RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

I found the red BB warning LED on the mantlet of my Bulldog annoying.
So I pushed the whole thing back into the turret and replaced it with a coaxial MG muzzle (which is what should be there!), made from a short length of brass tube.
Then I moved the red LED from the commanders periscope, which flashed when the machine gun sound is activated, (and was equally annoying!), replaced the red LED with a yellow one and fixed it behind the co-ax. So now when I press the machine gun sound I get the co-axial flashing in synch with the sound.
Shortly after I'd done that I acquired a camera light from an old VHS camcorder and adapted it to look like a mantlet mounted searchlight. By coincidence the light uses 7V so I removed the red LED from the warning light circuit (still hanging redundant inside the turret) and connected the wires to the camera light through a small hole in the turret roof(hope you're keeping up with this - stay awake at the back!).
So now when I fire a BB, the white searchlight on the mantlet lights up for a second or two first. It still serves as a warning light but is much more realistic and functional.
These were both very simple mods and improve the appearance and functionality no end.

Seafire.

Seafire,
Those are excellent mods! I have a hardly used Taigen Bulldog that I plan on modding to make it a little more user friendly. I will incorporate these excellent ideas to make the lighting more realistic. Thank you and regards,
Painless

Got pics?

I can take pics of the tank as it is now but I didn't take any while I was doing the mods. Never gave it a thought at the time. I'll have a go at uploading some.

Im amazed you had the old VHS cam corder that worked !!
How does a man look at a tank & go "ya know what, I reckon a VHS cam corder light would go well in there " ??
Be great to see a picture, sounds intriguing.

Ha, Ha! Thanks Herman! The camcorder died long ago but I found it when clearing out the attic. The lamp was in the box and triggered my creative imagination. When I wired it up to a battery it still worked, so I took the cam apart and salvaged the 'hot shoe' mounting for the light. This is fixed to the mantlet and is where the light now sits. The light is not really accurate in shape and is definitely over-scale so the purists will not approve, but it has something of the right look. I'll try to upload some pics anyway.

Seafire

Seafire,
Whose tank is it? Yours, I believe. If you are satisfied and like the way that the light functions, all requirements for Fun have been met ;o)
regards,
Painless

Painless you just hit the nail squarely on the head.If my puny efforts please others I am of course flattered BUT the first priority is always AM I PLEASED? SEAFIRE enjoy, that's what counts, we are here to offer any help you want, but it is YOUR TANK. shaun

Thanks for the encouragement guys!
I've never uploaded pics to the forum before so I hope I haven't c****d it up! If I've got this right, you should be looking at some pics of my mods and some general images of the tank. Comments and opinions welcome. Now before any of the purists jump on me, I know very well that the light is well over-scale and the shape isn't really accurate. Also, the markings are totally spurious and do not represent an actual vehicle or unit from the Vietnam era. I just wanted to capture the overall 'look' of a fairly typical tank from the time. So with all due apologies to the experts and rivet counters, I had a lot of enjoyment from doing it, I'm fairly happy with the results, and as you guys rightly say, that's what counts.

Seafire.

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Good Afternoon,
I don't know where to start with all the reasons I love this thing. ;o) The whole tank's appearance says Vietnam. Kudos for the mods on the figures ( sunglasses especially! ) and the period slogans all over. ;o) Weathering is great as is the stowage. I am completely coming to take tips from this one, Seafire. Excellent job!
regards,
Painless

P.S. I've seen the spots on the M47 and M48. Your light looks period and the mount is complete modding brilliance!