I have built all the Tamiya rc WWII tank lineup to run well outdoors and to look pretty good too.

All the kits have their pluses and minuses. I saved and did without, just like many other modelers I know, to purchase the kits I want to build.

I did not mind the cost to upgrade some of the builds with replacement parts, such as the Sherman Easy 8 turret kit.

But, I was not happy that after the initial cash outlay, my Panther model required several "corrective parts" to remedy the defective parts supplied with the kit.

Those "corrective parts" added significant cost to the Panther build and that is a first relative to any of my other Tamiya rc tank kit builds.

And that fact is my complaint with Tamiya’s Panther rc kit.

None of the other Tamiya 1/16 kit builds ever forced you into that position, having to buy corrective parts.

The Pershing, Sherman and Tiger run outdoors just fine, built completely stock out of the box.

The King Tiger does require a track idler spring suspension system to get the model to run on it's tracks (low cost fix) without breaking them, but works good after that tweak.

Other than using a solid turret rotation clutch gear for all the Tamiya WWII rc tanks, really, nothing else is required, just follow the directions, do a careful build and the model will run just fine outdoors.

Perhaps Tamiya (and even HL) should both take a look at how their giant, successful relative does things and how they got “there” (not in F1 racing though).

The most important part on a car is the "one not working", Toyota’s motto.

PS Daryl Turner's gearbox mount brace and metal elevation arm will save you from some maintenance grief down the road when installed in any Tamiya WWII tank. And the metal Panther barrel sleeve fix is a great solution to the lousy fitting Tamiya mantlet and main gun barrel parts.