2 cents on Tamiya tank confusion:

Here is a brief breakout on the build criteria used for Tamiya RC Tanks, as I have learned to understand it:

1a. Build stock to run around on your wife's carpet: all Tamiya WWII tanks do that fine and no modifications are needed.

1b. Build stock to run around outdoors: all Tamiya WWII tanks will do that, but usually don't go to very far without some difficulty and don't tackle the terrain you generally want to cover, at least not very well.

2a. Build to run outdoors with better performance using metal tracks: add bearings, a gearbox mount brace, an improved idler system and a metal elevation arm and remove & glue the black clutch gear in the rotation unit solid (re-install gear after it dries)and your tracks stay on bettergoing over challenging terrain.

2b.Build to run outdoors with better performance using kit tracks: add a gearbox mount brace, an improved idler spring return system and a metal elevation arm and remove & glue the black clutch gear in the rotation unit solid (re-install gear after it dries) and your tracks stay on better going over challenging terrain. Could be a pattern is developing here!

3. Build to run and fight at tank club events: expect to add all the modifications for better over all reliable performance as listed above.

4. Build torun, fight and win at tank club events, expect to add all the modifications plus stronger transmissions and more powerful motors, unless your about ten years old and a born natural with your dad's transmitter (then any old rc tank basher will do).

5. Build your tank to look great and let it sit on the shelf while never getting it to run right. Seems to be the most common Tamiya build criteria, intentional or not. Buy RTR is the common fix recommendation or add the after market parts to your Tamiya build.LOL.

6. WWII Panther Industrial Design History:

True, the Panther and Jagdpanther were two of the best designed tanks during WWII.

But they were not the best fighting tanks of WWII and that is a big difference.

What shoots reliably everyday is far more important than a broken down, brilliantly designed,unreliable tank.Specially if your the guy being shot at.

In action, the Panthers did not live up to there design promise. But that does not mean Panther's were not feared when they did show up on the battlefield, they were respected during there day.

The Panther created serious problems for the offensive German Army. They broke down and did not achieve their purpose during the Third Invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany. There reliability was terrible and they caught fire easily, as reported by the top panzer generals. Yes, Panther tank production was higher than Tiger I tanks (the Panther was cheaper to build), but production from a now huge German manufacturing base was not much higher than the long production run of the Panzer IV.

The Panther's simplified final drive system became the single major cause of breakdowns for the tank and was a problem that was never corrected. A tank that can't get to the fight is useless and that is why the PZ4J was still around in 1945.

And the Soviets reported the early Panthers transmissions and engines to be junk.All this info is easy to find online, just go and Google and read, but the best info is found at the US Army history web sites.





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