SyCo_VeNoM

I've been looking to get a RC tank for awhile. Nothing extravagant, seeing theres about a 99.999% probability I will never battle anyone the electronics for the gun/damage taking is not necessary.

Main thing I want it for is driving in winter through the snow. I figured a tracked vehicle like a tank would combat the snow way better than my trucks can.

I was flipping through the tower catalog and saw http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...1314&search=Go

Than I saw how many AA's it needs... seeing the tank itself needs 8AA's a 3s lipo I have laying around should power it fine

Few questions any help would be greatly appreciated.
1 physically how big are 1/24th scale tanks(or 1/32nd seeing tamiya has one in my range)? I looked on tower and don't see any measurements.
2 do he threads (or other parts) break often on tanks. I ask cause from my experiences with RC trucks they can be money pits, and tower doesn't list any replacement parts for the tank I posted
3 I'm guessing waterproofing it would be about equal to that of a RC car seeing I want it to go through snow.

Any other recommendations would be appreciated too(prefer German WW2 era tanks though). Due to how much I recently blew on my RC trucks my budget is limited to under $200.


Ohhh just saw http://www.raidentech.com/1scaibbrerac1.html How are HL tanks? The electronics moderately decent? I've tried their RC subs once(sucker sank) and was less than satisfied. But shooting BB's sounds like it could be fun

Glen B

I am no expert on this, just having gotten into it last Julybut I have been on a "crash course" on rc tanks.

I chose 1/16 scale, for perspective, a 1/16 Panther is about 8"wide and 16"long (not counting the gun). IMHO that is about the 1/16 scale is the smallest fior good outdoor operation.

My understanding is that for snow operations, it is best on those days when the snow has a "crust" on it and the tank should be chilled outside for a while to get it cool enough that the snow doesn't stick to it.

Here is a youtube video of a 1/16 Tiger I in the snow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl2AO...eature=related

I am sure you will get some good recommendations where to but from, this isn't the only place but all three tanks I have bought came from here, I would order the next one from them, sa well;

http://matomart.com/homepage.php

BIGMIG

the 1/24 scale tanks "ball park size" 6x13 not counting the gun over hang.

If you go 1/16 size make sure you buy the Smoke and Sound models.

There are still a lot of ( NON ) Smoke and Sound models on the market place...............Spend the 10 dollars or so more and get a much better tank with Smoke and Sound.

BIGMIG

Buy where you wishBut Raidentech will be hard to beat and usually has free shipping. "CJFREESHIPPING" try that code
for free shipping.

SyCo_VeNoM

Thanks for the info
ok after seeing that sucker in snow I definitely want one
Guess I'll go 1/16th seeing they seem to use normal stick packs with no mods(a 2S lipo wold fit in and make it run for a VERY LONG time )

Only questions left how are the heng long radios that come in them?

and why is http://matomart.com/prodview.php?p=605 $60 only (besides it having plastic gears and tracks)

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

The HL's are toy grade and thi is apparent with the stock radio systems. They are twitchy compared to as hobby grade system. I like the HL's and own a few of them, but the electronics are not like the higher priced Tamiya tanks. If you are simply looking ofr something to mess around with and leave stock, an HL is a great way to go and in time, you will most likely want to upgrade to a Tamiya. For HL's the PzIII, PzIV, Pershing, and Bulldog are great otb runners. I have also heard good things about the new Panther G. For snow, you shoul d look away from the smaller PzII, and IV as they use a narrow track from the factory and are not the best for snow, IMO. A wider track would mean more stability in this condition and the Panther G, KV 1, Pershing would probably be better choices for this use. I hope this helps a bit.

Glen B

I have no complaints on the three I have.

They are have some items on sale, I took advantage of this and bought a Panzer IVF2 and am happy I did.

This one is on sale and is based on the Panther G, it's tracks are wider, which should help out in the snow;

http://matomart.com/prodview.php?p=670

Panther G

although snow is rdriven through quite often in videos it is NOT a good normal driving surface for these tanks of any scale except the very large, 1/8, 1/6/.

SyCo_VeNoM

lol Trust me I know the money abyss RC's are
Started with buying only ONE RC truck last year now I own around 10
Not planning on getting so heavy into tanks 1-2 and that is it I swear. Damn I sound like some kind of crack addict

One thing that will limit me greatly though in is the 1/16th tanks would be pushing my storage ability to the max

Panther F

If it were me I would get the Tamiya Sherman. By the time you upgrade 2 HL tanks you might have the same amount of money invested and have less heartache with the Tamiya.


- Jeff

Panther G

Thats the true fact of the matter. Alot of people complain about the price off Tamiya tanks, and then go buy 2 or 3 HL or other brand tanks and spend a small fortune on them, I have quite a few tanks now. never though it would go this far. Still models I want that don't have yet. the pint is if you already are into RC ground vehicles you know the cost. you may as well start with a Tamiya and have a good solid reliable tank to run. Now, I know these comments upset some people, but do the math. More people are ok with having a number of tanks that aren't as good but they have more than 1 tank. this is fine.
Again, if you have RC's you know the investment aspect of the hobby. You get what you pay for. If i was to hop into the off or over the road trucks, which I have considered, I will buy the absolute best model I can afford the first time out.
The onlycategoryof this is Airplanes where i would start with a lower grade model. Because YOU WILL CRASH IT. LOL.

SyCo_VeNoM

My new plan is to buy one soon see if my nephew likes it, see how well it performs, than order him one for a present probably for Xmas if I find it decent.
kinda why I said 1-2 tanks once I saw the HL prices

Panther G

the HL's would be the way to go then. I got HL's for my nephews and they love them. You can get electronics kits for the HL's that make them battle system compatible with the Tamiya tanks. you could start with 2 Hl's, then get your self a Tamiya and convert/mod your nephews with a DBC system to make it TBU compatible. (TBU =Tamiya battle system)

Eggman1965

My Feedback: (3)

I'm with Panther G. I'm also a total newbie and for my first tank I bought a HL Tiger I with metal tracks. In my opinion the HL Tiger hull/rear idler wheel setup isn't strong enough for metal tracks. In retrospect the base model from Matomart (I shop there because I'm in Canada and they have been great) with plastic tracks would have been a better choice for me. You can get into a Panther Gfor less than $140 or Jagd Panther for less than $100. Either of these tanks will be loads of juvenile fun, just know that they have limitations on scale realism and performance, don't bother trying to make them into something they are not unless you are a real master modeller and love to spend money.

Now: Welcome to the club!

Eggman1965

My Feedback: (3)

Oh yes, I wouldnot recommend the MATOSherman as a FIRST tank. The radio/electronics are a bit dodgy, try the Panther G, or the Panzer III, or maybe the Panzer IV or Pershing or....

Just make sure you post some pics so we can all have a laugh when you show us all 5 of your new tanks that you never intended to buy!!

SyCo_VeNoM

wasn't planning on making them something there not.
scale realism isn't that important to me in all truth. I go more for fun factor

BTW you make it sound like the metal gears and chains are not worth the added cost. I was actually wondering that if they were really worth it last night at work when I was thinking about it.

Spitvalve

Actually, I think you'll find any of the HL's just fine, not just for your nephews but you as well. Driving them around is fun, but after about 15 minutes, I've had my fill for quite a while. And that includes duking it out with my kids and their tanks. I drove around a friend's Tamiya jagdpanther this summer and yes, it's a great drive compared to my HL PZIII and Tiger, but the thrill lasted about 20 minutes. I guess I'm more of a paint and building stuff guy, and the fact that it moves is a nice add on. I think I'd be happy just getting them, painting and weathering them, and then selling them off. I would never pay the going prices for a Tamiya because it would be a great tank that I'd feel the urge to use about 2 hours a year, total. You might be the same. The HL's are a great way to find out, and you can turn them into pretty good vehicles for a reasonable price. On the other hand, you might be an absolute tank fiend, and a Tamiya will be just the ticket.

Mike.

Panther G

I have spent so much time building and modding this year i haven't driven not 1 of my tanks in months. i'm going to finish the Pershing i'm working on now, and shelve the rest of my projects till winter. I really want to get some stick time in since the good weather is coming. I weld for a living. I hate summer. LOL

snakestretcher52

Metal tracks and gears are absolutely worth it. As far as HL go be sure that you get a model with full metal upgrade including sprockets and idlers. Plastic sprockets/idlers aren't really man enough to handle heavy metal tracks.

BIGMIG

I allways get amazed at a lot of posts on here when it comes to the HL tanks and how they are just junk unless you try to make them into and perform like the ( ALL MIGHTY TAMIYA ).

It's like a guy buys a Volkswagen to go from point "A" to point "B" in his daily life and the "Rolls Royce" owner keeps telling him it's junk and he will never be happy until he buys a "Rolls".

I've been into most of the RC hobby's for many years and it is the same thing in all the forums (pick a catagoryCars-plans-heli's-Boats-tanks ).I buy only the best and yours will just not do what mine will do.What a crock of "Bullsheep".This is like a stuck record and it realy gets very old after a while.

Been here for over three years and have seen a lot of guys come and go.I would bet that 80 percent of them still have thier tanks and they are setting on a shelf just like mine are collecting dust. Tamiya's along with HL and all the others.

Did I have fun with mineYes I did. Mine was more of a collection right from the start,but I did also alter a lot of my vehicles.
The best part is I don't have a hell of a lot of money in what i have,so setting on the shelf is no big deal.For any RC hobby you can remember this........Buy what you like and injoy what you buy because that will most likely be all you are going to get out of the deal.
When you buy a RC toy (don't make any difference what toy ) when you open it up and take it out of the box and use it (it is now a used item ) and 95 percent of the time you are going to loose money when and if you try to sell it.Money wise it is a loosing propasition period.

This tank forum for a new guy can be a big puzzel and will offer a very biased bunch of opinions when it comes to RC tanks.It took me a long time to figure out that Tanks over-all are not a very big market when it comes to RC toys.Can't think of one seller who could make a living just selling nothing but tanks. (well not what most would call making a living anyway ).If you have some tanks and want to sell them.....Good luck....lets see what you get out of them compaired to what you have in them.

There will allways be the "Jones's".......They are on every other street corner along with those who think they would like to be like the "jones's.And then there are those who realy could care less about either one of them and just goes about injoying themselves and having a good time.

Now buy yourself a cheap and fun HL tank and of course you will have to make it like the "MIGHTY TAMIYA " in order to be one of the "high Rollers""and have the best".

SAYS WHO-

BIGMIG

Eggman1965

My Feedback: (3)

The reason I don't recommend the metal tracks (gears yes, tracks no) is that they add a big chunk of change to your first purchase and the extra strain on the idlers (on MYTiger I) was too much even though I bought the metal idler wheels.

I bought my first tank to have FUN with, and I still do. I drive 'em both in the house and in the garden and when the battery dies Icharge it up and drive 'em some more the next day. I haven't painted or modded anything yet except for adding HengLong I.R. systems (Thanks Tim!) I just have always liked tanks and I can afford the HL's but not a Tamiya and I'm good with that. I'm a proud OTB tanker and Imake no apologies!

Eggman1965

My Feedback: (3)

BTW Ijust bought the Panzer IV F2 from MatoMart plastic tracks and all! $89.90 + HSTand shipping (Canadian) BEAT THAT Tamiya! Just kidding, Tamiya is great but guys like Karel47 who scratch build their HL's into works of scale art really win my admiration. (see his Panther G thread and be AMAZED )

SyCo_VeNoM

You bring up a very good point. I've had RC's that have had probably 10 minutes of use in 8 months. Hell I started building a RC airplane and kinda died out on it at 25% complete.

Think to see how I like the tank side I think I'm going to order one of the non-metal geared ones as a test.
If I like it I can always get the metal gears, 1:3 gearbox, and all the rest later on. Other thing is I actually like working on RC's myself and have more fun fixing/modifying them usually than running

Down to these 2 for now(would use matomart but shipping from canada is killer)

http://www.raidentech.com/1scaibbrerac.html Is that a HL seeing it don't mention the maker? just something about the PANZERKAMPFWAGEN lll's looks keep drawing me too it

http://www.raidentech.com/huma1getiirc.html How are Marui seeing I've not seen them mentioned? Are any upgrades available? or are they a renamed henglong?

YHR

For me a Tamiya is a well designed kit,end of story. In my opinion that in istelf is not enough to have me chose them over anything else. I like dabbling with new ideas, and trying out new techniques in kitbashing a tank. I thoroughly enjoy modding the Mato VVSS to make it fully functional. I am having a blast with my HE Leo. No instructions to follow, just pull them apart an put them back together to make them better then stock.

I have backed off and I don't challenge the Tamiya mantra any longer. The name of the game is to have fun and endulge in what you like most about the hobby. For me that is taking an HE Leo or a Mato Sherman, stripping them down, and building them back up. It has nothing to do with cost. Your opinion may very , but I just don't have as much fun following directions to build a kit tank so I choose not to buy Tamiya. However if they came out with a Comet or a T-55 I would scoop one up the very next day.

SO I say you need to discover exactly what it is about this hobby you enjoy, and then go with that regardless of cost.

Tamiya offers one route to go , but there are many other routes as well. You have to pick the one that entertains you the most, and go with it.

For some people the Tamiya is an awesome road to travel, for others it is not. THere is no definitive right answer because it is subjective to you the modeler.

Panther G

Really the only time I ever bring it up is when you have a guy who say's over and over he can't afford a Tamiya, But he'll buy 3 or 4 HL's in one year. How can you honestly say you cant afford one in that situation. that is my only way  to look at this. I really like up grading HL and WSN tanks. But the only electronics that I prefer too use are the Tamiya units. Thats just the way I like too build them.

Spitvalve

You want to stay away from that PZIII at Raidetech. It is an HL but from the description it's one of the old models with only two speeds, and they don't come with rubber covered wheels. Look for HL's that are "smoke and sound, or "super" version. Those are the newer, much improved vehicles, with better boards etc. Yes, the PZIII has a nice workhorse, no-nonsense look to it.

Mike.