Bill Noon

About open up my new tiger with a view to doing the barrel length & mantle mods, are there any pifalls I should be aware of doing these? I really dont want to go through the procedures only to find that the gun no longer fires bb's!!! Obviously this will also let me access the inside of the turret, so that lets me push out the little port for re-alingment, as well as possibly turning the commanders cupola to its proper angle.

While I have it open I was considering replacing the standard '540' type motors for '545's' which tend be more torquey and give better battery life, I may even try rewinding two to take this further down that road ( I saw a mag article on it, thats all).....

Have there been any dramas or problems for other guys who have done anything like this?

fynsdad

Hi Bill,
Mantle flip is quite straightforward just take your time.
As regards to the barrel, My tiger now shoots about 2 feet so I've buggered something up!
I'd suggest you post on the main forum as you will get more hits, and these guys know their stuff so you'll get plenty of good advice!
regards
Frank

bubbajoexx

if it is a henglong tank the motors are not 540's they are 380's and you will not want to change them as the main board will not handle the current needed for the 400 series motors without changing the output transisters on the main board burned enough of them out with stock motors

Bill Noon

That small huh? Still possible to fit better quality 400's maybe?
Any ideas on the other stuff?

bubbajoexx

welshdragon on ebay has some good parts for the tiger at a resonable price check him out I buy from him all the time

swathdiver

The Tigers with the white capped Suntech 385s run pretty close to scale speeds with metal tracks and broken in metal gearboxes. If you want to go faster, the black capped Suntechs, Graupner Speed400s and Jamara 400s will all work and provide more speed. BUT! You MUST have a fan blowing on the board's heatsink or you WILL blow it. Especially with the latter 2 motors. One of our Tigers has the new 3-1 gearboxes with 480 motors and El Mod electronics. Do a search and you'll come up with our motor and gearbox testing posts over the years.

penny lee

Saw a 10 ton rewind job of a Coal Board unit in at Bonar Long when I lived in Clootie City 21 years ago.
No problems but I bet there was a drama when it was taken apart. Completely toasted ,it was...Arthur Scargill was to blame.

Bill....ignore mag article......all that stuff about rewinding mabuchi motors is complete bull as you can get whatever you need if you know where to look.
Double the armature turns to double the voltage and half the current but the magnetic field is the same as before.
To make them "more torquey" the magnets are altered.
Trust me!.....I designed power plant as a trainee ,at the above mentioned company.

{ELDERPARK}
I'll gie ye a link tae a fukkin 380 motor wi' mair torque.
I canny find it the noo,but.
Here's wan wi' mair volts.
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/s...duct&R=2483716
http://docs-europe.electrocomponents...6b80273327.pdf
If ye think "maybes aye maybes nae" get them tae send sum tae the coonter alang the street past the polis station.
They'll huv them the mornin efter. Just tae take a wee swatch afore ye decide that's just the job fur me.
Else get yer card oot and the postie delivers buckshee.
Tae buy frae the coonter you need a DPC number,but.They canny sell to any jakie else the corporation puts their rates up.
{/ELDERPARK}

Bill Noon

Who is this 'Elderpark' guy? I cant find him on the list of members, but he speaks my language apparently.

I have since started removing the moulded tools on the hull, the plastic ropes and the top part of the ventilation system, I found that the section of track fixed to the front of the hull is actually screwed on from the inside...bang goes a pair of fine cutters then! Given how firmly the fiefel units are fixed, Im thinking that they must also be screwed on from the inside. Looks like the barrel mod is going to have to be done sooner rather than later.

I had a look at the ends of the larger plastic tow cables, they dont look too bad and I think I could drill them out to fit onto some spun copper, making decent looking cables.
I would imagine that most of the tools fixed to the outside of a tank would get some pretty rough treatment, with fitings for them also getting ripped & shot off, perhaps some cobbled together fixings etc to hold important items like the cleaning rods might look better, as well as wooden cleaning rods.

My metal tracks have also been fitted now, they look and feel much better, but I was very disapointed to find that the idlers are an optional extra, for the sake of a couple of pounds the kit would have been more complete. I have the metal tracks & gearboxes now, so sooner or later the metal bar may be needed inside, although the tank did come with the metal gearboxes, maybe the bars already there, wont know until I get inside to do the barrel mod.

Has anyone found any real dramas in doing the barrel mod?
I'll turn an extension for the barrel and fit that at the same time, but I still dont want to lose the airsoft function!!!

wackywheelz

Most of the parts you're struggling with are screwed on, but you probably already know that now

There are different brands of metal tracks floating around, I know earlier ones include metal idlers but have also seen the kits like you got without idlers. If you have metal gearboxes but have never had your tank open, then you're not getting the best from your tank - a good gearbox "break-in" makes a world of difference!

Bill Noon

Cheers Whacky!
I've got your site on my links page...

How would you suggest breaking the gearbox in without causing any damage?
By the photos theres plenty of room between the gearboxes, I fancy fitting a small fan in there in line parallel with motors, so it should cool them as they run?
The guys who have run the smoke pipe up inside the exhaust have given me another job too.

The tools are now all gone, but Im undecided whether to do the same with that 'box' structure at the front.
Is it a box?
Is it just slabs of timber for working on the tank?
There seems little info on what actually goes on the outside of the tank like that.

The list of 'mods' seems to grow & grow doesnt it?
Have to resite the antenna, I wont be fitting a new one, just the old one for now.....maybe!

And I've not even started on the 'Pershing' yet!!!!!

Ern

It's not the motors that you need to be concerned about overheating, but the circuit board. When you get it open check and see what board the tank has. If it's an RX-13 with the solid aluminum "heat sink" you definately want the extra cooling. The RX-14 boards are better and some say that a fan isn't even needed, but if you are going to upgrade to metal tracks, wheels, etc. I'd error on the side of safety and put one in. I have a tiger with metal gears and tracks and am happy with the speed. The extra weight slows it down and almost totally eliminates the "super spin" and they look better.

Here's a link with good pics for the basic mods. Check this forums FAQ section for a step by step break in procedure.

Enjoy!

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=743482

Bill Noon

All the fake tools are now gone and the holes filled, the radio antenna has been cropped and re-sited, with the required length having been added at the board end.
The cupola and pistol port have been aligned properly as per the pics, with the gap caused by the curve of the turret now filled in to suit.
The main board was found to be an RX14, a fan was fitted over the board and fed from the battery input, next step....the dreaded barrel mod!

With the tank open, I've took the opportunity to remove as much as possible from the rear of the tank, hopefully this will make application of the zimmerit a little easier, Im thinking of making the zimmerit for the sides, front and rear on a flat surface and apply them later, rather than apply and make the opattern in situ. Only problem appears to be with the turret and its round but flat surface.

It looks like the pattern will have to be appllied 'long hand', I could make a roller, but at the required pitch I dont think it would work and other pitches would most likely be rather heavy, Ive seen loads of lovely tanks ruined by 'zimm' that looks like sausages...or worse! Any ideas on what to use for the paste? Preferably something available in the UK of course.

The air filters will be worked up a little, with some flash to be removed and minor gaps filled in and sanded now that they are off too, same goes for the little casket and ventilation pipes etc. Theres also a moulded 'pipe' type fitting that Ive started to remove...one still to do, these will be replaced with rod and tube, does anyone have any idea what they are?
They are located on the join of the sides and top of the hull, next to the exhausts, they are clearly visible on the Bovington tiger.

Ive also seen a tank where they have turned new lifting points, the sides would be easy, but the rear ones at the chests would be a little more work, but well worth the effort I feel.

I found the barrel mod thanks to the posted link, but failed to find any mention of running in the gearboxes anywhere, the FAQ's seem only to answer basic forum use?
While the tank was open I applied some grease to the gears and let the motor run slowly till the grease went black, cleaned it off and re-applied more, runs very smooth now, can stgill hear it but I dont think it could get much quiter unless it was a much better quality gearbox....probably cost more than the tank did.

Pity Hen Long dont do a T-34, anyone know who does do a decent 1:16 T-34 at the same price level?

Chally2

Have you checked the range of the tank with the antenna modifications Bill? I had some issues here and went back to the original setup.

Bill Noon

No Chally, I havent.
I do the RC boats and in the main the antenna will work at our ranges with no real problems and thats in 27 or 40mhz, the more 'vertical' you cane make a section of it the better though. One of my tugboats had nothing protruding from the boat, with whole length of the antenna wrapped around a dowel in neat coils, worked fine.
At some point in the future I can see the HL radio gear getting the bulet and replaced with kosher radio gear, probably with a mixer for the motors, the price of 2.4ghz gear is getting very reasonable and I can see me replacing my two channel gear with on of those for the sake of being able to use it anytime...anywhere.

I cant wait for a dry spell to get started on my 1:6 Tiger!

fv432

Hi bill first up WSN makes a 1/16 T34 with I/R battle system if you can find them the older non I/R are better but the gearboxes are rubbish and the leccie bits are to fast need to be replaced with H/LONG bits
check out the DBC DBU from darkith a resident here as he makes a board that goes between the stock H/LONG board and allows use of a std REC


P.S welcome to the forum mate


Kind Regards Rob

Chally2

Thanks Bill, best of luck with the on- going mods.

Bill Noon

Did a trial on some zimm on the foward areas of the hull this afternoon, I used 'no more nails' as its a hard setting acrylic paste that takes paint well and can be washed off as your putting it on, in case of some bad smudges. I did the ripple effect with a large gear wheel, easy enough on a flat surface like those, but the others are much trickier, have to work out a tool for those.

Just about to attempt the dreaded barrel mod, depending on how this goes, it may develop into a barrel extension mod too, I dont have anything to benchmark its performance aftwerwards though, as I have never tried the airsoft cannon....still...nothing ventured etc!

Bill Noon

Got most of the barrel mod done as far as rotating it goes at least, I decided to lengthen the barrel by the 20mm its short and messed it up. (it IS 20mm isnt it?)
Not permanently, just have to add some more epoxy to the barrel cover and turn it back in the lathe. I used the 2 part epoxy that you knead together to mix, this sets rock hard, sticks to most things and machines well.

The barrel liner itself seems to be a push fit into the airsoft unit, I cant see any way of it sealing itself though?
I did notice two holes underneath the barrel liner, at first I thought that perhaps air is pushed through these to project the pellet, but they are well inside the barrell even before you start any mod. Perhaps the action of the airsoft unit requires some sort of back pressure to work properly?
The barrel liner appears to run right to the start of the muzzle brake, the proprietary extension extends the barrel, but the barrel liner would remain the same, wouyld that have any effect on the airsoft? Im trying to work out why some airsofts fail after meddling in this area...

Bill Noon

About to glue the red led back in its place and I come across a small white led?
I must have cut it when I broke it all down to do the barrel mod, but cant figure out where the beggar came from now...any ideas guys?

fynsdad

Hi Bill,
regarding zimmerit, have you tried milliput? I used it on my tiger and was very pleased with the result.
You just spread it on to the tank and use a flat bladed screwdriver to make the pattern, then leave to set.
regards
Frank
p.s. come on over to the main forum you'll get alot more response.

Bill Noon

I thought THIS was the main tank forum????
I've got the zimm sorted and that led that was giving me grief, my problem now is with the airsoft cannon.
I've never used it so far and cant get it to do anything for some reason, opened the turret again and had a looksee at what looks like its on/off switch, there only appears to be one wire coming from it and that goes under the elevation unit, there is some solder on another lug on the switch but I cant see where to take a wire if I put one on that?

fynsdad

Hi Bill,
This the war room, if you scroll down to the posts to where the FAQ's are and post there you'll get alot more hits.
regards
Frank
p.s. got any pics (we all love to see work in progress!!)

Bill Noon

I did take some pics bt cant find the lead for the camera, more chance of finding the card reader then I can do something about that.

Feel like a complete nugget after not knowing about the main forum ROFL