RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Thanks for all of that abramsky. So it can be done then! I suspect that your son has rarther too much fun with that tank!!

Does the HE Abrams have an active suspension? I had one years ago, but sold it when the HL Abrams came out as I didn't want to deal with the HE conversion.

tankme wrote:Does the HE Abrams have an active suspension? I had one years ago, but sold it when the HL Abrams came out as I didn't want to deal with the HE conversion.

Yes it does but it all feels pretty 'sloppy', having said that the 'improvements' extend to sorting out the road wheels but a tank of this size should really have metal suspension arms - as I think the HL does.

But the HL also makes a basic version of the Abrams with plastic swingarms and wheels. Only the more expensive versions have a metal set.
As for the suspension and wheels in HE - well. They require a lot of work. Replacing half the set of springs and tuning the entire suspension. You can see the effects here:
http://rctank.pl/forum/viewtopic.php?f= ... 2&start=40

before:
http://rctank.pl/forum/download/file.ph ... %20(2).JPG
after:
http://rctank.pl/forum/download/file.ph ... Pro_LI.jpg

P.s. I am going to replace the swingarms with the metal ones that I have left from my son's Leopard, and for this I want to install plastic Abrams HL wheels (upgraded by me - brass bearings or bushings ). Unfortunately, it's a lot of work and time - so they've been waiting for me for over a year ...

Edit:
In my opinion, the entire HE chassis requires a major overhaul, preferably replacement with a standard HL. If you do not want to spend several months with this model (in my case 3 years - I often take several months breaks ) - the best solution in your case will be to buy only the lower hull from HL with a set of wheels and suspension (but without upper armor with side skirts and without turret). The difference in the width of the hulls between HE and HL is 5mm (the HL is wider as far as I remember). Or love what you have. Finally, you can dismantle the commander's copula (which takes a lot of work to make it look good anyway) and sell the rest and then buy HL Abrams with any additional equipment you like.

I suppose the Abrams is quite an old tank - compared to the Leo and Chally

You mean HE Abrams? As I remember it comes from 2012-2013.
HL released his Abrams few years later. Unfortunately, the HE used a rear geometry chassis from their Leopard. In addition, there are many details that, upon closer inspection, do not look as they should. That's the way it is and you will either love it or hate it

No, I was thinking that the Chally and Leo both have metal suspension arms as standard so if the Abrams doesn’t I assumed it was much older?

IMO the HL is far and above the HE.
Barry

BarryC wrote:IMO the HL is far and above the HE.
Barry

Well the HE tank is an earlier product isn’t it? You would like to think that HL would make a better job - the HE gearboxes look horrible don’t they?

it is true. HE was created much earlier than HL, Tamiya or Trupmeter. At the time HE released their Abrams - there was nothing else. So if someone wanted an Abrams - took what they gave. And they gave an ordinary toy with a lot of imperfections and simplifications. As I said before. When I bought HE Abrams, I knew about it, but the price was a bargain and my son was 6 years old then - so I was buying him a toy, not an RC model. Over time, the plastic parts of the suspension and wheels got worn out ( my son often rode on the sand ), and the original toy electronics were damaged. As a consequence, I did a renovation and a gradual upgrade. Would I do the same today? I'm not sure. I learned a lot about RC tanks, but the amount of time and work I put into this tank did not make it even an standard HL with plastic suspension, road whells nad tracks. HE Abrams requires a lot of work, so much modifications and in order for an intermediate modeler to be satisfied with the final effect, he must put his whole heart and a full wallet into it ...
...However, the satisfaction of making a valued model from such a toy is much greater than by buying a much better made HL, Trumpeter or Tamiya as a base..

So Simon. Good luck. Put in this model only as much as necessary and enjoy it as it is

P.s. In this link
http://rctank.pl/forum/viewtopic.php?f= ... 2&start=10
you will see how I installed Taigen steel gears (the original plastic ones were very fast which my son liked very much, but after breaking off the rubber tracks it was impossible to put on the plastic ones from HL (the HE sprocket was glued to the drive axles and was not compatible with anything).
Pay attention to how much work this replacement requires.