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Cometh the tank
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:56 pm
by tom_tom_go
Hi,
Having spent many hours researching the different type of smoke generators you tankers use for my garden railway projects I have become quite interested in owning my own RC tank (always been interested in tanks since I was a kid).
Currently messing about with TARR and Heng Long smoke generators but very interested in building my own acoustic one for small locos that cannot fit a TARR unit.
Cheers!
Tom
https://gardenrails.org
Re: Cometh the tank
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 9:48 pm
by Son of a gun-ner
Hello and welcome to the forum Tom
Hopefully we can get past the earlier misunderstanding.
As you belong to another forum yourself, you can understand that when a new member joins and plugs links etc straight away, and making a statement about not advertising, it can raise alarm bells to some.
Anyway, please enjoy the forum and all it brings.
Regards.
Mick.
Re: Cometh the tank
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 9:49 pm
by tom_tom_go
Roger that Mick, just wanted to show my background that was all so apologies if offence caused.
Re: Cometh the tank
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 9:51 pm
by Son of a gun-ner
No worries, was just explaining the misunderstanding.
Re: Cometh the tank
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 11:38 am
by Pak36
Garden Railways .... interesting. Reckon you guys can probably top us in the spend a fortune boys toys stakes with some of the setups I have seen.
But deep down...it's all the same.
Scale models that function as close to the real thing as we can make them and plastered with detail that would make a historian cringe. Slaving away in sheds and hobby rooms all the while praying the missus never finds out exactly how much the stuff really costs and struggling to explain to anyone who doesn't share the hobby quite why the hell we do it.
Welcome aboard

Re: Cometh the tank
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 3:24 pm
by tom_tom_go
Cheers, I can relate to everything you have said!
Re: Cometh the tank
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:09 pm
by Son of a gun-ner
So, any clues to which tank you may be considering?
Re: Cometh the tank
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:36 pm
by tom_tom_go
Son of a gun-ner wrote:So, any clues to which tank you may be considering?
Glad you brought this up...
I am very interested in my history so clued up on hardware used in both world wars tank wise, however, what I want is a model that meets my requirements so this will dictate the tank I get above all else although I quite like the idea of a tank destroyer with a massive gun (Russian or German, enclosed hull only).
Most of the YouTube videos I have watched so far show RC tanks moving at stupidly fast speeds and this urks me greatly (same with trains, which is why I use inertia devices in my live steam locos to reign them in!). How do you guys produce realistic tank movements, turret rotations, gun recoil, etc?
I am comfortable building a kit (is that an option?)
I want room inside it for smoke generator and decent sound, speakers etc.
So I think the main thing I want is realistic movement (whether this is acheived electroncially or through a gearbox I don't mind).
Thanks for your help.
Tom
Re: Cometh the tank
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:50 pm
by Son of a gun-ner
Well, small tanks and tank destroyers have limited space inside, therefore, you may be better off with a jag panther or tiger.
As for kits, that's down to your personal preference, time and wallet.
You can get torro jag tigers, which have an upgraded running gear and chassis that I believe are very good.
Also with the bigger tanks, you're not limited on gearbox types, and can get higher ratio gearboxes. As for turret speeds, if you get aftermarket electronics, you should be able to make the rotation slower.
Re: Cometh the tank
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:52 pm
by tom_tom_go
This looks like a good type to mod and upgrade: