I have been lusting after the Hooben T55 since I knew they were available. I have seen the kits sold by several people on Ebay, one on Amazon, and at least 2 on Ali Express (of course, at least a couple sellers are on more than one site). This model is available in about 3 versions: as a 1/16 static kit, and at least two iterations of the motorized model. These usually come with the motors, the tracksets (that you put together one link at a time - no frills here!) and at least some of the wiring. The instructions are minimal, all in Chinese with line drawings and no English translations - anybody who's built one can vouch these are very much "steep learning curve" kits.
Someone's well-made Hooben T55 in Iraqi camo from Iran-Iraq War
Another 1/35 scale T55, in a common camo pattern of T-55's of the Middle East; Desert sand with Russian armor green
The static kit is of course not the one I want, naturally. The motorized KIT (in large letters to emphasize they don't make any ready to run T-55's or at least, not cheap ones) are just a pile of parts with the bare minimum hardware and radio components: No servos, no wiring sets (extra), no battery, etc. The hardware is very different from Heng Long or even Tamiya and seems to work with few others... While Hooben does offer a HL style receiver and transmitter (they're not compatible with many other similar gear - maybe not even their own for all I know about it). The T55 comes with, and accepts, R/C aircraft style servos - or so I have been told; they're not compatible with Tamiya, HL, Taigen, nobody's.
I'm looking for advice, tips, and anything else that can steer me towards what I want (or modifying another RTR Hooben T55). Anyway here's my dilemma: the type and amount of work I can do on the hobby anymore is a sore spot, no pun intended. I have work-related back pain (from 40 years automotive) that is very limiting. As things are now I can still drive my tanks (at the moment I have an HL Panther G and a T-90, plus the HL M1 Abrams, and that's all), i can do light maintenance chores/repairs, and even airbrushing/weathering (my favorite part anyway except for driving them). But I still want to own a driving and functioning T55! I have contacted Dark Horse Hobby, "Thor-robotics" , and one other firm from Ali Express to see what an RTR type T55 would cost me - or as close to RTR as I can get. Here's the problem, try as I might to word what it is I want (As close to an RTR T-55 as I can get) something always seems to get lost in translation. On some of the web pages it'll say "hand-
built by a Hooben master craftsman - " but when I email them trying to get clarification on what it means and what exactly you get with these "hand built" tanks the person emailing me back winds up seemingly contradicting themselves. I tell them exactly what I want and somehow few of them can confirm or deny or give me the same answer without getting their wires crossed. You wouldn't think it'd be so hard to get people to take your money, or to make the product they at least infer they can provide.. yet I'm leery of paying $600-700 and NOT getting a T55 ready to run, and having to ship it all the way back (to China) and swallow a large return shipping bill!.
My question is, of all the places that make RTR models and/or offer the kit versions, who makes the closest thing to what I'm looking for (RTR - or the closest thing to same available)??? WHO has experience with these tank makers and has gotten an RTR out of the box, turn key T55?