Hello, i am a newbie

[joseph.g.briggs]

I had a cheap Radio Shack R/C Sherman tank when I was a kid back in the 80s, but have not had any other models or kits or such since. My wife and mother-in-law recently bought me a Heng Long M1A2 Abrams. I put it together and have been having fun running it around in my yard.

I am now at the point of taking it apart, detailing it, upgrading and modifying it. I don't know of anyone who are modellers or r/c tankers, so I have mostly been poking around the internet until i find resources and have been watching videos on youtube of what vendors or enthusiasts have posted.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Hi, there from southern Wisconsin! RC tankers seem to be few and widely scattered here in the northern Midwest, so for information and getting questions answered, RCTW has been a great help to me. Wors—unh—-better yet, it has led me ever farther down the path of irrational expenditure. In all, it’s fun. I’d bet pictures would be helpful as you dive into the rebuild and your questions will be welcomed. Watch out, too, it’s warming and those skeeters will soon be ravenous.

[joseph.g.briggs]

Thanks for your reply, Herr Dr. Professor!

Good suggestion. I'll post some photos of how things are now before i make any changes.

Edit: Would that be Builds and Mods > Heng Long for that posting?

[Model Builder 4]

Hello joseph and welcome to the forum please do post some pictures of your tank and any modifications to it when you get a chance. I would suggest for you to start your thread in the 'Heng long builds' forum and within that section is a subforum for modern tanks so yours should fit right in there
There are people from all over the globe here so there is always somebody online who should be able to help you with any advice or information that you may require

Cheers,Lee.

[jarndice]

Hi Joe, Welcome to the Forum
Somewhere in the workshop is a box with a brand new Heng Long Abrams inside waiting for me to find the time to bring it up to snuff
You will find as you get hooked on this hobby that you will never have enough time or enough money but the consolation is you are not alone,
You will have lots of questions and we have lots of answers (Let us hope they match each other)
Enjoy this place and please do join in any thread that catches your eye.
PS, Humour and politeness are at a premium on the Forum.

[BarryC]

Hi Joseph,

Welcome to the forum, lots of friendly, helpful folks here.

You'll fine a number of excellent Abrams builds here.

Barry

[thestig]

Hi Joe!
Welcome from South eastern Pennsylvania.
You have a nice base as a starting point. But beware, once you start down the path of modifications it is almost impossible to stop.
Enjoy the addiction (I mean hobby) and the forum and have fun.
Later.
Frank

[jarndice]

Hi Joseph,

Welcome to the forum, lots of friendly, helpful folks here.

You'll fine a number of excellent Abrams builds here.

Barry

And Barry's Abrams build is just about the best there is, Study it and learn

[Meter rat]

Hello and welcome from the west coast of Scotland.

Barry[/quote]
And Barry's Abrams build is just about the best there is, Study it and learn.

Don’t look at Barry’s work. He is a skilled alien, with multi dexterous fingers and special magnifying eyes. You’ll end up crying due to his skill. I do anyway.

[joseph.g.briggs]

Thanks to everyone for your warm welcomes!

I am on page 40 of the 60 page 'Epic of Gilgamesh' that is Barry's magnum opus. That build is truly a classic for the ages. I am really enjoying the progression and the story ark. I have to confess that I was a little tempted to turn to the last page to see how it turns out -- but so far I have passed the 'marshmallow test' . Someone mentioned that his build should be turned into a book. I agree with that wholeheartedly.

I think I may take my first effort in a slightly different 'realism' path. I would like to put some cameras in the tank and split up the functions so that there is a whole crew that r/cs the tanks. Separate view/controls for commander, gunner, driver. I think it would be fun to set up some sort of a biathlon course and have team of three try to set a record time for running the course.

Of course, I would like to be able to control everything with just one person if I am driving alone. I assume that other folks have attempted such a thing, but I haven't seen any examples or have the foggiest idea what i would need to accomplish this.

--Joe