sevoblast

Took 'em a while, I think half a day, they had to purge the fuel system, pump out the tanks and fill at least one with the proper diesel fuel. We know a couple lads who were involved and they told us that once the fuel systems were purged and the old batteries replace, the beast fired right up. Don't know the story yet on the IS 2 but it was probably the same drill, purge, new fuel, new batteries and up he fired.

Imex-Erik

Yea aftermarket radios and the tanking community absolutely do not make sense. I'm not sure why anyone would want to use the stock TX over their own in any form or fashion, but to each his own. If Taigen would of listened to me 100% the board would of been much different. However I cannot always get what I want Personally I only use the stock transmitters when we precheck tanks or if I am doing a repair, my transmitter is VERY well loved and sees use every day. In fact I'm about to rely on it for a big media event I'm filming this weekend here in FL. I also run 915MHz as well, I stopped using 2.4 a long time ago and never looked back. I do believe I was also the first person to do a Crossfire controlled tank too. Personally I think Open Panzer got it right with the radio input and setup, that was super easy to do and assign commands.
Actually I do have a bag of them somewhere send me an email on the site and remind me and I'll take a look. I was out the first half of the day today so I'm trying to catch up on what I missed right now.

Dusty Steppes

Thanks for sharing those photos! Those are some heavy hitters. The ISU-152 and ISU-122 assault guns are interesting. Do you have anymore photos, possibly of an SU-152?

Dusty Steppes

email sent

Lotuswins

Dusty,

Got my tank the other day, and Erik has helped me with the damage instilled by UPS on its way across the states. A little worse than yours, with two corners of the upper hull rounded off.

The interesting bits with this tank are the suspension arms with integral springs apparently, and of course, the jacks to keep the lid up when messing about inside. There are no torsion springs across the bottom of the interior, as the shafts for the suspension arms are keyed into the lower hull sides and have small E clips holding them in place. This frees up a lot of space.

I really like the new sounds, especially the turret rotation. I'll have to get a few sound cards to use with my OPTCB KV tanks, and free up the Benedini's for other use. I've gotten the IR emitter installed so far, (its an airsoft tank), and am awaiting a serial motor controller for the OPTCB destined to be installed. Sorry, but the V3 controller still doesn't drive as well as the OPTCB with the sabertooth controller so I'll save it for a future project.
So I measured the tracks next to my KV1/2 tracks, and they are narrower by about 0.1 inches. The tank is also narrower by about 0.75 inches and shorter, idler to sprocket center lines, by about 1 inch though overall they are about the same length due to the fender overhang on the JS2. I guess the Russians narrowed the JS2 so it would be easier to transport via rail?

The gearbox is a 4:1, all ball bearing unit. I thought the sprockets were loose initially but apparently the axle gear isn't pinned like in all the other 'boxes', but must have a woodruff key or something as it has a slight rotational movement not present before. Also, you can pop off the sprocket hubcap easily now, without scratching the paint. They have thoughtfully put a small hole in the side of the sprocket so a small screwdriver can be inserted and pry on the back of the hubcap....nice.

Jerry Rude
Roseburg, OR

Crius

I got my JS2 the other day and kind of have mixed emotions. There was some good stuff and some not so good. First the good:

I really like the new sound set. The engine sounds great, the startup is great, and the secondary sounds, like elevation and rotation are also very, very good. It's a solid and good running tank and I like that part. I also like the way Imex packages things. My tank arrived with absolutely no damage and I like the fact that they check every tank and then add additional precautions, like taping down all the hatches and using foam in between the box for the tank and the shipping box.

Now the bad, and these are just personal observations that others might not have a problem with:

Whoever had the bright idea to make this tank so that you cannot turn it on or off unless the turret is rotated 90° deserves a good swift kick. I do not like rotating the turret by hand and I don't care if they say it can take it I still don't like it. It's not that big a deal, I'll just relocate the switch, but I still think it was a bad idea to put it under that hatch. The next thing I had a minor problem with was the tow cables. I'm not sure why they decide to attach them without coloring them, but getting them disconnected without breaking or cracking on those little tabs is an exercise. One that I failed miserably at. I think they should either make them the right color and attach them or leave them unattached. I also wish they would make a plastic turret for this tank. I have a feeling that the flimsy upper Hull is going to be a problem with that heavy metal turret on it down the road. I suppose I'll have to look into some kind of bracing for the upper.

Last is the paint. I usually expect that I'll have to repaint any tank that I buy, but I really wish they would stop trying to weather these things. The mud on my tank doesn't look like mud that got splattered on a tank, it looks like somebody flicked paint on it. Again, nothing I can't fix but I would have been much happier if the tank came just painted green.

So I've decided that since I wasn't completely happy with the js2 there's only one way to make myself feel better, and that is to order a new Panzer IV. I just hope they have the summer camo in stock. I laughed when Eric mentioned that he lives in Florida and prefers winter camo. I live in Detroit and really don't like the winter camo. I guess it's just a matter of personal preference. So if you're watching, Erik, you can expect to hear from me today or Monday to order a Panzer 4.

Imex-Erik

Notes taken. I wasn't a fan of this paint scheme but maybe in the future we can change that The tow cables I wasn't too happy with either, I'll speak with having those removed and something you add later. Not only is that a PITA for you guys but it isn't for us at the warehouse here either. The hatch thing was due to the requests to move away from the buttons on the bottom of the tank. I'm sure we can get a different solution for the wiring though, with a 3d print we should be able to possibly move the switches to the front of the tank. I'll work with anyone who wants to do 3D parts for the tanks btw, just hit me up and I'll do my best to help.
Also yes, the winter schemes are IMO much better, especially the new PIV winter. After 10+ years here in FL I absolutely HATE the heat. I have always loved cold weather growing up and not having it here is horrible. My gf has never even seen snow before.... Oh and the summer PIVs are OOS atm but are on order. The only one left around here is my personal tank We also have some Walterson 24th and FoV stuff coming next month too just a heads up.

Crius

Oh yeah, it's also cool to have a rep for the vendor here on the forum where we can talk to him. Mato used to have a rep, but she disappeared long ago.

I actually enjoy repainting the tanks so to me it's not a big deal, it's just sanding off the "mud" that's a PITA. If you've got an stl file for the switch solution I'll be happy to guinea pig, in either filament or resin.

Erik, I know you hate the heat, but to get the cold you also give up color, and that hurts. Detroit is a very grey place in the winter, with lots of black and white thrown in. I'm sure if you did move north you'd instantly notice the loss and miss the color. I'm so glad winter is almost over I don't know how to act. Bring on the heat! And the eye candy wears so much less. Gotta love that.

Sorry to hear the summer camo is out of stock, but now you know I want one so I just have to wait.

More on FoV? Didn't they do 1/18 stuff, like the PAK 40?

Crius

And you know what would make a cool 3D print project? An upper hull for an ISU-122. Just sayin'.

Dusty Steppes

A DPST rocker switch fits nicely alongside the speaker. I just need to finalize a mount for it.

Dusty Steppes

Time for a road trip to Boston!

Imex-Erik

Impressive!

Crius

So after having a chance to play with it a bit, I have to say this thing is a real little beast. The drive train is very smooth. It runs so well that if you release the stick from full speed it will coast for at least it's own length. I need to add spatter shields and a bit of grease, but the ball bearing gearboxes aren't too bad for noise level, and the engine sounds easily drown out any gear whine. The metal lower is quite stout and the individual roadwheels travel smoothly up and down. All together the suspension works great, and the tracks seem of high quality as well. As for the upper hull, it seems a bit on the flimsy side and I worry about longevity with the metal turret. If there were a plastic turret option I think I'd go for it. I know everybody loves metal, but you can't tell the difference once it's properly painted, and the reduction in stress on the upper is well worth it for me. I've already converted a couple of my tigers back to plastic turrets and I'm glad I did.

I can't say I'm crazy about the clear machine gun barrels, but it's a simple project to fix, and those are the kinds of mods that can be fun. I'll have to do more research and see what I can come up with for an MG upgrade, at least to the bow gun. These little bits were in the accessory pack, any ideas where they go? I couldn't find reference to anything similar in the instructions. The hooks are metal and the other two pieces are green plastic, so I imagine they go on the deck somewhere, or maybe the turret?

tankme

Looks like the half barrel part goes in the center of the hooks. They are holders for the tow cables. Typically the barrel portion is completely round. Looks like they only made it look right from one side. The small hook attaches to the body of the tank and the larger hook goes to the cable end. I know this is a KV-1, but it's the same device.

tankme

And on the IS-2...

Dusty Steppes

Totally agree with the need for a plastic turret but then again a plastic turret may not be able to handle that massive metal gun barrel without some type of counterweight added to the turret rear to keep the turret properly balanced.

Those metal hooks are used to clip the tow cables to the top rear of the hull.

Crius

Thanks, guys, I see how it works now. One more reason to blacken the tow cables. I heard about a trick with eggs, does anyone know how to do that?

Imex-Erik

Yea confirmed used on the back of the tank to hold tow cables. Also I'll look into more plastic turrets but the market keeps asking for metal and more metal. I know it is hard to look at sometimes but what is online for requests and what actually sells are vastly different and we have to work on what will actually be in demand versus what will actually sell. We have had more than a few products like this with the Jagdtiger being the biggest example. It was the most highly requested item I had seen and got online, but yet sales did not reflect that at all. It is a hard balancing game

Imex-Erik

Also, I hear there is some juicy news coming in the next day or two

tiger rampage

Dusty Steppes

I have been scratching my head on how to blacken them. I came across this...
https://www.sciencecompany.com/-W160.aspx#2

Lotuswins

I've been using 'Brass Black' metal finish, by Birchwood Casey....used by the gun enthusiasts. Comes in 3oz bottles, $7.98 or so on Amazon, IIRC.

Jerry

sevoblast

Baring something unforeseen, there will be a small surprise on 09 May in Sevastopol. I will post photos after the event and if I'm lucky I might have some additional photos to post at that time. Keep your fingers crossed for my security clearance being approved by 'them'.

sevoblast

Imex-Erik

Sure was I've got some translated stuff that I'll post in a few min. I'm in no rush, in fact my production sample ships on Monday