Hi there

[AdrianEales]

Hi all

Have been looking for a new hobby for a while, and recently came across videos of RC Tanks.

Given that I'm a long term military model maker, and have previously been into RC models this seems like a natural area that I should get involved in.

I've joined to start to find out more about the subject, and work out next steps (working out if I should buy a kit, or try making something from scratch).

Hopefully see you round!

So hello from Dorset (UK),

Adrian

[Meter rat]

Hello to that there Englandshire, from Argyll and Bute. Sound like you have a good grounding. I know not your skills, however I would suggest starting with a RTR, and modifying that. Of course you may the skills required to build what you want.

[jarndice]

Hi Adrian,Welcome to the forum
Thier are 3 companys that sell kits to build an R/C tank, They are Tamiya recognised as the Rolls Royce in the hobby this is reflected in the price of their products although as long as you follow the instructions you will have a perfect rendition of the prototype,
Then Taigen although you do have very limited choice of self build it allows you free choice in the control board you choose to use because their major product line is RTR(Ready to Run)Which comes with their own Control Board,
Finally Britains (Wales) Own Model Tank company (In 1/16) HAYA They sell a number of kits within their range including a very nice Centurion,
The biggest difference between these 3 is price, Any of them can be built by anyone who has ever built a model of similar size with relative ease, everything apart from the electronics is included and fitting an aftermarket control board is really pretty much a doddle,
And now we come to the meat Heng Long, Taigen/Torro, Haya all make Ready to Run r/c Tanks and armour of most vehicles from 1939 through 2020 they come in different classes such as standard and premium which is reflected in fittings and price,
You can buy a brand new Heng Long Tiger 1 RTR out of the box except you provide the battery's for the transmitter whch comes with it (The Tank Battery is included) for under £200 or a kit for a Tiger 1 from Tamiya for £800/£1,000.
Taigen range from £300 to £600 and Haya From £300 to £700, there is another company relatively new to us in this hobby "Tongde" They make a limited range of RTR such as the Pershing and the Bradley and The Centurion they are very good value at around £250 to £400.
Many of us started with Heng Longs Tiger1, the present iteration is a very nice package with a control board that a few years back you would have paid a lot of money for it really is good.
There are more upgrades and aftermarket products for the Tiger 1 than any other 1/16 R/C Tank on the market,
Many parts of these different tanks are interchangeable BUT many are not BEWARE, Ask us if you are in any doubt,
Finally we come to what some would say is the most important part Which dealer to use,Dave and Julie at www.forgebeartanks.com are as straight as an arrow and very helpful AVIOD "Nitrotec" Like the plague,
I shall leave others to expand on this subject.

[ColemanCollector]

Hi Adrian and welcome from Ontario, Canada.
Jarndice has some true words of wisdom above. A good place to start on this forum is in the builds section where the brands have been separated. Maybe read some of the posts on different brands and see where you think you might fit in skill-wise , price-wise, detail-wise, and building patience-wise.
Let the games begin!
Mike.

[MrChef]

Hi Adrian, Welcome to the forum From New York.

You are getting good advice already so I'd only suggest to continue looking this site over and asking as many questions as you like before deciding what you may want to do.

But you probably knew that already...

Enjoy the forum.

Chef

[AdrianEales]

Thanks all for the sage advice - time to investigate, whilst my natural instinct is to try and build from scratch - the idea of buying a RTR so I can see how they operate makes a lot of sense.

Other than the usual, are there any things to watch out for if buying something 2nd hand off eBay?

Cheers
Adrian

[jarndice]

You could always ask if a member of the Forum was selling one of their own Tanks just say what it is you are after and a private arrangement can I am sure be quickly sorted.
You would at least know who you are dealing with.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Hello there AdrianEales. I don't know how I missed your Friday posting, but it happens. You say that, "Whilst my natural instinct is to try and build from scratch - the idea of buying a RTR so I can see how they operate makes a lot of sense." My experience suggests, too, that modeling skills are most helpful, and RC tanks will develop even those more. But the mechanical and electronic aspects require a great deal of learning best taken on a bit at a time. My recommendation is that you do start with the best Ready-to-Run you can afford from Dave at Forgebear. (Dave has even been an occasional source for me across from across the ocean.) A ready-to-run will give you plenty of modeling opportunity and a chance to learn (even if the thing works flawlessly) about the mechanicals and electronics. Above all, have fun, ask questions, and keep us up to date on how you are doing, even for the initial choice.