Commission Builds?

[Mithras]

So my partner very much wants a Honey Stuart…

Are there any reliable custom builders? I might very well be interested in something for myself. I am a fairly decent painter, so I wouldn’t necessarily need a painted example, but being very new to the build side of this, I don’t think I currently have the skill set to custom build anything.

[jarndice]

Rather than pay somebody to do it for you Buy a cheap Heng Long Tiger 1 and learn to do it yourself,
We will gladly help you along the way , You wont believe the satisfaction as well as the accumulated skills that you will get from doing it that way.

[Mithras]

I doubt a Tiger would be partIcularly easy to convert to a Stuart or an M14, sadly!

[jarndice]

It would not BUT being such a large Tank internally one can learn without damaging anything and having accumulated these skills working on a Stuart or an M14 would in the language of Southern England be a doddle (Easy).
No one builds one Tank no matter what their intentions

[MrChef]

It would not BUT being such a large Tank internally one can learn without damaging anything and having accumulated these skills working on a Stuart or an M14 would in the language of Southern England be a doddle (Easy).
No one builds one Tank no matter what their intentions

^^^This Guy^^^ is just spewing good advice all over today...

[Mithras]

I understand it's something I can learn. and I intend to. However, this is a gift for my partner, who is very enthusiastic, and she's simply asking for this specific vehicle. As there is literally nobody presently making the parts for Japanese or Italian equipment, I thought I would at least see if the few commission builders I have seen are recommended. If that's not the case, I guess I'll simply have to move on to something else, but it was a thought (and a rather serious one) If vendors don't want my money, or if the commission market can't be trusted, then that is truly disappointing.

[Kaczor]

Some Chinese company announced RC Stuart 1/16 for next year.

[jee]

Does that has to be a RC? I guess there are many designers that can design the model, but to have it ready for RC is a bit different. If you go ro the facebook groups, many designers trying to find customers

[Mithras]

Some Chinese company announced RC Stuart 1/16 for next year.

Good to know!

[Meter rat]

You say you do not have the skills? You have to be prepared to fail to get good. Classy Hobby do a kit in 1/16 of the Stuart. These are quite small tanks, but It may be possible, using readily available parts, and a second hand TK6 transmitter and receiver to get a simplified running model. For a commissioned build I would think it would be quite costly to do, due to possibly having to fabricate custom parts, and if you then find you do not like the hobby you would be left with a lot of expense which you will not recoup as there is a limited market. Or alternatively do what Jarndice, a man full of wisdom, said. Get a Tiger 1, and buy your partner a T34 or Sherman. You could work on them together, research them, battle each other, and if you find the hobby is not for you, you would be able to move them on without too much loss.

There was a person on here under the avatar of SoCal Bob who has built a couple of the smaller tanks, using parts from Heng Long 1/30 scale tanks. May be worth contacting, but he has not been on here for a while.