Hi all

i could do with some advice. I am new here but have been lurking on Tamiyaclub for the past 10 years and have been building my Tamiya King Tiger for nearly half of that time!

I have a burning desire to build and detail a Panzer III so unless Tamiya pulls out a surprise launch in the next month or two, it looks like I am going to have to give HL a go. I have done my research into the upgrades and detail parts and am leaning towards an Asiatam hull with all the trimmings which seems to be very realisticand well built.

I am a bit concerned about the turret rotation andgun elevation though.So first question is how good is the stock HL rotation set-up? are there any issues I should be aware of?

Second question relates to electrics.Let me state here that I am a bitof an idiot when it comes to electrics so simple is best!

To give you an idea about future useage, I do not need IR because I do not get the chance to battle, and I cannot be bothered with smoke, which seems to always break and never really looks like exhaust fumes anyway. I may well fit the upgrade recoil system if I can get my head around the electrics.

I rather like the Tamiya electrics. They are tidy and reliable, relatively easy to programme and use and the sound systems are great.

As I move to HL it seems I have 3 options:

Keep it stock inside
Upgrade to El Mod or something like that
Fit Tamiya's MFU from their Pz IV

I know nothing about the first two (in terms of quality, reliability, ease of fitting). Can anybody here give me a run-down on HL sound and functionality? Also can anybody tell me if El Mod is easy to use and worth the cost?

Finally, if I can get my hands on a Tamiya MFU, will it fit in the PzIII?

I look forward to your thoughts

If there is one thing HL's have a better setup on, is the turret gear..much more robust then Tamiya with bigger teeth,etc. As far as electrics I would stick with Tamiya....easy to install and bullet-proof, and like you said they offer excellent sound..HL's sound gets the job done, but you'll be much happier with Tamiya if you can afford it. I would be careful with metal chassis especially with the PIII as its already a robust, great running little tank. You'd be better off just getting the metal wheels & suspension/track upgrades and of course gearboxupgrade(steel gears). There are a ton of exterior details you can purchase to really make it "pop"(i.e. aerials,intake grills,scale barrel,etc.). you'd be better to put your cash into those things ratherthenan "all metal" chassis...a lot of guys getentrancedby that "all metal" voodoowhich is so prevelant around here....[:'(]

</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt">I&rsquo;m certain you&rsquo;ve noticedmany folks around here are Tamiya-First-Last-And-Always followers. I admit to also loving Tamiya's super quality, but I must confess my first tank is still my favorite: the Heng Long Panzer 3. The only major drawbacks to the venerable electronics package (the RX18 module) is the marginal sound, and the fact that Heng Longs use a common FM controller instead of the uber-sexy fully digital2.4GHz "pro" controller. Here are a couple of my old posts chronicling my efforts for your reference, consideration, and perhaps amusement:<o></o></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt"><o></o></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt"><font color="#00265e">http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_9719535/anchors_9723385/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#9723385</font><o></o></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt"><o></o></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt"><font color="#00265e">http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10031192/anchors_10031192/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#10031192</font><o></o></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt"><o></o></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt"><font color="#00265e">http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10033386/anchors_10033386/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#10033386</font><o></o></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt"><o></o></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt"><font color="#00265e">http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_9909288/anchors_9909288/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#9909288</font><o></o></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt"><o></o></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt"><font color="#00265e">http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10029916/anchors_10030733/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#10030733</font><o></o></span></p>

you make a good point..2.4ghz systems although nice aren't worth the money unless you need a new radio.....I still run FM Futaba's and have NEVER had an interference problem...and now with everybody running 2.4ghz there's even fewer guys on FM freq's....so you'd be better off by a nice used Futaba FM radio set for half the price....just my 2 cents..</p>

You can get a Futaba 2.4 for 100.00 bucks and that is with receiver so NO it isn't worth just getting any old FM for half the price used. Used means you never really know what your getting till you got it .

Many thanks for your thoughts.

Dirtybird, I hear what you are saying about the all metal chassis and i will try not to be a junkie and will try not to buy one... I cannot promise though! Metal is my weakness!

Hondobob, thanks for the links. Your PZIII was one of the ones I admired and was one of the ones that tipped me over into giving HL a go. Thanks for the info re the turret ring.

Quick question regarding the use of 2.4gz with Tamiya electrics. I read somewhere (I think it was relevant to then electrics you can buy for Tamiya trucks) that digital radios did not work well with them. Is this true as far as you know? Are all 2.4's digital nowadays? I probably won't bother because my 5 year old Futaba which I bought for the KT works perfectly, but just curious.

Also, if I do go Tamiya electrics, does anybody know if they will even fit?

Thanks

Hi Vonmarshall

the little H/Long pz3 is a really great runner and the asiatam hull will only enhance the drivability of it
just a thought have you looked at the Taigen lower hulls?
these are a direct copy of the asiatam hull with a few mods and a local seller Dave (Forgebear Tanks)sells them

if your only after sounds then the cheapest option would be a beier sound card but if you want to go battling with a tamiya type battle system then something like the SLU or the DBC and benedini sound card is another option

i will agree with not adding too much metal as it does put a strain on the electronics

hope that has helped a bit this stuff is really a minefield when you start looking into it

Rob

Removing the battery box and there will be all kinds of room. I personally would go with Tamiya electronics (since you do not wish for the smoke feature ... which I hate anyway) and then you're still flexible to make it IR without too much trouble. I've even seen the Tamiya recoil set up in the PIII, so there's a lot of room available in the lower hull ... just don't go too crazy with the Tamiya speaker you choose and keep in mind you may have to trim it down some then.











~ Jeff

No not all 2.4 radios are digital. The only thing you need to be careful of is the trims. That is how some of the functions of the Tamiya electronics are set up. Some of these functions are easier with analog trims but can be done with digital. You just need to carefully read and understand the Tamiya and radio instructions. Many people here use both so someone will always be able to help you out.
You can also get a very nice 5 channel 2.4 radio. It is the Areo5 for around 50.00 dollars with receiver but i don't currently have a link to it. There are a couple of other good ones , just need to look around.
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Thanks for the advice so far...

Has anybody got any photos of somebody using Tamiya electrics in one of these little PzIII's? Before investing in the multifunction units I do want to make sure I can fit it all in!

Panther F... you mention that you have seen the Tamiya recoil set in one of these. Can you give me a link? I like the Tamiya set-up on my KT and having read the intricacies of using the Asiatam recoil in Hondbob's links I would prefer to just use Tamiya throughout.