tomhugill wrote:They also made metal tracks which weren't needed, I think at the time they were getting on the hop up market. What you describe on the Sherman seems very much out of the ordinary, mines run outside on all surfaces and never had an issue. Out of intrest have you had the impact upgrade and had issues or is it documented else where. (As an aside I've been told impact made the tamiya metal tracks and upgrades).
About the tracks, well, in the case of the sherman are not really needed, but if you run the tank over asphalt for half an hour you will notice a lot of wear.
So is there a list of problems for each Tamiya model ?
Which of the German armour they make has the least number of issues ?
I might buy one in the future but I'm loath to buy an expensive kit if it ain't up to scratch....
Tiger 1 Early Taigen,
Tiger 1 Mid Torro,
Tiger 1 Late Taigen,
King Tiger Taigen (P)
Jagdtiger Torro
King Tiger (H)
King Tiger Torro (H)
Tiger 1 late Torro
Panther G Taigen
Tiggr wrote:So is there a list of problems for each Tamiya model ?
Which of the German armour they make has the least number of issues ?
I might buy one in the future but I'm loath to buy an expensive kit if it ain't up to scratch....
The King tiger is just as bad same turret problems as earlier stated and a lot of detail is missing due to it being an old mould the Panzer IV not much better suspension springs can slip out by lifting it up and the top hull is held on by the hinges on the front that double as screws and the lower hull thread is fragile I suspect the Jagdpanzer will be the same. The Panther and Jagdpanther seem to be a bit more reliable especially the Jagdpanther as you don't have the usual turret rotation problems and the detail is good.
Stevie
Adding lights is easy. Buy some warm white leds. (Note warm white, no normal white leds that look like xenon, and no yellow leds) and connect them to a electronic switch (3 euros at hobbyking) and that switch is connected to a spare channel in your radio transmitter.
Then you can switch on and off the lights from your radio. It works with a smoke machine too.
About german ww2 reliability, as fas as I know the jagdpanther might be the one... But for me, not having turret is losing a great part of the fun.
I seem to have 8 Tiger variants now, and when I was a teenager I built the 1:25 Tamiya Tiger 1 - the one with interior detail and a tethered remote control, so maybe the Panther is the one to consider.
A Jagdpanther is also on my wanted list.
Tiger 1 Early Taigen,
Tiger 1 Mid Torro,
Tiger 1 Late Taigen,
King Tiger Taigen (P)
Jagdtiger Torro
King Tiger (H)
King Tiger Torro (H)
Tiger 1 late Torro
Panther G Taigen
My personal experience is this: I bought both the Tiger I and the M4 back in the early 2000s.
I built them OOB, with the Tamiya Hop up bearings in the M4 (wheels, not idler). Both are still great runners, my go to tanks. They've be used to train my sons and their friends, so that tells you what type of abuse they've been through. Jack rabbit starts, etc were the norm.
These tanks are still original, even the tracks with the exception of one Sherman drive shaft bearing that was replaced after my son dropped it about ten feet. The Tiger has rolled sideways down a set of concrete steps and continued to battle (and win). I told you they were abused.
The Tiger was stored on it's road wheels for the first 10 years so the suspension ultimately fatigued. I disassemble, bent the tension bars back and it's been fine ever since.
Yes, Tamiya is very expensive, but well worth it if you want quality in this hobby, but my experience leans towards most of the 'solutions' is a case of someone trying to sell you something, not an actual problem. And when a problem arises, there's usually a reason. I could scream that the Tiger I suspension is weak, but it sagged because of the way I stored it. If an idler wears, it could over tensioned tracks.
I could never understand why people feel the need to changing gearboxes, bearings, etc. I hammer the heck out of mine and again, all original, never had a failure yet.
The sole issue I think they all need is a metal elevation arm and that's purely because of the aluminum barrels. My Tiger has the original styrene barrel and I never had an issue with the arm. But Tamiya caved to a group of modelers that apparently can't treat a seam properly and went with aluminum which is heavier and harder to paint.
Yes the clutch is annoying in the rotation and elevation, but it's an easy fix if you choose and there's a reason for it as well, it protects your gears. If you have proper wire discipline, it won't catch, trust me.
I am on my third Tiger kit (Early, Late and Sturm) and they are built like Brick Shit houses. Very stout and well engineered. The Tiger is probably the easiest to use and most reliable of the kits in my opinion. The Pershing is also well made but a pain to get to the battery since there is not much room to work and you have to unscrew the hull. The Panther is another very well made kit. I have as a rule always used a metal elevation arm to solve that issue before it starts and they are cheap. I also use DT track tensioners or Henntec again to solve an issue before it begins but to be fair to Tamiya, the factory offerings never gave me any issues.
