Hobby Engine M1A1 - Modifications
Well here we go again, its been a while since I've done any work on the abrams but since I purchased these new metal tracks and sprocket off ebay I'm ready to get to work! First I must say whilst being very expensive these tracks and sprocket are excellent quality and I think you'll agree no 1/16 Abrams is complete without them. I was also very surprised that when installed I've noticed almost no loss of speed but i will have to upgrade to 2 x 5000 mah batteries in series as the run time is quite a bit shorter now due to the added weight and beleive me these things weigh a tonne! Another positive is that the suspension sits at the correct height now and the ride is really soft just like the real thing. Anyway, the to do list is as follows and i'll hopefully be doing this over the next few weeks.
1. Finish milling out holes in sprockets, then paint
2. Correct rear light position
3. Correct front of chassis (Already did this but not happy with the angle. However will have to cut into original hull and may lose a little strength. Will use lots of epoxy!)
4. Install washer bushings in suspension arms to make arm movement more vertical and eliminate any play.
5. Check how metal axels have held up. Started to notice a small amount of play in wheels. May try to install bearings.
6. Install an inner rim on wheels in order to add strength and appear smaller. Paint original rims black to appear like rubber.
7. Somehow make the road wheel gap narrower as the track guides are narrower than previous. There's now about 3mm of play.
8. Install servo for barrel recoil
9. Install ARM module with flash to eliminate track recoil.
Please let me know if I'm missing anything important.
Cheers
Gareth