Hey guys, I just found about RC tanks a few weeks ago and it looks like a really fun hobby but I don't know how to go about starting. I've been doing some research on my own but there's so much to cover i get a little dazed. All the websites i've gone to have a million things to sell and they're all different brands/makes. I don't know which brands are best but i know some notable ones are Tamiya and Heng Long.

I guess what I'm asking is, do you have anything to recommend to a complete newbie in RC tanking? What brands do you recommend, and what scale would be good and affordable for a first-timer? Should I buy one off a website or a local hobby store? (I live in California so if you know some good hobby stores there please let me know!)

Thanks

It really depends on how much you want to spend on one tank and do you want a RTR (ready to run) or built it? There are very good vendors offering both right here on this forum!

Oh, and welcome aboard!

Welcome to the abyss Averc I hope you will like it here.

Cheers,
Gabriel

I'd consider myself a newbie as well, so hope I can help.

For a vendor, I'd suggest [link=http://rcscalemodel.com/]rcscalemodel[/link].

For a beginner tank, I'd go with a Heng Long, as they are cheap, but work well enough to decide if you want to go "all out" and pay the Tamiya $$ for the ultimate, or just buy more Heng Long's. I'd strongly advise getting metal gearbox, and the metal track upgrade, all available at the above site.

Be aware Heng Long has released a StuG III, and should be available for sale shortly, if you like the looks of it, or intend to do IR battle.

Thanks gabriel i think i was the one who asked you about your vid on youtube hehe, [8D] keep up the impresive looking tanks

Welcome Averc... and are you looking for an airsoft gun or plan on infrared battling with your tank? Do you plan on taking on the scale modeling aspect, modifying your tank with all the bells and whistles, or just want a tank to play with right out of the box? Primary use inside or outside?

As said, Tamiya and Heng Long for 1/16 scale, but remember Tamiya is IR only and Heng Long are airsoft in their stock packages. If you want a smaller scale tank, very good quality, in either airsoft or IR there are the VSTank models. Hard shooting airsoft, but the IR is in a league of it's own and not Tamiya compatible if that is what you are looking for, but because of the smaller scale do not operate well in grass.

There are lots of options out there, and all of them are represented here by someone with the same interests.

hehehe it's me Averc I answered u on youtube, welcome to this forum!! As I said ppl here will be more than happy to help you!

Welcome,

If you have questions (and you are a west coaster) check out:

http://www.desertarmor.com/

http://web.mac.com/ksoc/S.C.A.T./Welcome.html

http://www.rctankwars.com/

We are happy to lead you down the garden path.

Averc, I don't think I have any videos up on youtube yet. Must have been confusion somewere :P It seems like hatakashi is the man with the video hehe.
But, I do plan to upload something when I am satisfied enough with the tanks.

Hobby stores do not carry the Tanks, welcome aboard, as far as what brand you want it depends on 2 things first, 1) Cash for the Hobby and 2) What type of builder you are!

IF you really enjoy a kit build the tank comes in a 100 pieces and it has High Quality ELectronics, and want to pay any where from $ 600 - $ 1000 or more depending on the high end radio you want! You can get a good Tamiya Kit from Karen at the Danville Museum!

Or you can buy a Heng Long, Matorro, or WSN it comes already assembled, the electonics and quality is much cheaper but at least with Heng Long, but it is ABS plastic the body is tough! And there are tons modification that we have done and continue to do and post on this forum. Also availiable are a bunch of upgrade parts for each unit, including metal add ons! Starting price about $ 100 - $ 200 includes shipping and model type.

Scale for me 1/16 th, 1/24th in my opinion will always look and feel like a Toy! I have not held a 12 lb 1/24th tank!

If you would like to see the cheaper versions in action,,, and if you are close to Escondido CA, I will be giving a demo Friday night at the corner of Grand Ave & Kalmia St.

The Blitz

RCTankWars.com

Hi Averec and welcome- from one newbie to another. Very recently I was grass green on tanks, now I know just enough to be dangerous.

Here in point form is the sum of what I’ve learned-

1) There are two major manufacturers of 1/16 R/C tanks- Tamiya and Heng Long. There are others, but I do not know squat about them. Tamiya will run you $500 and up, Heng Long (HL) will start at about $80. So, I went with HL.
2) There is two types of tank from Heng Long- the basic one and the smoke and sound (S&S). It is highly recommended by everyone to get the S&S for the extra $10, you get the smoke exhaust, the sound of the tank starting and running and the cannon and machine gun, etc, but most importantly instead of the two speeds forward and two back you get proportional speed (and therefore proportional steering as well). I’ve seen posted that you actually get 10 speeds instead of actually proportional speed, but it’s close enough for me. Most who get the basic end up upgrading to the better control.
3) The other two types of tanks from HL are the basic plastic gears and tracks versus the metal gears and tracks. I’ve got one of each, there are pros and cons for each. Pro for plastic is no break-in and longer battery life, pro for metal is the jerkiness is smoothed out, rides heavier and therefore has better traction, and it sounds cool. I prefer the metal upgrade myself, but was perfectly happy with the plastic. I’d say unless you get a great deal, get plastic and upgrade in the future if the tracks or gears wear out or break on you.
4) There are quite a few models of tanks from HL, they are almost exclusively WWII era and mostly German armored. The Tiger I is (one of ?) the first model made, it is also probably the most popular. There are guys in this forum who half a dozen Tiger I’s done up in different camouflage and such. Also popular is the M26 Pershing (an American one)- it is fairly accurate and is well designed. Unless you are just looking for a toy, stay away from the Panther- it is very inaccurate and is nicknamed “PanTiger� as it is built on the Tiger I chassis. Also, rule of thumb is that the newer the model the more accurate it is.
5) If you want exact 1/16 scale, you are out of luck. All the tanks I’ve looked at are about the same size- 15-16� long and 9� wide in the body. Also, the cannons never seem to be right either. However, the newest releases seem to be more accurately to scale. Unfortunately they are small tanks in real life, so they are smaller than the established ones. Still, who cares?
6) If you open up a HL body, get your soldering gun warming up. The wire that the manufacturer uses is brittle and you WILL have a broken wire each and every time you go inside. At least I have….never from use, but from poking in around inside. I don’t know how durable the wires are with use- I just have not had my tanks long enough to form an opinion.
7) If you get a tank with metal gears or you upgrade to metal gears, break them in. I tried to use my Pershing right out of the box and was very disappointed at the lack of power and speed. I did the break-in as outlined in the FAQ, now my tank is very powerful and smooth. I also broke in the motors at the same time, but will be replacing them soon (just because I can- not from any fault of the stock motors).
8) Finally (and this is the most important point) if you have any questions or problems, ask these guys in this forum. They are helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. They may banter back and forth in a thread, but never so as to confuse the issue. This forum is tops, and so are the members.

It looks like you are in the US, so I’ll leave it to others to tell you the best place(s) to order your tank and parts from. I learned the hard way not to go it alone- I had over a month of agony dealing with a “reputable� seller who had been posted as unreliable on this forum. I ended up buying privately (off evilbay), but only because I did not ask where to deal with in advance. The recommendations given to me are now part of my favorites, and I’ve ordered my motors according to this forum’s recommendations.

Anyway, welcome to the insanity! You’re going to love this! [8D]


Dmon1996

Wow, thanks for all the replies guys! As far as my first tank, I think I'll go with something a little less pricey to get the feel of things. I've always wanted to own a Tiger 1 (who hasn't, heh) so I think i will be going for the Heng Long version of it (smoke & sound). I'm not going to worry about battling just yet, just to give things a test run first.

Building kits from scratch is probably the most rewarding aspect of a hobby in my opionion, but I just don't have the time and experience to buy a kit. Soon I hope to assemble my own kits, and maybe some day (a long way from now) buy some plans and work on one from scratch. I've seen some of the 1/4 and 1/6 ones and I've got to say they are pricey! A few websites i checked were selling Tiger 1 models at 1/4 for 11,000 USD and another for 5700 euros. At this point it's just taunting me, lol.

Over the past few days I've been hunting for a 1/16 Heng Long Tiger 1, but every website I visit has them out of stock. There are a few selections in stock but they're usually just the plain grey ones. I was looking for the desert camo (yellow/light green, brown, etc) version but those seem to be the most popular. As far as e-bay goes, I've never trusted any of the retailers there. If I have to I don't mind using ebay, but I just have a bad feeling about the reliability of their products because they are not sold professionally. I'm just going to keep looking around for the Heng Ling tiger in the meantime.

Again thanks for all the great advice and It'll definitely help me get under way into the hobby.
(Hey ManMachine sorry if I confused you with hatakashi because his name was gabriel too , yeah he was the one who led me to this website)

I don't think the green and tan camouflaged tiger is being made anymore. Just the grey one and tan ones. It doesn't matter, you're going to repaint it anyway!

Lots of web based companies have the tank in stock now and several auction site sellers are very reputable people. Just ask around here on the forum.

Don't fool with plastic tracks, get the metal ones up front. Make sure it comes with metal gears too.

I acquired one of the camo tanks a few weeks ago, I always though it looked hideous but doesnt look as bad in the flesh - still, a paintjob is on the cards.

Also, Dmon - if you're breaking wires everytime you open up a tank, you're being too rough or pulling the halves too far apart before detaching the plugs (turret loom and antenna lead). Rushing and going in heavy-handed I would definitely expect things to break - be patient, take your time (its not a race), make sure everything is OK then put it back together, and you'll have a low-maintenance tank.

Averc,

If you are in the Southern California area, come by and check out one of our battles. You will get a chance to see a lot of different tanks - a lot of Tamiyas, some HL's, and a smattering of others. You are even welcome to drive you Tiger I if you have it by our next battle.

www.socalareatankers.com

Hi Averc,

WELCOME! To the world of FUN!!!!

Try RCScalemodel.com or Matotoys.com (Canada) they are reliable suppliers.

Like the rest of us here , you'll find out just how enjoyable this hobby can be, it rewards you with all your efforts, it makes you find new friends (online or clubs), you can be the cool guy driving your tank at the park, it also hones your scratchbuilding, modeling, and painting skills, it forces you to become an Electronic Wizard, it teaches you "Patience" when waiting for tanks/parts shipments to arrive. Makes you a History Buff and Researcher, forces you to be a photographer, a photo editor, and even a film maker.
THE BENEFITS ARE ENDLESS...!!!!

Only down side is $$$[:'(]... but if you learn how to save $$$ thats no problem at all.
Make sure that if you have a wife and family, you must learn balance your time between,
This hobby will take a lot of your time and not to mention Room space....but its WORTH IT!

WELCOME AGAIN, ALL THESE GUYS HERE ARE THE BEST THEY WILL HELP YOU WITH YOUR TANKING NEEDS..


Best regards,

Patrick C.

From Wackywheelz Believe me, I am not "heavy handed". Although I have not had the same problem with the Pershing, every time i went into the Panther I got broken wires sometime during the time the tank was open. Of course, it was during the time I was fitting the laser sight inside the turret, so I had to totally disassemble and pull thru all the electronics and motor assemblies. I have had one wire break on the Pershing- the antenna wire was poorly soldered to the board and came off first time I opened it up. But nothing since.....


Dmon1996

Not entirely true. A basic no-frills S&S can be had for $64.95 or thereabouts. I notice that much of the DIY aspect in regards to upgrading the HL is dead. Most people seem to go for metal gears and metal tracks from the get-go without ever knowing how well the bone stock tank runs or behaves... but I digress.

Scale wise, the Tiger and Pershing are about right on, they share the same dimensions as the Tamiya versions. The Bulldog is too big. The Panzer III and Panzer IV are about right too, noticeably smaller than the Pershing and Tiger as in real life.

-Harq

Welcome aboard ! 1/16th is a great scale, lots of parts available, decent size and won't take your back out lifting them. I think Heng Long is the best of the cheapy tanks, WSN and Matorro have ultra cheap electronics and/or drive train. If you like building quality models the Tamiya 1/16 tanks are awesome but where as a HL can be bought on a whim the Tam purchase requires more thought and financial jockeying. I have built 2 Tam's so far and want a third but I have to choose carefully because it will be a year or more before my next one.