I have begun the transformation to the cannon system this evening, but I need a question answered by more R/C savvy people than myself.

Q: What would I need to do to get a micro sized servo to move very slowly, say, as slow as a full size Tiger cannon elevation mechanism?
Would it be electronic, or can something be done to the servos' internal components to slow it down?

I have removed all internal parts in the turret to make room for the new cannon system, (CO2 powered, 4.5mm BB's!) and I need to use a slow servo to act as the elevation control. Turret rotation will becontrolled by the original motor.

I don't have pics yet, but the first step is to relocate the pivot point forward to the two "pins" sticking out from the turret sides just behind the mantlet. In order to do so, it is necessary to strengthen the turret walls in this area. I was going to use aluminum blocks, but I felt that an epoxy putty would work just as well seeing that there will be a tiny bearing pressed into a steel tubing sleeve that in turn is inserted into a hole drilled through the turret wall and putty at the location of the cannon elevation pivot "pins"

I'll post some pics as soon as my daughter tells me where she put the camera.

First off I am warning you now... DO NOT USE THE STOCK ELECTRONICS!
Sometimes the HL tanks malfunction and lose control and the tank stops still and just starts rapid firing the airsoft gun...and you have to run and go shut the tank off ..... If this happens with a CO2 real BB gun it will be VERY dangerous!!
Especially if there are any people around where you are driving your tank!!

Second on the servo..if you use real electronics and a real RC radio you can controle the speed of the servo because it's digital proportional.

You can buy servo slow devices which are a piece of electronics used in RC aircraft
for operating gun turrets, retracts etc............fairly cheap as well......not sure if it would need to be special for a non 35Mhz frequency (aircraft only in the UK).......

Cheers

CaptB

I have already gutted the electronics, and I plan on getting the Sabertooth 2x10 R/C for the driving, and an ANT 150 for the turret and gun, (thanks to Richard L. for the tip). Also, I figure on having a safety switch on the transmitter to disable the gun circuit in the event of a malfuction.

I was going to use a Hitec Laser 6 for a radio, but maybe the Spektrum may be a better choice.

Okay, the cannon mod has progressed to the point that I have corrected the pivot point forward to where it should be, at the location of the lugs on the outside of the turret behind the mantlet. It was fairly easy, but scary knowing that one mistake with the dremel and I was screwed. Luckily, I was careful and had no trouble.

The most important part to this mod was to strengthen the turret walls at the front, right behind the mantlet. The plastic here is quite thin, and prone to flexing. My new gun mechanism will probably be heavier than the airsoft unit, so it needed to be done. I used an epoxy putty from Oatey, that is available at any hardware store. I simply mixed it up and pressed it into place. Before it started to harden, I used a piece of aluminum to get a flat surface to minimize sanding and shaping later on. This stuff starts to cure quickly, so work fast!

I used tiny bearings inside the hollowed out housing for the lifting lugs, a short piece of aluminum tubing as a spacer, and the original idler wheel pins. A shaft collar keeps it all in place. As you can see from the pics below, the lugs don't look quite right, but I don't really care. I'm not entering this in any contests. It works and is more correct than the aft located pivot point the HL designers devised. No disrespect to them, but it just wasn't right.

Anyway, I used the original gun mounting bracket with a small aluminum plate on each side to add strength. Unless I can find a suitable piece of hard plastic, I might try using a block of wood (oak) due to my design for the new gun mechanism.

More to follow...

Interesting, I haven't seen a mod like this before.

Thanks YHR, I figure that the Tiger was one of the hardest hitting tanks the Germans had in the war, so I wanted MY Tiger to hit hard as well.

I just removed the barrel from an old Daisy BB gun I had that did not work, so now I have my barrel and a couple of springs to use in my mechanism. I ordered a Spektrum DX6 radio, the Sabertooth 2x10 and an ANT 150 last night, so when that arrives, I'll put the gun on hold until I get the hull operational. After that, I'll finish the gun.

I plan on using either 12 or 16 gram CO2 cartridges, and some Clippard valves to operate the cannon, just like the the warship guys do. The tricky part will be getting the feed system and elevation system to fit in the confines of the turret. I might have it figured out already, but I'll need to fabricate some parts to see if my ideas are sound.