New member New tank New problem?

[Tijai]

Hi all,

First post on forum and think I am posting in the correct place for some advice from those who know better than me..


I have always wanted an RC tank and enjoy painting and weathering static models and fully intend to get a low cost RC tank to paint up and weather, following which I would upgrade over time with smoke, sound, better board, metal parts etc.

I recently purchased a basic Heng Long Panzer III 27Mhz with no smoke and sound which seems to work perfectly except for one little issue - the battery sent was a Heng Long Li-ion 1800MAH which will not fit in the battery compartment.

I have contacted the supplier who kept telling me it fits until I sent through pictures with both battery compartment and battery bext to a tape measure highliting the issue.

The issue is that the battery is approximately 25mm thick and 130mm long.
The battery compartment is also just over the length of the battery but the depth is 'stepped' so half of the compartment is only about 17mm deep - result = battery wont fit pretty similar to this reference picture:


(note the step)

As it turns out after some to and fro-ing the supplier agreed to send me a battery that would fit and lo and behold a package arrived in the post with........ another complete PZIII ......but unfortunately with the same battery which will not fit

So now I have 2 Pziii tanks with batteries that do not fit.

As you can imagine I have decided to cut my losses here as I now have one tank to tart up and another which will do as a second project or spares and believe at this point I have 2 options which I would like your advice on:

1. Attempt to open up the plastic casing of the heng long batteries and reposition so they fit in the deep section of the compartment (not sure if this may be dangerous)
2. Purchase an new battery (or batteries) which would fit with which I would appreciate advice on.

So if any of you guys would like to weigh in on my dilemma this would be appreciated.
I imagine that seeing as this has happened twice to me it might also be worth asking if anyone else has had this issue?

Many thanks for listening

[Woz]

Cut a hole in the battery compartment so the battery fits.

[Tijai]

Cut a hole in the battery compartment so the battery fits.

Considered that, but wanted to try other options first.

[HammerWihoutASickle]

Hm, what a problem to have.

I'd say what Woz said. The T90 has the same battery, and they cut a hole inside the tank for it to fit.
Out of curiosity, did HL update the Panzer 3?

[Aussie]

Don't recon as op says it's 27mhz and the sticker says 2015.

[Max-U52]

Where are you? If you're stateside I might be able to help.

[Tijai]

In the UK.

I did look at the replacement T-90 batteries but they seem to be 9.6? Volts.

Picture posted was an example but not my tank though mine is the same size battery compartment.
Mine has stickers underside that say 27.145Mhz and is December 2015. there is also 7.4V impressed into the mould.


Opened it up and looks like the TK-01 board which I am not sure would like LI-PO batteries but will upgrade this at some stage.



Heres an image showing actual issue with my tank



I guess if I do remove the section in the compartment I would have to rebuild it as from what I have theen the RX-18 board would sit there.

[Blackadder123]

If you want to make your Pz3 really sturdy and rid the battery box, you can cut the whole box out with a dremel-type cutter and fill the hull with resin. It'll harden and give both rigidity and weight for realism. Then to top it off, screw in or glue small neodymium magnets onto the poles where the screws usually go so that the top hull can simply be lifted off when needed. Much better than having to unscrew the battery box everytime in my opinion and also gives you heaps of room inside.

I only carried out this operation on my Pershing last week and it's absolutely worth it! Turns a relatively cheap, toyish Heng Long into a great platform that you can modify further.

[Tijai]

If you want to make your Pz3 really sturdy and rid the battery box, you can cut the whole box out with a dremel-type cutter and fill the hull with resin. It'll harden and give both rigidity and weight for realism. Then to top it off, screw in or glue small neodymium magnets onto the poles where the screws usually go so that the top hull can simply be lifted off when needed. Much better than having to unscrew the battery box everytime in my opinion and also gives you heaps of room inside.

I only carried out this operation on my Pershing last week and it's absolutely worth it! Turns a relatively cheap, toyish Heng Long into a great platform that you can modify further.

Sounds like a good idea.
What type of resin would you use to do this?

It looks like I could only fill upto about 1/4" before to keep below gearboxes.

I like the magnet idea but would still feel safer with some kind of clip as well so someone doesnt pick it up and rip top off with all the wires.

[silversurfer1947]

For what it's worth, my T90 was supplied with a 7.2 vt lithium ion battery, which goes crossways in the battery compartment.