Page 1 of 1

Need advice on upgrading the rear smoker for a Heng Long Abrams

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 2:56 pm
by Aurelius
Guys, I know very little about smokers. When I purchased this Heng Long Abrams for my small son, it came with a crap smoker that everyone online recommends against. I went online to Aliexpress and got a slightly better smoker for about $22 or some such. It is certainly better than the default HL smoker but if I set the Abrams down on say, a grassy field, I can hardly see much smoke coming out against the green background of the grass.

In short, I want something that smokes! (I have read that the Abrams does not burn extra jet fuel for its turbine to create a smoke screen, so my request will be historically inaccurate.) My small son is hoping to see clouds of smoke rolling out of the back of the Abrams (which again, is inaccurate) and I would like to try for a better smoker.

I saw a video online of an RC tugboat pumping out tons of smoke but it looks like their monstrous smoker won't fit inside the Abram's hull. What smoker upgrade could I get that produces more than the TARR and TARR knockoffs but is a notch below the tugboat smoker?

Re: Need advice on upgrading the rear smoker for a Heng Long Abrams

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 3:11 pm
by Son of a gun-ner
Take a look at this.

HL smoker pump replaced with a fan
viewtopic.php?t=22406

Re: Need advice on upgrading the rear smoker for a Heng Long Abrams

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 3:15 pm
by Aurelius
Son of a gun-ner wrote: Thu Feb 08, 2024 3:11 pm Take a look at this.

HL smoker pump replaced with a fan
viewtopic.php?t=22406
Thank you!

Re: Need advice on upgrading the rear smoker for a Heng Long Abrams

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 4:41 pm
by Timbo68
The fan-based smokers are better than the pumps (which do give pulses of smoke - just not much...). However, a while ago I fitted an earlier version of this type to a T-72 from HL...
https://www.forgebeartanks.com/store/p1 ... _Tank.html
It produces much more smoke than any other unit I have. It's more expensive than the basic HL offerings, but less than some other upgrades on the market (bearing in mind of course delivery/tax issues when bought from outside the UK). With a 7.1 controller (and provided it is switched on when the tank shuts down) it produces a very satisfying burst of smoke on startup. It's essentially a smoke oil reservoir/heater unit with what looks like an aquarium air pump as a blower. As it's in two parts it can be installed where space is at a premium. I can't be certain of the performance of this exact version, but it might be worth a thought...

Re: Need advice on upgrading the rear smoker for a Heng Long Abrams

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 8:52 pm
by Aurelius
Thanks Timbo! The link is not working at the moment for me, but I will check it out.

Re: Need advice on upgrading the rear smoker for a Heng Long Abrams

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2024 11:03 pm
by Timbo68
Thought I'd test the link - seems OK at the moment. Otherwise - https://www.forgebeartanks.com/store/c1 ... ducts.html and search for 'smoke'. It's the £19.99 version.