Heng Long Tank Mods and Fixes, ... especially those for the M1A2 Abrams

[Aurelius]

When my small son and I first decided to purchase a Heng Long radio controlled (RC) Abrams tank, we had no idea about the vast array of modding options that existed for it. Rather than a new RC Abrams owner needing to spend months looking through an array of online forums and retailers, I thought I would post much of what I have learned here to save them time and expense. Many of these mods do not only apply to the Abrams but also apply to any Heng Long RC tank. I will arrange the mods and fixes in terms of difficulty to complete from beginner to master level.

Let's get started! .... In this first section, we will look at the beginner mods:

Part I - Beginner Level Fixes and Mods for the HL Abrams - Appropriate for new owners and absolute beginners who have zero modding experience.

Oh My Goodness, ... My Abrams Broke! I Need To Get It Up And Running Fix - It is like the Bobby McFerrin song, ... Don't worry, be happy. Every single item on your Heng Long Abrams can either be repaired or replaced with a brand new item often for not too much expense. Say, the power switch is not working, ... don't worry, you can order a new one for about $3 online. Say, your child accidentally stepped on the upper hull and cracked it, ... don't worry, you can order a new one online for about $35 or so. Every single component in the Heng Long Abrams can be ordered online. If you are unsure, simply join this forum, head to the New Members section, introduce yourself, and then begin asking questions. As long as you are not a dick, people will help you out pretty fast.

Oh My Goodness, ... My Abrams Died Or Won't Start Up! Please Help Me Get It Running Before My Child's Head Spins 360 Like In The Exorcist Movie Fix! - In 99% of cases, this is due to some simple error. Either an electrical connection has come loose or the battery needs to be recharged (or replaced), etc ..... Join the forum, head to the New Members section, introduce yourself, and then pose your problem. Heng Long Abrams tanks are not laser interferometers at LIGO. They are dead simple, hobby machines and the veterans in the RCTW forums will have your Abrams back up and working fine in no time!

Be Aware of Other "Standards" - Heng Long is not the only company which makes radio controlled (RC) tanks. Heng Long makes their own electronics for their tanks and hence their tanks follow the "Heng Long standard." Other brands sell RC tanks as well, including Tamiya, Taigen, IMEX, TORRO, and MATO. For example, Tamiya sells a high-end $1800 RC Abrams model kit (which goes for about $1310 online) that does not come pre-assembled like Heng Long tanks do. Since they use their own electronics, they are sometimes referenced as the "Tamiya standard." Their Abrams is more for the serious enthusiast and also requires that you purchase a transmitter, wireless receiver, and other parts for it. Enthusiasts like it because the detailing of the hull and parts is slightly higher-end than a stock Heng Long. In addition to Tamiya, Taigen Tanks based near Tampa, Florida sells tanks with their own custom electronics inside, ... hence the "Taigen standard." Their electronics packages have custom sound card options that Heng Long does not offer. And you can switch the stock Heng Long electronics to the Taigen standard if you so wish. These other tank retailers also sell some nice parts of their own. For example, Taigen makes very nice steel gearsets for the Abrams which I can highly recommend.

Places to Buy Parts, Mods, and Supplies - A few of the mods and fixes listed in this thread are totally free but most require that you lay out some cash in order to upgrade said part or implement said fix. There are many retailers selling Heng Long Abrams parts and mods online but some are definitely better than others. There are also a few incredibly rare brick and mortar shops that specialize in RC tanks such as the RC Tank Legion shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Shinkenku Tanks in the Akihabara district of Tokyo. (The official Futaba and Tamiya stores are also located proximal to the Akihabara district, and both contain a wide selection of RC tanks.)

As to online retailers, a great list has already been put up here at RCTW: viewtopic.php?t=31032

As to Heng Long Abrams specifically, I have found that Toucan Hobby based in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China is the largest distributor of their parts and mods. They are very reputable, ship quickly, and respond to emails and phone calls. These guys have connections to the management of Heng Long and are the first to get new releases from the company. Godfrey, the manager of Toucan Hobby and several staff members also speak English.

The Parental Supervision Mod, .. now, totally free! - Heng Long Abrams tanks are hobby grade, ... not toy grade. What does that mean? It means that if you are purchasing a Heng Long Abrams for a small child, you will need to watch them carefully. Because tracks can come off or the cannon can be destroyed by running the Abrams into a wall, small children need to be supervised. Unless your child is intelligent and mature, I would not give a Heng Long Abrams to a kid younger than about twelve because they will quickly break off the cannon or run the tank down into a creek or out in front of a car, etc .... If you are an attentive parent and have a bit of hobby or modding experience, the HL Abrams will be a good fit. If not, ... consider waiting until your child is about twelve or thirteen years old or so. I know that many adults like to purchase Heng Long tanks as well, but I thought I would throw out this warning to any would-be tank purchasing parents considering an Abrams.

Replace the Stock Battery Mod - Most stock Abrams come with a weak 1800 mAh battery that gives you about 18 to 20 mins of run time. It will likely be the very first thing that most owners will wish to upgrade. My recommendation here is a 5000 mAh NIMH (nickel metal hydride) battery that will give a stock Abrams about 50 mins of run time. This is a longer battery that will not fit in many Heng Long tanks, particularly the smaller WW2 models, but there is room to fit it in the Abrams stock battery box. Some might suggest a Lipo battery but for completely new folks, I do not. Why? Because you need to have a smart charger and know a bit about how batteries work before using Lipos. NIMH batteries are not as dangerous and the beginner has more room for error. A 5000 mAh NIMH battery is about $30 to 70 depending upon quality and brand.

Change this:

1800 mAh battery resized.jpg (25.16 KiB) Viewed 858 times

To this:

5000 mAh battery resized.jpg (18.53 KiB) Viewed 858 times

Battery Charger - Speaking of batteries, the stock charger that usually comes with the Heng Long Abrams is cheap and doesn't allow you any customization over how you charge the battery. I recommend for new guys, a Tenergy TB6B, because it is relatively cheap at $40 and can charge most (but not all) of the batteries on the market (including Lipos).


So, change this:

Heng-Long-Stock Charger resized.jpg (19.71 KiB) Viewed 766 times

To this:

TenergyTB6B resized.jpg (35.56 KiB) Viewed 766 times

With the 5000 mAh battery I recommended above, you can use the Tenergy TB6B to charge it slowly at 0.5 amps in a very safe, low heat mode. The Tenergy can also correctly discharge batteries and perform more advanced functions (more on this later).


Loctite mod - The two back wheels of the Abrams (called "the drive sprockets") often come loose on stock Abrams. I recommend pulling off the small center wheel covers, removing the bolts, and placing a tiny bit of blue Loctite on both. Reattach and allow Loctite to dry. A small tube of blue Loctite is about $6.


Anachronistic Figure - The stock Abrams comes with a cheap, plastic, American, WW2, Staff Sergeant figure moving his hand as if he is directing traffic. Obviously, he is not a fit for a modern Abrams. You will want to get a modern, highly-detailed resin figure that is specifically American (or if doing say, an Australian or Egyptian Abrams, a likewise appropriate piece.) A detailed resin figure will run you anywhere from $13 unpainted up to $80 for a highly detailed and painted model.

Change this:

Wrong Figure resized.jpg (14.74 KiB) Viewed 858 times

To this:

Modern American tank figure resized.jpg (72.19 KiB) Viewed 858 times

(It is hard to pick that nose with a glove on, but he has decided that today is the day he's gonna give it a shot.)

Speaker Mod - Many new Abrams owners dislike the small, tinny sounding stock speaker. For beginners, I recommend one of the newer Heng Long speakers, which when mated with a 7.0 MFU (more on this in a bit), will give you four sound levels. Aftermarket speakers are available, and I will discuss these in the Intermediate Section. Price for a newer Heng Long speaker is $8 to $16 and up to $100 or more for high end custom setups.

Change this:

Stock Speaker resized.jpg (54.89 KiB) Viewed 857 times

To this:

Upgraded Heng Long Speaker resized.jpg (30.36 KiB) Viewed 857 times

Misshapen Plastic Parts - Every Heng Long Abrams comes with two parts bags that contain the extra bits for the turret. These are the "model kit" part of the Abrams and include the machine guns, antennae, CITV sight assembly, bustle rack, turret cargo rails, etc ... These extra bits are made of ABS plastic. Every once and awhile, the plastic parts may be misshapen and not line up, like this:

Misshapen plastic parts - Pic by Meter Rat.jpeg (78.49 KiB) Viewed 806 times

The answer to this is warm to hot water. Take a fairly large kettle filled with water and heat it up below the boiling point. Use a thermometer and start at about 70 deg C and place your part in for about three minutes. Remove and bend to fit more exactly on the turret. If the plastic is still resistant, push the water temperature up to 80 deg C, and try again. The goal is to get the least amount of heat needed to reform the ABS plastic.

Don't Glue the Bustle Rack Mod - In the two plastic parts bags that come with the Abrams, there is a bustle rack. You can see it clearly in this pic:

Bustle rack resized.jpg (92.3 KiB) Viewed 734 times

This rack is used for stowage on the real Abrams. Many new Abrams owners make the mistake of gluing this rack into place as the instructions display. Actually, you don't want to do that. If the bustle rack is glued, you can't then take apart the upper and lower turret at a later date (and you will want to do this at times either for modding or because you might have run into a problem, ... say, BB firing is not working correctly). So, ... the fix is simple, ... don't glue it. Snap it in, and unsnap it at a later date if you need to get into the turret.



More to follow in the coming hours and days .... stay tuned!

[Aurelius]

Part I - Beginner Level Fixes and Mods for the HL Abrams (continued) - Appropriate for new owners and absolute beginners who have zero modding experience.

Smoke Oil Change - If your smoker is not producing much smoke, ... it is probably because it sucks and needs to be replaced (covered in the intermediate level mods below). That said, the stock "smoke oil" (which is not that different chemically from baby oil) that Heng Long stocks with their new Abrams tanks is, ... so-so. It works, ... poorly. One of the cheapest and easiest mods is to replace the stock smoke oil with a fluid called Mega-Steam, which is about $8 a bottle. That fluid produces moderately more smoke and the smoke is slightly darker in color and is easier to be seen against almost any background.

So, change this:

Stock Smoke Oil resized.jpg (7.87 KiB) Viewed 428 times

To this:

Mega-Steam resized.jpg (17.44 KiB) Viewed 428 times

Weathering Mod, .... now, ... close to free! - Veteran and expert level tankers sometimes spend hours applying paint and detailing to "weather" their combat beasts realistically. If you don't have $400 in airbrushes, paints and detailing supplies, you can weather your tank for free, .... by simply taking it outside and riding it around in a dirty environment. Before you attempt this mod though, you need to hit up the link to my name (above) and send me $25 for passing this tip along, ... for which I will (wisely) spend your money on a nice pizza for myself and my son. (It's a win-win, ... pizza for us, ... more realism for you!) A great example of natural weathering of an Abrams looks like this:

Weathering Mod, ... Now Free!.jpg (230.52 KiB) Viewed 373 times

I will throw out a note of warning here, if you are running a stock Heng Long Abrams with the plastic gearset and plastic wheels, I would not try to run my tank through mud or thick mud. What happens is that the mud becomes jammed in the treads, the coefficient of friction rises, and the cheap nylon gears in the gearset break. If you have a fully modded, all-metal Abrams that weighs eight kilos or more and specifically has the hi-torque, low speed, all-steel 4:1 gearsets then you can indeed ride it through light mud, but I would still be careful.


Please be patient, ... more beginner mods will be added shortly ...

[Aurelius]

Part II - Intermediate Level Fixes and Mods for the HL Abrams - Require some knowledge and/or tool use.

LiPo Aftermarket Battery - There is a reason why hobbyists who fly drones and RC aircraft use LiPo (Lithium-ion polymer) batteries; Their energy density (volumetric energy density) and specific energy (gravimetric energy density) are higher than Nickel Metal Hydride batteries that I recommend above. In other words, they pack more electrons in a given volume or weight. LiPos can also be made to small dimensions to fit in a crammed RC airplane or tank. The can also deliver a higher peak current with a more stable discharge rate. If all that is true, ... then why are LiPos in the Intermediate section? The answer is that they can catch on fire or even explode if mistreated or incorrectly charged. LiPos are definitely not for kids, and they require "smart" chargers to be refilled. They also have to be stored at specific charge levels, ... if you don't want the battery to degrade or be dangerous. In short, there is a great deal more to remember if you use LiPos with your tank. Both the Heng Long 6.0 and 7.0 MFUs will work with 2s LiPos, but I recommend they be used with a low voltage (sub six volt) warning alarm. The Tenergy TB6B charger I recommend above can safely recharge 2s LiPos. The range in price from $10 to $80 and a 2s LiPo looks like this:

2s LiPo resized.jpg (19.61 KiB) Viewed 490 times

Remember, if you have children or enjoy tanking with your kids, use a NIMH battery. Far less risk of accident, fire, or injury.

Aftermarket Speaker - You don't have to use the stock Heng Long speaker or their upgraded models. You can buy your own custom speaker as long as it can be mated electrically to the MFU (Multi-Function Unit) that you intend to use. Visatron makes several speaker models like the FRS 5, FRS 7 and FRS 8 that can deliver great sound. They typically costs about $12 to $18, and the FRS 8 looks like this:

VISATON_FRS8-4 Ohm resized.jpg (16.22 KiB) Viewed 504 times

Heng Long IR Battle System Mod/Upgrade - Many of the latest Heng Long 7.0 Abrams are sent out stock with the ability to enter IR battles. What does that mean? It means that your Abrams can send out an infrared (IR) pulse from an IR LED (usually located beside your cannon) in the same manner your TV remote control does. This pulse can "hit" another tank by registering with that tank's IR receiver (which is sometimes called the "apple") which is the little, black, mushroom-looking thing in the picture below (it is placed so that it sticks up from the turret usually). When a Heng Long tank receives a hit from another tank, its front headlights flash. Heng Long has their own IR standard and five hits (for the 7.0 MFUs) (or six hits for the older 6.0 MFUs) against another tank mean that that tank has been "destroyed." This means the tank becomes inoperable for five seconds before it "respawns" with full 100% health. The Heng Long standard does not account for real-world tank weight classes or damage though. As your Heng Long tank takes more hits, it does not slow down or become "crippled" to account for battle damage. A Heng Long IR kit that you can purchase for $20 looks like this:

HL IR Battle System resized.jpg (19.54 KiB) Viewed 388 times

The Heng Long receiver (apple) is on the top and the IR LED is on the bottom.

The Heng Long IR system is not bad for kids and beginners/intermediates and is far cheaper than the main IR battle standard from Tamiya, but it does suffer from a few problems: 1) Sunlight Interference - On a very bright, sunny day, the Heng Long IR receiver can become confused by IR radiation coming from the sun. It sometimes cannot tell whether IR radiation is coming from another tank or from the sun, and will register "hits" in bright sunlight. 2) Bounceback - This means that the IR burst sent out from the IR LED can hit off something reflective and bounce back to the IR receiver. This means your own "cannon fire" can disable you! This situation is rare and IR battlefields try to remove anything reflective in the area but still worthy of mentioning. 3) Range - The Heng Long IR battle system is good out to about 15 meters, ... beyond that, its ability to register hits from another tank 20 or 30 meters away drops off rapidly. Some of these problems can be mitigated by purchasing the updated and latest Heng Long IR receiver (which I will note in the Advanced Mods section below) for about $30. I also suggest if you run a 360 degree turret rotation mod that you not run the Heng Long IR receiver connection wires through the electric slip-ring. The slip ring causes electrical interference which will sometimes cause a "hit" to be registered even though no opposing tank "fired" on you.

The solution to these problems you ask? .... The Tamiya IR battle standard, which I will detail in the Advanced Level mods section below. Another major question new IR battlers have is, "Can I battle Tamiya and other IR battle standard tanks with my Heng Long IR equipped tank? And the answer is that you can, but you will have some unfair advantages, ... most notably, ... your tank will not simulate damage to itself after taking IR "hits." As a Tamiya tank takes more and more "hits," it becomes progressively slower to simulate battle damage (a cool feature here for Heng Long or Tamiya would be to force the smoker to turn on to simulate smoke coming from the chassis or internals). Heng Long tanks are not slowed at all as they take hits, which means they have an unfair advantage. For this reason, many tank clubs and competitions require all tanks to use the same IR standard, which is usually the Tamiya standard. The next obvious question then is, "Can I buy the Tamiya parts then and hook them into my Heng Long 7.0 MFU?" The answer is that you can but because of the ICs (integrated circuits) used on the 7.0 MFU, all the functions of the Tamiya system will not be available. This means that in order to use a Tamiya IR battle system, you need either an aftermarket MFU, like a Clark, El-Mod, or IBU unit (and that is a big pain in the a## for new and intermediate guys, which is why the Tamiya IR system is in the Advanced Mods section).

Flags for the Antennae - There are a number of options here, from making your own to ordering pre-made flags from a hobby shop or online retailer to having flags custom made. They help personalize your tank and are a nice finishing touch. The price is usually less than $5. Here is an example of the Union Jack flying atop a Challenger 2 turret and hull assembly:

UnionJackTankFlag resized.jpg (74.4 KiB) Viewed 503 times

Upgrading Older Versions of the MFU - The circuit board or "brain" that controls a Heng Long Abrams is called an MFU or Multi-Function Unit. Most of the Heng Long Abrams sold by shops after about 2021 have the latest 7.0 or 7.1 MFUs, but occasionally, Abrams are still sold with the older 6.0 or 6.1 MFU. Why would you want to upgrade? Well, because the 7.0/7/1 MFUs contain the correct turbine startup sounds for the Abrams. The 7.0/7.1 MFUs also offer adjustable turn radius and braking forces along with other features. In short, you get more features with a 7.0 MFU. The very latest 7.1 MFU includes some extra servo and motor control options for more advanced modders which I will note in the Advanced Level mods section below. Please remember though that the MFU is mated to the transmitter (the thing you hold in your hands with the joysticks on it). You can't simply buy a new 7.0 MFU board and expect it will work with a 6.0 transmitter (unless you are an electrical engineer, but I digress ....) In order to upgrade the 6.0/6.1 MFU, you need to change two things, ... the MFU board AND the transmitter. A brand new 6.0/6.1 MFU and transmitter is about $30 to $45, while a brand new 7.0 MFU and transmitter is about $45 to $70. A brand new 7.1 MFU and transmitter is about $105 to $140.

So, change this:

6.0 MFU resized.jpg (48.14 KiB) Viewed 585 times

To this:

7.0 MFU resized.jpg (35.74 KiB) Viewed 585 times

Now normally, more experienced guys may be asking why is this MFU upgrade rated as "intermediate." The problem is that depending upon which motors you have in your Abrams, you may have to do some soldering and affix new connectors. Many motors are sold with JST XH 2.54 connectors and will not attach directly to the 7.0 MFU boards. That means you need to do some soldering of new connectors to either the motors or the MFU motor leads which scares off new guys.

Upgrading the Smoker - On most of the stock Heng Long Abrams, the smoker that comes with the tank is poor. It usually comes in one of two forms:

This piece of junk:

heng-long-smoke-generator-v5 resized.jpg (35.7 KiB) Viewed 585 times

Or this only slightly less craptastic unit:

Heng Long Smoker V6 resized.jpg (37.07 KiB) Viewed 585 times

But what you want to do is go to a good online retailer or Aliexpress and get this unit:

Upgraded Heng Long Smoker resized.jpg (32.85 KiB) Viewed 585 times

It has a better fan, heating element, and more flexible plastic tubing, and will produce more smoke than the stock Heng Long units. It is about $20 to $45 depending upon vendor. You will need to remove the rear plastic tubing and pull the old wires from the MFU. Then hook up your heat unit wires to CN11 on the 7.0 MFU. The fan wires need to be hooked up to CN12. Those wishing for even more smoke may want to review this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=22406

Upgrading the gearset - The basic, entry-level, stock Abrams has all nylon gears. Within in some half-life, they will break on you. There are roughly five levels of gearsets available. From least to most expensive they are:

The first tier, the gears are cheap and made of nylon. The only good thing about them is they are relatively quiet. Some veterans find them to be adequate, while others find they don't hold up to long term running. About$18:

HL Plastic gearset resized.jpg (61 KiB) Viewed 585 times

The second tier, the nylon gears have been replaced by relatively cheap metal zinc gears. One veteran tanker told me that his zinc gears quickly disintegrated. About $25 to $30:

HL Zinc gearset.jpg (26.87 KiB) Viewed 585 times

The third tier, the zinc gears have now been replaced with steel gears and they run on better bushings. This is actually the lowest tiered gearset that I recommend others buy. About $30 to $50:

HL Steel gearset resized.jpg (38.89 KiB) Viewed 585 times

The fourth tier, the steel gears have been replaced by even higher quality steel and sealed bearings have been added. About $50 to $70:

Ultimate Steel gearset resized.jpg (121.78 KiB) Viewed 585 times

And the fifth tier, the gears are still higher level steel with sealed bearings but their ratio has been changed to work with all metal tanks. They also allow for various forms of electrical control (for example, pulse width modulation). About $120 and above:

Heng Long ultimate resized.jpg (51.33 KiB) Viewed 585 times

When purchasing gearsets, you need to make sure that the units you select are made specifically for the Abrams. From a distance, many gearsets look similar but one set that works in a WW2 Sherman won't work in an Abrams and vice-versa. You also need to pay attention to the gear ratio which is a measure of how many times the pinion needs to rotate to make the drive shaft spin one full revolution. That is a topic for another day but as an intermediate modder, you want to purchase a 3:1 ratio (the "3:1" is misleading, ... the actual ratio of pinion spinning to one full rotation of the drive shaft varies based on manufacturer and pinion gear size but is 39:1 for Taigen steel sets) set if you are running a plastic Abrams and want higher speed. If you are running an all metal Abrams, then you will probably want a 4:1 (varies, but often 90:1) or 5:1 ratio (varies). Heng Long is not the only company selling several grades of gearsets for the Abrams. Taigen Tanks and Watersons also sell several tiers of gearsets as well that are highly rated.

Switching out the stock 380 motors - Most stock Heng Long Abrams come with 380 motors. These are not the only sized motors that you can use. A popular alternative is the slightly larger and faster 390 motor. Here is what they look like side by side:

380 vs 390 motor resized.jpg (127.46 KiB) Viewed 540 times

The 380 motor is on the bottom and the 390 is on the top.

If you are running a 3:1 gearbox (which is actually a 39:1 ratio for pinion spinning to one full rotation of the drive shaft), which is what most stock Abrams possess, at eight volts, you are looking at 310 revolutions per minute with a 380 motor compared to 427 revolutions per minute with a 390 motor. In short, your Abrams will go faster, ... but, ... you will also have more wear on your gearset and more heat. A decent set of 380 motors is $12 to 18, while a decent set of 390 motors is $20 to $30. There are several important aspects when discussing and deciding upon motors, and I don't want to turn this into a technical talk at this point, so I will simply saying that if you are driving a primarily plastic Abrams, then an upgraded 3:1 steel gearset matched with 390 motors is a quick way to have a faster tank (that will still last a long time for you). I also recommend that if you go with 390 motors, that you also upgrade the two plastic back wheels (the sprockets) to metal, to handle the increased torque.


Please continue to the next post for more Intermediate Level mods.

[Aurelius]

Part II - Intermediate Level Fixes and Mods for the HL Abrams (continued) - Requires some knowledge and/or tool use..

Drive Axle Bearings Mod - Speaking of gearboxes and motors, ... with regards to Heng Long 6.0 tanks and before, the rear drive axles that the drive sprockets mount onto, stick out from the lower resin hall without any support. The solution to this is purchase a pair of rear axle drive bearings for $10 to $25. There are two different grades, ... the cheaper units that come stock on 7.0 Abrams and later, and the slightly more expensive versions that look like this:

Drive shaft bearings resized 2.jpg (15.63 KiB) Viewed 390 times

The drive axles now have support with respect to the lower hull and do not experience the play common to older HL Abrams. Most HL Abrams 7.0 versions have the slightly less expensive version of the bearings which is fine.

Magnet Mods - With a stock Abrams, the top hull is held to the lower hull by seven screws. This means that every time you need to check your motors, electronics, speaker, etc ... you have to remove all seven screws. It's a pain in the a##. One of the most popular mods is fitting the top and lower hulls with magnets so that you can simply lift off the top hull (with a tiny bit of force) if you need to access your internals. A set of neodymium magnets on Amazon will be less than $5 usually. The magnet mod looks like this:

Magnet Mod resized 2.jpg (55.3 KiB) Viewed 557 times

Stanlley from RC Tank Legion in Malaysia has a great video on the magnet mod:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYB-3-Q6Mas&t=3s


Metal Wheels and Tracks - Most hobby shops and online retailers offer a "Professional" level Abrams. This version is pricey at $350 to $500 and almost always comes with all metal wheels (the two back drive sprockets, the middle road wheels, and the front-end idler wheels) and all metal tracks. (In addition, they usually include all-metal suspension bars (the things that affix the wheels to the hull) Here is a typical example of the "Pro" version:

Pro Version Resized.jpg (84.67 KiB) Viewed 544 times

Many folks new to RC tanks or the Abrams naturally assume that this version is superior. It must be after all, ... right? ... because it has all the metal bits and is more expensive? The problem is that they mate all this heavy metal to a resin lower hull. Why is that important? Well, if you only drive slowly and on straight surfaces, you will likely be fine, ... at least for awhile. But if you like to go over obstacles, the weight of all the metal will cause fractures in the resin hull, like this:

Wheel well broken resized.jpg (28.07 KiB) Viewed 544 times

(This broken wheel mount is actually from a Challenger tank and not an Abrams, but you get the point.)

In short, if you want to run all metal wheels and track (and suspension bars), you need one of two things: Reinforcements to the lower hull or a full metal lower hull. The former requires some modding and the latter looks like this:

Full Metal lower hull resized.jpg (44.29 KiB) Viewed 544 times

Full metal lower hulls in turn are pricey, ... running about $550 to $700 but at least you get the more expensive versions of full-metal tracks and metal wheels included in the price. And then you need the most expensive gearset mentioned above to power the beast. And if you get to this point, the weight can rise very quickly up over eight kilos or more, ... which means less running time for the same size battery. So, my advice to newbies and intermediates is to skip the metal stuff and stick with a tank that is all plastic except for a steel gearset in the $40 to $70 range. You will get longer run times for the same size battery and if anything breaks, you can replace it for less cost.

Metal Tracks and Wheels - Part II - There are two types of metal tracks available for the Abrams, ... the cheap version shown above in the "Pro" version or the more expensive version which costs about $75 to $150 and has rubber pads. It looks like this:

Metal Tracks resized.jpg (46.94 KiB) Viewed 377 times

Likewise, you can purchase all metal rear sprockets, road wheels and idler wheels for the Abrams along with their mating all-metal suspension bars. A full set of these is anywhere from $80 to $200 and like the metal tracks, come in two versions. A cheaper version with bushings and a more expensive version with sealed bearings. A full metal set of wheels looks like this:

Full-Metal Wheel Set resized.jpg (46.35 KiB) Viewed 375 times

For both of these mods, I strongly recommend either a (correctly) reinforced resin hull or a full-metal lower hull. Without one or the other, it is just a matter of time until you suffer fatigue cracks and wheels breaking off.

Lower hull reinforcement mod from a pre-made kit - This mod is a series of precut aluminum pieces that can be purchased as a kit from places like RC Tank Legion (Malaysia). It does exactly what it says, ... it reinforces the lower hull of the Abrams so that it is not so flexible. Whether you wish to run metal wheels and track or not, I hIghly recommend this mod but it is at the upper end of the intermediate level for modders. You may need to do a bit of filing, cutting (with a dremel), or drilling to get everything set up tight. The mod costs about $50 to $65.

It looks like this:

Lower Hull bracing kit.jpg (97.5 KiB) Viewed 544 times

Cutting Away the Battery Box - The rectangular box in the bottom of the Abram hull in the pic above (the box with a black hole in it and a wire coming out) is where the battery is normally stored. Some intermediate modders and above, cut away that battery box (that is, if they keep the resin lower hull), and then fill it in with the former battery box door and some glue or resin, etc .... This allows the lower hull to have more room to move things around, like the MFU and also allows the battery to lie flat (you can connect it by adhesive velcro if needed). The mod basically levels the bottom of the hull and allows you more room to place your components. It is also a needed mod sometimes for those who wish to have 360 degree turret rotation. Because so many wires stick down from the turret assembly and can easily get caught on components, many who install the 360 rotation mod also cut away the battery box. To complete the mod costs nothing except the time needed to cut away the old battery box. The best tool for the mod is probably a dremel. When completed, the mod looks like this:

CentralBatteryBoxRemoved.jpg (39.84 KiB) Viewed 412 times

This is not an Abrams lower hull but you can see the battery box has been removed.




This section will be filled in shortly, ... please be patient.

[Aurelius]

Part III - Advanced Level Fixes and Mods for the HL Abrams - Will require several tools, some experience, and a few hours.

Lower hull reinforcement do-it-yourself mod - This mod is almost identical to the same mod in the Intermediate section but instead of buying a pre-cut kit, the modder fabricates the pieces themselves (often out of aluminum bc it is light and cheap). The benefit is that the modder gets to place the supports exactly where needed but the downside is that it can take some hours to cut out and make the pieces. For myself, I prefer two cross support rods that have been tapped on the end to accept Allen bolts. HIghly recommend this mod but it will require tools and some experience (up to and possibly including tapping and dieing). One beneficial aspect of doing it yourself is that it costs far less, ... about $15 for the aluminum sheet and rods from some place like Amazon.

When the lower hull is fully braced, it looks like this:

Lower Hull do it yourself reinforcement.jpg (113.51 KiB) Viewed 593 times

Heng Long IR Receiver Version 2 - An electrical engineer/developer name LegoDEI did not like the standard Heng Long IR receiver (the "apple" or "mushroom") because it registers false hits in sunlight, does not receive hits from further than about 15 meters, and can suffer from bounce back (ie, ... you "killing" your own tank). To rectify the situation and extend the range to about 30 meters, he made a new and improved IR receiver that is fully compatible with the Heng Long standard and 6.0/6.1/7.0/7.1 MFUs. The new receiver costs about $30 and looks like this:

HengLongReceiverVersion2 resized.jpg (25.19 KiB) Viewed 385 times

A few people have been testing this new receiver to good result. That said, you will need to slightly rewire your electrical connections because unlike with the old Heng Long IR "mushroom" receiver, where the front headlights blinked if you took a "hit," this new Version 2.0 receiver flashes its LEDs if it receives a hit (while the head lights do not flash). The new receiver will still not allow for the weight classes or battle damage of the Tamiya standard, but it is an improvement over the stock Heng Long system.

Tamiya IR Battle System Mod/Upgrade - The gold standard in IR battling between tanks is the Tamiya standard. It has been around since I believe the early 90s and it allows for tank weight classes (which means that a heavy tank like the Tiger I can take more damage than a light tank like the M24 Chaffee) and "battle damage." This means that as your tank takes IR "hits," it becomes slower. The Tamiya standard also does not suffer the problems that affect Heng Long IR receivers such as sun interference, bounce back, and limited range. The range for the Tamiya IR system extends out to about 30 meters. The negatives of the Tamiya system are the price and the fact that it cannot be mated to Heng Long MFUs while retaining all functions, and thus requires an aftermarket MFU board (which is a giant pain in the ass for beginners and intermediate tankers). I also suggest if you run a 360 degree turret rotation mod that you not run the Tamiya IR receiver connection wires through the electric slip-ring. The slip ring causes electrical interference which will sometimes cause a "hit" to be registered even though no opposing tank "fired" on you. The Tamiya IR Battle System costs about $135 and looks like this:

TamiyaIRBattleSystem resized.jpg (26.04 KiB) Viewed 384 times

Many of the larger and/or more reputable tank clubs though require that any tank entering one of their competitions use the Tamiya IR standard. I am hoping that when Heng Long releases their 8.0 MFUs in the future, that they include full compatibility with the Tamiya IR standard. Ideally, you should be able to plug in a Tamiya IR Battle System and rock and roll.

Laser Aiming Sight Mod - Whether you are firing IR pulses or using Airsoft BBs to try and target other tanks, it is often difficult from the perspective of your eyes at five feet or above to see exactly where the IR LED or cannon is aimed. To help out, you can purchase a laser diode that aims a low wattage red laser at an opposing tank. From your vantage point, you will see a red dot on the enemy tank you wish to hit, and then you know that your are lined up correctly to hit the opposing tank with your IR beam or Airsoft BBs. The laser diode kit is about $12 to $20 and looks like this:

Laser Aiming Light.jpg (24.83 KiB) Viewed 322 times

You can see this mod installed by the folks at Toucan Hobby here:

phpBB [video]

The problems with this kit is that depending upon tank model, you may need to do some cutting and gluing to get your laser diode lined up correctly. For the Abrams specifically, you can with modification remove the machine gun LED beside the cannon and install the laser diode, or you can install the diode in another place (like the CITV assembly). The red laser dot is also a bit hard to see on other tanks at times in sunshine. Heng Long uses red laser diodes (because for lasers, the lower the frequency, the longer the wavelength, the less energy it takes to produce the beam, ... so red lasers take less energy to power than say, green or blue). That said, if you are good with electronics, you can purchase your own green or blue (they are actually closer to purple) diodes and simply wire them in (although, they will consume slightly more energy from your battery than red diodes).

Metal Recoiling Barrel - Some of the stock Abrams come with a plastic barrel that does not recoil when "fired." This can be rectified with a recoiling mostly-metal barrel for about $35. (There are also higher-end, higher-quality all-metal units available for about $105.) This mod isn't actually that hard to do, but the turret has to be taken apart and the new unit has to be wired in correctly, which is why it is a lower-advanced mod. A mostly-metal recoiling barrel unit looks like this:

Metal Recoiling Barrel resized.jpg (13.87 KiB) Viewed 471 times

Tank Barrel Elevation Mod - A real Abrams can move its barrel from negative 10 degrees of elevation up to a full 20 degrees of positive elevation. Most of the stock Heng Long Abrams tanks are supposed to be able to do the same but their barrels actually move closer to about 23 degrees of elevation (From negative 8 degrees up to positive 15 degrees.) You can see a real Abrams with the barrel fully elevated here:

Abrams Full Elevation resized.jpg (51.82 KiB) Viewed 367 times

To give your Heng Long Abrams the same range as the real Abrams, you need to remove the barrel unit from the turret and then make several small modifications, including a bit of cutting and sanding. It may also be a good idea to remove the battery box (by using a dremel tool) so that the rear end of your barrel unit can dip deeper down into the lower hull space. The mod costs nothing but the time required for all the small adjustments.

Turret 360 Rotation Mod - This mod if you see it done a few times is actually at the Intermediate Level, but the problem is the slip ring. A slip ring is an electromechanical device that allows the transmission of power and electrical signals from a stationary to a rotating structure. Slip rings are a bit tricky and are a giant pain in the neck for new guys and some intermediate level tankers. Basically, all the wires from the various components in the turret (id est, ... the BB firing mechanism, the recoiling cannon, the turret elevation servo, etc ...) hook to a daughter board which in turn hooks to the slip ring. The tricky part is attaching the slip ring to the center of the hull without any wires becoming crossed. You also have to remove (or file down) the turret ring currently on your tank and replace it with a 360 degree turret ring. The 360 degree rotation mod kit is about $20 and looks like this:

360 Degree Rotation Kit resized.jpg (42.88 KiB) Viewed 551 times

It should be noted that many Heng Long tanks can be ordered with the 360 degree mod already preinstalled from the get go. If you a new guy to hobby tanks or the thought of messing around inside the tank is not comfortable, I recommend purchasing a tank with the mods you want pre-installed.

Cannon Barrel Smoke Mod - Does exactly what it sounds like; Shoots smoke out of the end of your cannon when it "fires":

Cannon Smoke.JPG (8.17 KiB) Viewed 308 times

That is a bit of a misnomer though because the cannon is not actually firing anything, including BBs. This is because most who do this mod snake a LED up the barrel so that it flashes (as you can see in the pic) right as the smoke comes out of the barrel. The reason this mod is rated at the Advanced Level is because you must take apart your cannon and snake the wiring up into the barrel along with the LED. It is also a pain to get the all the wiring set up and the second smoker unit affixed to the turret so you can put smoke oil in it. This mod is a great deal like the Turret 360 Degree Rotation mod above, if you are a new guy or the thought of opening up your turret and doing modifications is not comfortable, you may just wish to order your Abrams with this mod pre-installed (which several sellers, like Toucan Hobby will do for you). The mod costs about $25 to $40 and looks like this before installation:

Cannon Barrel Smoke Mod resized.jpg (47.93 KiB) Viewed 528 times

If you want to retain the ability to fire BBs and still have cannon smoke, you will have to look down to the expert section.

360 Rotation Mod + Cannon Barrel Smoke Mod - Combining both of these mods is also an Advanced Level Mod. It is tricky because you must get all the wiring correct along with correctly setting up the slip ring. It is made easier if you have this wiring harness from Toucan Hobby:

Cannon Smoke 360 cables resized.jpg (26.51 KiB) Viewed 528 times

FPV Wireless Mod - This is basically a small wireless camera that, surprise, ... transmits over wifi. It slots into CN5 on the Heng Long 7.0 MFUs and costs about $25 to $40. You do have to download an app to your Android or iPhone and then connect to the wireless board's signal. The best way to summarize this mod is to say that there are remote cameras (providing a first person view of combat or drone/aircraft flight) done right, ... and this one ain't done right. The first word that comes to mind is, ... janky. The image flickers, the app is amateurish, and if you drive the tank more than about ten meters away from you, transmission loss results. The mod is mildly entertaining for children ten and younger; adults will not be impressed. The mod looks like this:

FPV Mod resized.jpg (25.39 KiB) Viewed 461 times

There is nothing particularly advanced about this mod but because it requires routing the camera and antenna up through the turret, it can be a bit of a pain. (A great place to put the camera is inside the CITV assembly.) My recommendation is that if you want one or more remote cameras on your tank, ... do it right. That means a higher-end kit that costs somewhere between $80 and $250 with much better definition and no loss of signal within a hundred meters or so.

Aftermarket Turret and Hull Mods - There are several aftermarket turret and hull modifications available for the Abrams, from CROWS stations to SEP kits to TUSK assemblies. The price depends upon whether the kit is plastic or metal, and whether it is pre-painted or bare. Prices can range from $30 up to $150 for a full TUSK II all-metal kit. Here are a few examples:

Weapon Station resized.jpg (19.27 KiB) Viewed 473 times

Tusk II Kit resized.jpg (58.2 KiB) Viewed 473 times

A fully modded Abrams with the TUSK II upgrade kit looks like this (unpainted):

Tusk II Upgrade Kit resized.jpg (146.29 KiB) Viewed 304 times

These kits range anywhere from the upper intermediate level to the advanced level to assembly, paint, and glue or affix in place. They certainly do help to give the Abrams a distinctive look from the base M1A2 Abrams model.

Converting or upgrading to the Heng Long TK 7.1 MFU - Most of the latest (2022 and after) Heng Long Abrams come with the 7.0 MFU motherboard. For 90% of buyers this board will give you all the functions you need. More advanced tankers though often have servo motors they wish to control and/or other advanced features. What is a servo and why would you need one? A servo is small electric motor which performs some action (typically along one axis and two degrees of freedom), ... say, opening a hatch on the upper turret or spinning the CITV site assembly in a 360 degree rotation. An Expert Level modder might order or custom make a turret mounted machine gun that can be rotated both in azimuth (horizontally) and altitude (vertically) using two small servos. For these to work, you will need two extra channels. (A channel is nothing more than a separate communication line.) For servos to work, you will need either a Heng Long TK 7.1 MFU or an aftermarket MFU (like a Clark, El-Mod, or IBU). While you can use your old 7.0 transmitter with a new 7.1 MFU, the older 7.0 transmitters are not set up for channels 3 - 6. And that means you also must order a 7.1 specific transmitter with includes the Channel 5 slider under the right control stick. The 7.1 specific transmitter and MFU pair cost about $105 to $140 and look like this:

7.1 Transmitter and MFU.jpg (118.63 KiB) Viewed 243 times

In addition to servos, the 7.1 MFU will require that some connectors be changed to the PH 2.0 standard, while a few others will need to be changed to the DuPont 2.54 standard. Since that requires soldering and a bit more advanced knowledge, converting a Heng Long Abrams from the 7.0 to the 7.1 MFU slots in at the Advanced Level.


More mods will be added to this section in the days and weeks ahead. Stay tuned, ....

[Aurelius]

Part III - Advanced Level Fixes and Mods for the HL Abrams (continued) - Will require several tools, some experience, and a few hours.

Heng Long TK 7.1 Specific Slip Ring - Continuing from above, if you plan to upgrade your Abrams to a 7.1 MFU, and you also wish to have the turret rotate 360 degrees, it will help a great deal if you use the correct slip ring. While you can modify a 7.0 slip ring to work with the 7.1, it is much easier if you just use the correct 7.1 specific slip ring. Toucan Hobby makes these slip rings custom for $17 and they look like this:

TK 7.1 Slip Ring.jpg (59.77 KiB) Viewed 229 times

Aftermarket Multi-Function Units - For most new guys and intermediate level tankers, the stock Heng Long 7.0 MFUs will provide all the functions they need. More advanced modders who wish to control a few servos or the movement of their cannon barrels can upgrade to the Heng Long TK 7.1 mentioned above. Even more advanced modders may wish for additional features that the 7.1 MFU cannot provide, ... such as custom sounds, built-in audio amps, additional channels, and so on. The downside to aftermarket MFUs is that some of them contain spotty documentation and there are few sources of help for someone who is new to their products. One of the more important functions that aftermarket MFUs provide is the ability for your Abrams to be fully Tamiya IR Battle Standard compatible. What does that mean? It means that you can enter an official IR tournament where the Tamiya standard is most common and participate. The stock 6.0/6.1/7.0/7.1 Heng Long MFUs allow some compatibility with Tamiya IR standards but your Abrams will essentially have an unfair advantage (which means that many tank clubs won't let you join their official contests). To convert to the full Tamiya standard which most serious IR battlers use, you need an aftermarket MFU. The most popular aftermarket MFUs are Taigen, Clark, and El-Mod. (IBU used to be popular as well but is going out of business I believe.) I'm not sure if Taigen MFUs follow the Tamiya IR standards because Taigen uses their own IR receivers. I know that Clark, El-Mod, and IBU MFUs do in fact mate fully with Tamiya IR battle standards. Aftermarket MFUs can run anywhere from $30 for an older Taigen up to about $300 or so. Here is an example of an high-end aftermarket Clark TK80:

Tankme Clark TK80 resized 2.jpg (241.79 KiB) Viewed 242 times

Please be aware that aftermarket MFUs typically require transmitters and wireless receivers to mate together as an entire package. In Tankme's build above, you can see the wireless receiver in the center of the tank (with the green label) and the transmitter is in the upper right of the pic. The price for all three, ... the MFU, the transmitter, and the receiver together can easily be over $500.

Changing out your connectors - Some electrical connectors for the motors, battery, or MFUs are larger and more cumbersome than other connectors and take up valuable room in the hull of your Abrams. The answer is to replace all of them with something smaller that can still handle the current loads common to RC tanks. This will of course require some basic soldering skills. On older HL 6.0 Abrams (using the 6.0 MFUs), several of the connectors and the stock battery use Tamiya connectors that look like this:

Tamiya 7.2V connector resized.jpg (11.46 KiB) Viewed 409 times

The problem with these larger Tamiya connectors is that they take up space and are unwieldy. The newer 7.0 and 7.1 Heng Long MFUs come with bullet connectors (Tamiya calls these "snap" connectors) that look like this:

Bullet connectors resized.jpg (15.74 KiB) Viewed 409 times

The bullet connectors are circled.

These are fine and will handle 60 amp continuous loads and bursts of up to ~ 110 Amps, but are still a bit unwieldy. My recommendation is to use Deans or XT30 connectors. They look like this:

Deans Connectors resized.jpg (15.53 KiB) Viewed 409 times

XT30 Connectors resized.jpg (33.8 KiB) Viewed 409 times

Deans connectors are my personal favorite because despite being fairly small in size, they can handle 60 Amp continuous loads and ~ 110 Amp peaks. Many people though like the XT30 connectors which while slightly larger allow for crimping of the wires (no soldering needed) and use heat-resistant nylon connectors. Unlike Deans, XT30 connectors will allow up to 30 amp continuous and 40 Amp peak loads. (If you are driving a heavy all-metal Abrams with big motors, use the XT30's bigger brothers, ... the XT60 and XT90 connectors.) The choice is up to you but if space is at a premium inside your tank, go with Deans and make sure to get the newer nylon version. Also, if RC electronics and electricity is not your thing, talk to someone who is more knowledgeable. Although rare, if you wire things incorrect or with the wrong gauge of wire, you can cause a short or even start a fire.

Top Hull Charging Port Mod - If you are upgrading your connectors, it might also be worth your time to consider giving your Abrams the ability to be charged through the top hull. For this mod, I recommend Deans connectors (mentioned above) because they can easily handle the current and are small enough to be routed up beside the left motor to the power port. With this mod completed, you can simply move your turret a little bit right or left, open the hatch, and then connect your Tenergy TB6B charging cable. The mod looks like this:

Charge from the top hull resized.jpg (53.04 KiB) Viewed 360 times

The red, female, Deans connector is visible beside the power switch.

The great thing about this mod is that you do not need to remove the top part of the lower hull to charge your tank. Just open the hatch and plug in!

Please be patient, ... this section will be filled in with more mods in the coming days and weeks.

[Aurelius]

Part IV - Expert Level Fixes and Mods for the HL Abrams - Will require a wide array of tools, advanced knowledge and several hours or more..

Some Aftermarket MFUs - The major boards like the stock Heng Long 7.0 and 7.1 MFUs are pretty easy to connect to everything. While I don't have direct experience with them, I am told the same with respect to the Taigen and Clark boards. The El-mod and IBU boards though are supposedly harder to get working simply because they are so poorly documented (or, ... you need the contact "the guy" for that board). If you have to wade through incomplete and poor instructions along with trying to mate the board to a third-party wireless receiver and transmitter (the thing you hold in your hands with the two mini-sticks), the job of getting everything running can easily become an Expert-Level pain in the a##. A perfect example of an Expert Level MFU is the IBU 2 Ultimate. It sells for about $240 and looks like this:

IBU 2 Ultimate.jpg (143.03 KiB) Viewed 239 times

The IBU 2 Ultimate has many cool features that the Heng Long 7.0 and 7.1 MFUs do not offer, .... BUT, .... getting it to work correctly with all the Heng Long features while also mating it successfully to say, a Frsky transmitter requires sacrificing two lambs at the local Temple of Athena while chanting incantations to Zeus for three nights straight.

Programming the Transmitter - One of the best things that Heng Long does for their buyers is make sure the transmitter mates to the MFU with no need to program or fool with anything on the user's end. Any 7.0 transmitter will mate to any 7.0 or 7.1 MFU. Not so if you want to mate a high-end Frsky transmitter and receiver to say, an IBU 2 Ultimate board. You would think that you could go to their home site and view easy set-up instructions for Heng Long and Tamiya RC tanks, ... but you would be wrong. So, while you can control multiple RC vehicles from the same high-end transmitter, ... the problem is that you have to program each and every single one of them into the software. And for RC tanks, very few guides exist and you are pretty much left to your own devices or finding someone who knows more than you to complete the process. It is actually so frustrating that many people simply give up and go back to a pre-programmed MFU-transmitter pair. That said, I run my RC planes, helicopters and soon, my son's Abram from a single Frsky Taranis X9D SE transmitter:

Frsky Taranis X9D SE resized.jpg (41.95 KiB) Viewed 400 times

Henntec Idler System - One of the most common problems for RC tanks is incorrect tread (I believe the Brits call these "caterpillars") tension. If the treads are too loose, the will come off and if too tight, they will bind. So, an RC tank needs a method for adjusting tread tension for the sweet spot. In the Abrams, the best method is to have some control over the two front wheels of the tank, known as the "idler" wheels. If the idler wheels can be moved forward, track tension is increased, and if they are moved backward, track tension is relaxed. The trick is to get it just right. On older 6.0 Abrams and before there is no method for moving the front idler wheels. On the current 7.0 Abrams models, most of them come with two, small, metal adjusters that allow the idler wheels to be moved (but, you have to take off the idler wheel in question, and then set it) and the system lacks a cross bar support. This is where the Henntec Idler system comes in. It allows you to adjust the idler wheel placement, ... and, ... even better, ... allows you to do so from outside the tank rather than needing to remove the idler wheel or upper hull. The Henntec Idler system also includes an aluminum cross tube support between the two front idler wheels. The mod costs about $45 and looks like this:

Henntec Idler system resized.jpg (106.69 KiB) Viewed 456 times

The problem with this mod is that it does not work well with heavy, all-metal tanks. The tension of the idler wheels is set with small grub screws and all-metal tanks have too much torque for those screws to hold. The solution is use small hex head bolts with Loctite. Even that adjustment though may not be enough for heavy all-metal tanks. I will also say that the Henntec Idler system comes with incredibly poor instructions (in German) and is easy to mess up when installing. It is one of those, "measure five times, ... drill once," things. You mess up your drill slots, .... it is a real, pain-in-the-butt process of plastic repair to fix. It is for this reason that the Henntec Idler system is in the Expert Level fixes and mods.

There is also the Tamiya Idler system which has its own issues and custom made idler wheel mods. My suggestion is that if you have reached the Expert Level, to just custom machine your own idler wheel fix, ... particularly if you are running an all-metal tank.

Custom Paint Job and/or Weathering and/or Decals and/or Stencils - Some of the more experienced modders out there aren't content to just add gain-of-function mods but also wish to increase the realism of their tanks. This can be anything from using a light wire brush to add scratches across the hull to full on, custom, airbrushed paint jobs matched to hand-made stencils. Here is an example of a real, weathered Abrams with NATO paint scheme:

Real Abrams Weathered.jpg (21.69 KiB) Viewed 314 times

And here is a modder's (he goes by the handle "Alpha") attempt to recreate that look with a custom paint job:

Abrams Weathered.JPG (25.32 KiB) Viewed 314 times

Custom paint jobs, decals, and stenciling can easily take up dozens of hours and/or require hundreds of dollars in supplies (like a decent airbrush). They also require experience and knowledge that the lower tiers of modders just do not possess. The cost for these mods can be anywhere from $0 to hundreds. For this reason, custom detailing and weathering are in the Expert Mods section.

Custom made turret or detailing add-ons - These are hand-built one-off pieces that combine unique features not available from pre-made aftermarket add-ons available from online retailers (such as SEP and TUSK packages). Some of these pieces can take hours to custom manufacture. Here is a great example of high-end custom made latch handles and locks on one of Tankme's Abrams builds:

Tankme Abrams custom latches resized.jpg (152.06 KiB) Viewed 500 times

The detail here is simply amazing and you can see how such a build can eat up dozens of hours.

BB Firing + Cannon Smoke + Barrel Recoil + 360 Degree Turret Rotation Mod - Any of these mods by themselves is at the Intermediate or Advanced Level, but combining them all together is more tricky. With the regular Cannon Smoke Mod, the LED is typically placed inside the cannon barrel along with a portion of tubing from the smoker. This obviously prevents firing BBs and is better suited to guys who know they want their Abrams set up for IR battles. But, there are those guys out there who would like to be able to fire BBs while having their cannon barrel smoke at the same time (and this option still allows the tank to be used in IR battles if so chosen). Getting those two to work together (along with barrel recoil and 360 degree rotation) requires dremel modification to both the inner and outer barrel along with placing a second smoker and fan unit in the turret. The price is about $40 for all the materials and will take most guys several hours at a minimum. The mod looks like this:

Cannon Smoke + BB Firing + Barrel Recoil + 360 Rotation resized.jpg (134.84 KiB) Viewed 500 times

Please be patient, ... this section will be filled in the coming days and weeks.

[Aurelius]

Part IV - Expert Level Fixes and Mods for the HL Abrams (continued) - Will require a wide array of tools, advanced knowledge, and several hours or more..

Servo Operated CROWS or CITV Assembly Mod - To add even more realism to the Abrams, some modders either order kits or custom build their own servo motor assemblies so that the CROWS (Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station) or CITV stations on top of the turret can actually move realistically (which kids will love). Rather than post a pic, better to see this short video:

phpBB [video]

These mods can be anywhere from $45 to $100 and take several hours to install. Why? Because the Abram's turret needs to be modified usually to accept the servo and model, ... and it must also be wired up correctly. A regular Heng Long 7.0 MFU does not have the connections that allow for smaller servo motors but the 7.1 MFU does. And if you don't wish to use Heng Long MFUs, you can choose an aftermarket MFU board like a Clark TK80. It is for this reason that these mods are in the Expert section.

Please be patient, ... this section will be filled in the coming days and weeks.

[Aurelius]

Part V - Master Level Fixes and Mods for the HL Abrams - Will require advanced level skills in several disciplines (soldering, electronics, batteries, motors, painting, detailing, etc ... ) and dozens of hours or more..

First off, let me say that Master level upgrades to the Abrams are not about any one single mod usually. To reach the pinnacle of Abrams recreation in an RC model, the entire toolbox of modding techniques at a very high level must be employed, ... from aftermarket electronics to exacting painting schemes to custom made detailing. The important point is, ... synergy. Think of Master Level Abrams as similar to the cars that make it into the Petersen Automobile Museum in Los Angeles. They have to be incredibly rare vehicles with unique histories and/or exquisite combinations of modification or customization. A great example would be Steve McQueen's 1956 Jaguar XKSS:

SM 1956 Jaguar XKSS resized.jpg (78.47 KiB) Viewed 537 times

I myself don't have the experience to judge Master Level Abrams, but until veteran and master-level tankers correct me, I am going to nominate a few tanks which are probably at the Master Level:

Sir Tank a Lot's Nato Camo, SEP2 Abrams Build - First up, we have a SEP2 Abrams done by Mr Tank a Lot (whom I prefer to call, Sir Tank a Lot):

SirTankaLot Abrams.jpeg (36.18 KiB) Viewed 430 times

This build contains numerous custom pieces and parts, along with upgrades throughout the tank including said SEP2 package, along with a multi-layer custom paint job. You can find the build thread here:

viewtopic.php?t=33037


Barry C's Abrams Build - This guy is a retired aircraft mechanic I think and the amount of detail he puts into the Abrams is amazing (bordering on OCD). He recreated many of the custom pieces he used from brass! You can find his build thread here:

viewtopic.php?t=18880&start=1250

Here is an example of his custom metalwork:

Barry C Abrams Resized.jpg (111.1 KiB) Viewed 339 times

Seems like he had some health problems and he has not posted recently. I hope he is doing okay.


Don't worry, these are not the only Abrams builds I will show.


Please be patient, ... this section will be filled in the coming days and weeks.

[Aurelius]

Part V - Master Level Fixes and Mods for the HL Abrams (continued) - Will require advanced level skills in several disciplines (soldering, electronics, batteries, motors, painting, detailing, etc .... ) and dozens of hours or more..

Artificial Intelligence - To the best of my knowledge, no modder has yet made an RC tank with artificial intelligence. The goal of such a project is to have an autonomous RC Abrams that can be placed in an IR battle competition and kill other tanks while hopefully avoiding taking any IR "hits" from human-controlled RC tanks. This means the A.I. Abrams will need no human to guide it and no transmitter. It will assess the IR battlefield, scan the environment, and then get to work killing other tanks. This mod is likely to take me well over a hundred hours to complete, and the end result may not actually work that well (because we will be limited by how many sensors we can put in the Abrams hull and because of the processing power available to us if we use something like an Arduino board). The upside is that my small son will get to see numerous electrical and neural engineering techniques in action, from sensor arrays, to A.I. algorithm design, to possibly circuit board design/modification. You can follow the progression of the mod in this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=35600

We are still deciding if the A.I. that controls the Abrams will be called, Wintermute, Helios, or Shodan. Stay tuned .....

Feeble Human Tankers! .... Muwhahahahaha!!!.jpg (61.72 KiB) Viewed 356 times

Please be patient, ... more mods for this section will be filled in the coming weeks.