rgallant

Just to chime in on this as I have been researching costs- note I used a higher level model than the OP, his price is spot on if I dropped to the one without metal upgrades.

Pzkw IV F2 170.00 RcCommand
DBC2 140.00 ready to go
Steel gearbox 35.00
Shipping 50.00 - I don't know for sure as this would vary but it is a good starting number.

Total $395.00 -less any taxes

So using the stock radio you are 1/2 or less than price of a Tamiya product.

Optional

Radio should be a null as both Tamiya and HL need one.

Dx6i Radio 129.00
Br6000 RX 49.00
Shipping 16.00

Total $194.00


Pzkw IV complete turret with asiatam recoil

114.00 shipped.


Total if you go whole hog : 703.00

Still cheaper than any Tamiya I could find.

Everything in this list is new and current prices on the net. By buying used you could cut the radio price in half quite easily, but as I noted it is a null as both systems need one. The steel gear box is just to get past teh whingin about HL metal gear boxes , mine works fine if it is a little noisy. But 35.00 is worth the better reliability.

So far my HL Pzkw IV has gone everywhere I want through 6 battery charges without fail. No breakages, no faults so if you and your buddies want to get your feat wet start HL unless money is not an object.

YHR

Don't need a radio with a Heng Long it comes with one

blitzkrieg65

YHR if you are using the DBCRC2 you need a hobby type radio that gives you the ability use other ground frequencies that is what the post is refferring too in the $317 Battle tank!

Sure with the DBC/DBU you can use the Heng long radio, but then you are limited with frequencies and performance!

The Blitz

pcomm1

This thread is truly penny wise and pound foolish.

Before taking that HL Pz4 TBU hit on your wallet, ask yourself how many battles will the budget TBU tank be ready for in 3 or 4 years?

Those crafty DAK guys will not tell you that and the answer is not very many.

These are MY real hard dollar costs for an out of the box Tamiya Pz4 build:
Tamiya Pz4 with TBU from Hobby Summit in Hong Kong delivered/insured to CA: $720.00
DX5e and BR6000 with USPS/Insurance: $145.00
Battery from local hobby shop: $21.50
Paint from local hobby shop: $17.85
Total: $904.35

Using the whole hog dollar value and is there any other way for an HL tank?

For as little as $201.35 more, and with a little skill, some patience and focus and you can build a REAL model that will provide fun for years and can be maintained and easily rebuilt and upgraded.

And that is exactly what the DAK boys most often run, Tamiya tanks.

RSEA

I thought I would check out both of these claims online.

Panzer IV F2: Heng Long vs Tamiya examination of two routes to financial meltdown

Panzer IV F2 170.00 RcCommand (Metal gearboxes, sprocket wheels, idler wheels and tracks)
DBC2 140.00 ready to go
Steel gearbox 37.00 (base tank above already has metal gearboxes, apparently this is suppose to be an even better metal gearbox set?)
Heng Long recoil unit $10 (will probably need a few scratch built mods to hook it up to the gun barrel? Might have to spend more to get the recoil to work with the gun barrel?)
Shipping 50.00 - I don't know for sure as this would vary but it is a good starting number.

DX5e with its included AR500 receiver (which a DAK member Dug claims to work just fine. Was tested last weekend.). - $99
shipping $16.00

Battery from local hobby shop: $21.50
Paint from local hobby shop: $17.85

Total $561.35 (OUCH! That is kinda hitting the wallet where it hurts)

Tamiya Panzer IV WITHOUT TBU from Hobby Summit in Hong Kong delivered/insured to AZ: $769
TBU from Hobby Summit in Hong Kong delivered/insured to AZ: $89
DX5e and AR500 with shipping: $115
Battery from local hobby shop: $21.50
Paint from local hobby shop: $17.85

Total: $1012.35 (OUCH!!! OUCH!! OUCH!! WOW that hurts! lol That feels like a 75mm round just went through my wallet!! Now I wonder if I'll be able to afford the electricity to recharge my tank's batteries. lol)

For as LITTLE as $451.00 more, and with a little skill, some patience and focus you can build a REAL superior Japanese made model that will provide fun for years and can be maintained and easily rebuilt and upgraded as long as you don't break its plastic (superior?) tracks. Add $100+ for metal tracks increasing total damage to $1112.35+ (which would be more like an 88mm round hitting your wallet. At this point you have about doubled the cost of the inferior Heng Long sick tank of asia.)

pcomm1

Not a claim, corrected facts, checked back at Paypal and I was off by $59.00 on the initial cost of my Tamiya/TBU kit, The adjusted build math remains accurate.
Contact Patrick directly, off ebay, for an email quote via PayPal payment for better Pz4 pricing, most tank guys know that.
Check these guys below for the DX5e and upgrade receiver or get it for 99 bucks too. I listed a radio cost figured for my build. And transmitter/receiver shut down is a big deal as is any mods to a Tamiya DMD Unit: not good. Experience and time will tell you why!

And here is a tip, the Tamiya kit plastic tracks, specially for TBU battle field use are a far superior solution relative to gearbox wear & tear over heavy metal tracks. The stock Tamiya Pz4 tracks look and run just fine and that is why I used them on this model.

Updated:
See below; Tamiya Pz4 with TBU from Hobby Summit in Hong Kong delivered/insured to CA: $779.00
DX5e and BR6000 with USPS/Insurance: $145.00 (http://www.superdroidrobots.com/shop/item.asp?itemid= 923)
Battery from local hobby shop: $21.50
Paint from local hobby shop: $17.85
Total: $963.35

So, what is your point, your cheap? Well, the following is my point, build a cost effective rc model that does what you want to do and does those tasks well.

You either make the investment if you want to play fight at club tank battles with your rc model or you don't. Simple.

Both the HL & Tamiya build numbers are steep, sure, but the Tamiya direction offers you a model that will better handle the abuse and last a good long while if you are going to fight it at tank club events.

The HL is not easily or cheaply made durable, and I know that as fact, because I fooled around with these "new to DAK HL Battlefield TBU tanks" during the summer of 2007 and again in mid 2008, but with all Tamiya components setup in a plug and play install. Drove the HL Pz3s easy and the wheels and suspension still eventually failed. HLs proved to me that they are a waste of time and money when setup as TBU club combat type tanks.

But HLs are great for fun running and backyard fights, no doubt, [i]but it takes way to many dollars to turn one into a good battlefield runner. Cheaper to enter the club fight with a Tamiya Sherman or Tiger I and that is not a new point or statement or observation.

Plus, why show up at your local tank club event with an HL tank when all the top club dogs are running Tamiyas tanks, think about it.

The DAK guys are crafty and just looking for new cannon fodder.

Good luck with whatever you build.

RSEA

Do you have to have a special rapport with Hobby Summit to get that price for both the tank and TBU? The prices I posted came from his Ebay online store.

What website did the radio package come from?

I'm new to this tank stuff, I'm certainly not trying to claim that I know it all.. Far from it. I spent a lot of time tonight monitoring two DMD units on ebay, watched them go to two different people (glad I didn't try to bid on them now, as I would have ended up with only one of them at best and would have been unhappy as a result). I think I'm all tanked out for a while now lol.

pcomm1

Well I am no expert either, a mid level plus builder after 5 years of rc tank experience and I am just sharing my own experiences since the rc tank waters are clearly infested with tons of vendor sharks hawking a bunch of parts that just do not work very well, look very good or last very long and cost a bunch. But with that said you can purpose whatever you build and still make it cost effective against how you plan to run or not run it: shelf queen, club fighter, indoor runner and or backyard runner. Each type of rc tank has it's own unique price point to try and budget against.

I have tried winning DMD units on ebay. To hard.

I set my Pz3 up using the DMD units from a shelf queen Tiger IE, plug and play style.

For a first rc TBU club tank I recommend a Sherman, or the Tiger I, really competitive fighters. The Tamiya Pz4 is not proven yet and is a small model, but a very interesting model to build and a tank I really like. The build in progress is a lot fun. But due consider that the Tiger, Panther and KT and the Sherman offer somewhat more "battle field presence" than this little panzer.

Of course it is raining now that the build is almost ready for some paint.

rgallant

Well, looks just a heli forum now if you don't have x you have crap. It will never work right always break and be junk. I never understood it there I do not understand it here either I flown lots of "crap" with no problems and enjoyed them. I suspect the same will true of HL Panzer IV. I would like to get a group of tankers going here, if they need to invest over 1000.00 (CDN) it will never happen. But enjoy what you have, I know I will and the people I battle with will too. In the interests of fairness, I will log my run time and nature of failures of the next few months.

As for the viability of smaller tanks like Shermans and PZ IV's that is more a function of everyone wanting Panthers and Tigers, but that is really for another post.

RSEA

No, not being cheap. Just have come to the realization that I am simply too financially poor at this time to afford a FO Tamiya kit.

Looks like I won't be able to make the investment to play fight in the near future then.


If I go next time, I will be showing up without a tank, so that will not be an issue. Maybe I'll be able to briefly drive someone's HL to see how lousy it is compared to the Tamiya Shermans and Tiger I drove last time.

I already was cannon fodder, BIG TIME, while driving 3 different Tamiya Shermans, so I can't see how much worse I could do with a HL lol. I might actually do better if the HL turret can actually turn without getting stuck though. The Shermans I was driving were functioning more like self-propelled assault guns like the StuG III or Jagdpanther.

I think the ideal option for me would be to scratch build a 1/16 Maus or E-100 (with Maus turret)... If it was possible to set it up so that it took 13 or 14 hits to knock it out that is. If I was wealthy, I'd seriously consider it, as I'd like to have something that made the King Tiger look like a little Panzer III. Even better yet would be the LandKreuzer P-1000 RATTE!! That would be really sweet indeed lol. No Aircraft to worry about during IR battles so these things would be awesome [>:] Hits on that bad boy would have to be at least 20 or 24 (correction more like 50 hits after looking at the size difference compared to the Maus)! I then would no longer be the first tank to get knocked out in the battle Would you have the guts to take me on in your Tamiya King Tiger Pcomm1? [>:] lol I wouldn't even have to bother shooting at the other tanks, just run right over them! Somehow though, I don't think SCAT or DAK would allow this tank on their battlefields.. It would just be too unfair for them [>:].

Have a look at my new favorite IR Battle tank:
http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us...00%20Ratte.htm