Re: Advice Required
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 5:20 pm
Thanks for your advice.General Jumbo01 wrote:You'll quickly find that there's as much snobbery in this hobby as any other! Tamiya used to be the only player and their prices kept the hobby base small. In the past couple of years the game has completely changed where the Chinese using odd named brands (or no brands!) crept in and, justifiably at first, the various RC fans, not just tankers, held them with suspicion, particularly given they were often just 10% price of the established makes. They nearly still are, but the quality is now up to spec too.
Most Tamiya tanks, when you include the prices of the esentialparts that are NOT in the box, come out around 600+£ yet a fully finished HengLong with radio gear, sound, etc, ready to run, built, airbrushed etc from under £90, posted. That difference is very hard to justify! If you want metal tracks/gearbox you can upgrade, just as you'll need to with Tamiya, but they come fitted with Henglong. Taigen use the same plastics but offer more metal options, as do Torro, so you pay a little more.
My advice: If you have fallen in love with tanks but you are not a seasoned model maker then why not start with a HengLong Tiger 1 or Sherman. Both go for around £89 on eBay from UK based supplier - Dave at Forgebear can maybe help, and will arrive within a week with no customs to deal with and all you'll need is a pack of AA batteries to go. Spend the first few weeks learning how to operate it, practice slow driving, not racing techniques, and fire at each others ankles, not the cat. When you get tired of that, find a good cross head screwdriver and dismantle it, taking lots of photos so you'll know how it goes back together. Before pulling any small plugs out of any socket (there are lots), use a set of permanent marker pens to colour code the plugs and sockets!!
Then, when you realise how much fun can be had from customising, detailing, adding electronics etc, THEN consider spending more. And don't forget, you can buy half a dozen HL/TaigenMTorro tanks for 1 Tamiya!!
I'm not knocking Tamiya, l have several and their quality is great (if you have the skills to build them) but there is now't wrong in being a working class tanker
One last tip. Most UK model shops will not have the stock, the experience or price to satisfy your needs - harsh words! You will need to shop on line to find a good service, including the places mentioned above. They don't buy their reputation, they earn it!
