Cruiser133

So I scored a Ban Dai Pz4 F2 on the Bay for $115. I thought it was a good price, so what the heck. I already have a Tamiya Pz4, but that is a later version. What differences can I expect between the two? This will be my first Ban Dai so what can I expect to find? What improvements do you guys recommend? Is the quality on par with Tamiya? I plan on using a TK22 if possible....

MAUS45

I have one of these. It is not Tamiya quality. In fact of all the Bandia 1/15 kits it is the one that needs the most help/work. The Stug IV, Tiger I and the Elephant are better kits then the Panzer IV. The Panzer IV was the first release in the Bandai 1/15 scale line. Do not be discouraged. It's not a bad kit just needs work to make a proper Panzer IV F2, G, or H. It is sort of a cross between a F1/F2 and needs the engine deck detail fixed.

rivetcounter

Don’t try to compare it with the Tamiya kit, the whole tank lacs detail and is full of inaccuracies, tracks are snap together and will need changing, Kenny Kong makes replacement tracks, Sprockets and idler wheels, the gearboxes are also poor and will require upgrading the suspension units do move though have no suspension again Kenny Kong once supplied suspension units for this tank, there is no turret rotation ne gun elevation no sound no motors all these parts will require adding, this is 1/15 scale and I don’t know what if anything is available as upgrade parts, what I would do is write a list of all the parts you wish to change with the cost don’t be surprised if it comes out 800€ or more the od 50 or 100€ here and there soon adds up

DirtyBird69

I have had all the Bandai kits as well(albeit about 10-12 years ago)..nice kits for the time, but considering the kits limitations and the available kits/parts available for a Panzer nowadays You'd be much better off to keep the kit intact for collector value in the future(if any)or just unload it and buy a Tamiya/HL then work with existing mods/body kits/ etc.,..a lot less work and more then likely a lot cheaper as well.

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karel47

this would be the camopatron when finished from the 501SwPzAbt in france

yes the bandaikits are much bigger, i have a bandaitam TIger I FO with tamiya electronics DWD and MF into it is almost 3cm bigger then my tamiya one, the motorbox is upgraded and added metal tracks etc and sprockets ... i bought this one this way , don't know were the upgrades came from but it is a heavy mother****er of a rc tank ... don't stops for anything ... weights about ten kilo
it has recoil, traverse and turretrottation and muzzle flash

MAUS45

Kenney Kong still makes the replacement suspension units and the tracks. Check these two links...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-15-Bandai-...item58acd91409

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UPGRADE-SUSP...item58ac18dfe3

If you use Kenny's replacement suspension units you will need to shim them so they fit the lower hull correctly.

(Edit) Found this gear upgrade for the gearboxes that come with the kit. I have this as well. It replaces the flimsy sheet metal gears with more robust/thicker brass gears.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UPGRADE-GEAR...item258abdda6e

MAUS45

Karel47, I am sure the metal tracks came from Kenny Kong. He is the only vendor I know of that made replacement metal tracks for the Bandai 1/15 Tiger I. He made a early and late set along with a metal idler wheel. I just sent an e-mail to see if he still makes them as I have one of these beast as well and would like to upgrade to the metal tracks.

thecommander

There have been a bunch of these pop up on Ebay. Some look very nice. I had the Bandai Hummel and the Stug. Even early HL tanks had better mechanicals than Bandai. The lack of buyers and low price is indicative of their low RC quality and pitiful resale value. That is why Tamiya is king of the hill and holds such high resale value. It can be upgraded but at what cost and is it a worthwhile investment for you in the RC tank hobby. Good luck with the tank I use mine as a battlefield wreck just like the half dozen Bandai tanks at Danville.

sassgrunt

My Feedback: (1)

Since you have it already, another thing you can do with it is to just build it up with whatever visual enhancements you need to make on it; and use it as an introductory tank for kids (neighborhood kids; nephews; etc.). You won't have to worry about them damaging some big bucks Tamiya tank.

Cruiser133

Thanks for the honest assessment guys. I figure for a little over a hundred bucks, I am not out much....

Tanque

I'm assuming you just lumped in the original Elefant as it was a contemporary of the Bandai kits however Imai, the manufacturer of the original Elefant kit and Bandai were separate companies. Some very early Bandai kits were sold under the brand name Entex here in the US. I believe I've seen at least one Bandai kit re-packaged as Imai over the years. Imai's Elefant is 1/16 scale. I was never aware that Imai and Bandai had any supply or manufacturing agreements; I'm
no expert there so anything is possible.

Bandai kits were fun for their day, besides being the odd larger 1/15 scale they were never intended for the type of running that the later Tamiya and other models are. The Tiger I was the best of the lineup followed by the StuG IV but even at their best with metal tracks as an upgrade they're best at light running like a stock
Heng Long. It isn't valid to compare Bandai to Tamiya in any aspect. You're comparing a 40 year old model design with the more modern Tamiyas. With the huge capability behind Bandai if they wanted to compete with Tamiya in the RC armor arena they could very well do so. Bandai is an enormous company; at least they once were.

Jerry

karel47

I love my bandai, it runs very well with the kenny kong metal upgrades and the tamiya electronics into his chassis ... its also one of my favourite rc tanks ... although the price for this conversion is way to high ... as I said I bought it over in this package for two highway 61 trucks a few years ago so I was very pleased with the deal ... its heavy and runs as hell, no complaining from my side ... but take this advice by a tamiya tiger I FO its way cheaper then converting this one but if money isn't an isseu I would say go for it
As jerry said bandai was never ment to compete tamiya ... even the vintage tamiya's were designed for rc purposes bandai wasn't

karel47

That would be a better solution the Tk22 from clarks then put tamiya stuff into it and way cheaper. Don't try to save money on the gearbox, in my tiger I a heavy gearbox is installed closed with lubricants into it ... it stops for nothing as I say ... a good gearbox is a must in this one, you will have years of rc pleasure with it too

heavyaslead

Here is a tutorial/review that may be helpful when I full-optioned mine:

http://www.sead.us/technology2.html

Cruiser133

I plan on using a TK22 with HL electronics (Elevation,Rotation,speaker,ect) for cost savings. I have contacted Kenny Kong already and arranged for his upgrades which are quite expensive but obviously necessary. I hope to be under $500 when all said and done. Thanks for the links and advice guys!

karel47

you're welkom

MAUS45

Tanque, I accidentlly lumped the Imai Elefant in with the Bandai's. The Imai Elefant was the best of the 1/15 and 1/16 kits available at the time. Until Tamiya came out with their 1/16 Sherman. I had one of the Entex Stug IV kits. I cut it up to fix the engine deck on the Bandai Panzer IV and add the better detail parts from the Stug IV. I would still like to have an Imai Elefant, but at $1000 to $2500, not so sure I will get one. I would spend that kind of money on a 1/6 scale Stug III G!!! There is an Imai Elefant for sale here....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-16-Imai-Ba...0#ht_38wt_1028