Hi everyone, I am new to this whole scene, and in fact do not as yet actually have a tank, which leads me to my question to you.
My dearly beloved Missus is going to buy me a R/C tank for my birthday ( yaaaay !!! ) but I am having a little bit of a problem choosing which one to choose. It WILL be a Heng Long !!!! this is 'cos I am a poor lad and she an' me cant afford one of the more luxurious Tamiya jobs !!! So Heng Long it WILL BE. Problem I have is which one to choose, I am torn between the Tiger ( I just saw the real one at Bovington Tank museum, She was running and I watched her being driven into the Museum...AWESOME DUDES !!!! ) and the Walker Bulldog. Now before any silly bugger says to buy 'em both, remember what I said earlier in this post about the lack of funds. Has anybody out there got any views ( I feel sure that you do !! ) on which one is the tank to buy, and if so why.

All answers in plain english please as I am a bit fick...hurhurhurhur...I can lift heavy weights though....hurhurhur

Cheers in advance

Welcome and tis a good thing you have already stated you want a Heng Long for economic purposes. This will avoid much needless debate off the bat.

Do some searching on here and you will find all kinds of thoughts and opinions on the various Heng Long tanks. To be sure, make SURE it is one of the Smoke and Sound versions (S&S) in that they are much better than the earlier ones that are still found on ebay and other places.

I purchased my HL Tiger I from Raidentech here in the states for $67 shipped and mine works fine still 2 months or so later. I have been one of the lucky ones, or so I have been told. Some have had problems but as mentioned before, the newer S&S versions are much better built. Many get theirs from Mata toys and go for the all metal gearbox versions with metal tracks etc.. Based on what I have read, I'm not exactly sold on the idea that the metal version is so much better that it justifes the price difference. If I were you I would see who sells the S&S version in the UK for the best price and has a decent reputation. You might see what Raidentech can do for you with shipping - provided they have them in stock.

I think the Tiger is a fine raw modeling project for the money involved. Many have done all kinds of upgrades and have relocated a few details that are inaccurate for the discerning eye. I personally have not done this - opting for just painting and weathering the tank as is. There is also a German Heng long site in English that is worth looking into - someone will post it here for you - don't have it handy at the moment. I plane to get the Pershing next - the Walker is nice as well if a tad on the big side compared to its 1/16 brethren in this line.

Good luck and like the name and avatar. Enclosed is my one tank I own for purposes of giving you and idea before you do you search.

Im in Tenn so I certainly don't work for Raidentech out of California - I just had a good experience with them thats all. Anyway, I took the time to put in a phony address to the UK to see and it looks to be $54 US dollars to ship it there so I am sure you can find someplace in the UK that will much cheaper for you.

The guts (electronics) inside are all the same, so it's really a personal preference thing for you to decide. Definitely get a smoke and sound version and if funds are available get a tank that comes with metal tracks and gearboxes if your choice is between the Tiger and Pershing. Non-metal tracked versions of the Panther and M41 are available as well.

Personally, I'd get the Tiger. It lends itself to a whole host of modifications that have been done already and has more historical relevance to you and your countrymen who were savaged by these beasts during the war. Pershings and M41s did not serve in combat in your country and only a few were in the inventory for evaluation purposes to my knowledge.

As with all prospective Heng Long buyers, my advice to you is to make sure you buy an extra set of boards and a soldering iron. They are just as necessary as the controller and will minimize down time should you experience any.

Enjoy!

Thank you Templars for your informative reply, I do indeed have every intention of getting the S & S version of whatever tank that I ( That is my missus ) buy. I love the Tiger, I have quite a few 1/72 and 1/35 scale models of the striped beastie, and I do like the idea of chopping it about to improve the accuracy ( not sure what can be done with the 88's barrel though ) I can get a S & S tiger here off eBay for £69 for the Grey version, and believe it or not £79 for the sand coloured version ( hmmmmm a no brainer there then, how much is a pot of German sand ? and my airbrush is raring to go !!! ) they are both the same spec with the 2000 m battery not the 1700.
So is the Walker bigger than the Tiger ? or am I just being Fick....hurhurhur..( I did warn ya !!! )

Glad you like the nic and the Avatar picked the nickname up while I was in the Air-force, won't go into any details on that though...hehehehe as for the flag....Keep it flying bro !!!

Cheers A

Of and BTW your Tiger looks pretty cool and sorta menacing, just like it should do !!

A

I have the Tiger 1 and really like it. But I have always liked the Tiger tank so for me their was no other choose. The Heng Long tanks all have some things that are not right as far as parts bing miss place, the Tigers main gun mantel is upside down which puts the coax MG on the wrong side small things like that. Other guy will tell you that they are not that reliable and brake down alot, but like you I too do not have $600.00+ to spend on a Tamiya that and my wife would shoot me for spending that much on a "toy tank". I have have my HL tiger for a few months and have run it pretty hard, I live in Florida so it is pretty HOT out and my tank is still runing strong. Which ever tank you decide to go with I would make sure that you get the Super version with metal gear box. I got most of my stuff from MATO Toys. Hope this helps a little.

Jeff

Well I must say that I am very impressed with the feedback I have recieved so far, I just looked on the Raidentech site BLOODY 'ELL thats cheap !!! compared to us poor old souls in Bloody England, who are ripped off left right and centre, it works out that I would pay around £33 if I bought one from there, granted there would be post and packing on top of that......however our wonderful customs and excise would then sting me for import duty....jeez, it's enough to make ya weep aint it ? Anyway they are out of stock, so looks like my missus will have to stump up the dough over here anyway.
So far then you chaps are swinging me in favour of our striped friend which we all know and love, so keep the feed back coming.

Cheers A

I would try Mato Toys.

Jeff

Thanks KillhammerI have looked at Mato toys too,the prices ( to a poor old Brit that is ) are amazing. The fully loaded Tiger, with metal tracks etc. etc. works out at about 1/3 the price of what it would cost over here in dear old Blighty. The problem is when you add shipping and then import duty at this end, then it becomes more expensive to buy from there, which is a real bummer, I tell you we are SOOOOOO ripped off in this country it aint true my friend, but hey what do you do ?
I see also on mato's website that they have a replacement cannon barrel, is this just a stock one or is it corrected for length etc ?

Cheers A

templar >>>you have a nice tank,your ss emblem is well painted .
here they are :

quote: " There is also a German Heng long site in English that is worth looking into - someone will post it here for you - don't have it handy at the moment. "

http://www.rc-panzerketten-forum.com...hp?boardid=121

http://www.razyboard.com/system/foru...rd-844173.html

http://www.rcpanzer.de/apportal/main.php

Hi

I am another poor ripped of Brit (Scot to be most precise) and feel the same as yourself. I have the Tiger and the Pershing and prefer the Tiger purely on looks but both are quite good once you have done some work on them. I have not had any major reliability issues but they are both smoke and sound versions which I believe helps. I have modded mine considerably and for little cost, just some time and effort. I have put a picture of one of mine to give you another idea to go along with the excellent one Templars posted.



As for where to get them, I got mine of ebay from Germany as they actually worked out cheaper this way. Postage within the EU is actually not much more than within the UK so it would be worth having a look about.

Whatever way you go have fun with it and I must admint I, and probably a lot of others, are jealous that your wife is actually buying this for you. Mine thinks my toys (her words not mine) are a bit childish. But then again when do I ever listen to her

Cheers
Gorehound

PS. In reply to a previous post we were not actually ravaged by the Tiger 1 and most British troops never actually saw one in action although our Russian allies did suffer more at their hands. Not wanting to start an argument just trying to point out that the Tiger's status has grown out of folk lore rather than fact as they were unreliable underpowered gas guzzlers that were never actually used to their full potential in Europe due to poor tactics by the German High Command - they still look really coll and menacing though. Also the Pershing did actually fight in WWII in the European theatre. I have several documentary films of them engaging Panthers and always coming off best.

Schone danke mien Obergruppenfuhrer.........Achtung Panzer los !!!

Guess I am going to have a Tiger then.....hehehehe Still like the Walker as well....ah well Christmas is coming isn't it ?.....hehehehe Don't think the " Boss " will approve though !!!

There is obviously a lot of information out there concerning the Tiger, so I had better swot up wish me luck !!!!

Now then where would I be able to find the correct style of feifl air filters ? and good quality tools....jeez the list is never ending isn't it !!!

Cheers A

Yes Gorehound, My missus is a sweetheart, ( she actually makes models too ) she comes to airshows ( Duxford mainly ) She is into Bikes and rock music too !!! guess I am just a lucky feller !!!

Cheers A

sorry ,
but skeptical about your movie shermans winning over a panthers ?
sounds like a propaganda movie[sm=confused.gif]

I was referring to Wittman's unit taking out 25 tanks and 14 half tracks at Normandy and another single Tiger taking out 37 British tanks at Caen. From the 6th of June to the 19th the British lost 493 tanks. Of course they were victorious but it was a costly victory.

As for the Pershings, I was referring to them in British service.

Schutzstaffel they used to gang up on Panthers and Tigers with Shemans, the attrition rate was truly terrible. Ususlly about 3 shemans wer lost for each Panther or Tiger taken out, but then we had more of 'em to waste than the Germans did !!!

that`s sounds better

best regards

I dont suppose the British crews thought so , I think I would have rather been in the Infantry the survival rate/kill ratio was far better!!!

Well I assume your name comes from the famous Russian. Mine was gray to begin with so yeah - if you are going to paint it, get the cheaper one - though I am unsure of the symbol in front the pound symbol. I know the rate is what 1 dollar equals .52 pounds so that makes the tank about $140 US dollars - man that sounds like way out of line. You could get a Tiger and a Pershing/Bulldog for that much.

By the way, that is the Das Reich "Gnome" SS Panzer Division emblem - not actually a tiger.

Gorehound, I love your Tiger. [sm=cool.gif] I have seen it before, but it still amazes me......fantastic work. [sm=thumbup.gif]

Jason

There are several UK guys here - I'm sure they can tell you the best place with the best prices in the UK.

Hey thanks man - I need to do the conversions at some point. I think he had said Pershings winning over Panthers - that certainly has some credibility to it. Shermans, we all know, were referred to as Ronsons because of their ability to light up like the lighter. The Pershings had limited combat to my knowledge, very late in the war, but were every bit their superior. I think the Tiger's combat record speaks for itself. I am sure many of you have read or have books about the charge of the 5th guard T34s into the SS Tiger divisions at point blank. This is an interesting topic because in the last few years, it has been speculated that some of that was propaganda. Many historians have generally recognized it as the key turning point of the Battle of Kursk and the Eastern front campaign in general. In fact this was largely a myth as some of the better books have mentioned.

Here is a link that I found interesting http://www.3ad.com/history/wwll/feat...pershing.1.htm

Please read the post again, I never said Sherman as it was Pershings that were being referred to.

Yes Wittman was truly one of the greatest Tank commanders of all time but at Villars Bocage he came up against mainly lighter Tanks (Stuarts etc) and Armoured Vehicles rather than heavier armour and tanks (these mainly being cromwells which were never great). Also he had the element of surprise and a lot of combat experience. However, the Tiger never arrived in enough numbers to make the difference and although the Tiger commanders were of the highest calibre they were never used to their full potential by high command. Rather than use them in force to attack they had them split over all units where they were too watered down to acheive what they could have done - which is just as well for the allies. The Allies suffered themselves with poor tactics and also from lack of experience that people like Wittman had and this added to the losses and high attrition rate, but as the war progressed and better armour was supplied then the tables turned and not even the Tiger could stem the tide. Documents now show that even Wittman sucumbed to a lonely Firefly that took out most of his unit (6 Tigers) that day and not to a mass atack from Shermans. It was well concealed and well commanded and proved that the Tiger was not the invincible war machine that the German propoganda machine had portratyed. I appreciate that to the allied tankers on the field the Tiger was a terrifying sight and cannot immagine what it must have been like to come up against but my main point is that it happened a lot less than people think as there were less Tigers on the field than folk actually believed - every German Tank was called a Tiger even if it were only a Panzer at one point with Kursk being a prime example (and yes I know that was in Russia but this was also the case in France).

As for the Pershing, I am not aware of it ever being used by the UK in WWII due to the small number that were available being made for the US troups although no doubt someone will have a reference to it (which I would like to see as it would make an interesting modelling project ). The British tended to use the Firefly anyway as although it was not match in armour for the German Tanks it could still penetrate their armour.

Your a lucky Man!!!