a few questions about large scale rc-tanks.

[sjefke1993]

heya guys, i think a small introduction is in order. my name's sjefke, and im an 18 year old guy from the netherlands. always had an interest in scale-modelling, and decided to start on a large-scale rc tank.

i've settled on building a Baneblade tank from the warhammer 40k universe.

that beast to be exact, i chose to go for this one because i've got access to the scale model, and enough pictures anyone could want.

but since this is my first rc model, there's several questions i want to ask. mainly about the controls, and what engines to use.

as for control, i figured picking up a cheap 6ch controller for about 30 pounds from ebay should do, this one:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FLY-SKY-2-4G- ... 231d2a9fff

but im still not quite clear on one thing, mainly, the part where i connect the servo's to the receiver, does it look like it has place for a battery, or do i need to buy those aswell, and is the connection part universal? like do all servo's and receivers have the same sized connection port?

also, would this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8g-Digital-Co ... 415d857b8c
be good enough to operate the controls etc?

the last question i had is would a drill engine be powerfull enough? im talking about 12v here.


thanks in advance if you can answer these questions, and any helpfull tips on scratch building an rc tank would be totally welcome!

[ausf]

You really are jumping in with both feet.

There's a lot of open questions, but the main one is size. If this kit is near the size of a 1/16, I think your best bet is to buy a cheap existing HL kit and use the Tx and guts. That way, you'll not only see what goes into this sort of thing, you'll have motors, gearboxes, etc that match, instead of working out battery, voltage, motor draw in your own system.

The biggest hurdle you will have with converting a static kit is to get working tracks and suspension. There's a good amount of stress on those parts and not easily recreated unless you have access to casting systems.

You could always buy a similar existing lower hull to what your end goal would be, ie a Tiger, KV-1, etc., then just adapt and build the upper portion. At least that way, you'll know it'll drive and you can concentrate on the appearance.

[Andy in Cheltenham]

Yeah get a large 1/16 scale tank have a play first then gut it....

[sjefke1993]

i'm not trying to rc-ify the scale model, im trying to scratch-built a larger scale version, probably about 1/10th or 1/8-ish scale, but since the actual size of this thing is still somewhat vague, think about the size of a 1/8th tiger I.

[twoup]

Do you know what the 'real' dimensions are for this vehicle? i.e. how big is it compared to a Tiger 1? At least the running gear is all hidden behind armour that will make the wheels easier to make. The tracks may be a challenge. I agree with the others that buying an off the peg r/c, motors, transmitter set up would make sense then just build up the bodywork around it. Good luck

[[ICE]monkey]

Have you seen the 1/6 baneblade mark built?
http://www.mark-1-tank.co.uk/games-work ... blade.html

[sjefke1993]

i've scoured the internet for sites on building large scale tanks, but figured that asking the more experienced people around here more information/tips on how and what, since you probably know what most beginners do wrong

[[ICE]monkey]

Ok the first thing we need is what scale is the model baneblade , I think 40k stuff comes out at about 1/48 scale ? If so measure your baneblade s length then times it by 48 this figure will be the length of a 1/1scale so then you divide that figure by the scale you want to build , once you've worked out what scale your looking for we can work from there
Regards, ice

[sjefke1993]

alright, seeing as warhammer 40k is at an 1/58th-ish scale, and the model is 22cm long. the "real life" version would be 12 meters long. so the most likely scale for this thing would be 1/12th. resulting in a baneblade that is 1 meter long, 67 cm wide, and 29cm tall, large enough for me to easily scratchbuild it, yet large enough to allow some serious tank-action.

[jonger]

Have you seen this site http://www.thedecoy.org/1/6th/plan/ it's all about how a guy built a scratch built 1/6th scale Cromwell tank he gives a fully illustrated build write up, lists of parts and downloadable plans.