that if you have the track recoil preventer hooked up (which is very is to do by the way) in does indeed cut the track recoil but also any current too the motor pretty much, so when you fire stationary no recoil, if you fire on the move the tank violently jerks to a stop for a second then continues (if your still pressing forward) also as you take hits the tank dies not slow down and if you set the tank as 'heavy' or above (you need a Sony tv remote for that) the tank wont always make a hit noise as the henglong/taigen board the mako is hooked to is preset to only deal with five hits, so the mako gets round this by not sending all the hits to the mfu if you have set the tank to more than 5 hits although if you have a flasher ring plugged in it still flashes for all hits. Well I hope that's covered everything? I think! Feel free to ask any more questions! To be fair its a good little board That enables you to play against tamiya's etc I prefer my IBU2 equipped tiger to be fair but the IBU2 board is 4 times the price so it should be better ( it is I would very much recommend one!) but the mako great to in context, hope this all helps I waffled abit!

That sounds kind of fun Hoob...so when you enter the field of battle ... can you yourself be considered a target ? Might be a good reason to have a spare BB tank sitting on the sidelines

ALPHA

[jtracks]

Ah well am glad you asked! Well first off when you receive a final kill hit the tank shuts down as normal and you can restart the tank, lights start flashing and you can start the tank up again however the mako2 does not start up again unless you switch the tank off and on again, at first I thought the board was broken, but when I emailed the guys at rctanks Australia they said it was normal and to stop cheating in an rc battle ( I always assume all rc tank guys are honest!)
Now the other peculiar features is that if you have the track recoil preventer hooked up (which is very is to do by the way) in does indeed cut the track recoil but also any current too the motor pretty much, so when you fire stationary no recoil, if you fire on the move the tank violently jerks to a stop for a second then continues (if your still pressing forward) also as you take hits the tank dies not slow down and if you set the tank as 'heavy' or above (you need a Sony tv remote for that) the tank wont always make a hit noise as the henglong/taigen board the mako is hooked to is preset to only deal with five hits, so the mako gets round this by not sending all the hits to the mfu if you have set the tank to more than 5 hits although if you have a flasher ring plugged in it still flashes for all hits. Well I hope that's covered everything? I think! Feel free to ask any more questions! To be fair its a good little board That enables you to play against tamiya's etc I prefer my IBU2 equipped tiger to be fair but the IBU2 board is 4 times the price so it should be better ( it is I would very much recommend one!) but the mako great to in context, hope this all helps I waffled abit!

Thanks for the detailed response spongehoobtank82. The tank coming to an abrupt stop while firing on the move bothers me. That may be as bad on the gears as the track recoil is, what do you think? Everything else I can live with. I'm going to order one and a Sony remote after the first of the year and do some experimenting. I want to start a tank group in my area now that my local hobby shop is carrying Taigen tanks and this device might just be the answer for compatibility. Thank you.

Joe

[jtracks]

To be honest I usually buy junk, parts lots, or broken tanks, simply because I enjoy making something different out of them (another tank I mean, not a vase of flowers )

I never use airsoft, and if you ever attend a tank meet etc you will find that no one else does either, its all IR with no exceptions. The emitter tubes and the apples ( or at least the sensors) can be hidden from view with a little planning.

Cheapest mass production board that will give you IR and decent sound is the Clark TK22.
Next is IBU2
Then we move up to the Elmod Fusion boards.
Tamiya MFU's are dependable but a lot of work to fit into an HL tank

If you want sound and you want airsoft at a cheap (ish) price, then the Clark or IBU will do either as standard.

It all depends on your budget, but the boards above are the only ones that will give you proper tank sounds, and IR/airsoft.

Best bet is to take a look on You Tube, there are loads of videos on there with owners demonstrating their tanks, installs etc.

RobG

Thanks for your input Rob. Every board that you have described requires an after market radio like Futaba or Spectrum, is that right? I have seen youtube video's of tanks with great sound but I never get to see inside of the tank or the type of transmitter the operator is holding. I'll look for some more detailed install videos. Thank you.

Joe