Tamiya Early Tiger 1 Static to RC Build

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 11:32 pm

Speaking of pictures: I took time today to familiarize myself with all of the extras Sass has included in the kit vs the stock Tamiya parts. We're off to a running start! Pics:
Off to Step Two tomorrow ;o)

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 8:34 pm

Good afternoon and Happy 4th!,
Kaiser, I enjoy your enthusiasm but that icon is more than a little creepy. *chuckles* Worked through Steps 2 and 3 today. This involved removing the ETO Gearboxes I found already screwed in. Nice solid mounts on those and to be honest, that word really encompasses the entire gearbox, 'SOLID' Made for big tanks and it shows. I wanted to try and seal the inner hull idler adjuster holes using part of the Tamya adjusters but no. Too floppy. I will end up sealing those holes with a plate or a shorter, squatter engineering screw. Advice for folks thinking about building a Tamiya tank: The tools that Tamiya provides are nice and will do the job...my advice is to go a step further and use magnetic tip engineer grade screwdrivers and star drivers, etc. Have a magnetic bowl to hold screws or just a container to separate the bag types out. A little foresight and preparation will make the build thoroughly enjoyable instead of a mad scramble to find a dropped screw or having to get up constantly and break focus to retrieve a tool or part. Pics:

tomhugill · Post by **tomhugill** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 8:36 pm

This is going to be a serious beast Painless! Following on.

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 8:42 pm

Good afternoon, Tom,
Thank you, sir. I have heard the word "flimsy" bandied about when describing these Tamiya inner hulls. Not so with this Tiger 1! I am really impressed. ;o)
regards,
Painless

tomhugill · Post by **tomhugill** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 8:47 pm

PainlessWolf wrote:Good afternoon, Tom,
Thank you, sir. I have heard the word "flimsy" bandied about when describing these Tamiya inner hulls. Not so with this Tiger 1! I am really impressed. ;o)
regards,
Painless

Yeah the Tigers one of the best because it forms a nice box shape, to be fair the only really flimsy on is the King tiger!

Ad Lav · Post by **Ad Lav** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 8:49 pm

Great start!

Those gearboxes look mahoosive!

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Wed Jul 06, 2016 2:14 am

Ad Lav, One of the best things about those gearboxes is that they are drop in parts, made for this series of tank. Today saw Steps 4 and 5 completed. Starting to use some of the metal aftermarket pieces. They are from Wecohe I believe and a perfect fit. Starting to think about some of the ways that I can improve this build. I'll add things by Step and not get ahead of myself. Pics:

jarndice · Post by **jarndice** » Wed Jul 06, 2016 4:56 am

My congratulations on having a TAMIYA Metal hull in your Build,

Right now I am drilling out the holes for the "Roller Return Mounts" on an "ASIATAM" PZ4 Metal hull. so far just two are the right size

Yet again this demonstrates the importance of doing a dry run before even applying Primer let alone doing any building, although I have covered the hull with metal primer,
Fortunately my Panzer 4 spares box is already coming to the rescue with a decent set of Track Tensioners rather than the puny little make weights that come with the hull,
Although the Gearbox mount that comes with the hull is a nice piece of engineering.
Comparing the ASIATAM PZ4 Metal Hull with the TAMIYA PZ4 Metal hull shows very little difference and is a help in overcoming the paucity of help that comes from the instructions to be found on the ASIATAM CD, In fact I find myself looking at the TAMIYA PZ4 download instructions more often,
Unfortunately the suspension system of the Tamiya includes Carbon Fibre leaf springs, no such luck with the ASIATAM units.
I shall put off assembling them.
Think yourself Lucky Painless that I don't live closer to Colorado otherwise I would have snuck in overnight with a bonio for the Greyhounds in one hand and an ASIATAM PZ4 hull in the other, and swapped it for your TAMIYA Build

Shaun.

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Wed Jul 06, 2016 5:20 am

Kaiser,
I will use a nylon washer if I use anything. The tracks the tank wears first will be the Tamiya nylon ones. Not a lot of weight and there are already two bearings per shaft and only two shafts in the whole gearbox. Jarndice, we are a Den of Wolves here so best come in the daylight and bring bones for us instead. Please give one of the Tamiya parts suppliers a ring and order the parts bag for the Pz IV with the carbon fiber springs in it and save yourself the hassle of those stiff, metal ones.
regards,
Painless

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 3:39 am

Step 6 tonight and as it involved torsion bars was mainly a lot of repetition. Two tips from it, A: If you look at the illustrations for this step, you will see the way to do it almost immediately...if you read the How-To, not so much. B: Use this time with the swing arms to do a little flat file work and clean them up before you mount them. Will look a lot better later, painted. Pics: