Tamiya Leopard 1 A4 restoration help needed

[qatmix]

Hi All,

I have recently picked up a 1977 Tamiya leopard as the first dip into the RC tank world. I have been running / building electric RC cars for over 3 decades (And dabbled with boats and planes), but these are totally new to me.

It has had a hard life over all of the years, but the gearbox / clutch and metal tracks all are fine and I have fired it up and it has done a short stint in the lounge, but it is far from being final, which is fine as both my son and myself are both enjoying spending time in locksdown tinkering with it. I have a few questions, and would appreciate any help.

1 - Noise - I know these are scale but is sounds as loud as a real tank.. It is really loud when running. When I disconnect the motor it is much quieter, and when I run the motor itself it is fine

2 - Idler wheels (If that is their name). There are several of the idler wheels that are mounted at the top of the hull / chassis that are missing. This is sometimes making the track snag sometimes, is there another Tamiya that has the same parts that I could look to find some replacements? Or another fix?

3- Wheel attachment - As there are no bolts for the wheels, they seem to have a peg that is pressed in. Do I just need to pull the pegs out with a set of pliers out to re-grease the wheel axles? Is there a way to fit bearings?

4 - Side skirts - The tank shell is in ok condition, The main thing it is missing is the long side skirt on the left hand side. (It has the front and rear ends, just not the long middle part. I can cut a piece of plastic and make something roughly approximate, but is there anyway I can find a spare?

Thanks, I think this might be the first of a few Tanks as we are both really getting our hands dirty with this

[lmcq11]

ouch,

Its missing many parts that will be difficult to find. The whole rear plate is also not original and need to be replaced, its missing everything. Depending on the type of restauration you want and your budget, it might be simpler to buy another Leopard 1 from someone's junkyard that seem to have what you are looking for, and just combine the available parts into a single restored vehicle.

[qatmix]

I am not too bothered about missing little parts on the shell, I just want to get it looking a bit more complete with the side skirt. Yep the rear plate is not original, but I can probably tidy it up a bit and look for an original somewhere. It moves and drives around which is a good start. (That photo was before I mounted an esc / servo etc). I just want to make it run a bit better and see how tidy I can get it. Also I want to know how to get it properly dissembled. I have downloaded the manual, but as it was such an early kit, it doesn't have the clarity and detail that have made Tamiya's such a brilliant kit manufacturer.

[tankme]

Looks like someone tried to convert it to a gas engine and then gave up returning the electric motor/clutch system.

[brizo58]

Hi,
Try RC TANK DE I done a complete update of an early 1A4 . But be prepared to spend quite a few pounds on it. Hope this helps you . Brian...

[lmcq11]

This is an RC tank from another time and long discontinued. Original Tamiya spare parts can only be found in a modeller's scrapyard.

1 - Noise - I know these are scale but is sounds as loud as a real tank.. It is really loud when running. When I disconnect the motor it is much quieter, and when I run the motor itself it is fine

You need to analyze further to determine the origin of an abnormal or irregular sound. Also, it the tank does not go strait, it is a symptom that there is some abnormal friction somewhere on a track that need correction.

2 - Idler wheels (If that is their name). There are several of the idler wheels that are mounted at the top of the hull / chassis that are missing. This is sometimes making the track snag sometimes, is there another Tamiya that has the same parts that I could look to find some replacements? Or another fix?

These are called return rollers. You are also missing the rubber caps that kept them in place. As these are hidden behind the side skirts, you can likely use the available rollers from the Tamiya Leopard 2 instead, part B on the Leopard 2A6 instruction sheet. They are similar in nature. It should be fairly simple to remove the old mounting and replace by the ones from the Leopard 2A6 with some modifications, if needed, for the length and spacing.
http://shop.aaftankmuseum.com/ProductDe ... de=0005977

3- Wheel attachment - As there are no bolts for the wheels, they seem to have a peg that is pressed in. Do I just need to pull the pegs out with a set of pliers out to re-grease the wheel axles? Is there a way to fit bearings?

Its the rubber cap that keeps them in place. Just pull.

4 - Side skirts - The tank shell is in ok condition, The main thing it is missing is the long side skirt on the left hand side. (It has the front and rear ends, just not the long middle part. I can cut a piece of plastic and make something roughly approximate, but is there anyway I can find a spare?

You won't find new original ones anywhere. With some building skills, you can recreate new ones yourself by building them from plasticard parts sold by Christian Ludwig and adapt to the Tamiya kit. They are called Schurzen.
https://www.ludwigs-hobby-seite.de/Leopard1.html

If i were you, i would remove the back plate and replace it by a new one in 1.5mm thick plasticard, or buy the ludwig plate. Then i would purchase a few parts from RC Tank De like Brizo58 indicated in his post and have some fun rebuilding some good looking details, like the tail lamps, storage box, phone box, tow hooks, etc using reference pictures. https://www.rctank.de/LEOPARD-1-/-GEPARD

But in the end, it is probably much cheaper to buy another used Leopard 1A4 and use it for spare parts.

good luck and have fun

[qatmix]

Thank you for getting back to me.

I have found the main culprit for the noise. The Tank had a universal joint added and it had incorrect holes (5mm), so it was shaking. I have replaced it with a new universal joint and it is much more quiet now.

I have managed to pull the wheels off, give them a clean and re-grease and that has also helped to make the tank smoother.

I still need to sort out the return rollers. I have drawn up a set to print out that will take bearings and should attach with a std nut (the inner ones), I will look at a solution for the outer versions as they are not on a threaded like the inner ones.

Thanks for the link to ludwig's site, I might have to adapt the Schurzen to fit my Tank, but at least they would look better than my attempt. I am trying to find an old replacement rear plate. I have no idea why this one had this brass version made for it.

Thanks again

[jarndice]

When you e-mail Chris (Ludwig's) to order your shurtzen you should explain to him about the difference's between his and yours and he may well make a set to your specification,
He is most helpful and very customer friendly.

[a65l]

I was wondering if you had any success with your restoration? I just picked up a older A4 leopard, and it's missing some parts as well. Hopefully I can follow your lead and get mine back up and running as well.

[Uni150]

Hi I have also just picked up a leopard 1 in pieces and currently looking at what is missing. I have spent hours trawling the internet and believe parts are almost impossible to get. I am probably going to upgrade mine to modern running gear and electrical components as not too worried about keeping it original. Will post some pictures in next few days. I don't like the way the wheels are fitted so looking into mods for this , which might mean I have spare parts for others who want to keep original.