New Husband and wife tankers

[OddballTanker]

Hello all, my wife and I hail from Kokomo, Indiana. Which is about an hour north of Indianapolis. Her late father and her brother are US Army Vets and we decided to have some armor in our RC collection. We also have 2 big RC scale boats, a Dumas Mister Darby tug and her Robbie Dusseldorf fire boat. She also has a 1:6th scale Army Jeep. We started out with a Taigen Sherman M4A3 76mm for myself and a HL M1A2 Abrams for herself. She likes the more modern tanks as that is what her brother would have served around during his active years and deployment to the middle east. I am drawn more to the classic WWII tanks due to movies that feature Sherman tanks. I grew up racing a Team Associated gold pan RC10 with many upgrades thru the years. Still have it, with all boxes, booklets, chargers w/box and even the box for the original Futaba Magnum Jr radio system. I am already planning my next tank and considering a full option Tamiya Sherman that will get some mods to become a M4A3E8 Fury. I think that is about the best way to build that model till someone brings a quality Easy Eight Sherman to market. Hooben is not it, period. I think she will eventually get a Tamiya tank as well. RC is just one of my hobbies, I also have quite the model train collection. I am high functioning autistic and a bit of an oddball myself, kind of like Oddball in Kelly's Heros and his custom Sherman tank. Mike

[Meter rat]

Hello and welcome from Argyll and Bute, on the West Coast of Scotland. Looks like you will fit right in here. We have sections for cars, boats, and trains. Feel free to ask questions, and pass on an knowledge you may think will be helpful to others.

[Ecam]

Welcome aboard to you both! Oh the gold pan RC10! I wish I had hung on to one. I built several, lived near a off road track but many didn't like the kit form, RTR was a couple years off still. I do have a Traxxis that was a kit long before they went RTR.

The Tamiya M4 with HVSS is a good kit. It was first released in the 70's and doesn't compare to the current Tamiya kits. How accurate a Fury is up to you. I have two Tammy Shermans both converted to 76 turrets, one a cast hull the other a Heng Long M4A3 hull (darn near identical to your Taigen). Plenty of builds on here (and many "Fury" variants). I do like their control system although it requires a not included transmitter, and far more complex than the RTR tanks (Taigen, HL and Mato).

Jump in and look around, ask and answer questions. By the way, didn't the Beach Boys sing about your town?

[Jimster]

Welcome aboard from Southern Illinois! My daughter lives near Rising Sun in the southern tip of Indiana. You’re going to really enjoy this forum and be sure to explore our search feature.

[MrChef]

Welcome to the forum Oddball, from New York.

I think you'll fit right in here with this friendly, knowledgeable, helpful group of misfits. Have fun and remember we all enjoy pictures of your tanks.

Share a welcome to Mrs. Oddball as well. It took quite a bit for my wife to come around with my RC tank obsession. Now she even helps paint little bitty things like periscopes and optics.

Chef

[Meter rat]

Hello all, my wife and I hail from Kokomo, Indiana. Which is about an hour north of Indianapolis.

I really need my eyes testing. I thought Mr and Mrs Oddball, we’re somewhere in Indonesia.

It took quite a bit for my wife to come around with my RC tank obsession. Now she even helps paint little bitty things like periscopes and optics.

Chef

She won’t let him use the dishwasher for cleaning tanks though..
There are quite a few in jokes that cross the various sections.
A lot at my expense

[OddballTanker]

One wonders where Oddball ended up after driving off with the Tiger at the end of the movie? If he survived the war, such a memorable performance. That said, I am looking at my next Sherman. I can pretty much afford to get any of the current models. Mato, another Taigen, HL with HVSS conversion kit ect. But I do have offered to me a mint in the box(inner boxes still cellophane sealed) Tamiya Sherman, full option kit for $800 to my door. From my reading, these are like the "gold standard" for Sherman models still and especially if one wants the HVSS suspension and wants to build an Easy Eight aka Fury. I have considered getting the 75mm Taigen Sherman and doing Oddballs tank, or James Garner's Sherman from the movie Tank. Or the top on my list is Fury. Sadly Hooben's model is well, we all know, a polished turd. Looks great but thats it. Would love to find one of the fully weathered ones being dumped super cheap to get the upper hull/turret and graft it onto a better drive, aka the Tamiya. Trying to get off the fence now on what I will buy this weekend.

[OddballTanker]

Yes the Beach Boys did a song before they knew a real Kokomo existed. They came here and did a free concert for everyone once they found out! I am not a super rivet counter like some tankers are. I want to capture the general look of the easy eight and the HVSS is a major one, along with the turret/gun. Its a shame nobody can get Taigen, Torro or Tamiya to do the Easy Eight. Instead we get the "lipstick on a pig" from Hooben. The weathering and such is not my strong suit. So I like the nicely done factory builds. But those are limited in choice. I love my Taigen so far, and my wife's HL Abrams is nice as well, but I do like the "heft" of my mostly metal Taigen. I still need to put the decals on it. Debating if I want to keep the dark green with black paint scheme they sell it with. The local hobby shop has the other version, 75mm with muddy weathering and no duck bills on the tracks Sherman in stock in both IR and bb. Kind of wish I got the IR on my 76mm, but even then it wont play nice with her HL. So, doesnt really matter. I can still shoot her with bb's I did watch a Torro video of their IR version. I do love the bright muzzle flash on their IR tanks. They look almost like they come from the same factory as the Taigen models. I just dont know which one to buy!!

[STHV]

The Takom/AAHQ 1/16 M4A3 76 HVSS is a good candidate for an upper hull and turret, the detail is far better than Taigen or hooben or any other manufacturer for that matter. Only problem is you have to convert it to RC control as its just a static kit.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Hello: you are most welcome. There are RC tankers (etc.) from all over the world as regulars here in RCTW. I’m from far southern Wisconsin.

Torro and Taigen are essentially the same, so if you stay with new and rather top of the line, either is fine. I have no experience with Tamiya in RC or larger than 1/35, but others here are well informed. Over the years, my solution to not knowing which Torro, Taigen, or HengLong tank to get was…well…ahem.

I only have two Mato tanks, the old plastic M4 and an all-metal M10. All I have done to the old M4 was to change out the speaker because the sound is good, but was even too quiet for me. There is little of the M10 that I have not replaced, redone, tweaked, and cursed, but it is now a somewhat good runner and ready for weathering, stowage, and some crew. As to “out the factory door” clean vs. weathered veteran, I like both. As to modified or out-of-the box, I like both.