White Tiger88

Well i have spent all day trying to find review's on the up's & downs of each Tamiya tank kit, However i have not had much luck finding anything other then build logs so can any one shine some light on the following tanks for me as i really have no idea what one to get...... This is the information i have found so far.

ausf

In general terms, the 56010 is what started it all and what I consider the industry standard. I've been running mine for over 10 years, original everything, including tracks with zero issues. I never upgraded the bearings or idler or anything except Aber PE. Two complete remodels for asthetics and countless mishaps and it still plows along. My son drove it off a wall and down three concrete steps, then managed to be the last tank standing at a NEAD event with it.

The issues with the others are all easily addressed, but keep in mind there is a huge price jump to the G or IV from the Tiger I, at least in the States, around a $200 bump.

Squidward wouldn't be caught dead in anything else. And he's been decapitated three times so far, so he knows how to be caught dead.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONW9lqzBgGg[/youtube]

White Tiger88

So....the Tiger is solid as well, How about the King Tiger?

thecommander

I have owned and built them all, except for the new IS and the Pzr IV.


Tiger 1


Seems the most solid kit however i don't think it can be ordered from the local distributor........(For some odd reason)

**Best starter tank, Simple, reliable and easy to maintain. Very good IR battle tank. Frequent track issues.**

King Tiger

-

Badly tooled kit?????

Less features then the other German tanks?

**Loves to throw tracks twice and much as the Tiger I. Metal track resolves this in the KT but now so much on the Tiger I. Poor IR battler Huge barrel and turret overhang. Very wide tank and turns very slow. Turret and gum must be perfectly balanced of they will jam of work slowly. Looks great and is a fun build and very. very easy to maintain.**


Panther G-

Loose Barrel Track issues?


** Best Tamiya battle tank bar none (Followed very closely by the M26). NEVER EVER HAS A TRACK ISSUE IN 4+ YEARS. My favorite battle tank. I solved the loose barrel fit with two wraps of scotch tape 4 years ago and it still works fine. Long barrel overhangs front and loves to hit anything it can. Is narrow and fast.**

Panzer IV

Spring Suspension pops out

Great Control\Easy to use?

**Later kits had leaf spring issues fixed**

About a few tanks that were left out
M26 Pershing

**Best US IR battle tank. Very wide and stable, inside is very tight for wiring unless done perfectly. Repairs and maintenance is not easy. Wiring is very tight. (I'll attach a pic of the best wiring layout for a M26). Is very difficult to adjust and maintain track tension. Impact upgrade is very good investment. Turret like to jam at 10 o'clock position due to locking tab positions. Motor/TU replacement is a nightmare...(Daryl Turners upgrade is a lifesaver there). **

M4 Sherman

Great started tank. Inexpensive and easy to build. Prone to rolling over (metal tracks help to prevent it). Poor track tensioners. Good battlers but not for a Noob (Med. 5 hit tank is never good for a rookie). Hold resale value very well.**

KV series

**Best sounding of all the Tamiya tanks (Followed close by the Leo). I hate the momentum but some love it. Main gun has NO depression. Is slow on last hits and turns poorly. Not a very good battle tank but damn they look mean.**

Leo

**Very fast and great sounding and driving tank. CAUTION: Joystick controls are reversed when driving backwards. Huge gun and terrible turret overhang to rear...Hits everything near it. Open country tank ONLY!!! DO NOT go into a city with it in battle. Fast Reliable but very involved build. All wiring is in the turret and it is very cramped.**
Thanks for your time

Helpful Hints:

Eliminating the slipper clutch gears in the elevation and travers is always a good idea as is upgrading to a D T metal elevation arm. Oil, Lube and cover all gearboxes/TUs. Cover Keep oil/grease in, and dirt and Battery wires (read: FIRE) out.

Airbrushler

good to know Bob i thought the Tamiyas all sound the same i will have to take a listen to see on youtube
i like the Pershing i will have to keep in mind if i ever get one to take a look at your wiring looks great thanks for all the info

modelbob71

Commander,
Thanks for the great Pershing wiring pics. Could you please put up pics of the wiring on the underside of the turret top as well as
how the wiring goes into the turret. . I have a 2nd hand Pershing and the wiring is a ratsnest and I'd like to rewire it.

White Tiger88

Awesome Thanks man! So the Panther g is still in the running along with the Tiger 1 7 Panzer 4. however what do you mean by track issues....?

Strato50

The German heavies like to throw tracks off their drive sprockets.. even with my asiatam vehicles, I've had to teach myself how to drive carefully on rough ground to avoid tossing a track off.

In my Tiger (14lbs), if I turn at ALL while reversing on grass, I'll lose a track.. however, thankfully, going forward I can drive as rough as I want and everything stays put.

White Tiger88

Well thats pretty interesting........I am starting to hope i can afford a Panther G or Panzer IV suddenly (I need somthing to show off to get more people hooked with out the track flying off lol)

ausf

It's interesting to hear Tigers throwing tracks, we drive ours pretty hard on all terrains and the worst I've ever experienced was the guide horns jumping over the idler if a twig found it's way between them. It is always still driveable.

Maybe it's a tension issue? I'm using original tracks, I set the tension so the bottom of the track is touching the top of the second outer roadwheel like seen in most photos.

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

Any issues that these kits might have are easily resolved. The idler arms on the Tiger can be changed with parts from ETO armor, and so can the tensioning system to make it much less prone to throwing tracks than the stock setup. Same with the King Tiger. The sherman can have a part added SH0024 on site, which will help it to keep the tracks on the ground. There are also parts for every other tamiya kit available to keep them in the fight.
www.etoarmour.com

Cruiser133

Another option is Darryl Turner for aftermarket parts on your Tamiya. I have ordered just about everything he makes two or three times over already for my Tigers, King Tigers and Sherman. His Sherman idler is awesome. Again, if you are just back yard bashing, I have found the stock setup will be fine on all the Tamiyas. When you are ready for the next level, seek out DT.

cleong

I have both the Tiger and the Panther and neither has given me any track issues at all, once set according to the recommended factory track tension settings. My usual stomping grounds are carpet grass, which has pretty high friction.

Both have really spacious hulls that aren't demanding of wiring hygiene, although it seems to me the Tiger is the more forgiving of the two.

The Panther has arguably more aftermarket photo-etched parts, allows you to install ball bearings into the roadwheels while the Tiger makes do with odd-sized stepped bushings.

Both German tanks suffer from a *woeful* lack of included accessories, unlike the Pershing or Sherman, both which feature an M2 machine gun, additional stowage options like K ration boxes, ammo boxes, helmets and jerry cans. If you're into detailing up your tank to look the part, these items help a lot. But its nothing that money can't fix once you've done a round of shopping at Axel's Modellbau......

tomhugill

Ill be honest I'm pretty picky about throwing tracks (if there potential for it to happen I pretty much have to fix it), however I've run much king tiger on all terrains metal tracks and plastic and never had any issues, same with the panther G. I've always found that front drive tanks are much less likely to loose tracks, my rear drive (elefant, leo and T-55) have all had issues losing tracks.

Glueing the slipper clutch sorts all turret issues so thats no big issue. King tigers tooling is just as good as the other tamiyas I've had.

karel47

am totaly agree with you commander but these isseu's were common to the big brothers to ... the tiger is a very wide big monster also in real and a pershing ain't no sherman much bigger in real life also ... so for scaletanks i would say very descent material ... mine are also out longer then ten years , my sherman an both king tigers henshell and porsche for fifteen years no upgrades on bearings or tensioners , just rivets bought 1/16 king tiger have those upgrades, like better tensioners, propotionel smoker , etc ... nothing worth to mention by me ... i would buy them again in a split second
now with the new benedini and clarks soundcards they give better sound but it is still a hell of a job to match these to the mf modules of tamiya ... i say you better then buy a vintage one and place them without mf or dmd controlers into them ... its still then far better then any heng long now on the marked at the same prices !!!
My heng long panther, yes i have them both stopted recoiling wthin 3 weeks and that sound awfull to here

karel47

i don't know , if you listen carefully with another box you easily can change the sound throught that, i real life they were all three maybachs ... i don't think such a huge difference was in real life too

its treu the same modul but you can easily chance that with a selfmade speakerbox

thecommander

Sure, I can post some turret pix. It is so simple I don't know if I have any...LOL. The most important is to help them develop a coiled wire memory by installing the turret the same way every time. I have rats nests too in two of my tanks, so don't feel bad. I rarely have time to fix my own stuff. Right now my number 1 Panther and Kim's Pershing have no recoil due to broken breach to recoil mounts.

**Helpful hint: Wire ties are not really tank friendly for lengths of wire. Try tape(black electrical and I use scotch tape very often), wire loom (NOT the hard automotive style) and plastic or metal retainers work wonders. Wire ties are hard to remove, catch or hang up on everything and are very bulky. I remove them from the TBU base wires routinely.

White Tiger88

Alright so king tiger or Panther G at this point........I do like the Panzer IV but can't find anyone that owns one to get a review from. So all tamiya's have Barrel Recoil at least

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

The PIV is a great runner. Upgrade the suspension springs and the elevation arm and all should be good.

tomhugill

Not heard a bad thing about the pziv (springs aside). They're not so popular as they're small and more expensive than the other larger German armour and aren't as iconic as a sherman

White Tiger88

Fair enough.... So the running is down to

King Tiger
Panther G or Panzer IV

If i want somthing to try and get other people hooked on the hobby maybe the KT is the best & Ironicly cheapest choice?

DaveBcool

Some of this decision also comes down to how you are going to use them.
If you plan on battling regularly, the Panther G is better than the KT.
For the KT to be competitive against other heavies, it needs gear downs.
After several hits, it moves REALLY slow.

The Panzer IV is also a good battler, but is a medium (5 hits).
It is best to learn on a Heavy (9 hits).

If you are not planning on battling regularly, then get whatever you like best.

White Tiger88

There is NO ONE to battle right now so the king tiger should be a good start if the panther is to much more.

HabuBlue

Does anyone have a list of tank models with their associated battle hits? I'm thinking of getting a Tamiya kit with hopes of one day battling it.

heavyaslead

Tamiya Leo review here:
http://www.sead.us/kitreviews.html

T-55 Review here:
http://www.sead.us/T55%20Review.html