RE: Dropping in to say hi and introduce myself.
I'm back with a bit of an update for you guys, and a couple of questions.
First, the update. I decided that I'd rummage through my storage room to see if I could find a battery and charger that happened to be left over from when I was running the cars. While I was unable to find a battery, I did manage to find a decent charger. A [link=http://www.dynamiterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=DYN4044]Dynamite Vision Peak 2[/link] charger. I very rarely used it because I mostly used Deans connectors on all my batteries, and it was more of a backup charger (I used a [link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHDJ1&P=7]Duratrax ICE[/link] charger as my primary charger), so it should still be OK to use (might need to head to Radio Shack to replace a fuse if needed, but the fuse still looks good, so I doubt it). I was hoping I still had and could find the ICE, but the Vision should be more than enough. That should save me some money in getting the tank going.
Secondly, the questions. Since I don't have the manual for it, I searched online for a PDF copy, but the closest I could find was for the HL Snow Leopard. Reading through the manual and doing some additional research online has lead me to some questions regarding the durability of the tank and where I can run it. Is it really as delicate as the manual makes it out to be where it's strictly an indoor, hard surface tank? Would it stand up to outdoor use in 1/2"-2" grass, loose dirt, rough asphalt, climbing over roots, and climbing in and out of holes in the dirt? If it can't, what would be recommended upgrades to get it there? What I don't expect out of it is to go over jumps and high speed bumps like an RC truck would.
Granted, I know you get what you pay for, but if it can't handle the usage I have planned for it...wow. I don't mind doing repairs and upgrades to get it where I want it. Running cars, helis, and planes before this, I do expect to have maintenance on the tank to keep it up and to have to do some repairs as parts wear out over time or break whenever I have a "Ooops, duh" moment.
As for the battery I'll be getting, my LHS has these that I'll probably get one or the other of (hopefully by this time next week):
[link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXXUN6&P=0]Duratrax Onyx NiMH 6C 7.2V 2500mAh[/link]
[link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXXUN4&P=0]Duratrax Onyx NiMH 6C 7.2V 2000mAh[/link]