TankArmy Order Rant -- You Must Be Joking
07-20-2015, 12:58 PM
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TankArmy Order Rant -- You Must Be Joking
So my dad and I both have a few HL tanks.
we recently purchased ~$500 from tank army in parts: 2 ultimate gear boxes, full metal wheel sets for 2 Abrams, updated 2.4ghz controller for our King, 2 sets of red motors, and various other parts.
the Ultimate gearbox I received had a bent motor plate on the left gearbox, not allowing the pinion gear to mesh. If you look closely you'll notice it isn't fully engaged.
The the box was very thin cardboard and is of poor quality and totally unacceptable when s&h was over $40.00. The gear boxes weren't event wrapped in bubble, just plastic, and laid on top
of the wheel set.
The damage was clearly the of cheap packing.
I emailed led them and asked for a replacement at which time I would mail this one back.
here was the BS response:
I did not apply a spec of grease, as can be seen in the pic. The offer of a new motor is nice, but I have to buy more defective items first?
also, a new motor doesn't solve anything as the pinion will still not engage.
a $14.00 solution is not suitable for a $100 purchase.
will be looking for different vendors for tank parts now, like I-love-porcelain-flower on eBay. He has been a GREAT vendor.
end rant.
we recently purchased ~$500 from tank army in parts: 2 ultimate gear boxes, full metal wheel sets for 2 Abrams, updated 2.4ghz controller for our King, 2 sets of red motors, and various other parts.
the Ultimate gearbox I received had a bent motor plate on the left gearbox, not allowing the pinion gear to mesh. If you look closely you'll notice it isn't fully engaged.
The the box was very thin cardboard and is of poor quality and totally unacceptable when s&h was over $40.00. The gear boxes weren't event wrapped in bubble, just plastic, and laid on top
of the wheel set.
The damage was clearly the of cheap packing.
I emailed led them and asked for a replacement at which time I would mail this one back.
here was the BS response:
I did not apply a spec of grease, as can be seen in the pic. The offer of a new motor is nice, but I have to buy more defective items first?
also, a new motor doesn't solve anything as the pinion will still not engage.
a $14.00 solution is not suitable for a $100 purchase.
will be looking for different vendors for tank parts now, like I-love-porcelain-flower on eBay. He has been a GREAT vendor.
end rant.
Last edited by jrbbikerx; 07-20-2015 at 01:03 PM.
07-20-2015, 02:43 PM
#2
I have heard they have been slack with overseas customers before. I order from them from time to time and I've had varying experiences. I don't know if they give us local Aussies better service just because we're in the same country or what but I do not like how blunt they are with emails.
They do come off very stand off-ish and that's bad marketing. Last time I went to order, it said their store was closed, which is also bad especially if you don't have a news section to let people know why in the first place.
They do come off very stand off-ish and that's bad marketing. Last time I went to order, it said their store was closed, which is also bad especially if you don't have a news section to let people know why in the first place.
07-20-2015, 06:16 PM
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Recent update is that they can "back order" me a motor
lets see, they have EVERY SINGLE part in stock on their site.
"back order" basically means "back door"
credit card dispute here I come
lets see, they have EVERY SINGLE part in stock on their site.
"back order" basically means "back door"
credit card dispute here I come
07-21-2015, 01:31 AM
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I ordered some bits from them recently, a set of 10 T-34 road wheel caps and some other bits. I received 2 road wheel caps and 8 idler caps which are different, I emailed to let them know and apparently Heng Long has stopped making wheel caps and replaced with idler caps on the tank (even though it would look wrong) to simplify production. Despite the idler caps not being what I ordered and not suitable for my intended use they aren't going to do anything because I mentioned I have a WSN T-34, these parts are " from a HL factory intended for HL tanks. We do not supply WSN parts". What a load of crap!
Perhaps they are unwilling to rectify international order problems because of the shipping cost involved. Pretty poor though!
Perhaps they are unwilling to rectify international order problems because of the shipping cost involved. Pretty poor though!
07-21-2015, 06:20 AM
#6
So my dad and I both have a few HL tanks.
we recently purchased ~$500 from tank army in parts: 2 ultimate gear boxes, full metal wheel sets for 2 Abrams, updated 2.4ghz controller for our King, 2 sets of red motors, and various other parts.
the Ultimate gearbox I received had a bent motor plate on the left gearbox, not allowing the pinion gear to mesh. If you look closely you'll notice it isn't fully engaged.
The the box was very thin cardboard and is of poor quality and totally unacceptable when s&h was over $40.00. The gear boxes weren't event wrapped in bubble, just plastic, and laid on top
of the wheel set.
The damage was clearly the of cheap packing.
I emailed led them and asked for a replacement at which time I would mail this one back.
here was the BS response:
I did not apply a spec of grease, as can be seen in the pic. The offer of a new motor is nice, but I have to buy more defective items first?
also, a new motor doesn't solve anything as the pinion will still not engage.
a $14.00 solution is not suitable for a $100 purchase.
will be looking for different vendors for tank parts now, like I-love-porcelain-flower on eBay. He has been a GREAT vendor.
end rant.
we recently purchased ~$500 from tank army in parts: 2 ultimate gear boxes, full metal wheel sets for 2 Abrams, updated 2.4ghz controller for our King, 2 sets of red motors, and various other parts.
the Ultimate gearbox I received had a bent motor plate on the left gearbox, not allowing the pinion gear to mesh. If you look closely you'll notice it isn't fully engaged.
The the box was very thin cardboard and is of poor quality and totally unacceptable when s&h was over $40.00. The gear boxes weren't event wrapped in bubble, just plastic, and laid on top
of the wheel set.
The damage was clearly the of cheap packing.
I emailed led them and asked for a replacement at which time I would mail this one back.
here was the BS response:
I did not apply a spec of grease, as can be seen in the pic. The offer of a new motor is nice, but I have to buy more defective items first?
also, a new motor doesn't solve anything as the pinion will still not engage.
a $14.00 solution is not suitable for a $100 purchase.
will be looking for different vendors for tank parts now, like I-love-porcelain-flower on eBay. He has been a GREAT vendor.
end rant.
Heres a free solution, get some pliers, bend the casing the couple of degrees its out of square and save yourself this head ache. Whilst I appresciate what your saying it seems like going down this route is causing more headaches than the simple fix route.
07-21-2015, 07:59 AM
#7
Bending a motor mount back isnt the best solution. The plate becomes weak, and it wil never be the same, as well as it likely will not be straight and true ever, no matter how accurately you bend it.
I would be raking the over the coals for their BS.
by the way, if you want to remove any grease or oil, get brake parts cleaner spray at wallmart and spray the gear box down, it will leave pristine metal behind. But dont use if you have plastic in the gear box.
I would be raking the over the coals for their BS.
by the way, if you want to remove any grease or oil, get brake parts cleaner spray at wallmart and spray the gear box down, it will leave pristine metal behind. But dont use if you have plastic in the gear box.
07-21-2015, 08:09 AM
#8
I have to agree with Tom. While yes the packaging sucked, the product is bent, and shipping from (I assume you're in the US) Australia is pricey both in time and money, you're best bet is to bend it back, never buy from them again and move on. Lesson learned.
This is one of the issues with buying from distance. Every time I blow $800 with Banzai Hobby, I cross my fingers that there isn't an issue, because neither one of us will want to deal with the $100 EMS. I hope the guy on the other end feels the same way when he's preparing shipment. I guarantee any profit they make will be wiped out on any second package sent, doubly so on a return. These small shops don't have the muscle to absorb returns like an Amazon. I ordered an Axis and Allies game as a gift. It showed up in two days, but the box was bent. They sent me an immediate replacement, but via UPS on Thursday, so Saturday delivery was out when I needed the gift. So they overnighted another and emailed me two return UPS labels. So at one point, I had three of these $20 games, two being returned, with Amazon eating 5 shipping charges. 5 shipping charges on a heavy bulky package probably far exceeded the $20 spent, and I imagine the actual profit on that game was around $5. No other company could survive that.
Don't get me wrong, the vendor's shipping blows, the fault is complete theirs and their response is absurd. But unless you're interested in pursuing on principle, fixing is your best option. It is an easy fix, you'll be up and running and in terms of karma, you've already paid them back in negative press by bringing this to our attention.
This is one of the issues with buying from distance. Every time I blow $800 with Banzai Hobby, I cross my fingers that there isn't an issue, because neither one of us will want to deal with the $100 EMS. I hope the guy on the other end feels the same way when he's preparing shipment. I guarantee any profit they make will be wiped out on any second package sent, doubly so on a return. These small shops don't have the muscle to absorb returns like an Amazon. I ordered an Axis and Allies game as a gift. It showed up in two days, but the box was bent. They sent me an immediate replacement, but via UPS on Thursday, so Saturday delivery was out when I needed the gift. So they overnighted another and emailed me two return UPS labels. So at one point, I had three of these $20 games, two being returned, with Amazon eating 5 shipping charges. 5 shipping charges on a heavy bulky package probably far exceeded the $20 spent, and I imagine the actual profit on that game was around $5. No other company could survive that.
Don't get me wrong, the vendor's shipping blows, the fault is complete theirs and their response is absurd. But unless you're interested in pursuing on principle, fixing is your best option. It is an easy fix, you'll be up and running and in terms of karma, you've already paid them back in negative press by bringing this to our attention.
07-21-2015, 09:02 AM
#10
My first rule. Whatever you buy from anyone whether tank parts or other widgets, inspect, inspect, inspect when you receive!
In this case, better to send a picture of the defect out of the shipping box than after you have mounted them in your tank my friend. I totally agree with you that you have no grease on those gears and you spent a chunk of change with these guys. I don't think English is their first language so misunderstandings can happen fast. I and my friends up here have bought from them before and in fact I have a sizable order on the way with a set of these gears as well. It is shipping that is the killer for them and for us if we need to return something no question. It normally costs more than the part!
I will be looking at my order closely you can bet... Hope you get it resolved...
In this case, better to send a picture of the defect out of the shipping box than after you have mounted them in your tank my friend. I totally agree with you that you have no grease on those gears and you spent a chunk of change with these guys. I don't think English is their first language so misunderstandings can happen fast. I and my friends up here have bought from them before and in fact I have a sizable order on the way with a set of these gears as well. It is shipping that is the killer for them and for us if we need to return something no question. It normally costs more than the part!
I will be looking at my order closely you can bet... Hope you get it resolved...
07-21-2015, 09:53 AM
#11
It IS your money and as I have always thought and believed, 'The Customer Is King' but the longer you deal with these gearboxes that are made of aluminum and have the exposed plate mounted up high like this, the more you will find a slight misalignment occurring. Even the Tamiya gearbox has this issue and if you listen to a lot of YouTube videos the guys that haven't massaged their boxes and just installed them have a noise. Most of the time the pinion gear is buried causing a very bad noise.
Tom is correct... it will not take much to correct this problem as the likely situation will probably be duplicated if they send you a replacement box.
It will take just a small amount of effort to adjust this back into alignment and not compromise the integrity of the metal and you'll be in business! But if you feel uncomfortable doing so and live in the states, send it to me and I'll get it right for you.
Jeff
Last edited by Panther F; 07-21-2015 at 10:01 AM.
07-21-2015, 10:28 AM
#12
Bending a motor mount back isnt the best solution. The plate becomes weak, and it wil never be the same, as well as it likely will not be straight and true ever, no matter how accurately you bend it.
I would be raking the over the coals for their BS.
by the way, if you want to remove any grease or oil, get brake parts cleaner spray at wallmart and spray the gear box down, it will leave pristine metal behind. But dont use if you have plastic in the gear box.
I would be raking the over the coals for their BS.
by the way, if you want to remove any grease or oil, get brake parts cleaner spray at wallmart and spray the gear box down, it will leave pristine metal behind. But dont use if you have plastic in the gear box.
07-21-2015, 11:00 AM
#13
Yep! I have had to do this to almost all of mine and have been running for over 8 years and going strong.
Jeff
07-21-2015, 12:22 PM
#14
If I can heat and straighten a Tamiya final shaft that had about a half inch bend (tank's been battling fine for 4 years now since the fix), the 1/32 of an inch or so this would need is nothing. True, metal is weakened when bent, but we're talking such a tiny deviation here, plus it's a model tank. Auto frames are re-straightened. I don't know anyone who's tossed out a tire rim that got bent from hitting a curb, they usually take a ball peen and whack it back, put the tire back on and drive away.
07-21-2015, 01:29 PM
#15
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Those gearboxes casings are generally made of soft metal...
They can easily be bent or straightened...
I used a metal shear to give a lower profile to my " low profile 3:1 steel gearbox" in order to rise the front sprockets on my H.L. Panzer IV ...
I king of got away with it since the narrow tracks of the Panzer IV require less torque than a the wider tracks on other tanks...
They can easily be bent or straightened...
I used a metal shear to give a lower profile to my " low profile 3:1 steel gearbox" in order to rise the front sprockets on my H.L. Panzer IV ...
I king of got away with it since the narrow tracks of the Panzer IV require less torque than a the wider tracks on other tanks...
07-21-2015, 01:37 PM
#16
I have to agree with just bending it back into shape. Another option which would be some more work would be to window the motor mount holes to adjust the motor and pinion in relation to the first gear, though that may lead to the motor shaft being at an angle to the first gear with the plate still bent. Either way it would be great if any of the gearbox manufacturer's windowed one of the motor mount holes to have this option especially if your changing pinion size.
07-21-2015, 02:52 PM
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I did end up re-aligning the plate but my point is when you buy the most expensive gear boxes available, they shouldn't require modification.
if I bought the bottom of the barrel ones I can understand, but not for "top of the line" stuff
if I bought the bottom of the barrel ones I can understand, but not for "top of the line" stuff
07-21-2015, 03:00 PM
#18
http://etoarmour.com/product_detail.php?productID=S02
07-22-2015, 01:26 AM
#19
Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but these are ordinary HL gearboxes with a fancy coating on the metal surfaces. These are not anywhere near 'top of the line'.
07-22-2015, 03:40 AM
#20
07-22-2015, 07:34 AM
#22
I'm sorry about your issues my friend, please consider me the next time you need some parts 
I may not have everything, you need, but our shipping is quick and our service is top notch. Personally I would of NEVER let that crap slide. You would of been sent a full replacement gearbox or set to replace that. International shipping is hard for most vendors, it may cost a few bucks more to get it here in the states but you get the satisfaction of dealing with people that care, not just people that sell. Please let me know in the future if I can help.
I do second these guys though, a small bend should be ok but I do understand the concerns. A customer should not be expected to repair an order out of the box without some form of compensation whether it be parts or a refund.
I may not have everything, you need, but our shipping is quick and our service is top notch. Personally I would of NEVER let that crap slide. You would of been sent a full replacement gearbox or set to replace that. International shipping is hard for most vendors, it may cost a few bucks more to get it here in the states but you get the satisfaction of dealing with people that care, not just people that sell. Please let me know in the future if I can help. I do second these guys though, a small bend should be ok but I do understand the concerns. A customer should not be expected to repair an order out of the box without some form of compensation whether it be parts or a refund.
07-22-2015, 09:22 AM
#23
Actually they are a lot different than the standard HL gearboxes. The gauge of steel is a little heavier, bearings in all 16 shaft ends, the motors are upgraded, steel gears instead of pot metal, brass final gear removable for quick change. I think this does makes them top of the HL line! LOL!
07-22-2015, 10:26 AM
#24
Actually they are a lot different than the standard HL gearboxes. The gauge of steel is a little heavier, bearings in all 16 shaft ends, the motors are upgraded, steel gears instead of pot metal, brass final gear removable for quick change. I think this does makes them top of the HL line! LOL!
Frankly I would sooner have the pinned design of the Taigen, as I've had bad experiences with grub screws and brass shafts not staying connected in Mato / Asiatam gearboxes over the years.
07-22-2015, 11:01 AM
#25
Other than the brass output shaft and final gear, they look identical to the Taigan gearboxes that I can get from several vendors in the UK, and Erik and his supply chain can provide in the US. There is nothing special or unique about them.
Frankly I would sooner have the pinned design of the Taigen, as I've had bad experiences with grub screws and brass shafts not staying connected in Mato / Asiatam gearboxes over the years.
Frankly I would sooner have the pinned design of the Taigen, as I've had bad experiences with grub screws and brass shafts not staying connected in Mato / Asiatam gearboxes over the years.
I agree, they are all identical black steel gears whether you get them from , HL/Taigen/Mato and a whack of dealers around the world. I have run Waltersons which have grubs on all brass gears and Asiatam and have never had any issues at all. (4 years for my KV-1) A drop of Loctite on each grub screw and they don't move. love them