HAYA Centurion Mk3. First Impressions.

[zooma]

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My new HAYA Centurion has just arrived and I thought this could make an interesting subject to add to this section.

The Centurion is Andrew HAYA's second model to join his impressive collection of modern British tanks and it makes a very interesting comparison with his first (Chieftain Mk3) model, and as a new manufacturer, HAYA is producing some excellent models that are making a welcome addition for the r/c model tank enthusiast to enjoy.

To date I have only given my new Centurion a test run but already some differences and improvements can be appreciated.

Firstly, this is a really good looking model that has made a welcome addition to my own modern tank collection and the inclusion of the HAYA (FlySky) transmitter is a most welcome upgrade over the small "toy" transmitter that came with my HAYA Chieftain as it has a much higher quality "feel" and represents a big step forwards in presentation and it is much nicer to hold and to use.

Having the correct Rolls Royce engine sound is another big improvement over the HAYA Chieftain that needs an expensive upgrade (Clark board and FlySky/HAYA radio) to add the authentic Leyland L60 multi-fuel engine sound. This factor alone makes the Centurion a better "value for money" buy, but including the rotating commanders cupola at the £799 retail price is very impressive.

Two small things that I have noticed straight away that I do not like include the use of Tamiya battery plugs and the awkward and fiddly need to connect the two tubes to the smoke unit every time the body is removed to change the battery etc.

I prefer XT60 plugs and sockets, so I will change the Tamiya ones fitted to the tank and the battery. I use XT60 on all my 1/16 r/c tanks and batteries and it makes sense for me to keep them all the same.

The two flexible tubes that connect to the exhaust smoke unit pull off of the smoke unit are too short - making it very awkward and fiddly for my old hands to connect them - and they need re-connecting every time the deck has to be removed from the hull (changing the battery etc). I am not sure if the tubes have been made so short because there is not enough room inside the hull for longer ones, but if I can extend them it would make this a much easier job, but maybe somebody has already come up with a better solution? It is a shame that they need to be disconnected every time. The Chieftain smoke tubes exit through the rear of the hull and so they do not need to be removed every time the hull needs to be accessed, but the Centurion silencers are mounted on top of the rear deck. The exhaust smoke function works very well, but I may need to switch it off if I cannot improve the way it connects.

Another small "niggle" is that the excellent Rolls Royce engine sound is drowned-out by the running noises of the motor, transmission and tracks! Basically the engine sound is too quiet and it needs to be louder. I am not sure how to improve this as the main gun, ranging gun, and machine gun sounds are already loud enough (by comparison) making the weak engine volume a little disappointing.

Maybe there is a volume adjustment that can be made that I have not discovered yet, but I can see no reference to it in the handbook that came with the Centurion........but this is only my first initial observation and I need to explore all of the adjustments and options that this excellent transmitter has to offer as it could well include a method of adjusting the engine sound that I have not found yet.

The main gun barrel is made from a single turned length of alloy and it simply screws on to a short threaded stub that is close to the mantelet.The Cheiftian came in three separate lengths of alloy tube that are screwed together. I prefer the single alloy barrel tube of the Centurion and the recoil effect works very well.

Gun flash and barrel smoke is not something that everyone appreciates - but I most certainly do - and the Centurion performs this function very well indeed (so does the HAYA Chieftain). This flash and smoke function comes at the cost of not being able to fire BB's, but this does not bother me at all as I doubt I would ever want to shoot plastic BB's from any of my 1/16 r/c tanks.

For those that do want to shoot BB's, the Centurion can also be bought without the gun flash and barrel smoke function but with the BB shooting and recoil function option for £599.99 making this a good price (saving £200) as it still comes with the HAYA radio and all the other functions

The rubber tyres on the road wheels is another upgrade that the Chieftain does not have. In real life, the prototype Chieftain was retro fitted with Centurion wheels to improve the ride height and they became the standard fit for all production Chieftains. I think a similar upgrade would be a good idea for my HAYA Chieftain (using wheels from the HAYA Centurion) as the wheels are the same size and the rubber tyres are much better IMHO.

I will enjoy finishing this model and getting to understand it more, but my first impression is that this is a really good model that will become a firm favourite.

[zooma]

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The HAYA transmitter is a joy to use and it feels really good too.

The two small (outside) self centring switches each make a machine gun sound when pushed upwards.

The left hand switch gives a heavy machine gun sound - but no barrel flash.

The right hand switch gives a lighter machine gun sound and the machine gun barrel flashes.

Does anyone know why we have two different machine gun sounds but only one that gives a gun flash when operated?

By pushing both switches upwards at the same time I can have the heavy machine gun sound with the machine gun barrel flashing, but I am guessing that only the lighter gun sound can be the correct one for the turret mounted machine gun (why else would it be the one that flashes) and the heavy calibre sound is for a different gun?

[jarndice]

I have both the Haya and the Tongde Centurion I briefly gave the Haya Cent a run out, I managed to convert the barrel travel lock to a working model using a couple of metal clips snipped to size, as you discovered the smokers pipes are a pain and refitting the body to the hull takes practice to get it to fit but it is a nice model,
The Tongde from Dave @ www.forgebeartanks.com was the real surprise at under £300 when I bought it which included metal wheels and tracks the detail is in places better than Hayas and I have concentrated my efforts on it,
I bought a metal tow cable kit from Haya to replace the "STRING" from tongde, I bought a .30 Browning MG from DKLM but it was a disappointment and I shall revert to the original plus an after market fume extractor that helps to bring the Mk3 upto a Mk5, amusingly in the bag with the fume extractor was 2 german stick grenades (Now in the Hanomag 251) 2 tin helmets, a Thomson military smg and a pair of Stirling smgs,
The battery can be charged in situ.
The escape hatch on the Haya can be glued open or closed the same hatch on the Tongde just plain works.
The Tongde Transmitter is easy to adapt to alter the settings, Just follow the instructions in the booklet,
All in all The Tongde while it is flimsy in comparison to the Haya and you have to unscrew a number of connections underneath to open it up it is very good value for money Including an IR Head and wiring to convert from BB if needed.

[zooma]

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Hi jarndice,

We have recently gained a Tongde Centurion tank in our small club that has been superbly converted to a really well weathered Australian Centurion and it is a very impressive looking model that also drives well too (I have not personally driven it - yet). It has no extra features such as a smoking gun barrel or rotating cupola etc, but it does have exhaust smoke.

This Australian Centurion arrived very recently and I had no idea just how convincing a model it was, but this particular model has been very nicely modified and "weathered" - and like yours - it has metal wheels and metal tracks.

I admit to "checking them out" on the forgebear tanks site but they have no stock so the temptation to try one was killed there and then.......but maybe if I should see one available in the UK at a decent price in future the I could be tempted to buy one that I could take some modification chances with at a lower cost risk.

Having said that, I do like supporting David at HAYA as I know just how hard it is to get any new manufacturing business started and I also appreciate the way that any questions or queries are answered on any day of the week and at any time - sometimes followed-up by a telephone call to make sure everything is understood. He is a very genuine guy to work with and it is not easy to make any sort of a decent living out of the model trade these days.

[tankme]

I'm on a British tank kick lately. If the TongDE Centurion runs as well as the TongDE Churchill, it might be worth picking on up to do an FV4005 or other Centurion conversion.

[zooma]

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At almost 10pm on a Sunday evening David HAYA answered my question about adjusting the sound volume on my new HAYA Centurion Mk3 tank - how about that for excellent supplier service?

The volume can be adjusted via a manual turn knob (just like Tamiya) that is supplied already plugged-in to the mother board.

[jarndice]

Haya have always been a hands on company and I hope my comments have not put people off buying a brilliant product, Once I have finished the Tongde Cent I will be better able to put some time and effort into highlighting Hayas Centurion and I look forward to it.
My first thought is to produce a Berlin Brigade Mk 5 but with Hayas updates appearing at regular intervals who knows what I will make?
The rear of the Tank has potential for change which is no bad thing given how much it was changed,
Should I incorperate the fuel tralier? or just extend the rear section whatever the barrel does need modifying because the item was almost always wearing a diffuser and frankly looks wrong without,
We will see.I hope your comments will continue for there is much to know about the most popular MBT of the 50s/60s.

[Ad Lav]

Jarndice, all tanks have faults, regardless of price point.

I have the Tamiya Centurion, and whilst it’s engineered better than the other two, the sounds are not as good as the Haya.

I would never buy another expensive tank like that again, fun to build, but not worth the extortionate pricing we have reached. Having said that, the Haya is reaching the same levels as the Tamiya offering in terms of cost!

Kudos to Haya and Tongde for bringing out more and more tanks!

[zooma]

Some good points Ad Lav.

The HAYA Centurion is a very low production model (like the Chieftain that I think has almost sold-out) so none of the bulk production savings that high volume manufacturers like Tamiya enjoy can apply to HAYA ......and yet Tamiya Tanks are still comparatively very expensive!

Although I have commented on the cost of upgrading my HAYA Chieftain (the first new HAYA design), the Centurion shows that HAYA prices are getting lower as manufacturing experience is gained with their second model.

The "luxury" of dealing with HAYA (in my opinion) is being able to speak directly with the manufacturer who is often able and willing to supply small parts, help and advice that would not be so easy to obtain from Tamiya (as an example).

Lower priced models from Heng Long (and others) offer really good value, and with time and effort can be made into superb models that start at a much lower price, but when all the option parts are bought to bring them up to a comparable standard the overall price may not be that much different.....or even higher in some cases!

.......you pays your money and makes your choice........as they say.

[jarndice]

It is indeed possible at the end of your Heng Long build to find you have spent as much on your Heng Long Panzer 4 or Tiger 1 as you would have on a Tamiya equivelant BUT and this is the important part you have built your own bespoke version and paid for it in affordable instalments.