Sorry another newcomer question!

I assume the TBS that I have seen talked about is the system that allows combat between tanks is it mainly a Tamiya thing?
One of the postings mentions a compatible system soon to be available for HL tanks is this due soon?

Obviously the Tamiya's are "better" than the HL tanks but in what ways?
I have been really pleased with the HL so far and it has made me think about buying a Tamiya at some point - although not just yet as I have lots of plans for the HL first.

Not sure about the TBS system but people are working on a compatible battle system as we speak which will include a lot more tankers to join in the fun
As for the difference in Tamiya and HLs of course the tamiyas are dearer due to build quality and parts would last alot longer as a HL owner for only a month ive been through a few parts already but like you said many people get into rc tanks by buying the cheaper options then upgrading to dearer kite ie Tamiya
Put it this way if my HL tiger had a head on with a Tamiya tiger i know which one id put my money on surviving lol

Yes, the TBS is specifically designed for the Tamiya Tank series to do Infrared battles with (very similar to the VSTank IR if you are familiar).

The quality is somewhat subjective, as I have said before Tamiya really shines from a modeler's point of view for detail, accuracy and quality parts of assembly, it is accurate down to the bolt heads! The RC portion of the model (in my humble opinion) is something that many other manufacturers are equally good with and that is why you hear so much about modifing the Tamiya tanks RC portion for better performance.

Tamiya took a great static model and made it RC, which is kind of backward from other manufacturers that start out making an RC vehicle and then correct detail parts latter.