Cruiser133

So I bought one of Chris3bk's Lowe kits(lower hull is set up for HL) and was wondering if any of you have any good intel on where to get a TUS and metal wheels. I have a donor Matorro Jagdtiger for parts, but I would really like to upgrade the tus with steel gears and go with metal wheels as I dont really care for the quality of the factory plastic ones. I am also undecided on the electronics. I have a Tamiya Tiger left over from my Strumtiger project which provided me everything save the DMD and MF. On the other hand, I have a MX18 board from the Matorro and the Lowe is pretty much set up for a HL conversion.....Should I just spend the dough and get the DMD and MF or use the MX board and convert over to HL? I dont have a lot of experience on the HL front as I am pretty much a Tamiya snob, so who makes the best HL based TUS?

Jeff489

My Feedback: (12)

You will likely have many more tanks, so it might be wise to standardize them all if you can...meaning 1 manufacturer's electronics. That way, they are easy to fix as you educate yourself on the system, and it becomes feasible to stock a few spare parts for the inevitable breakdown. As to electronics brands, get the best you can afford. Much like a television, it's always best to get the best, but only if you can afford it (or want to afford it).

I've got a couple real heavy tanks (21 pounds or so), and they run pretty good with Tamiya electronics and Mr. Design gearboxes in them. Prior to that, these super heavy tanks just consumed transmissions (Tamiya, Heng Long, Mato, Asiatam and Impact). The new Model Spiegel transmissions look good too. They're pricey...but worth it in the end for a unique tank.

Just my 2 cents.

Panther F

That's something I want to get for my KT along with some metal tracks.

They look pretty bullet proof and are quiet considering they only have a few gears.





Jeff

Cruiser133

Who carries those Mr. Design gearboxes Jeff? Good point on the electronics too. I just hate spending over 300 hundo on two black boxes. I also found some metal wheels direct from Asiatam, but I cant seem to order anything on their site. I have hit the "add to cart" button a hundred times to no avail....65 euro is as cheap as I have found them and they come with the metal swingarms, anybody find them cheaper?

Jeff489

My Feedback: (12)

The gearboxes are available direct from the guy that makes them. His website is here. They take about 5 hours per side to assemble, but they really pull a KT and JT around nice (20 and 22 pounds respectively). Willy L. also sells some really nice gearboxes too that are some heavy metal.

I hear you on the electronic expense...lol.

As for your Lowe, it might be a plausible alternative if you were to Ebay your Tiger chassis, and just buy a used KT. You'd get just about everything you need to build it. As for the wheels, put some consideration into how much this beast will weigh when finished. Metal wheels are really no better than the plastic ones (i.e. functionally speaking) but they add alot of weight. I've had them, and sold them off to replace with plastic ones....The metal tracks and the resin upper will add alot of weight too...not to mention you'll be stretching (I think) the KT chassis a bit. You'll be lucky to finish it and be under 22 pounds. I'm not saying forego the metal wheels...just know it's a slippery slope once you start adding metal parts...the KT chassis gets heavy pretty quick.

Still, it sounds like a very cool project. It will be the only one of it's kind.

sassgrunt

My Feedback: (1)

PM sent regarding possible parts. -Mike

Strato50

If you're going heavy, the standard Taigern 4:1 gears with steel and ball bearings are pretty tough and well built. The most easily accessable way to get them is from rctank.de or welshdragonmodels.co.uk/

Again there are even a few vendors on eBay that carry wheels, transmissions, ect. Depending on postage your best bet could be any of the above!

Cruiser133

The generosity of this board never ceases to amaze me. Thank you Mike for the offer. I have sent a reply so please advise if you don’t get it.
Strato, I was hoping someone in North America would offer those parts because postage from overseas is killing me! Tankarmy.com want over AU$70 to ship small parts from Australia and anything from Europe is at least 35 or more Euro to ship. I can’t understand why hop up metal parts for something like a common Heng Long King Tiger are not stocked here…Come on Freak and ETO, I want to give you my money! J

Panther F

Have you looked at Welsh Dragon Models http://www.welshdragonmodels.co.uk/

Steve is a good guy, fast shipping and they have most HL AM parts. That or if you like eBay, RC Dynasty has HL parts too.





Jeff

sassgrunt

My Feedback: (1)

I never really looked at the Lowe until this thread. Most of the drawings of it show the same staggered roadwheels as the King Tiger, and are set up in the same fashion - five outer wheels and four inner wheels. The new Hobby Boss 1/35 kit of it, however, has them reversed with five inner wheels and four outer ones. I don't know which is 'correct' but they both have a different look to them. Assuming that the spacing between the wheels is the same as the King Tiger, then what would cause the hull to be longer? Extra spacing between the last roadwheel and the idler; like a Jagdtiger? Cool project, though.

Strato50

I've ordered from Tank Army and yea they are a great outfit to deal with. With shipping for two sets of gearboxes, it actually worked out less than from Welsh or Rctank.de

Looking back MOST of my 'higher end' tank parts, like metal hulls, better gearboxes, kits and such have come from Europe.

RcDynasty / Mato is great for regular metal upgrade parts, or entire basic HL tanks to work on from scratch.