heavyaslead

RichJohnson

So tempting....
But so many Leopards to build....

tankme

It is tempting, but I'm not a huge fan of WW1 tanks.

Derek

RichJohnson

Personally I would go a different direction with the project then out of the box kit. I’m thinking Republic of Hautey tank.

Pcomm1.v2

Years ago I built the Hooben 1/16 German Elefant JAGDPANZER RC Tank Model Kit and that experience was awful. To bad this WWI Tank is not produced by someone other than Hooben; their lousy products and poor business reputation proceeds them.

Tankhobby

Looks like an intense kit!
Also the parts seem to be of quality from the picture.
I hope you will do and follow through with a build thread as I'm very curious how it goes together, easy/hard or/and part fit and quality design.

heavyaslead

more close-up pics, the gearboxes are sealed and its chain drive to the drive sprocket
The radio options suggest a 9 channel radio to operate all the features of the VCU (Hooben's electronic board), though I will go with a HL 7.1 for battlesystem options and more intuitive stick control

heavyaslead

heavyaslead

I know many of you have negative opinions on Hooben, believe me I had one of the first runs T55a and it was a nightmare, but this model is much better engineered and parts are better quality than their earlier attempts. I do hope metal tracks become available at some point, that would really top the model.

tankme

The parts look well finished. Haven't heard of anyone really complaining about this tank...yet.

Derek

Tankhobby

Do you have to bend those photo etched parts?

heavyaslead

There are two types of methods Hooben used for folded parts, the first is a tab fold insert (for curved type parts) and second a continuous fold for straight parts. In both cases there is a tiny etched line to fold on so no need for straightedge and vise.

heavyaslead

Most of the photetch is flat mounted (no fold)

herrmill

All true but they've got cute gals standing by to take your hard-earned cash.

Crius

I suppose cute is relative. Personally, I like the Tiger in the clouds better than either of the girls.

Too bad hooben's products aren't as good as their posters.

ankhx

Well, I'm half way through with Mark IV build and I must say it's top quality. I have their Tiger P but Mark IV is completely different league. Worth the price and loooong waiting time.

heavyaslead

Update on my Mark IV build.
The metal parts and assembly are top notch, the holes, fittings line up perfectly.
The 3D print parts do have to have some minor adjustment (trimming, shaping, close fitting) to fit well but not too much different than other kit plastic parts

Oh and did I mention the rivets/bolts? over 2,500 to assemble...

ankhx

I feel your pain...

heavyaslead

A note about assembly between the 3D printed parts and the ABS parts. Many times the instructions suggest instant glue i.e. CA and sometimes suggest weld.

And rightly so as the 3D parts to 3D parts take not 5 seconds to bond with CA glue but more like 2 minutes, and the bonding 3D parts to ABS hardly works, so had to use JB weld. Not a big deal but just letting you know may have to experiment with bonding chemistries to get stuff to stick well.

Oh the metal parts bond in like 0.2 seconds with CA glue so make sure it is exactly where you want it, no half second to adjust slightly!

The instructions (as most Chinese instructions go) seem to assume you know the one or two steps needed to do the shown assembly step, so be careful this is for more advanced kit builders. The order these pieces go together actually is important!

ankhx

I used almost only CA glue and had no issues at all. Gorilla thin (standard) and gel depending on job.
The instruction is poorly translated and you can relay almost only on pictures which are mostly good.
My build is done. There were some steps that I would do in different order if I wound build it again. On several occasions things were not mentioned which resulted in disassembling some parts or ungluing.
Overall I stick to my original comment - high quality components and good model - I'd be happy to buy similar model from Hooben. Would not recommend for beginners.
Oh, and I hate rivets! Thousands of them!

Tankhobby

I've had a lot of challenges with gluing thinks together, especially with 3D printed parts. When I converted my 1/6 scale Dragon Sherman to RC and printed all the suspensions parts a lot of them needed to be "glued" together. I used PLA+ to print the parts and went through at least five different types of solvents to bond the parts. All failed as they all could easily be pulled away from each other. Then I tried some old solvent I had from WAAAAAY back in the day. Ambroid solvent, not manufactured for many years (of course my luck), but when I used that I could not pull the parts away from each other, and I mean really pull! The parts were welded together! YAY!

I bought a few bottles on ebay but have not found an equivalent solvent. I have not tested it on PLA+ with other materials like ABS and other 3D materials. I've had mixed results with Gorilla glues, both regular and gel. I found they have no shear strength so only work in certain applications. But I have a tube of each in my shop. LOL

tankme

PETG can welded using MEK in the form of Weld-On #4 and PETG has a higher glass transition temp than PLA or PLA+. After doing a bunch of research on PLA+ for temperature resistance, I found that in some cases it would get soft at lower temps than PLA. A lot of folks swear by something called PLA Gloop and that it works well for PLA if you stick to printing with PLA.

​​​​​​​Derek

ankhx

I forgot to say - I also use glue activator - this changes the game.

Martellus

Exciting to see how the builds are turning out! If I build one I think I would want to make it multi person as a fun vehicle

Tankhobby

Eric,
How about some pictures?