Newbie's HL Tiger 1 pro thread!

[whjohnson]

Guys,
Firstly, many thanks for the warm welcomes I have received from those who have responded in the 'New Members' thread.

I am going to list a few queries here and thought it might be a good idea if we could do some kind of 'sticky' thread, maybe for each HL model which new folks can browse before they post.

I have spent a few days on and off using the 'search' function and have been all over the board hunting out all kinds of nuggets, but it would be great if a 'one-click and its there' function could be constructed, a bit like the excellent one already in the Heng Long Tiger remedies thread.

Anyhow, despite really wanting a 1/16th Panther, I went for the venerable HL Tiger1 Pro instead for my 1st R/C 1/16 tank.
It's not here yet, I don't know how long Howe's Models deliveries usually take but I ordered on Monday.

Then it begins - the questions!

So, how far do you go? when does the Law of Diminishing Returns kick in - whereby you spend more and more, but get less and less in return?

I initially began by looking at Taigen tanks, but then found that the only UK dealer I found was blacklisted here. Also, I found that these tanks were significantly more expensive, and that for a 1st timer, I was not wholly convinced that the extra costs for what you got '(over and above a HL Pro level tank) were actually worth it.

Let's look at tracks, metal or plastic?

Metal tracks, but what metal? Are these just cheap cast alloy links and treads? Or are they of all-steel construction?

Drive sprockets and read main idler wheels - same question as regards materials used.

What bearing does the use of metal tracks/running gear have upon the standard supplied gearbox/battery life?

So, does metal tracks mean metal gearboxes and heavier batteries?

Gearboxes, nylon, 'metal', steel, brass.
Pros and cons? 'Metal' standard Pro version gearbox with what are described as 'metal gears'.
Hmm, suddenly, after a lot of digging and prompting, we find that the 'metal' is the same cheap cast alloy zinc stuff that the tracks are made from.

Steel or commonly referred to as 'black steel' - what are these? Are these gearwheels actually made from proper steel? What advantages do they have over the cheaper Pro zinc alloy versions, other than the obvious one of being less prone to strip teeth?

Gearboxes in 'deluxe brass', so how about these? Brass is softer than steel, but more self-lubricating than the cheap alloy stuff. They also are less prone to corrosion.

How about ratios? What gives the best scale speed? I've watched countless youtube videos where the tank just jerks away like a formula one car, or spins at high speed straight from standstill - not realistic at all.

Then we get to batteries - usage and experience can only answer these questions.
Standard HL-supplied battery rating = 1.7a/h.
How long will this last under continuous use with metal tracks and gearbox?

What about brand and type?
Nicads suffer from 'memory effect' whereby they will never recharge to their full rating if left uncharged for any length of time - I know this through the use of my old Dewalt drills and my Canon DSLR.

So then we go onto the nimh type ones, which suffer less from this phenomena.
How about lithium ion types - anyone tried these?

So, Uprate the battery to say, 3.3 from 1.7 and how much advantage do you get in quantifiable terms?
And has anyone tried connecting 2 x 3.3's in parallel to increase endurance? (Don't know if it is physically possible to do this - there most likely isn't room inside the tank for an extra battery)
How about best brands? What does everyone prefer and where can I source one from?

Motors - best type replacements?

I'll leave it here for now - other questions about R/C, waterproofing your tank, steel roadwheels etc can wait a while!

Sorry if I come across all-guns-blazing!

Cheers

Will

[PainlessWolf]

Good Afternoon,
I will say this, from the cursory look over I've given the 'Pro' series tanks, the metal add-ons and running gear, the seriously subdued paint jobs, the 2.4GHz HL sets, etc., It looks like these are Heng Long's version of the Taigen tanks which are themselves, versions of the original Heng Long tanks. The mind boggles! It is all good tho', another better than average series of tanks for us, the intended enthusiasts, to enjoy. Will, I will looking be closely at your Pro Tiger 1 and your initial impressions of it. Lots of pictures please.
regards,
Painless

[ALPHA]

Hello Will....
answer to question one.... you go as far as you want to go...as detailing and upgrading can be endless... which takes us to question two... like any hobby... the input is usually never re-gained monetarily ...satisfaction is usually the greatest reward

Now on to the tank... your choice is good... if you had gone with the HENG LONG T-34 would have been better as it has the 2.4 gig system... with that said... the TIGER is iconic... it is one of the oldest designs to the RC habit....It's like a classic VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE .... you will never run out of parts

the tracks and running gear are usually white metal... your tank comes with white metal gears... the black steel are stronger last longer and a tad quieter... but as far as play ... the white metal ones are fine...brass are good... brass is also brittle .... but the gearboxes are designed to go slower... so basically ... durability wise is relative to the stock white metal gears...the benefit of any metal gears is basically the final drive gear...plastics are fine and very quiet if modded ... that being isolating the clutch gear and making it solid ... like those made of metal... the weakness to the plastic is as I said the final drive axle/gear combo... once the gear spins or cracks ... the gearbox is pretty much shot...you can replace the axle... but it is really not worth the expense

Metal tracks are stiffer... less flex means less breakage of links... and chance of being thrown off the drives... there is little "bearing" as far as stress goes to the gearboxes... as even the plastic gearboxes can be run with metal tracks....On the TIGER there isn't much concern either way... as the tracks are over an inch wide.. if you got something like the SHERMAN ...PANZER III... PANZER IV... there would be concern because of the thinner width of the track... to which the metal overrides plastic 10 to 1

Sprockets and Idlers... debatable.... white metal is stronger lasts longer... plastic wears faster lasts shorter...both work...one is cheaper to replace

Batteries... Yes Nicads have memory... usually better to fully discharge them before recharging them...but they still work.... NMHD ... one step better... no memory...but performance wise... exactly the same
LIPOs... best choice IMO.... best power...best endurance ...drawbacks... should not be fast charged... and can cause fires

Battery voltage... I've never gone over 9.6 volts on my tanks...as I am not sure the electrical will hold out...same with current... you do not want something with super high AMP rating

motors brush or brushless...both good ... one more expensive than the other...Keep in mind brushless motors are made for speed..and predominantly mounted in helicopters and cars

Good luck with that TIGER

ALPHA

[doc larsson]

welcome

god sake so many questions !

knowledge is here mate along with the best advice on all tanks

[ALPHA]

welcome

god sake so many questions !

knowledge is here mate along with the best advice on all tanks

...There is an upside Doc larson.... at least the questions are condensed into one post... can you imagine one question per post

ALPHA

[cupoftea]

Hi whjohnson

There are folks on this forum who are far more qualified than me to answer most of your questions. I don't know if you have any experience of batteries in other branches of the RC hobby but, in my opinion, lipo batteries are superior to nimh in terms of voltage stability under load and also holding their charge over time. I use 5800 mah lipo batteries in my tanks and they fit into the standard heng long battery box without an issue. You can damage lipo batteries by over discharging and so it is a very good idea to fit a simple lipo low voltage alarm which plugs into the battery's balance lead. You also need a charger specifically intended to charge lipo batteries. Sounds a little complex at first but you will soon get the hang of it.

The main thing, as with any pastime, is to enjoy yourself.

[Dietrich]

Hi ALPHA,
There is a thread here... On battery packs..
viewtopic.php?f=195&t=11974
I tried 9.6 volts and it worked well for 1 charge, then it blew the sound unit on an RX18 .....Tankbear had no problems ..so it might have been just a slightly weak board in my tank.

Personally I like Metal Tracks to go with metal sprockets and metal gearboxes , .......if only for the 3 to 1 reduction that this provides and makes the tank more enjoyable and much more controllable.
Rather unfortunately this tends to mean that you then need metal track tensionsers to keep the tracks in place ...so it can be a bit of expense to go for all metal 'transmission'

[jarndice]

Whenever I start a build the very first question I ask is will it be a shelf queen or a working Tank, Shelf Queen, detail including metal everything and a well researched camo scheme, Working Tank, some detail but nothing that you will lose first time round, plastic gearboxes, and wheels and tracks plus easy access to internals for running repairs, For an easy life use Dietrichs magnet system, it does away with unscrewing top from bottom and I would recommend a 2.4 r/c for reliability. the Taigen & Torro external battery charging method is another winner and worth the effort. just me musing. shaun

[whjohnson]

Thanks guys,
Well, my tank has yet to arrive, and it will be a week tomorrow since I ordered it from Howe's. Do they usually take this long?

Will

[lister fiend]

Hi,
No, howe's are usually quick.
You might want to ring them up & find out what's going on.