Few questions by a clueless fella new to RC

[Veqlargh]

So looking around before purchasing my very first RC tank, having owned very first RC truck for 2 months, and i've got a few questions

1) How tough, generally speaking, are the RC tank shells? I ask because i was watching a video and the guy was blasting a RC truck with his tank and it was really messing up the trucks body. Is that simply because RC truck body's are so stinkin thin? I'm curious if RC tanks could have air soft battles or would they completely destroy each other?

2) Knowing that RC tanks are not water proof, assuming no stock RC tank is water proof, i was wanting to make sure i got a tank that did NOT have it's battery compartment on through the bottom of the tank. I have seen not a single means of knowing which tanks have an opening in the bottom for batteries making them much more susceptible to water. I've seen video's of tank's being run in deep puddles essentially submerging them and they came out fine and i'm curious how they manage that.

3) I have gleaned that many people think Tamiya is the better, or at least one of the better, brands. What is the difference? why would i shell out what would appear to be like 2-3 times as much for what appear to be comparable tanks.

i'm sure i could come up with more questions, but i'l leave it at that for now.

[PershingLover]

I'm pretty new too, so I can't really attest to number 1.

Most tanks have batteries in the bottom, but most people dremel the box out, and seal the door, putting the battery inside. Waterproofing is difficult, though.

I assume you're comparing Heng Long to Tamiya? Tamiya electronics are better, the plastic is better, it has metal, it's a massive brand, etc. Generally better, but most people start with Heng Long.

Good Luck! It never stops at one tank

[Veqlargh]

Yeah i can already envision the garage having shelves dedicated to parking spots

[jarndice]

1/16 R/C Tanks with Airsoft have a range of about 25 metres which is why they are not sold to children under 14,
The ammunition is usually a round 6mm hard plastic ball and it will sting but it wont break the skin,
If you build a tank with great and accurate detail and you get in a battle with another airsoft Tank your detailed bits and pieces will end up as bits and pieces The main structure of the Tank is unlikely to be damaged irreparably,
Tank battles at club level are carried out under internationally recognised rules and only using Infra Red equipped Tanks,
The I/R equipment must be Tamiya compatible that does not preclude fighting with a Taigen, Heng Long or any other Tank as long as it has the correct I/R fit.
Waterproofing a 1/16 Tank is very difficult and the best way to keep water out is to avoid driving through it
Heng Long Tanks have a hatch in the floor for the main battery, Taigen Tanks have the Power switch in the base of the Tank which is another good reason to keep them out of water,
There is an answer to the problem and it is one that many of us adopt and that is to buy an aftermarket Metal Hull.
These come equipped with all the fittings needed to allow it to clip onto the Tank Body,
They are not completely waterproof but making them water resistant is much easier.
Tamya Tanks are super accurate but they only come as kits they do not sell RTR Tanks,
The R/C equipment is showing its age and Heng Long and Taigen are in many respects superior in that aspect but overall Tamiya Tanks are what most of us aspire toward.
I hope that helps.

[Jimster]

My personal opinion: Tamiya is way stupid overpriced. For their prices I can buy a Pedersoli 45-70 Sharps rifle or a used car. Spend 1/3rd of that price for an awesome Taigen tank with a metal hull, metal wheels and metal tracks. Spend the hundreds of dollars you save on detail parts and superior electronics. You will be happier in the end and be able to model a very specific tank with it’s unique features.

[Veqlargh]

where is a good place to look to get an idea of whats available for aftermarket parts and how to figure out what will work with what tanks? Initially i suspect i'm just going to get a cheaper set of tanks that me and my boys can mess around with and go from there once i'm more knowledgeable in the RC hobby. Yeah i noticed a tank from MATO that appeared to have little if any detail work which would be perfect for some airsoft battles, and they were cheap so them getting beat up wouldn't be a big deal.

how does a IR system work? based on the fact there arn't a bunch of sensors on the exterior of IR tanks i have to assume it takes far less then an accurate shot to register a hit? is the IR beam particularly focus or is it a bit wider also enabling a easier hit? gonna have to do more research i guess.

[jarndice]

One of the members of this Forum is Dave he is probably the straightest dealer in our hobby and sells to the USA as many of our American members will attest,
You can find him --------@ www.forgebeartanks.com
Any questions? just ask him.
I do not have much to do with I/R but the external distinguishing mark of one from an Airsoft Tank is what is called an "APPLE" on the turret,
The gun barrel is the usual location for the sensor.
Heng Longs Tamiya compatible I/R system is in the early stages and still needs some refining,
I suggest you look up the rules of I/R battling to get some idea on scoring and the value of accuracy in aiming.
If you decide to buy a Taigen I/R Tank you need to know its system is NOT Tamiya compatible whereas the Heng Long V6.0/1 is.

[General Jumbo01]

You'll be hard put to find a 'proper' club that will allow you to use a bb gun for both safety and insurance reasons so IR emitter led is usually the way the way to go. The led emitter is normally fitted behind the gun manlet. To meet club standards you win need to mount it with a specific sized tube in front of the led so as to minimise the light spread. The IR detecting receiver is led sized and is mounted overtly above the turret in a special 360 degree mount or in multiple units discreetly mounted around the turret.

I personally use a matt black longer and smaller diam firing tube so as to reduce the emitted beam to virtually zero spread but this then requires either a laser aiming light and/or a FPV system.

Fitting IR does not stop you firing bb as well. The latest HL v6 tanks do both straight from the box BUT be aware that the Tamiya standard battling system supplied does not meet some club standards (damage performance impact etc).

[Max-U52]

You don't really have to waterproof the entire lower Hull of the tank, just the delicate Electronics. The brushed motors in these tanks will run underwater with no problem, so if you put all of your electronics into some type of small tupperware container or other piece that will make it waterproof, put holes in the side of the container to run your wires out and then waterproof those with silicone you shouldn't have any problems. The electronics are about the only thing in the tank that you can't get wet. Protect those, and you're good to go.

[boothill]

I understand that people dont want to put an eye out with the airsoft guns on their rc tanks, but what about let's say gunnery practice with accuracy as the goal, what would be needed to restrict the inside size of the barrel for a little less bouncing around, some people use magnets to hold their turrets and hulls together. On battle days, have 2 turrets ready to go, one for Ir and one for gunnery competition with FPV camera located right above barrel or attached to it. Im asking because Im not sure how to phrase the question for search. I have a Henglong Sherman, Panzer IV and Stug 3 on the way.