RodgerB

Guys, what is the best smoke unit out there? I am building a Tamiya Panther G. Thanks in advance for the suggestions.
r

Green Amphibian

Phil at RCTW has posted a remark here that he will be offering a high tech smoker in 2011. The pictures show a smoker very similar to one I have that has excellent performance. Contact Phil to see if he has more information available on it.

Panther G

No to be a smart aleck but Why/ These tanks should not smoke unless they blow the engines up. The Russian tanks smoked because they where Deisils.

strmnd54

Take a look at that video :www.youtube.com/watch

Feel free to post that same comment in there ....

DirtyBird69

don't waste your time on a smoker...they look fake as hell and barely work half the time......can't wait till somebody makes a smoker that really pumps out the smoke when you hit the throttle......... AND pumps out "black" smoke......looks rediculous to see "white" smoke trickeling out the exhaust....reminds me of a little toy train chugging along the track...  

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

Well, Normand's design works very well> i have made a few of them and was very happy with the results. It may not be everyone's thing, but it does add to the model and there's nothing wrong with that.

strmnd54

We should have black smoke to simulate a diesel engine and blue smoke for a gas engine ....
Getting those colors is easier said than done ....
I managed to get blueish smoke using 2 strokes outboard motor oil in my smoker ; but this is a risky business : A couple nights ago I accidentally overfilled my unit and didn't notice my mistake until I saw black oil drops on my apartment carpet ...( It's a b...h to clean up ) ...
I concluded that the only positive side of my experiment was that I'M ALREADY DIVORCED....

As for the puffs of smoke when you throttle up or down ; I modified a smoker that gives me 2 level of smoke outputs ( high level for start and puffs ; low level for engine warmed up and running normally ...)
I have yet to design the electronic to control it ...
It's just a matter of time ....

DirtyBird69

Now we're gettin somewhere.....keep us posted!.....

sevoblast

Well, I must agree that the Stug in the vid is quite the smoker. But then, he's 65 or more years old. I'm almost that old, and my exhaust smokes and is noisier than it was when I was young, too, and my chassis squeaks and groans like his also.
However, in service any Maybach smoking like that, some First Shirt is not doing his job. And you will notice that the smoke considerably lessended as the Maybach warmed up, and also a couple cylinders were not hitting very often, if at all.
All in all great resto on that piece, but now it's time to pull the Maybach and put in new rings and valve seals, and perhaps a plug replacement? Just a thought. And find someone who knows how to overhaul and tweak those gawd awful Solex carbs.

Dog Soldier

Hi Guys, it’s been awhile since I last did anything RC, but have just finished building a Tiger 1 full option kit from Tamiya.

I’ve seen a few articles on smoke units and decided to have a go. As you can see in the pics, I found an old heat sink from an earlier RC car.

Inside the sink was a heavy resistor with three prongs. I removed the middle one, wrapped it in cotton wool and sat it directly into the fog mix.

This thing ran for a full minute, but I had to shut it down as the room was full of mist and I couldn’t see a thing.

OK, early days yet, but as you can see already...this thing chucks out a hell of a load of smoke

Chow_Hound

I know someone did that very thing in a 1/16 tank. Revved the engine and more smoke came out than at idle.
Found this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm1z-4DN518 that does it but it is a bigger scale.

thecommander

Pssst....I'll let you in on a little secret that I have been using both on my customers cars and in my home when I track some grease or oil into the living room carpet from the shop or garage. Try "Starting Fluid" on the oil stain. I will erase the oil stains like a magic wand was waived over it. The ether smell will be familiar to that used in some dry cleaner shops. Regular carburator cleaner can also be used for some stains but be carefull no to use too much. Spray only on a clean white cloth, not on the carpet directly. This will work on some clothing items too. Remember WHITE rag only. You will thank me later.
Bob

RodgerB

I spoke with Phil and he said the units will be ready this month or Jan of 11?

Dog Soldier

And another smoker but no blown engine and no black smoke

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

That thing looks like the head gasket needs attention.

Dog Soldier

Nah!!!...araldite and some duct tape, and she'll run like a dream

sevoblast

And that, my friend, is not a Tiger, but from the looks of it a T 55 dressed up to look like a Tiger, and an aging one at that. Nice job, but no cigar.

For heaven's sake, lad, if your POV was smoking like that, you'd have it in the shop in a heartbeat. Why do you think an electric ignition or compression ignition AFV power pack would be any different? Look at the vids of the real thing running in the '40's. Do they smoke like that? No.

My prime MOS was basically Tank Hunter. A smoke column like that would draw me to you like a fly to honey, and I would do something very unkind to you.

That being said, if you want your tank to smoke like a steam engine, then go for it. Just try not to foist on the general public that such smoke is normal, 'cause it ain't.

Dog Soldier

I did say I was new to this....But more than willing to except rebuff from someone more advanced in the workings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROs-lqA6XaY

Nuff said!

sevoblast

Not trying to rebuff you, trying to educate you. You can post all the vids of partially restored AFV's you want. As stated, go for the originals back some 65 or more years ago now. They did not smoke unless there was a problem. Today's AFV's don't smoke either, unless there is a problem with the motive system. One of the most famous vids on Youtube is the regimental review of a King Tiger unit, with a veritable herd of Kings wandering across the veldt, and not a one is smoking.
As I said, if your POV (Privately Owned Vehicle, iow your car or pickup) was smoking like the AFV's in the vids, you surely would have it in the shop asap, if the Federalis did not nail you first for polluting our environment and contributing to global warming or cooling, depending on who you listen to.
However, any tank you build is YOUR tank and if you want to paint it pinque (and there is a lad with a pinque T 34 out there), you can. If you want to mount a smoker in it, then go for it.
However, in the real world a smoking tank would have immediately attracted my attention back when I was plying my vocation.
Not trying to be unfriendly, either. However, reality is reality. There are plenty of youtube and other vids out there of operating tanks from all combatants of the war. No trouble to find them. However, as I said, if you want to put a smoker in your tank then by all means do so. Look up the KT vid, or the surrender in Iserlohn of the Ernst's Jagdtiger unit, with the JT's running up to and in to the berg. Three of them, the remains of the unit, and again, pretty clean exhaust.

Dog Soldier

sevoblast

LOL! Don't take offense. I still have you by 10 or so years.

I was in DS also, amongst a few other charming places, and of course you are correct that, depending on environment, a tank's motion signature could be significant as it tears up the local flora in it's delicate progress across the plains. With today's modern sighting and imaging systems, of course the heat signature of any vehicle also comes in to play. Just ask the Bosnians about that, when that Danish LT in his Leo got tired of being harassed by the Bos T 55 unit almost daily, and opened up on the line of them one AM, targeting only those T 55's that had a hot barrel. Of course UN was highly irritated at his annoyed response to the Bos', but he got home to a hero's welcome in Daneland.

For a good over view of tanks and other vehicles in varied weather and terrain 65 and more years ago, I would suggest you nab a copy of Tigers in Combat 1 and/or 2. Gives a grand synopsis of the ops of various Tiger units, written generally by the vets themselves, plus a couple million photos of AFV's and soft skins wandering around. Excellent read, by the by, and the ops generally could be used for any tank unit of our former enemies or us. The text not only concerns combat ops, but the work companies also, which is generally a forgotten footnote in most books, if mentioned at all. I learned long ago to take the 'official' version of operations with a grain of salt, no matter who wrote them. I for years have sought out and read the vets writings to get a more balanced take on history.

And thank you for your service in SAR. My hat is off to you. I DO NOT LIKE rotary winged aircraft, and I'm not real happy with fixed wing either. I'll walk in and out, thank you very much. However, again, thank you. I'm quite sure more than one lad was very happy to see you on occasion.

Perry S.

How about this smoking Tiger?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frUGM6njKVk

Seems like a rather awesome tank to me but I guess the barbs are only served to newbies. I didn't notice you weighing in once on that thread about all the smoke.

Not trying to start a war, just trying to keep things fair.


Perry

sevoblast

Perry, the discussion was about the real thing, not a model. No one's trying to start a war for sure. As I and many others have stated many times, it's your model and you can do anything you want with it.

Chow_Hound

TWEEEETTTT!!!!
Unsportsmanlike conduct. 15 yard penalty!
1st down!

sevoblast

LOL!