Tankkiller308

Thanks to the wonderful people on this forum I found a tamiya for an affordable price so what all does a tamiya come with, what is it made of (metal or plastic), and are they easy to paint and accessorize
any help is greatly appreciated to help me decide if I should buy one

Tanque

Unless you buy one of the kits as sold for the Japanese home market that comes with a radio system ( there are several sellers of these versions ) a Tamiya ' full option' kit typically comes with everything you need except the radio system. Hobby grade radio systems are a personal choice but many favor Spektrum systems, some like myself favor Futaba however there are many reasonably priced radio system choices. Don't waste your funds on any thing other than a 2,4Ghz system. You will need appropriate batteries and an intelligent charger. You may choose a wheel bearing upgrade but this isn't a necessity IMHO.

I don't mention tools, the assumption is you have them or will get them as you need them. Paint, you'll need paint. Airbrush, compressor, prayers to defend yourself from any women nearby who can't understand why a model tank over a new Gucci purse for them...


Jerry

ksoc

Which tank are you considering? Tamiya tanks are primarily plastic. Some have aluminum hulls, some have alum. inserts in plastic hulls. Is the tank you are considering a kit or already assembled? A kit would be easier to paint, but then you also have to worry about scrapping the paint off the surfaces you want to glue together, so don't shy away from a pre-built. You just need to think the painting through a bit more before you start - paint difficult to reach parts - let the paint dry COMPLETELY - then mask and paint the next color.

The Sherman is a great starter - easy to build, repair, and paint (hey its ALL OD green!) An airbrush and compressor is great - if you have one. For your first tank Tamiya spray cans are fine. If you stay in this hobby for any length of time you will most likely repaint the tank at least once.

If you go to the Tamiya USA site you can look up all the tanks they have made. Most have the kit instructions available for download (look for the MANUAL button)

Good luck.

Tankkiller308

This is the tamyia I was looking at http://banzaihobby.com/tamiya-56009 as of tools I've never built a tamyia so I do not know what tools to use I also already have a spectrum dxi6 for my controller

Tanker 10

That kit will come with a radio as you already know. You can never go wrong with a Tiger IMO. As far as tools, common tools is all that is needed. A hobby knife would be great, tweezers are helpful also. Feel free to ask questions as you start your build, and don't forget to post some build photo's. Good luck.

Tankkiller308

So is there anyway to later upgrade the tamyia plastic parts to something metal

sevoblast

Tiger 1 is a great runner out of the box, well detailed early model. The lower hull is a complete aluminum tub bolted in to the plastic lower hull. All suspension parts are metal except for the wheels, which are ABS plastic if memory serves and have high quality bronze bushings in them. You can install bearings in the wheels during the build but not after. Bearings can be had at Avid Bearing in USA and normally run a buck each. You can change it to a mid or late model by adding various detail parts and Atak makes a zimmerit kit for the mid and late models, it's in stock at ETO.

Transmissions are standard Tamiya and will last a long time. If you want to go super transmission be advised that in 6 weeks or so ETO will have the new transmissions in stock in USA for quick shipment.

http://www.etoarmour.com/products.php?ViewCategory=10

http://www.avidrc.com/product/8/metric-bearings/

cathurga

I just bought the same tank, from Banzai. It has arrived at the PO today and I need to go and pick it up. :-)

I bought some goodies from Rob at ETO, and hopefully he has already posted the to me in Dubai....hopefully......Rob? :-) I got the gearbox bracket, henntech idler system and Schumo reduction gears.

I didnt know about the bearings, and I think I might do that at some point during the build. I was under the impression that there was a fair amount of drilling and whatnot to get the wheels kitted with bearings...is this the case Rob?

As I am based in a sandpit, I am going to do mine in a tan color, I really don't care how historically accurate it is, but I am going to weather it and do the salt/rust technique to try and get a little rusting on hull wheels and turret.

Sorry to derail your thread OP, but I will probably do a build thread, we should do a simultaneous build :-)

I know mine will take ages though

ausf

Don't.

Plastic is light. Plastic is moldable. Plastic is glueable. All the things pot metal isn't.

I have a 12 year old Tammy Tiger I. Still a solid runner (even is a part time GoPro platform) with original everything, including the gearboxes and plastic tracks. The aluminum tub is closed in, so it's structurally sound, even has a cross brace. I wasn't kidding when I mentioned it's Tamiya's best engineered kit. It's also the one that started it all.

In terms of reliability, etc. mine has been tortured at the hands of my two boys as they learned to battle, including rolling off a wall and down concrete steps. It landed on it's tracks and kept battling. It's gone through a major cosmetic reconstruction, converting it from an Early to an Initial (can't do that with metal), the first using a lot of Aber PE.

The only two upgrades you should/can consider at are a set of bearings instead of the included bronze bushings in the roadwheels (I didn't, haven't had an issue) and if your kit arrives with an aluminum barrel, you should swap out the ABS elevation arm with an aftermarket one. If you're lucky and it has a plastic barrel, no need to. The aluminum barrel adds weight that swings around, the elevation arm will eventually round out where it connects to the metal shaft. It's no big deal to change, but easier while it's sitting on your bench.

In terms of tools, nothing more than a static modeler would need, X-acto, sprue cutters, sand paper. A good phillips screwdriver will help. Tamiya includes locktite, ceramic grease, allen keys, a plastic screwdriver for volume adjustment, and a multiheaded nut driver.

You could get some neo magnets to help hold down the turret lid, but not necessary since you don't really need to open it much, it could be tack glued with PVA.

You will benefit by having either a sectioned plastic box or cups to sort all the hardware. They come in marked bags, referred by letter in the instructions, it's easier to just sort through that way.

You'll want to pay attention to two different types of plastic used, ABS and PS. You'll need a MEK based cement like Plastiweld, Tamiya extra thin or Tenax for the ABS parts. The original Tiger was only PS, not sure if this is or not.

You'll get a Futaba Attack Tx/Rx in the box. Use it over your DX6i, it's better for tanks with analog trims and dual self centering sticks.

Main thing is: enjoy the hell out of it. It's a blast. Ask questions along the way. It's straight forward, but there may be litttle tips that I can't think of since I haven't built that kit in a long time.

There's a wealth of reference material when it comes to finishing it, just ask.

Max-U52

Hey TK, just out of curiosity, have you ever built a plastic model kit? If you think about it, that's all you'll be doing here, just motorizing it along the way. One of the things I think is useful is to build the Tamiya 1/35 or 1/48 scale Tiger One first. I have a 1/48 Tamiya T1 kit that was great fun to build and I later copied that paint scheme onto my favorite tank. I don't think I've ever gotten a truly bad Tamiya kit of any kind, and I guess that's just one of the reasons that Tamiya is the gold standard. They do make quality stuff, Man.

cleong

To add on to Jeff's advice -

Metal while stronger in some cases, does not necessarily bestow added durability and reliability to a tank. Real life tanks were heavy because they needed to be proof against enemy fire. Model tanks have no need for that, and adding weight taxes the suspension, idlers and drivetrain, creating un-necessary wear and tear. Even the electronic speed controllers and motors have to work harder to move all that extra weight.

Panther F

Not all metal parts are equal or better than plastic BUT... some metal upgrade parts DO add realism and functionality for that feature or need and other items such as tools/jacks do look better than a one piece plastic kit part.

Most of these do add a little weight but not until you start adding wheels, metal suspension components, fenders, metal gears, tracks... well you get the idea, not much will be sacrificed in added weight as long as you don't replace EVERYTHING in metal.




Jeff

Tankkiller308

Ya that would be great if we could do one at the same time bounce ideas off each other mine will take quite a while to since I don't have an actual work bench. And for camo just do a desert camo slap 131 on the storage box on the back of the turret and a Afrika corps emblem (basically a palm tree with a swastika in the middle) and you have the allied captured tiger 131 sitting in bovington tank museum, I believe, and it is also the worlds only running tank

Tankkiller308

I've built models before but most of the hobby stores didn't carry that big of tanks so I stuck with planes I tried building a 1/72 dragon transport truck but thanks to my fat fingers 95% of the parts where smaller than my fingers making it near Impossible to build without proper tools even then it was hard

cathurga

TK, yeah, you have described the look of my tank pretty much the same way I saw it. I am going to try some weathering techniques using salt and hairspray and what not, but I have never done this before so I bought a 1/35 M60A1 tank to practice on (as recommended above). As soon as I get going, I will post some pics in a new thread. I will most likely start on the body and painting as the chassis build wont present me with too much problem (I think)
I see a lot of people paint their tanks after building, and then add the weathering and small details, I think I might primer everything on the sprues and then build turret and paint, hull and paint and then detail with smaller parts at the end.

Anyway, look forward to a combined build thread, it could be an interesting overview!

Tankkiller308

If I get the tamiya it will be a fun build I will probably paint as I go I've seen what a compressor an paint fun will do anybody have a good one they suggest that is good for a beginner

RichJohnson

Dont unse your fingers to glue parts together. Practice using tweesers to apply small details. And a very small paint brush to apply strene glue, rather than the fat one that comes in the bottle.

Tankkiller308

Never heard of strene glue I always used rubber cement for my models and with that using a paint brush is hard because if you dot immediately was it it becomes rock hard

RichJohnson

Typoed that, its styrene glue.
brands are plastruct, ambroid, tennex and others. It is a clear liquid consistant with water. It is almost like acetone where it gently melts the two plastic parts together.
Try this technique and you will become very happy with the results. It makes the cleanest possible bond for plastic to plastic and is bpvery stong because they are melted together.
for adding metal details to plastic i usually use CA, aka super glue in large bottles available from my local hobby shop.

Tanker 10

Will the Tennex work on the ABS portions of a Tamiya as well?

tomhugill

I just use CA. Tried plastic cement on my t55 and hated it. No issue with using your fingers to hold parts, I've never used a pair of tweezers and I have done a fair bit of photo etch.

Regarding upgrades steer clear of the schumo 3:1 gear downs, as soon as you get debris caught in your tracks you will strip the Tamiya brass gears. Also there's no need for the hentec idler adjuster on the tiger or Panther. Metal tools are pointless as Ausf says they are hard to work and you can't use sand paper to add grain effects to make a convincing wood effect. The plastic tools in the Tamiya kit are generally sharper than the 3rd party metal ones.

Tankkiller308

Why do you say that I generally don't like the tightness that companies put on tanks out of the box so I would like to adjust them looser

tomhugill

Because the Tamiya tiger has a perfectly good idler adjuster out of the box.

Tankkiller308

Oh ok ha sorry I thought you meant it didn't come with one but don't buy the upgrade to get one

sevoblast

Your parts are in transit as of 27 July. I'll email you the numbers, I just got them, the original commo from Daryl got eaten in the DoS attack we had.