It was about two years ago and I had always wanted to buy a tamiya, but just couldnt part with my money, then my brother told me about the HL's and that is what started my addiction. So I bought a Tiger 1 and then stumbled onto this section of the forums, and I had been a member of RCU but never went past the rc trucks, Boy am I glad I did. Now I have two tiger 1's and a KT which will have the elmod installed once I get off my lazy bum.
And since some of you live across country or across the pond and up north also, I just want to say thanks for all your tips and talent within this hobby, I consider you all friends and when life hits a wall such as with Phil, it really puts things in perspective and shows the true meaning of life. I started with one tank and will eventually be buying more, and I hope this niche of the rc'ing hobby never falters. Anyway thank you everyone for your contributions and may god bless all of you.

Thank You
Wade

Yep, Same here,

I just did some math. And for a very nice HL Tiger 1 with all the Bells and Whisltes. ELMOD, Recoil, detail out the ying yang you will spend approx. $1400 now if you did the same with the very fine Tamiya it would cost much more. Oh Brothers don't get me wrong I would love to be able to do a late Tamy Tiger 1 with the works, but that could cost up in the $2500 range or more.

So I to am glad for all the help and wonderful products for the HL Line.

Don

Glad you guys are enjoying the hobby and your tanks. The more manufactures the better!

Chief - I'd love to see a breakdown of how you put $2,500 into a Tamiya Tiger. Assuming one spent $100 for a basic HL S&S Tiger, and $900 to get a Tamiya Tiger up and running ($700 for the kit and $200 for radio, charger, etc...). According to your math, you'd actually put MORE money into the Tamyia for aftermarket goodies than you would a HL!

That would be a very pretty kitty!

If you are talking about buying a Tamiya and replacing the electronics with ElMod, remember you could sell the DMD & MFU for a nice chunk of change.

He did say LATE Tiger I. I found that it was more expensive to get what you need to assemble a late Tiger I than it would be to assemble a Porsche KT (when buying both the Henschel full option KT AND the Porsche KT static kit). The late Tiger I wheels alone (at least the Wecohe ones) cost as much as the entire Porsche static kit. If anyone knows of a more cost effective source of late Tiger I wheels for the Tamiya kit, I would like to hear about it. The HL late Tiger wheels are dirt cheap in comparison, wonder if they would work?

No matter how I have crunched the numbers, I cannot come up with a Tamiya Tiger I or II with metal tracks and gearboxes, that is under $1000. And that does NOT include radio, batteries or charger. I think a Tamiya Jagdtiger conversion using all Wecohe parts would probably end up costing about $2500 or maybe even more. That's a Doctor's RC tank there, and the British made Mark I 1/4 scale tanks are for Brain Surgeons (definitely not for lowly peasants). A real 1:1 Tiger, that would be a Bill Gates toy tank, that's probably what he would have if he was even interested in them. There is no computer chip or operating system in a real Tiger, so he probably wouldn't like it.

I wonder if the Führer would have enjoyed chasing Blondie around inside the Bunker with a Tamiya Tiger.. Which tank would he have chosen to play with in those final weeks? I bet he would have gone for the Königstiger. If Tamiya had been around back then they probably would have sent him one as a gift.

Not the dreaded Tamiya VS Heng Long thread again. [:@]

Go ahead and spend $1400.00 on a HL. Most of what you put on it already exists in the Tamiya kit. If you had spent the $700.00 on a Tamiya kit to begin with, you would find out you really don't need to spend anymore for it doesn't need everything replaced.

Ah man, that is not the intention of this post, I am merely stating that I remember when I first started in the hobby, because I went with the HL is all I could afford at the time, and have increased my number of tanks, because I got hooked. I wanted to express my gratitude for all that have contributed on this forum, and to state that life sometimes throws you a curveball, and the true meaning of family and friends. I was having an epiphany and wanted to express my feelings[sm=cry_smile.gif]

Wade

Reb,

No problem with your post. I was sincere when I said the more the merrier.

What get me is that while BOTH HL & Tamiya are EARLY Tigers, he can spend about $1,300 upgrading to a LATE Tiger, while the Tamiya will cost over $1,600 to get to the same level - What the ???? Once again, if you are going to replace/upgrade the stock Tamiya parts (gear boxes, tracks, etc..) you need to factor in that you can regain some of the cost by reselling the stock parts. Tamiya tanks have a 'fearsome' enough reputation without people getting the idea that to get one running and looking right it will cost over $2K!

There is a cheaper way to make steel wheels - assuming the parts are available - using the metal road wheels (x1) and plastic parts (x6) from the Tamiya King Tiger. A quick calc says the parts should be less than $100.

(Courtesy of FRAG)

http://www.fragarmor.org/Advanced%20Hints%204.htm

Wow 2k for a toy, I could order a russian bride for less then that



Wade


On second thought, I wonder if she would help with my KT project[sm=47_47.gif]

Some thoughts on cost effective build approaches:

All my tanks are built as TBU runners with good time devoted to tweaking the ops performance and then the finish. They are all careful builds that work great using the best parts available to meet that stated specific goal for each tank build. I use Impact metal tracks when required or if there is a performance gain to be found, if not, I am quite happy and prefer to run the Tamiya & HL plastic kit tracks (but with metal sprockets/idlers). I use just 2 transmitters; a 2.4 and a the Futaba AM 4 channel unit, with appropriate individual receivers for each tank. Each tank uses the standard Daryl Turner reliability parts and only a couple of builds use PE parts, as my backyard is never friendly to them!

I use either stock Tamiya gearboxes, Impact gear boxes or the 3 to 1 gear reduction setups with Speed 400 Motors or stock Tamiya motors.

Both brands are very re-buildable, but I believe, just the Tamiya kit is actually durable and for me, offers true build satisfaction upon completion. And that observation is based on building & running both my HL and Tamiya tanks. I would recommend building any Tamiya f/o kit kit NOW as a great runner. Then, the next year rebuild that runner into a good looker. Use that one model to evolve and advance your rc skills. Then go nuts on a new 2nd kit build with all the detail parts. That way you will actually finish at least the first build and be better prepared for completing your second Tamiya build! Use the same tactics for the HL or Mato tanks. When I estimated the cost for the new RTR El Mod converted VVS Sherman, I found it is a little bit more than if you just built a stock, good running, out of the box Tamiya Sherman f/o Kit. Little bit means about $200. The Tamiya kit still gives you a better overall base for future upgrades; years down the road. Irregardless of any bagging on my tanks here, I know they are advanced to expert level builds and have been told so by many of the best master builders in the hobby.

From 2003 to present, my overall complete build costs ranged from $675.00 for the Sherman with Nick's T-23 turret set to $1200.00 for the Jagd, an unfortunate upgrade parts intensive build, but my favorite panzer. The Panther G was just under $900.00 because I needed to get the damn Impact tracks & other Impact parts. All the other builds below hovered around $750.00 to $850.00. That also includes the HL Pz3 to Tamiya semi f/o conversion and the static Porsche KT to Tamiya semi f/o conversion.

Whatever you do, evolve the build as skill, money and build time permit. I have been having fun building these tank things for 6 years now and brawling with all you morons for at least 2 years now. Great fun.

John

18 months down the road you might be happy, but for sure you'll be clearly broke. Shouldn't trust those pretty commie women. Anyway, you'll never get your tank collection if you go down that path!

Bottom line is to have fun. The newer releases from Heng Long and Mato will be getting better. Maybe to the point you won't need the El -Mod conversion. The only arguement I will make in this debate, is that HL give you the ability to have a go at this hobby for $150.

To stay in the spirit in which this thread was intended, I will simply say that this forum and the help it provides have turned Heng Long tanks into a viable alternative to a Tamiya. Many thanks to all of those who contribute ideas and simple fixes that have helped move Heng Long out of the toy status. Without this forum my First Heng Long purchase would have been a disaster.

The same spirit applies to the Tamiya guys. Not too many Tamiya tankers leave here without receiving a lot of help from that camp as well.

Pcomm1

From one moron to another, nice tanks.

one factor your missing

your tiger wont take you for everything in a divorce

making the tiger be it HL or Tamiya much more attractive

I wasn't replying to you at all Rebellion13. Your intent was just fine with me.

There will always be a debate over Tamiya or HL it all depends on what you want and can a ford the nice part about all this is the metal upgrades for the HL tanks are getting closer to a Tamiya build I have both and am also liking the electronics that are coming out that can be used in both as a addition or a upgrade .

jimmy

Oops, I guess the way I added your quote looked like I was replying directly to you, my bad, I just wanted to let everyone know it wasn't intended to be a brand vs brand debate, just how I got started in this hobby, and what it has turned into. I would love to be able to buy a Tamiya though, I have had other tamiya's (clodbuster,the frog, and another one I forget though). Also don't have the time to build one right now, other projects and life are in the way. But what I didn't realize was all the aftermarket parts and accessories for both brands when I first started. And just as YHR stated without this site my first would have been a disaster also.

Cheers,
Wade

Yep, I have both brands and they fit all needs. If you have the money to spend and have the time to build it is one thing but an RTR is just fine as well.

My Dream tank is a fully loaded Tamiya Late Tiger 1, with the working tow cable holders, metal chassie. Every bell and whistle they make. I'm talking full photo-etch sets. I still think an animated tank commander is possible, although I've failed in every attempt. But until I can do that I make do and really enjoy the Heng Long Tiger. The good thing about the Heng Long is you can afford to experiment. Some of my projects end up either on fire, or needing overhauls. I would hate to take a chance on messing up the a Tamiya.

Don

Using King Tiger wheels almost gets the look, but not quite. The problem is it looks like a Tiger I with King Tiger wheels on it. The Late Tiger I center caps sit flush with the wheel (on the outer 4 wheels). The KT center caps protrude past the wheel and are shaped a little differently on their ends. The inner wheel center caps are also shorter on the Late Tiger I and do not stick out as far as they do on the KT.

If you take a look at several photos of real Late Tiger I tanks and KTs you will notice what I am talking about.

After all the cutting and fitting one needs to do to flip and lengthen the Main Gun on the HL, cutting down and modifying the center caps should be a piece of cake!