Greetings ! and a question on Taigen King Tiger

[Heavyhaulage]

Thanks for that Jackalope - I'm hugely tempted to buy one and just accept that if it doesn't run well straight out of the box that I may have a steep learning curve ahead of me. Ah, why is nothing ever straightforward

[Max-U52]

Heavy, if you haven't purchased your first tank there are a couple of videos that may provide useful info for you, and give you some idea of the learning curve you're about to embark on. And be warned, this is not a hobby for someone that earns minimum wage, if ya catch my drift.

My advice is to start cheap and play with it for a while before you decide if you want to invest the time and money it can take to have a truly decent tank collection, and don't even try to tell yourself you're only going to have one tank. I don't know one single guy that's been in this hobby more than six months that doesn't have two or more tanks. It's like crack, brother.

This first one is about a year old, but still quite true.



and this one will give you some looks inside a couple and may help you figure out the stuff you'll need to learn. You know best what your strong and not so strong skills are. You will need the ability to solder, or at least a willingness to learn how.



There are a lot of guys here that are knowledgeable, friendly, and willing to provide sound advice if you have trouble. If you're in the US I've been known to send free parts to new RC Tankers, so they can experiment a bit without having to invest a lot of coin. However, from the tank you posted the link to I'm guessing you're in the UK.

Do keep us posted and let us know if you have questions about any particular tank that catches your eye. Like I said, I recommend you start cheap, with a Tauchpanzer (you'll see it in the video) but there are a wide variety of tanks that make a good starting point. It all depends on your interest, skill level and budget. A really, really cool tank costs money and takes a lot of work. How cool do you want your tank to be? Does it absolutely have to sing Panzerlied as it parades through town?

[jackalope]

The KT does run better straight out of the box then a Tiger does. The KT's tracks teeth keep the track from being thrown a lot better then the Tigers does.

The KT is my favorite tank in both looks and how it runs.

[Max-U52]

Terry, if I had that KT of yours it would be my favorite, too. I've heard about the superglue for the track pin problem but I'm strange about super glue and do my best to avoid it when it gets anywhere near moving parts. What I did was remove the pins, one by one, and flatten just a bit of the end to make the OD flare out, and that held them in and works pretty good, but no where near as good as getting Torro tracks! The Torro tracks are just better quality (IMO) and they're closed link, as opposed to the open link Taigen tracks.

I guess the point is that the Taigen King Tiger can be a very sweet tank, but it takes a lot more work to get it there than the Torro, which is pretty much all set straight out of the box (but costs considerably more). One of these days I want to try a Tamiya King Tiger, just to see for myself. Can you dig it?

[jackalope]

Max, just a small do of crazy glue on the end of each pin and they stay put. But you're right you must be careful as you said it is a moving part.

These Torro tracks is it like the difference between H/L metal tracks and Taigen metal tracks? The H/L ones are pure junk! Made me almost throw my Tiger in the trash they'd fall off if my Tiger even saw grass! Stepped up to Taigen tracks and WOW they stay on like they're supposed to. Also found out the H/L drive sprockets are narrower then the Taigen ones so the tracks could not just be swapped out I also had to change the sprockets.
Are the Torro like this or can I still use the Taigen sprockets?

I'd love to do a Tamiya KT also but their price scares me away. I'd hate to spend upwards of $800 and find I still need to upgrade the tank so it won't break out on the trail. BTW my hybrid Tiger build also completed the same 96 scale mile run that my KT did, this is what all my tanks face as their test.

[Heavyhaulage]

Thanks for the very detailed advice Max, and Jackalope. Max, you are right, I am in the UK. I may well try a cheap Panzer iii or Tauchpanzer, as a starter and, if all goes well, then consider moving on to the King Tiger. (See, already - mission creep !) Right again max - these things must be like a drug.
Sorry about the multiple posts I keep making. I don't know how that happens. I click 'Submit' and two or three copies of the same post appear.
Thanks again.

[jarndice]

Jack & Gary, The engineers who designed and built the T34 rather than over-engineer a track pin locking system just designed the hull with a bulge so that as the tracks come around any pins that have worked loose are pushed back into place as the track runs past the bulge.
I wonder if such an idea would work on a 1/16 Hull ?
Shaun.

[Max-U52]

Shaun, I think you could set up a system like that, but for the KT it wouldn't work because the track pins don't always work loose in the same direction. One of the biggest problems is that they're open link, so you really only have about 1/16 of an inch at each end of the pin that holds everything together. They don't have to work loose very far at all for the links to separate. Of course, another reason the Torro is better is the torsion bar suspension. The Taigen roadwheels have far too much play, and reworking them is a major pain. With smooth tracks and proper tension it's not so bad, but it did contribute to the problem before i got the hentec. If you're out there Guido, fine job, bro.

[Heavyhaulage]

Greetings chaps. I promised to keep you updated and so here I am again. I took Max-U52's excellent advice and bought a Heng Long Tauchpanzer.
I just want to thank him for that advice as it was spot - on. Mine arrived in the post today and I couldn't be happier with it for the price. I can't believe how much they have improved since I had one of the first ones (a Tiger 1) that came out years ago. At first I thought the smoker switch and volume controls were missing and that I'd need to sort that out (old Heng Long manual in the box), but then I realised that those functions are controlled from the transmitter these days ! I even like the sound. The quality of the plastics and moulding are pretty good too.
So, thanks to everyone who advised me. I am looking forwards to starting to 'improve' my tank once I've run it a few times and had some fun with it. Then I can start to look for another !