Rebellion13

When I first started in the hobby before tanks and I will not date myself lol, but it was a long time ago, hardly any soldering .... plug and play mostly, then being a WWII nut, and loving armor I got involved in the RC aspect of armor. I was gun shy on learning soldering, but fast forward it is a great skill to learn and fun. And I am glad that I learned the skill, I can't tell you how many times that I have used it in this hobby and outside the hobby, it is invaluable. Anyway welcome to this side of the hobby, there are a lot of people on here that can help you if you so need it. Heck I just learned how to aluminum weld using Mapp gas last year.

Cheers
Wade

tankme

Nothing wrong with learning new skills. The Army taught me how to solder back in like 1992, but hadn't soldered much since I got out of the Army. Not really hard, but there are some nuances that make it much easier. Non-corrosive liquid flux is great...use it...it's your friend. There are some newer "Tip Tinners" on the market now...they work great and SOOOO easy. No more wasting tons of solder tinning your tip. Any cheap soldering iron with a smallish to medium tip will work for our stuff. I have a Hakko soldering station, but you definitely don't need that to start with. You can literally learn to solder for less than $40.

jarndice

If you go to U-Tube there are some very nice video's that talk and show you how to do it.

Rebellion13

The other thing I wanted to mention is I have had Tamiya's still have some trucks and the Hornet buggy when I first got into the hobby, I also am building the King Hauler, that is when I learned aluminum welding using Mapp gas. I extended the frame rails for a custom build. With that being said, I love Tamiya products, but I sold off the tanks I had. I am more of a tinkerer so you build a Tamiya and well your done, it comes down to what your preference is and money on hand. As I have gotten older I like having the tank on a work bench and customizing it. To me it is a stress reliever.....unless of course I can't figure something out lol.

Cheers
Wade

gwnm2

thanks...I'm not scared off my soldering....I too like the idea of building a tank probably more than running one....my views/thoughts have really come into focus over last few days.
So where does hooben fit into all this? Just another brand?

Rebellion13

I have heard some horror stories about Hooben, I have never owned one, so I will let the experts chime in

tankme

I have two Hooben tanks. The T55A and the ZTZ-99A. I would buy another T-55A and avoid the ZTZ-99A. I will make the ZTZ a decent tank, but it's not a very solid platform to start with. It is also NOT compatible with most HL parts which just makes things harder. I took a chance on the ZTZ since it was just so cheap at the time I bought it.

Hooben isn't known for their spare parts availability, either. Their customer service is pretty lackluster when you get a response from them. They make a lot of promises and deliver on very few of them. Then there is Feng's arrogence...it doesn't help that he either doesn't understand what people tell him about Hooben products or simply doesn't care. On an up note, they are dumping their crap electronics and going to go with the Canshuo TK26 type from I'm seeing on FB.

Rebellion13

What tank are you interested in? Tiger, Sherman,T34 etc. Maybe we can give recommendations on which type you want.

gwnm2

^I've been a bit all over the map. I started wanting a HL as I thought I had some guys interested in "fighting". But they've hesitated so I'm thinking of a kit, probably a Tiger

Rebellion13

I have a Taigen Tiger which is decommissioned lol. It just needs a MFU and a turret ring, eventually I will get to it. If you are thinking a tiger I would take a look at Taigen the lower hull is robust, metal arms,wheels,tracks and the hull is metal you can either order Airsoft or IR.......most people just gut the turret anyway and put in servo elevation and recoil. You won't be dissapointed if you go that route. The kit does not come with gearboxes or MFU so that is an addition purchase, but still a lot cheaper then a Tamiya.

gwnm2

i'm starting to realize you really need to read the description of these kits and what's included, especially if you want them to be active.

Plus having to paint them is another thing....

Rebellion13

I still recommend Taigen, their hulls are great to build upon. Years ago it was Tamiya= High end and Heng long=yeah not so much lol. But they have come along way, and throw Taigen into the mix and now you have a variety. When a lot of us came into the hobby years ago we only had basically two choices as aforementioned and we all wanted more, we all tried our best to reinforce the hulls but still had the crappy control boards, then aftermarket boards started to pop up and then the mods began. Fast forward and well we still want more.....but we are older and more cranky. Whatever path you choose it will be a money pit, and as you gain knowledge and tinker it is well worth the pleasure. Coming into this hobby now is stellar you couldn't ask for more with all the kits, accessories, boards to choose from etc. It is such a fun niche in the RC world. But I understand too that coming into this now can also be a bit overwhelming. But we are all here to help

Cheers
Wade

gwnm2

well i did find a good deal on a taigen, so i'll probably go that way.

maybe a silly question, but how do i know which battery to buy, as they don't come with one?

Rebellion13

I use Lipo for my son and I for our rc cars, trucks, crawlers etc. But for tanks I just use regular Nihm, people use lipo for their tanks but other then longer run times I don't see the need just IMHO. I bought my nimh batteries through hobby king and have had them for years. Gens Ace batteries are pretty good although a bit more then the generic brand sold by HK. I did a quick search and found these on Amazon, a nimh battery is a nimh battery they all come from one of three factories in China, and then rebranded.But just do a google search for nimh's. Lipo is a bit different that is where it gets tricky, because you need to keep safety in mind when charging and storage, I keep my Lipo's in a metal ammo can and that is where I charge them too. But if you are unfamiliar with these I would suggest creating another post on batteries, just so it doesn't get jumbled in this thread and it will be easier to locate.

Crius

I say you should buy the battery's recommended above by Rebellion 13. They will serve you well and should last for at least 5 to 8 years. And make sure you get a decent charger. Smart Chargers are best, but they can be pricey, as much as $80 or more.

Rebellion13

I have the Hitec dual port and the Bluetooth dongle where I can monitor the batteries progression and balancing from my iPhone. If I remember correctly it was around the price you stated, it has since been discontinued. There is a newer version and now it goes for $150ish yikes!!!

Rebellion13

Another thing to consider gwnm2 is if you happen to buy the batteries I linked on amazon they come with the crappy Tamiya connectors which will work if the tank you get has these on them, My Taigen V3 I just received has them......not for long.... I use XT60 plugs on everything RC and all my toys have them. So you may want to brush up learning soldering because these XT's are superior.

Rebellion13

Do yourself a favor and pick up one of these it makes life so much easier. It holds the plugs in place when soldering

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/mr-jig-soldering-aid.html

jarndice

I assume you are in the USA which might be good news for the purchase of batteries or not,
In the UK we have access to www.componentshop.co.uk who will sell you a battery and fit the connector of your choice free,
Hopefully you can get a similar deal in the US so shop around.
I do use lipos but that is because I build small tanks where space is at a premium, But NimHs are fine and usually a lot cheaper.

gwnm2

thanks everyone. There is a lot to consider with the batteries, but are connections universal/the same? For example I have an Arrma buggy on order, and although I would use different batteries I'd like to use the same charger.
I'm going to have to look around youtube for some info videos.....I went the RC route as I thought model trains and wiring was a lot to take in....

gwnm2

Thanks for this and the jig, all very helpful

gwnm2

No Canada. I was not considering lipo for the tank (the arrma buggy yes)

Rebellion13

Anytime. I also have the "helping hands" it has a magnifying glass and arms with alligator clips on it, But I hardly ever use it. And these are the battery connectors I use

Rebellion13

Any updates? Just curious how you are making out with you new endeavor

Wade

gwnm2

after considering a tamiya king tiger that suddenly popped up but was an older model I;ll go ahead and order a taigen tiger 1...should be here in 10-14 days