Max-U52

Hey Fellas,

Got some overtime this week so I want to get metal roadwheels for the Jagdpanther, which is Heng long, but I also have an Imex/Taigen Panther G that will get the same upgrade soon. Has anyone ever done this upgrade? What can you tell me? I assume I should also get the metal suspension arms, eh? Are there any mods required to make the plastic HL lower hull stronger, or anything like that? I've spent quite a bit of time looking for them online and so far it seems AliExpress has the best price I can find on Mato metal roadwheels for $119 with free shipping (plus $29 for metal suspension arms, still free s/h). Is Mato the only game in town for these wheels, or are there any from other manufacturers? What about instructional videos or pix? I found one set of still photos demonstrating installation of roadwheels, but they didn't look like HL suspension arms. To see the photos go here

http://www.matotoys.com/ai/MT032/MT032-P.html

Before I spend this much loot I thought I better check with you guys and see if you have any tips. So as usual, any advice, tips, suggestions, rude comments, propositions from pretty girls, etc, etc, etc. Thanx, Guys.

Gary/Max

MAUS45

You may wto look at the wheels Asiatam makes as well. If you go with the metal road wheels I would also get the metal suspension arms as well. rctank.de and welchdragon sell the Asiatam wheels. See links below. A little more expensive, but come with bearings. I got mine from rctank.de they have sets for the Tamiya Panther G and Jagdpanther as well.

http://www.asiatam.com

http://www.rctank.de/JAGDPANTHER-METAL-ROAD-WHEELS-KIT-METAL-ARMS

http://www.welshdragonmodels.co.uk/asiatam-metal-wheels-and-suspension-arms-for-heng-long-panther--jagdpanther-116-scale-959-p.asp

Max-U52

Thanks, Maus, those are good looking wheels, but once you add shipping I'm afraid they're a bit too rich for my blood. The links you gave were cool, though, as I saw the Opel blitz for less than $400 (of course, that shipping charge will be killer). Unfortunately, trucks are far down the list of large dollar items I plan to get, like after a tammy Sherman.

I'm still hoping to hear from someone that's done the mato wheels. I have the mato Panzer III and the roadwheels on that have great detail, but I don't like superglueing them together.

Captain Nemo12

I almost went with the Mato wheels but chose the Asiatam ones instead after much recommendations from the guys here. I got them from Welshdragon and the shipping was very fast. One thing to note about the Mato wheels is that they don't come with bearings. Also the outer road wheels from the Mato set don't have the correct concaveness. The Asiatam ones are more accurate and better detailed.

tomhugill

The mato ones are just metal versions of the hl ones with rubber tired and I think have the incorrect ridge that the hl wheels suffer from. The asiatam ones are brilliant, with the metal suspension upgrade well worth it. Shipping from the uk to the states shouldn't be more than £10-15

Max-U52

Well, the consensus seems to be that the asiatam wheels are the ones to get, but I'll have to wait a week or two. Need more overtime!

Max-U52

Ok Guys, I think I have another option. Nate, I tried welshdragon but they're out of stock. But that got me (somehow) to DKLM, and they have a whole hull with metal roadwheels for just $20 more than just the wheels from welshdragon (that's without shipping on either). Here's the hull

http://www.dklmrc.com/JagdPanther_Me..._12619410.aspx

It's $169 plus $50 s/h, and for another $57 they'll throw in a set of black steel 4 shaft gearboxes, but I'm not sure those will clear a jagdpanther upper hull. I have them in my panther g and it's tight, but the ones I have didn't clear with the Jagdpanther upper hull.

Then there's the question of wheels. The hull comes with metal roadwheels (cool). So far I've found them all smooth like these



but the asiatam have those cool bolts around the rim like this



and the ones shown with the hull are these



So I'm thinking the best route would be to save a little more dough and get the whole hull with the roadwheels and gearboxes (I have brass gears in the JP now but those would be freed up if I got black steel boxes so I could use them elsewhere), and I'll probably add the drivers (another $28) because the ones I have now are either plastic or the metal mato drivers, and those won't fit without modification to the hub that will destroy too much detail. With shipping that would bring the total to just over $300, about twice as much as just the roadwheels from welshdragon (without shipping, and which I can't get anyway as they're out of stock), but I think I'll end up with a WAY better tank. So what do you Guys think? What advantages and disadvantages is this crazy old hippie overlooking?

In a way it will be a shame to replace the HL lower hull, but that's only because I was so proud of the metal gearbox mounting plate mod I did to it. Just a little thing, and definitely no big deal, but it was pretty good for my colossal ego.

And, to go off topic for just a second (that's another question - how impolite is it to go off topic if you're the guy that started the thread? I wouldn't do it in someone else's thread, but is it more acceptable in a thread of my own?) Nate, I'm wondering if you've made any progress on the U-52? I don't know if you're aware of this, but you'll be something of a hero to my family when we finally get to see your video of our Opa's U-Boat making a dive. I don't know if you plan to have sound but I had an idea - this may seem egotistical but I'll float it out there, if you have sound I'd be willing to do a recording for you of the "Alarm! Alarm!" call before the dive, and then you'd have the voice of the grandson of an actual crewmember. That may seem conceited to some people, but I think it might be a neat little detail. At least it would be something that I don't think has ever been done before (for those that may be unfamiliar with this storyline, it just so happens that my grandfather served on the German U-Boat U-52, and several years ago when Nate decided to build an R/C U-boat he chose the U-52 as his subject. Then just recently Nate and I bumped into each other here on the forum and we were both taken slightly by surprise by the coincidence).

So anyway, has anyone ever dealt with DKLM and what can you tell me about them? They do take paypal, so that's a good sign (if a vendor doesn't take paypal I simply won't buy from them). If I go this route I think I can place the order within about two weeks (if I cash in all the pennies and pop bottles).

tomhugill

Looks like a really good deal! I'd be inclined to go for it!

CHIEFSONN

maxu52 the lower hull being replaced will give you a more realistic suspension (torsion bar suspension) which is what was used in the original. the front bow will also have the correct angle and will also have the rear idler adjuster so now the tracks can get adjusted, not to mention a better way to hold the top and lower hull together and much more room inside with out having the battery box to deal with. This is a far better deal then the stock plastic lower hull.
also the Metal road wheels with the bearings made by asiatam are are much better then the mato wheels,the inner wheel has the extre wide rim to rub against the guide horns and prevent the rubber from getting chew up,and when used after a coat of paint is applied it will look cool as some oh the paint will be removed as the guide horns rub up against it. this extra wide ring on the inner wheels are not found on the mato set. also the tires have the Continental name molded on them,along with what was said in the upper post as to your questions. I have the mato wheels on one of my panthers only cause asiatam did not offer them at the time. I hope this helps anser you questions.

Max-U52

Hey Chiefsonn, yes, that helps. You're the first guy that has mato wheels, are they really that bad? And you bring up something I hadn't thought of, converting to a lift-off top. I'll have to e-mail them and see if the hull comes with the hardware, but I kinda doubt it. Erik may be able to help me there, as from what I can see it looks like the latch is very similar to what Imex has in the T1. Do you think those are the asiatam wheels in the photo from DKLM? Again, I better e-mail them to be safe. I hate to admit it, but a lot of the problems I've had with online vendors may have been avoided if I had e-mailed first with more detailed questions. But the lift-off top shouldn't be a very complicated mod, and I have a few different tanks with that feature that I can use for comparison and to get ideas from. Maybe I can find photos of a factory made lift-off top on a JP or Panther G.

I also like the torsion bar suspension much better than the HL spring set-up. I have the metal tracks I got from Imex, and as far as I know those should work well. They're really very good tracks and I haven't had any trouble with them. I have the same tracks on the panther g, and I once bought the mato panther tracks but sent them back because I hated them.

CHIEFSONN

Maxu52

CHIEFSONN

Maxu52 the mato wheels are not bad there just not correctly made,as said as before and they don't have the bearings.I will replace mine in the future when I can. i do believe that all asiatam lower hulls come with the hard were for the easy removal of the upper half. yes it does inthe picture from dklmrc i see the hard were. and yes both pictures in the above post have asiatam wheels. the inner road wheel has a larger diameter rim, and a much more pronounce cone shape to them. look at the comparison between them. + bearings will give the wheels less friction and the battery will last longer with the added weight.

Max-U52

I see the hardware at the back of the hull, but I don't see the pieces that attach to the upper hull or the tab at the front on the lower. I also notice that they say low profile 4:1 gearboxes (4 shaft gearboxes) but the photo they have is of the high/low configuration. You can see they are 4 shaft black steel boxes, though, and I just bought a set of those for the mod squad tiger one. I tried those in my HL Jagdpanther and they wouldn't clear the upper hull around the main gun so I put the brass boxes in the JP and put the 4 shaft boxes in the Panther G, where they fit like a glove. At any rate, the current plan is to order the hull in two weeks, with sprockets and idlers, and hopefully gearboxes but if money's tight I can always use the brass boxes that are in the JP right now.

CHIEFSONN

The froward upper front is set in place by sliding the upper body in the slots on each side of the bow where the shackles are attached. and the road wheels did you decide on them?

Max-U52

I saw those slots and wondered if that's what they're for. It should be pretty easy to mount something on the upper to fit the slots, and the back latches should go over the two posts hanging down underneath the upper hull, but I don't know if those are included. If not I can probably come up with something.

As for the wheels, they're included with the hull and look like asiatam wheels. That's why I'm surprised at the price. For $167 you get hull and shoulder wheels and metal suspension arms, but just the wheels alone go for $144. Another $28 for the suspension arms and you're up to $172, which is more than the price of the hull WITH both those items. I might want to order this quick before they change their minds!

CHIEFSONN

The front needs nothing ,it just slides in, and the rear i'm sure it comes with what will be needed if any thing at all. I know one day I will make the switch over for the metal lower hull etc. I also need the king tigers lower hull,one thing at a time. If anyone has made the switch it would be nice to chime in know and tell us exactly what is included.

MAUS45

Maxu52, When I got my wheels they didn't have the new lower hull. I would encourage you getting the lower hull with the wheels. That is what I am going to do if I go with the HL Jagdpanther, buy the lower hull with wheels. It fixes a lot of stuff, especially the angle of the lower hull.

Max-U52

That's the plan. Maybe next week, depending on overtime.

Max-U52

OK, I ordered it! Very excited! Got the hull with the sprocket and idlers, and the black steel gears. SEVENTY dollars for shipping. Owww! That brought the total to 323 and change. Hopefully it will be here quick with that shipping price. It said air mail from Hong Kong to Detroit, any guesses on how long it will take? Should we start a pool?

MAUS45

I have ordered parts from other vendors in Hong Kong and in general it take about a week to 10 days. I had one package that took about 15-20 days and I am not sure why it did other than it took longer to fill the order cause I didn't what a seperate shippment of a backordered part.

Strato50

I got parts from DKLM in no time at all. They really take care of their customers, I recommend them.

I've had that Panther metal hull.. haven't really talked to anyone that has one but it looks really nice, and would make a unique project.

Max-U52

A week to ten days would be great! And this will give me a chance to see if I also want to get this hull for my Panther G. The hull that came with the G is pretty good so I might just go with asiatam roadwheels. Then again, the new hull means a lift off top. Hmmm

When it gets here I'll post a video review so you guys can see it. I'll have to let Ken know I'm getting one, he just got a brand new Panther G.