pcsguy88

I bought my VS T-72 back in febuary and have enjoyed every minute of it. Now that I have a reliable tank for indoor/outdoor use, it's time to step up to a 1/16th HL. Like many on this board, I am not a fan of WWII tanks. Unfortunately, we don't really have a choice unless we drop a grand on a Tamiya Leopard. Anyways, I've been eyeballing the Bulldog since Christmas and hear a lot of good things about it. I do like that it is fairly close to a m48 and do like the big open treads. Now that the Panzer IV is out, I keep reading that it is HL's best tank yet. Here are the questions I need answered before pulling the trigger next week:

What makes the P IV the best tank? Is it the Electronics? Handling? Offroad abilities?

Is the Bulldog still the best offroad HL model? Are the "NEW" features listed at Mato mean it has updated electronics like the P IV?

What spare parts should I not leave the store without?

99% of all driving will be on manicured lawn and asphalt. Will metal tracks be the best choice?

Are the metal parts/gearboxes the same at both the new US store and Mato? Does the new store even carry the metal gearbox version without metal treads?

I thank you guys for being patient with all of us HL newbies asking the same exact questions 20 different ways. I just want a tough tank that can kickass and not breakdown after every session. I love my VS T-72 and it plows right through the lawn for the first 3 or 4 days after it's mowed. After that, I find myself backing out of grassy clumps more than I want to. I want my 1/16th tank to run all week between mowings.

blitzkrieg65

pcsguy88 I like to push my tanks failry hard, and I have a few videos of it! You should just e-mail Bill at RCScaleModel to get the update on what he has in stock and what is coing in! HIs parts are just the same as Mato's has in staock, other then his killer IR Battle system he offers! And I know he has plans to bring to market some of his own unique parts so keep and eye on his site!

Another good off roader is the Pershing and you can aways cut the skirts off of it!

The Blitz

westdr6113

I have a two PZIV's one with metal gears and one with out. If you want to run in grass all week I'd recommend atleast metal gearboxes. Moderate to rough grass seems to get caught in the running gear and the plastic gears will slip and the tank will get stuck for moment- atleast with mine. When it gets stuck it sounds like someone trying to learn how to drive a stick shift. The one with metal gears seems to just plow thru the grass. I haven't run either with metal tracks yet but it improved the off road ability of my panzerIII. In loose sand with plastic tracks the tanks are lighter and drive faster but mine seem to throw the plastic tracks in the sand alot easier than my metal tracked tanks. As far as electronics go The only problem I've had with the PZIV's so far is one burnt out smoker. But that was my fault- I didn't bother reading the destructions. I think overall the PZIV is a pretty good tank. Hope this is somewhat helpful.

swathdiver

All smoke and sound equipped tanks regardless of model use the same internal electronics. What sets them apart in performance is their running gear and track designs. The American Pershing and Walker Bulldog are superior to the German makes as in real life. The Walker has oversize tracks and wheels compared to actual size. This happens to make it an outstanding runner in all types of terrain. However, like the Pershing, when loaded with accessories like metal tracks and gears the rear ends hang down and the sprockets chew grass and can sometimes get stuck on weed roots and such. One way to remedy this is to add a bit of weight in the nose which brings the front down and lessens the lawn mower tendencies. It also aids in climbing by transferring more weight to the length of the tracks.

Now I don't know if this has been remedied but my Walker was one of the first produced back in 2006. When equipped with metal tracks the rear end sagged easily and didn't always recover after moving around. Often the last road wheel would hit the rearmost return wheel on top. I cured this by installing the stiffer springs made for the PZIII in the shocks at each corner. No more sagging and suspension still articulates as its supposed to.

The BullDog is the showboat of our battalion. It's the one the kids drive and knock around and newcomers get to try out. It was upgraded with faster motors to keep up with us walking around the ballpark and has enough power to push little kids around on their big wheels and tricycles. It's gun shoots a consistant 205fps and has patrolled the surf zone of Fort Myers Beach on up to Danville's museum grounds in Virginia.

Buy the tank you like, it won't be your last. Ohh and before you place that order, seriously consider my signature!

Check out my Walker BullDog build: [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6530883/anchors_6530883/mpage_1/key_panzerkampfwagen/anchor/tm.htm#6530883]Walker BullDog Build[/link]

wackywheelz

That would be the slipper clutch, a safety mechanism to save your circuit boards if the tank encounters excess resistance (trying to push something heavy, something caught in sprocket etc), not enabling the motor to "stall" (max amp draw/possible board damage). You can [link=http://members.iinet.net.au/~wackywheelz/]disable[/link] it, allowing the plastic gearbox to act like a silent metal gearbox, never giving up in the toughest of terrain, but then you loose the safety mechanism.

Swathy, if only the Bulldog looked good. Everytime I look at mine I shudder, its just so damn ugly

swathdiver

Paint it! Put a big shark face or something on it to break up the outline.

wackywheelz

Just for informations sake, I have attached a pic of my Glencoe 1/15 Bulldog (pfff.... 1/17 maybe) aside my HL Bulldog, as I'd never seen a pic of them side by side, so here goes:

pcsguy88

I think the Patton is the only choice for me. One last question, do the full metal upgrades include a spare set of plastic tracks? I think it will be wise for me to purchase the metal tracks with the tank and save $75 down the road. The thought of metal tracks clanking down the driveway is an appealing thought.

Here is the M-48 Patton I painted for Cobra and would love for it to run, but a certain someone with much more knowledge about these things already converted one and is a bit backlogged with projects. It was a lot of fun to turn something real into something fantasy for once. I'm usually doing the complete opposite. I hate when the flash makes it look glossy.

thebronze

Where did you get that "We don't like WW11 tanks"????

Panzerfaust77

All American tanks look ugly!

As for the original poster's question, the reasons the PzIV is the best Heng Long yet are:
- it's a new model so you're guranteed to get the leatest boards, prop. smokers (which are very quiet) and gear boxes
- it's fairly close to the real thing (no stupid/deliberate mistakes like upside down gun mantlets and reversed pistol ports)
- it's very detailed (expecially next to the HL Tiger 1)
- it's a great runner; the running gear is solid although the suspension isn't as good as that as the Panzer III (but much better than the Tiger where the suspension arms are really weak and the rear idlers are held in by simple pins with no support)

pcsguy88

From every person that stumbles upon this board asking about 1/16th Abrams and grumbles about the price of the Leopard. I wish someone would make a T-72 or newer Russian tank in the 1/16th scale. The only WWII tank that I am not tired of is the lovely T-34. Too bad the only available one is toy grade. I guess I watched too much History channel as a child. WWII sells, modern doesn't, end of story. I thank god Forces of Valor was nice enough to release a whole line of modern 1/32 diecast armor, but I doubt it lasts long.

pattoncommander

Wacky......what do you find so ugly about the M-41? I drove one for a year and have yet to meet one, solitary person who every served on one, that didn't love it. Everyone who visits our museum remarks how great the design is and how good the tank looks. It's just a shame that our government decided to discard it and went with the ugly, worthless
M-551 Sheridan, which thankfully is no longer in the inventory, other that mock-up Russian tanks.. Argentina has the highly upgraded M-41A5 as their main battle tank.[>:]

wackywheelz

I dunno, I just find it odd... I know its weird, same as Hellcat.... uuuugly, but then I like the Chaffee...

And I agree, Sheridan is one ugly mother

swathdiver

Hellcat ugly? When you're laying in a ditch getting shot at by the bad guys and American armor shows up to save the day I bet you'd reconsider!

Panzerfaust77

Googles it.

...

OMG [:@]

pattoncommander

I've never seen one of those M-41s, but from the photo, not missing much. The drivers scopes are correct and the track guards (fenders)and position of the A1 aux eng muffler are proper, but the tracks are absolutely wrong and backwards, MG is in the wrong place and the coax is Mickey Mouse. But, the scale is a lot closer to 1;16. I have a Century 21 M-41 which I display with the rest, because the HL is totally out of scale.

Have to agree that the M-24 is a nice deisgn and a good looking tank. When it entered combat in Aug 43, it was the most heavily armed light tank in the world, but it was no match for a Russian T-34/85, so they were pretty well out classed in Korea. Odd about the M-24, the gunner and TC were on the left, which was very unusual for a US tank.

Talk about ugly tanks....check out the M-48A3 with candy apple red wheels and markings., Spider Man as a TC and a cal 50 where it was never used..[:'(][:@]. Fit only as a target.

fv432

looking at that glencoe version think i'll stick too my H/l bulldog at least it looks like a tank albeit slightly out of wack

even my tammy 1/35 looks more like the H/long

sorry wacky

wackywheelz

I much prefer the Glencoe's lines, more accurate overall dimensions, even if its missing detail (its an old kit, low part count) and has an internally toothed rear sprocket (like a T34).
It's sitting low because of a suspension issue, originally made to be RC'd but I think just forward/reverse, I got it secondhand (already sprayed), had plans to make it proper RC but that hasnt happened. Now that I have this 1/24 gearbox... hmmm

swathdiver

Fire your maintenance chief! Looks like a TC rolled the HL BullDog and nobody fixed it right away! How can we rely on you to be ready for combat?

I know the HL has oversize tracks but to me it sure looks meaner then the Glencoe! [>:]