pcomm1

Most of us already know about the turret rotation unit "FIX" and it turns out that fix works for the "elevation unit" too.

For those new to building WWII Tamiya rc tanks Ihave included photos that are, well, worth that 1000 words.

Anyway, I got tired of the hit or miss, poor, weak, operation of the Tamiya main gun elevation unit performance in some of my tanks.

Many builders have swapped out the Tamiya elevation unit for a servo to gain flawless main gun elevation performance and that does work.

Here is another, but far simpler approach: The problem in the elevation unit is a "slipping" clutch gear.

Pull that gear out of the elevation unit and CAGlue it "SOLID" and then re-install it exactly as you removed it!

Again remove the gear first, do NOT glue the gear solid without removing it from the unit first.

Or purchase online from Tamiya the 6-Speed Gearbox H.E Kit. Item #72005: http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=72005

Use the exact fitting blue gears found in this kit to replace the unreliable clutch gear.

The BLUE gears work for BOTH the turret rotation unit and the main gun elevation unit.

And for good measures, install a metal elevation arm, replacing the prone to breaking Tamiya kit's plastic elevation arm. Daryl Turner, Impact and others offer this part.

Doing these simple gear glue or swap upgrades will gain you turret operation that works great, and dare I say it, even better than the good turret ops found on my 2 HLtanks.

And the gear you want to glue or replace on the elevation unit rides on the shaft circled "B".

John

kclank

I love it. Thanks. I will post to the Kelly's Heroes web, tech page, site with credit to you, if you have no objections.

pcomm1

Ken, No objections here, happy to help and this fix made my Pershing a favorite again. And by the way, you don't need to re-install the elevation spring, as the solid gear gives a firm & precise movement without it. John

Panther F

Yeah, I thought everyone was doing that. It's weaker than the turret set up.

Good to bring it up though.

Pzjgr

Thanks pcomm1, I'll do that on my Tiger IE after repainting and on my Panther when I start building it.

Panther F

Pulling the affected gear out is a breeze. Just remove the brass spacer sleeve outfirst BEFORE pulling the smallgear apart from the larger gear. A 2 part epoxy is much more cleanerway ofgluing than CA. Sand both sides, apply the epoxy to both gears and press the gear back in. Once it's set, re-install the spacer from the small gear side and then place back into the elevation unit.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezie.

ksoc

This is definitely a clean and cost effect solution, but how does theelevationunit handle the stress if you stay on the stick too long now that you've removed the slipper clutch?

That is one reason I chose to go with a servo upgrade. When running and gunning I can't spend a lot of time starring at my tank to determine if I've reach max/min gun elevation. Combat makes you do some stupid things with you tank, so I try to minimize the number of fine motor skill operations required

Panther F

You're absolutely right Kevin, if it's not just a runner sometimes in the heat of battle that can happen. I never really touch my elevation controls any, especially if they were on level ground, but that doesn't mean anything. My way of gluing them is cheaper than all the rest.

But for us uninformed, how about a little tutorial on a "How To". I know it takes a special lead ... maybe you can give us the details?

Panther G

Yeah i could really use that mod too. Had my Tamy Panther out last night and had to keep correcting gun elev as I was running around. I have the DT metal arm too just havent had a chance to install it, so I would like to do both mods at the same time.

pcomm1

Hi Kevin,

Perhaps what your calling fine motor skills is probably a general lack of eye hand coordination turret operation skill, unless your referring to something like neurosurgery fine motor skills.

All in all, the Tamiya black clutch gears only protects components by not allowing the units to work at all!Insidious Japanese engineering at its worst and or best.

Combat solution.

If your concerned about a solid gear causing lockup damage to the elevation unit parts, caused by operater error while under the intense stress of rc tank backyard combat simulation, do what some of the Danville T/Cs (tank commanders) recommend.

Fold the up and the down stop tabs flush to the elevation unit frame. The solid gear will rotate 360 degrees without hard hitting anything that would damage the other gears or itself. Of course, going through a full cycle, up will become down etc, etc and no real skill is required, except you must be able to tell up from down under stress and figure out what to do about it. Pretty sure most can handle that challenge.

And CAGlue bonding a clutch gear solid has held up for over 5 years in my Tiger IE, so I wouldn't worry about that glue choice, but use a glue that works for you.

Enjoy, John

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

Then again, there is dropping in the end-limit switch solution. Solid gearing plus the limit switches, and the switch cuts out when you hit max/min elevation. No strain. And apparently, Impact offers the wiring diagram at NO cost if you e-mail them (or so said the text on the Youtube file I saw...) Anyone tried to get the diagram/instructions?

I'd be game for it, as I have more than one use for it...

Then again, why wouldn't Impact just openly post it on their website as a 'freebie', eh?

Mustang137

Replace the metal stop ears with micro-switches.

Here's how I modded my Sherman

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

UnionPac:

Got the wiring diagram for it? I hate wiring from a picture, because sometimes wires cross or are hidden, and it leads to a mis-wire and something gets cooked. Hence my mentioning the Impact offer (anyone checked?)

Panther F

Nice work UnionPac!