RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

So I've been lucky enough to inherit Phil's beautifully detailed and finished KT via Steve (tankmad) and Trev (boxerdog).

It really is a lovely looking model and came with the consistently good and reliable Tamiya full-option electronics, so I'm really rather pleased.

That said, lots of enjoyment and Tamiya's questionable mechanical engineering mean that a bit of TLC is needed to get this beauty back to her best, so I'm on a mission.

The problem is, as I'm sure all those familiar with Tamiya transmissions will know, that all the torque is transmitted to the final output shaft by a bloody tiny diameter gear. Any quick comparison between Tamiya's final drive gear and the ones used in the best quality Asiatam 3:1 boxes will make it immediately obvious why a Tamiya KT is a bit of a pussy compared to a HL/Asiatam Big Cat!!

So as part of my mechanical make-over, I've decided that I need to get pair of beefy Asiatam boxes installed in place of the rubbish Tamiya ones.

Has anyone else tried this and succeeded?

Cheers

Steve

Steve,
I had a similar rant about TU design over on RCUniverse. I agree, the large to small gear trnsfer makes no sense. I have a Tami KT and am new to tanks. I got a bolt on gear down for the stockTU. So far it runs great, but still new and no super-stressfil running yet.
Is it a known fact that the Tami's fail a lot? I was just going to run it until it strips, if it ever does, then think about a replacement. I've seen a lot of pro/con comments for every TU I looked at. I've seen complaints about the Asiatam too.
So what is the story - they all seemto be overpriced and all seem to have some issues for some people. At this point, I'm confused.

I wish my King Tiger pulled as hard and drove as solid as my HL/Asiatam Tiger. Today after close inspection because of the right track rubbing the hull I find a bent finale drive shaft. Easy enough to fix but what caused it? My Tiger has been all over my yard,steps and side-walk no problems ever.The King Tiger has run through three batteries in it's life(3hrs run time) and a bent shaft?

One thing I am sure of,Tamiya made the shaft very simple to remove for a reason. So for the money the ASIATAM GEARBOXES are well worth every penny. I should mention the Asiatam set in my Tiger were the older metal T/U and I purchased them from Steve as a package deal with the hull. Not sure what has changed but I'm often told mine are the older style.

One other disappointing issue with the Tamiya King Tigers are to much play in the wheel bushings, I replaced my Porsche with bearings and the difference is very noticeable.Rolls better,tracks run smoother and the noise level has changed from a rattle to more of a mechanical type sound,more like a tracked vehicle instead of a jar full of marbles.

Twelvebears, when and if you make the change how about a side by side comparison before you install the new Asiatam set? This would be very helpful in demonstrating the differences and help members(like me) understand the differences and the pro's and cons. Also to honest It would help me to make the right choice and others as well.

cheers Saxondog