Just *how* tough are HL tanks?

[Streaky]

Hi all,

I'd be grateful for any thoughts this 'noob' question.

My eight year old has been pestering me for a decent RC tank for some time and after some research I bought him a HL Bulldog Pro with metal gears and tracks for his birthday next Saturday. It's a big deal for him (and a lot of money for me) but I know he's going to love it (I certainly would have sacrificed a testicle for a similar gift when I was eight!)

After seeing certain YouTube videos, like any eight year old boy, he's particularly excited by the prospect putting it though it's paces in the garden. This will mostly involve negotiating short cut grass and avoiding the occasional canine deployed landmine but how will it cope with anything more hardcore and what clean-up procedures would people recommend?

He's certainly going to want to hit the sandpit at some point and this feels me with dread. Shallow puddles will also be on his radar I fear. Is this out of the question or will the tank cope and to what degree?

My background is primarily scale RC ships but we've had fun together throwing all sorts of muck at Tamiya off-road racers and rock hoppers recently that cope very well and can be liberally washed and oiled after some of our messier excursions. Are there comparisons?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[FreakyDude]

I suggest you run the motors and gears with no load to break them in. half hour should do it, maybe get some grease on the gears before you run it as well. while you have the top off check for bad connections and loose wiring, HL is famous for that. i pulled mine out of the box and ran it right away, seems i stripped the gears on one side lol its a toy though. have fun with it. congrats on being a great dad as well

[Johnf]

I would be careful around water. Not watertight. Are testicles all that important to an eight year old. Good thing is parts for repair or upgrade are easy to get. You will get some fun with this also.

[caddyshack]

He will have a grin from ear to ear when he opens that up...have fun you two

[Tankbear]

Hi Streaky,

Generally the tanks can take a bit of stick i.e. if you crash into a wall by accident if you doing it regular then it will break. I found the small details etc are easy broken.

But probably main one is the weight of the tank with metal tracks, if like me you grab controller in one hand and tank in other you need a strong grip to hold the tank otherwise you'll drop it.

Last thing is the charger the 1700mAh battery requires 4 1/4 hours to charge fully and there is no auto off so always risk of fire if left unattended. And the charger is prone to getting red hot in use.

But apart from that expect from you son.

[Johnf]

True about the charger. Worth investing in a smart charger. Forgebear usuallly has them. Would'nt trust myself with the heng long charger never mind an 8 year old.

[tanks_for_the_memory]

I bought my two boys a Heng Long Tiger each when they were 6 & 4 respectively - perhaps a little too early with the youngest! Nothing fancy, just nylon tracks, etc. Two years on they still run fine with a few replacement bits here and there. It seems to be the controller aerial which gets broken first! We have all had plenty of fun and I don't regret it but I drew the line at puddles and sand seems like a bit of a risk - but then maybe I'm just one of those boring dads . . .

[Wolftone]

Main thing to do in your case is 'Test it' before you let him see it.. If it come's from the like of Dave Forgebear, it will already be as right as they can be.

[blimp]

Just a suggestion , get a neck strap for the transmitter - most RC vendors sell them , so both hands are free when picking up the tank .

• - For safety's sake , goggles / sunglasses would be a good idea too , if you have the BB version , just tell him that real tank commanders wear them . - he'll think it's cool to wear them then .

. . 'elf 'n safety nag bit over .

[sparks]

I would avoid the sand, gets in everywhere.
sparks