Tamiya transmission fix with photos.

[DymondTank]

Is it a better quality in Tamiya tanks ? Despite the kit is a lot of money . Are they worth getting one ?

[Lert]

Is it a better quality in Tamiya tanks ? Despite the kit is a lot of money . Are they worth getting one ?

They're far from flawless as this thread proves, but they tend to be more accurate and higher build quality than a Heng Long or Torro, especially in the running gear / suspension.

[Rad_Schuhart]

Is it a better quality in Tamiya tanks ? Despite the kit is a lot of money . Are they worth getting one ?

My humble opinion is they are way, way overpriced. Many design flaws everywhere, not that much detail, no opening hatches, outdated electronics...

BUT a pleasure to build, and the suspension usually is top notch. I have 4 and I love them, but I cannot justify the price.

Also I think are quite fragile, if you want something durable Id to with Taigen.

But again is my opinion as an user.

[Davjacva]

Oil-based anything will definitely attack plastics. Had a friend named Henry that used to use Loc-Tite for glue sometimes and put it into the wheel assemblies of a KT. Overnight the tank went flat. He also glued with Loc-tite the TBS apple onto the housing once. I use lithium grease and clean them regularly, with a very light coat. Back in the early '70's, we ran Tamiya motorized tanks and they called for vegetable oil which also doesn't attack plastics, but doesn't stay on very long.

Back to gearsets. Tamiya makes pretty good gearsets, but with that being said, there are sets that you get that aren't very good, as they don't mesh correctly. Not as bad as some of the cheaper sets, but still not adequate. When I first get a gearset, I break them in by submerging the whole thing in a container of motor oil and run them until the battery dies out, then I do the other set. Afterwards, I clean the sets with Brake-Kleen, then oil them with lithium grease. Now each model is going to need to be set up differently, like some need additional bearing support on the outdrives, not all, but KT screams for it. Each tank from each manufacturer is going to need additional work. My Tamiya Pershing I've been running for over 13 years and it has yet to have a problem, but it's a different design, tracks are narrower/closer to body and a different outdrive design. My Tiger I's don't have mods at the gearboxes, but rather at the idlers. The idler wobbles which needs a shim at the inside end of the shaft, and the idler arm needs a bushing surrounding it or the whole thing will bend. My first Tiger I's idlers bent within 2 years. Machining a bushing for them took care of what developed as the tracks increasingly peeling off. Switching makers, Heng Long gearboxes are cheaper, but noisier. You can quit them down my running in the oil bath pretty well. The Asiatam gearboxes are pretty stout with a great frame, but their combo gears are heat-pressed and come apart with heavy torque.

[Son of a gun-ner]

@ Son of a Gun - ner
"sticks like sh*t to a blanket." I have to admit, never heard that one before,,then again I have a hard time imagining it, it must mean "Sticks really good"

Cheers!

I use this glue

[Rad_Schuhart]

Is it a better quality in Tamiya tanks ? Despite the kit is a lot of money . Are they worth getting one ?

My humble opinion is they are way, way overpriced. Many design flaws everywhere, not that much detail, no opening hatches, outdated electronics...

BUT a pleasure to build, and the suspension usually is top notch. I have 4 and I love them, but I cannot justify the price.

Also I think are quite fragile, if you want something durable Id to with Taigen.

But again is my opinion as an user.

Not sure I agree with this post, but then your expressing your opinion. Whereas Modeling goes, Tamiya is the world leader in modeling as well as accurate modeling. They do send engineers around the world to see specific tanks to measure and document them completely before ever making a mold. Tanks as a rule do not have a lot of detail, its just stuff that would be removed "forcibly" during combat, so that would be bad. functioning hatches? that is not what I would call detail..

Over priced? not really... Compare to other tanks out there HL, Taigen etc, Tamiyas are designed very well, like you even said in the suspension. An "All metal tank out there is $500 or better and not designed as well.. Look at the SOL resin models, and they are not even RC ready. You are comparing Toys to professional models.
I will not begrudge anyone one with a HL taigen etc., its choice but I will say that to get them on the same level as a Tamiya (accuracy, reliability etc) you have to put in alot of work. There are some guys on here that have worked a HL tank that would shame a Tamiya, but then its alot of work.

Cheers!

Hi, there. I must say this is not another war of Tamiya - VS the rest of the rc world, but just my opinions as a tamiya user and hobby entusiast, lol.
Tamiya is indeed the world leader in modeling right now, but it is changing. Have you seen "Takom" kits? Most of them offer superior detail than tamiya, full detailed interior, and even scale armor thickness (Is not the same the front part of a King tiger than the roof, right) Give those guys some time and I think they will eat tamiya. I have some of their kits and they fit as good as tamiya do, and the plastic quality is the same. Is not like trumpeter kits with a plastic too brittle and thin.

For me working hatches are indeed detail. It has no sense that tamiya expects you to glue in open or closed position for example the tank commander hatch, and the rest wont even open, so a lot of surgery must be done.

Overpriced? Yes, but heng long and taigen are too... I am just saying for the price of a tamiya kit I can buy a moped. A real moped for going to work every day, made of steel and others. Not counting sadly most of the european guys must invest about 15 days of his monthly pay to afford one. So in my opinion the kits are indeed very overpriced for what they are.

But what I frontally disagree is that "Very well designed" sentence you said... I can give you many many things that are poorly designed. The transmision is one thing. And for example in the sherman, the only wheel that does not have bushing-bearing is the track tensioner wheel, causing premature wear (happened to me). Also all the return rollers and idler wheel cap were supossed to spin, and they dont.
Rotation units are weak, elevation units not accurate, recoil very bulky... And dont even mention the king tiger track tensioners.. I could talk non stop about the many obstacles I found in the path...

But stil as I said I like the kits and love to assemble them, and also the newer kits are better than the older. For example my PIV looks and feels much better made than the king tiger... But keeps having important mistakes.

[Rad_Schuhart]

Well, I have worked on some hatches as you did, but some others are too risky to do them and the risk of breaking the tank is way too big, specially when spare pars are getting harder and expensiver to find. I love working on the tanks, but I preffer if they come with that part of the job done.

The sherman idler does not have a bushing, it is straight plastic over metal. I worn it, so I looked for a replacement and got bearings installed there. Since I got them installed never ever had any problem. To do maintenance in that stock part is very hard or impossible.

I dont know how is the panther tensioner, but if it is like the one in the king tiger, we can cry together, lol.

[Guido Henn]

Hello,

here a nice photo from a Tamiya Panther tensioner after some Tests outdoor



with kind regards

[Rad_Schuhart]

Hello,

here a nice photo from a Tamiya Panther tensioner after some Tests outdoor



with kind regards

I have one of your tensioners in my king tiger by the way.

[sevoblast]

Similar concept but different application and installation. In stock in US and Daryl Turner checks and tests each one before they go out the door.

https://etoarmor.com/?product_cat=eto-t ... ade-by-eto