ORIGINAL: WhiteWolf McBride
Guys:
Many of the HL suppliers ARE backing up their sales because of the bad press. MatoToys is one, and Murphy Ma listens to the guys in the Marui Tank Group. The HL tanks are getting aftermarket stuff much faster than the Tamiya's did... and I say that as the owner of six Tamiya tanks, including two rare Leopard 1A4's.
Reindeer:
You want a less bias'd spin on the Hen Long 1/16 tanks, join the Marui Tank Group and ask them, the word of tried and true owners of the product:
[EDIT]
Stern can also give you a link to a good group over in Germany (seems posting it is verboten for some wierd reason)
I've seen a few clips of them, and they don't look very bad at all. I'll probably buy one later this spring, when Murphy has more stock.
WhiteWolf
Thanks for the link! I’ve signed up, will take a look through the messages later on...
LOL! It wasn't my intention to start a Hen Long debate... just more of what a course would be for a good R/C tank. My choice of words might not have been the best, but here is my reasoning against HL.
1. I’ve had a lot of experience over the years going “the cheap route”. Sometimes things work out, but more often than not the product fails a lot sooner, or turns out to be more trouble than it’s worth. It usually ends up being more of a hassle and costing more in the long run than if I had simply gone out and bought a better quality item to start. This has especially proven true when it comes to electronics and copycat items.
2. Something else to consider… if HL tanks are even half-way decent, why are some sellers on eBay going to such great lengths to disguise them as something else? Some of the ads border on fraud… kind of a risky gambit for selling a model if it really is worth getting, no?
3. Opinions are like… well, I’m sure everyone has heard that expression before. Any product is going to have its share of loyal followers and detractors. However, when there seems to be an overwhelming consensus for/against a product, usually there is something to it.
Before anybody says anything, again I am a newbie when it come s to R/C tanks, so I do realize that my opinions in this case are not worth very much.
4. 1/16 HL... I’m going to say it up front that I’m very skeptical about the quality of these tanks. The Toy East website advertises the Tiger at only $31... either they are selling the tank at cost and attempting to make their profit via inflated shipping, or the tank really is that cheap. Considering that I shipped out a couple of planes overseas this last summer, their S+H fees don't seem that far out of line. That leaves the next question... what kind of a model are you going to get for $31, and an RTR at that?
http://www.toyeast.com/v3/pdtdetail...._id=a01400699#
5. 1/24 HL... To me it just isn't worth it. First off, I can get genuine Marui tanks from Tower Hobbies for ~$100 ($110 for the Leopard). Now, if I were to buy 2 tanks as per my idea, the total would be $210. Tower is currently offering $30 off for any order over $199, plus I'm also a Super Saver VIP Ultra Deluxe Preferred Customer Club Member
, which translates into free shipping for orders over $150. My family has done TONS of business with Tower over the years, so I know they are trustworthy, and they would offer recourse in the event they sent me a lemon. Bottom line is that I could buy the two tanks and have them shipped to my door for $180. That's probably not very far off from what two HL tanks would cost by the time I had them shipped.
6. FWIW, I’m starting to cool on the idea of the 1/9 Abrams for the above reasons. The main attractions were its size and that there is an attempt at aftermarket upgrades. However, after doing a little more research, I’m beginning to think that perhaps a Bandai tank might be the happy medium… but that’s for another thread.
