Hey all,

This forum is really making me want a couple tanks! It sounds like the HL 1/16 S&S tanks are the best bang for the buck by far.

I've read back through a lot of posts and looked at a lot of vendor websites, but I'm not sure about all the particulars, as many descriptions are lacking in completeness or else just copied and pasted. Here are some questions that I still have:

1) Where are you (in the US) buying these? I've ruled out Hobbytron because of the bad reviews, and am currently looking at Emax Toys or WonderHobby.com. Stocking is an issue, but that's my problem, I guess.

2) Do all the Sound & Smoke tanks have the updated speed controller? I've looked at the Mato site (very well-done, but VERY expensive shipping to the US) --- they indicate as much, but other stores sometimes show descriptions that mention 2-speed only for the S&S versions. Are these just bad examples of web maintenance?

3) The Mato tanks come with a metal gearbox, it seems. Is that standard on the S&S, or do they normally come with plastic gears?

4) I gather that the best off-road are the Bulldog and Pershing/Leopard --- are the guns just as powerful as the German tanks?

5) What breaks first? What parts should I order right away? Not really thinking I need metal tracks, though.

Thanks a lot for any help!
Scotty