Need some help choosing between tamiya KV-1 and JS-2

[ALPHA]

Good Morning,
Welcome to the Forum, weebaldy! Let me throw a third quandry in the mix. KV-2. That's all I'm sayin' ;o)
regards,
Painless Wolf

YEAH BABY... I feel the need... the need for a KV-2

ALPHA

[ALPHA]

Thanks sooo much for all the advice guys, looks like his new hobby is gonna be tons of fun. Why do I get the feeling that this ain't gonna stop at one tank.

Oh and maybe one day I will be up to Alphas advice and be able to covert tanks in the meantime I will be happy if I don't ruin my first build......

Ray

Hello Ray

Believe me it won't...I started a month ago... and now have a bunch of them ..I cannot tell you how much fun they are to operate build and modify
and you know... I still haven't spent the amount it would cost to get the JS2
But it's your pocketbook...the one thing good is I think you've found the right place should you run into any problems

Enjoy your adventure... Welcome

ALPHA

p.s. converting as well as detailing a RTR tank... is just as much fun as building a tank from a kit...what's even more satisfying is you know it works ...where with a kit.. you won't know until you finish assembling it

[Dietrich]

Just to add my 2 Cents as the saying goes.....
For a price difference of £200 I would definitely go with the KV1.... The £200 could be put towards a later second kit or even a 'Ready To Run' type to 'play' with the other tank.......
xmas is coming...so there is also the additional cost of that...
.................or maybe even an 'Extra Pressie' for you if you do not spend too much money now...

[tomhugill]

OK....I just have to ask...is this a real question?....

Now if the question was....should you get two KV 1s ...one of which you were going to convert one into a KV2...and two T34/85s and build two different versions and still have money left for upgrade bits...or the Tamiya JS2 which you have to build and purchase a 4 channel transmitter before you know if it works or not.... Then you might have a quandary to ponder over

But if the choice is between two Tamiya's....The choice has to go to the Js2...just because if it doesn't work...it'll look prettier than the KV 1

ALPHA

Way prettier than the KV-1 and WAY WAY prettier than the KV-2 (Sorry Painless Wolf......)

So true.... reason the initial question is just .... not necessary...with that said though... before I purchase a TAMIYA JS-2...I would prefer getting a new HENG LONG KV 1 ... a new TORRO KV2 captured/ converted ... and two new T34/85s...especially if I were a beginner

To me TAMIYA kits are for the more experienced.... as troubleshooting the components before hand .....is better done with the knowledge of a well versed veteran of the hobby...electricity works very fast... all it takes is one bad hookup.... and the tank may not work without a replacement part...which in all probability is not covered by any warranty because of the nature of the "kit" itself

RTR tanks are better suited to a beginner IMO... especially with all the improvements the manufacturers have made... everything is now plug n go...unlike older models where soldering knowledge was a requirement

So yeah... if you want to dish out fifteen hundred dollars for what could end up being nothing but a pretty static model ...more power to you...me? I'm a little more practical that that and would spend that money on four working with metal upgrades RTR tanks...that if I want to learn... can take apart to detail with the money left over

The TAMIYA doesn't lend anything to that.... even with the full option kit... it doesn't have the transmitter servos batteries ... or any additional metal detail parts such as tracks... lights...and other incidental parts... sure it has a metal liner probably barrel gears ...no guarantee on the sprockets or idlers

Personally I'd wait a couple years lol..... because who knows... HENG LONG might make one

But yes... the JS-2 "is" a pretty tank

ALPHA

Well I don't want to tread on any toes but I will have to disagree here. If you can afford a tamiya I would get it no questions (especially the js-2 which is hard to do without the tam kit).

Here are my reasons:
Having built or rebuilt several tamiyas I would say to get to a similar end quality a tamiya is far more beginner friendly. You have everything you need out the box, very good instructions and tamiyas go together very well because of the high part quality.

Regarding upgrades for the is-2 they're not really needed, tamiya engineer their kits very well so in stock for you won't need better idlers gearboxes or tracks. Tamiyas come with the metal parts they NEED. So for example me stock Leo 2 with plastic suspension arms, idlers and tracks works great because it's been engineered as a system with these parts. Now I'm pretty sure the is-2 has metal sprockets, idlers, suspension arms and chassis.

Now upgrades for henglong have gotten better, however they're not all plug and go by any stretch. Expect to have to do rework, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you don't have to.

Regarding electronics tamiya are the most plug and go you get. Unless you start altering wireing you should have no issues. Only when you start altering wiring, use third party recoils and mods do you get issues. Also in the uk you have a year warranty on the electronics. In the USA it's lifetime.

Compare this to the other systems (which are by no means rocket science) where there's a lot variables and potential for things to go wrong with the electronics. In the club people have blown third party boards despite being experienced modellers.

So TL:DR if you want an is-2 go for it!!

[weebaldy]

Everyone has been sooo helpful, I can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to help me out. Things have taken a slight turn which I will let you all know about as soon as it's finalised . Suffice to say I just might move the JS-2 to my second tank purchase slot....

Thanks also for the kit build complexity advice, I am kinda lucky in that I have been around RC in various guises off and on for years and some of the Boats I built in the past had pretty complex sound and lighting systems so that side of the kit build doesn't frighten me too much.

This a a great very helpful forum and I am delighted to have found you all, I look forward to getting to know ya all better over this adventure...

Cheers

Ray

[ALPHA]

Way prettier than the KV-1 and WAY WAY prettier than the KV-2 (Sorry Painless Wolf......)

So true.... reason the initial question is just .... not necessary...with that said though... before I purchase a TAMIYA JS-2...I would prefer getting a new HENG LONG KV 1 ... a new TORRO KV2 captured/ converted ... and two new T34/85s...especially if I were a beginner

To me TAMIYA kits are for the more experienced.... as troubleshooting the components before hand .....is better done with the knowledge of a well versed veteran of the hobby...electricity works very fast... all it takes is one bad hookup.... and the tank may not work without a replacement part...which in all probability is not covered by any warranty because of the nature of the "kit" itself

RTR tanks are better suited to a beginner IMO... especially with all the improvements the manufacturers have made... everything is now plug n go...unlike older models where soldering knowledge was a requirement

So yeah... if you want to dish out fifteen hundred dollars for what could end up being nothing but a pretty static model ...more power to you...me? I'm a little more practical that that and would spend that money on four working with metal upgrades RTR tanks...that if I want to learn... can take apart to detail with the money left over

The TAMIYA doesn't lend anything to that.... even with the full option kit... it doesn't have the transmitter servos batteries ... or any additional metal detail parts such as tracks... lights...and other incidental parts... sure it has a metal liner probably barrel gears ...no guarantee on the sprockets or idlers

Personally I'd wait a couple years lol..... because who knows... HENG LONG might make one

But yes... the JS-2 "is" a pretty tank

ALPHA

Well I don't want to tread on any toes but I will have to disagree here. If you can afford a tamiya I would get it no questions (especially the js-2 which is hard to do without the tam kit).

Here are my reasons:
Having built or rebuilt several tamiyas I would say to get to a similar end quality a tamiya is far more beginner friendly. You have everything you need out the box, very good instructions and tamiyas go together very well because of the high part quality.

Regarding upgrades for the is-2 they're not really needed, tamiya engineer their kits very well so in stock for you won't need better idlers gearboxes or tracks. Tamiyas come with the metal parts they NEED. So for example me stock Leo 2 with plastic suspension arms, idlers and tracks works great because it's been engineered as a system with these parts. Now I'm pretty sure the is-2 has metal sprockets, idlers, suspension arms and chassis.

Now upgrades for henglong have gotten better, however they're not all plug and go by any stretch. Expect to have to do rework, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you don't have to.

Regarding electronics tamiya are the most plug and go you get. Unless you start altering wireing you should have no issues. Only when you start altering wiring, use third party recoils and mods do you get issues. Also in the uk you have a year warranty on the electronics. In the USA it's lifetime.

Compare this to the other systems (which are by no means rocket science) where there's a lot variables and potential for things to go wrong with the electronics. In the club people have blown third party boards despite being experienced modellers.

So TL:DR if you want an is-2 go for it!!

It seems I was the one who overstepped excuse my impertinence Tom...I guess in the few months that I've been tanking...I've had so much fun tinkering with my HENG LONGs...and with the purchase of the T34 just added to my overzealousness
I have one Tamiya... don't really like it...the metal pan and suspension is impressive compared to the HENG LONGs ... but I have more fun with them...and for me that's what counts

But this isn't about me... it's about a choice between the JS 2 and the KV 1....which should be a no brainer..the JS 2 of course...which is what I suggested in the beginning

ALPHA

[maxmekker]

Most have been said, but I would og for the tamiya.

here is a good deal. battery and 2,4 ghz radio included. Shipping would be in the 100 range I quess.

http://banzaihobby.com/Tamiya-56034

And later if you still want a kv, get a heng long kv1 and a torro kv2 turret. great kit. Here is one I 'm working on

IMG_1438 (Medium) (Small).JPG (53.56 KiB) Viewed 1625 times

[ALPHA]

Most have been said, but I would og for the tamiya.

here is a good deal. battery and 2,4 ghz radio included. Shipping would be in the 100 range I quess.

http://banzaihobby.com/Tamiya-56034

And later if you still want a kv, get a heng long kv1 and a torro kv2 turret. great kit. Here is one I 'm working on

IMG_1438 (Medium) (Small).JPG

That's nice.. where did you order your turret from? if you don't mind me asking.... I saw a guy on ebay selling the KV2 turrets... but it was the captured German version

ALPHA

[PainlessWolf]

Good Morning,
Alpha, try this link for the Torro KV2 turret and electronics. http://www.torro-shop.de/zubehoer-militaer/?p=2
regards,
Painless

[ALPHA]

Good Morning,
Alpha, try this link for the Torro KV2 turret and electronics. http://www.torro-shop.de/zubehoer-militaer/?p=2
regards,
Painless

Hey Painless... thanks... the shop only shows the German captured version...to stay within the borders of my collection I need the Soviet version...what I do find fascinating about the KV2 is... by just changing that turret.... the tank becomes awesome...

thanks Painless

ALPHA