Countdown to new build Tam Tiger.

[mdkboggle]

Hi All
Within 3 to 5 working days a Tamiya King Tiger full option should leap through my front door,or maybe the Cat Flap
Anyway,as soon as it is here i will start a build log.
I plan to run a Spektrum dx6i rc unit with this kit (i think this is ok and will work fine) and i do plan to detail the kit but scratch built items rather than shop bought as it's more fun for me.
I am looking up details of things that need to be replaced on this kit right out the box like idler bars,as i would prefer to fix any known issues with the running of the kit as i build.
I may also add a after market sound system but this will depend on the stock sound from the kit.
If you have any advice on what to look for in the way of parts/mods i would be most grateful.
Tim

[ALPHA]

Greetings boggle... Welcome to the board... Lots of pictures Please...We will all be waiting

ALPHA

[PainlessWolf]

Good Morning,
Welcome to the Forum. The anticipation is time well spent. ;o)
regards,
Painless

[mdkboggle]

Cheers guys,i cant wait.i have bitten all my finger nails already
Tim

[billpe]

Out of the box the only item that needs replacement is the idlers. The stock ones are sprung and a little loose. The shumo drum is enough along with the bar, the stock mounts themselves are ok. I'd suggest metal Impact tracks but metal wheels are not worth it. The stock rims are metal and the plastic inners are better quality than most castings.

Other than that I'd say the rollers the turret sits on are good to replace and very cheap. If you intend to use the zimmerit, throw the one in the box away. It's rubbish.

Cosmetic wise, lots of very minor detail is missing or simplified, like the clamps and there is no PE mesh for the grills. There's also no periscopes but these can be bought in resin form or PE.

The good thing about the Tamiya KT is there's a ton of parts made for it and it's one of the most referenced tanks ever built. Even looking at the Aber sets for it is a good reference!

[mdkboggle]

Thanks billpe for the heads up sir
I have ordered a zimmerit kit for the model,if that is no good i will make my own.also i have seen 3 pe sheets for the kit that i may buy but i did hold off on that atm because i did not want to have a ton of small parts lost in the dirt when running but i may change my mind on this.
The idler issue,i have seen 2 upgrade kits for this so far and i can say i will buy this next but i have not seen the turret rollers although i did find a post that said to replace them with larger ones if the turret scrapes on the deck.I will now try to find them online in the uk.
Again,thank you sir,exactly the answer i was looking for.

Tim

[billpe]

Here's the parts I mentioned:

The first two are worth getting
http://www.welshdragonmodels.co.uk/schu ... -114-p.asp
http://www.welshdragonmodels.co.uk/schu ... -115-p.asp

Resin periscopes:
http://www.welshdragonmodels.co.uk/schu ... e-99-p.asp

This is the mount but not entirely needed.
http://www.welshdragonmodels.co.uk/schu ... -236-p.asp

I haven't tried the other idler sets, but this one I do have and it works.

These are the rollers:
http://www.welshdragonmodels.co.uk/schu ... -112-p.asp

You can also get them here: http://www.axels-modellbau-shop.de/kata ... 344_3.html. I used these guys allot and recommend them.

Regarding the PE, that is a concern, but you can solder copper wire to the back, pin vice through the plastic and epoxy resin on the other side. However it can still be very fragile. I put some PE fenders on my Tiger 1 and while they look great, if you accidentally hit something, they'll buckle. They're also very fiddly!

One Item I forgot to add is the MG34 and the mount:
http://www.axels-modellbau-shop.de/kata ... :2066.html

The one in the kit is not very good and the mount is clearly not correct. Its one of those things which has a large impact because its so visible unlike say the clamps.

[mdkboggle]

wow cheers again billpe
At the moment i am having trouble tracking down the idler gear in the uk and so i will widen my search to the eu and usa.
ETO Armor has them but i think i may be able to get them from a German company somewhere and if not then i will have to wait till wd gets them back in stock.
I have waited 37 years to build a Tamiya rc tank and now it looks like i will have to wait some more,,,trouble is,,,can i wait,,,doubt it
If i can't get the idler gear,knowing me i will build with the tam stuff and mod it later but i did not want to do that.
My rx/tx came today,the spektrum dx6i and that looks good so i am happy so far.
Good idea with pin the pe parts and ty for the warning on the pe fenders,i will give them a miss but the rest i will probably get.
Ty again billpe,fantastic help sir.
Tim

[billpe]

You can certainly added the other idler later, it fits right in with no changes needed to anything. Axels modellbau in Germany is a very good seller if you're looking for parts. ETO is also go but takes a while to get here. Mitosal.com is also excellent and very fast despite being in the far east. I've got things from them within 3 days of ordering!

[mdkboggle]

Well Today is the day the Tank arrived.
As well as the kit i have the pe parts for all the upper deck and the grills and also the Zimmerit kit from Atakmodel.
As can be seen in the pic,i have used grey primer on the pe parts just so they are ready when needed and the other thing i have done tonight is to put a back light panel in the tx.
I will start to build the first parts of the kit in the morning as it is 2300 here in London atm.

Tim