The problems seem mostly to do with the electronics I'm afraid. [] Unfortunately, that is the hardest part to repair (unless you are really good with circuit boards etc.) and there are not any easy ways to go about upgrading, unless you want to put out a good bit of money. The thing about the Tamiya Tanks that makes them so appealing is the electronic system. Sure the detail is great, but it is the 'guts' that make them stand out above the cheaper tanks. The sounds and performance......they are just really high quality RC kits that make you later regret spending money on anything less.

I think that is the reason the Tamiya electronics are so much more expensive if bought individually, than they are if you buy the whole kit. Tamiya would probably sell fewer tank kits because people would just buy the parts to put into cheaper tanks (the conversion is not that hard). That's just my opinion.

As far as the durability of the tanks themselves, the Hen Long Tiger 1 and Pershing (Snow Leopard) are pretty decent and you can bash them around without too much worry. If your tank runs well for the first week, it will probably be a lot of fun. If it does not act right, send it back, immediately. [sm=thumbdown.gif]

Good Luck!
Jason