Mmmm... RC Lawn Mowers are Kool...

Have you you considered Tricking Out a Lawn Mower as a Tiger 1 or maybe a T 72?

;)

-gus

RC lawn mower... I like that.

How about a RC snow blower? They would be popular up here. I would love to sit inside and control it to clear my drive, all warm and snug with a hot beverage.

Erik, I'm glad you have found a way to treat yourself every now and then! I believe as hard working men we ALL deserve to buy ourselves presents. I am also glad your working hard to bring us a good product. IMO, a good looking, and functioning track makes the tank, second only to scale looks. Keep us all informed on progress, and keep putting videos of new and upgraded products on YouTube. The videos are a way better means of showcasing new stuff. It's a lot easier to see size, looks,and functionality of a product when you show us hands on. Way better then still photos and literature.

Here Ya Go...

Hobby Raw has Metal Tracks for the 1/16 Abrams.

http://www.hobbyraw.com/item.jsp?id=973

Just ordered a set.

I'll get the new kit added and tested once the tracks get here.
Also have some different Motors to test.
I'll start a new thread here in a week or so.

List: $159
Sale: $114

-gus

My guess is these are the ones made by Kenny Kong, great looking tracks but a a lot of weight.

I received the metal parts from Hobbyraw as well. the tracks have exquisite details and it's just what I expect:D

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2069564http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2069565

Wow! They look a lot better then they do on their website. Looks like it's time I place an order!

Sweet!

They Look Great!

I still have a couple weeks to wait on my Trax to arrive...

:)

-gus

Just beware fella's, if you ordered your M1 with the 4:1's it's nowhere near scale speed. If you get up to scale speed not sure if the lower hull/tranny's will be able to keep up with the weight doing high speed turns
in grass, loose dirt, etc.

I'll be reinforcing the lower Hull with a Resin Pour...
And Metal Cross Bracing.

We'll see how it goes...

;)

-gus

All I can say is good luck, I know it will look good.

Well I ordered all the metal I could from HR. Not knowing I had, my wife tried 2 surprising me by ordering another set off Ebay.... Guess I will at least have 2 sets to see which ones I like best! And I had also thought about the weight issue. I added as much metal as I could to my m41. Get alot of flex up front, no issues yet. With the Abrams extra space up front, I plan on making a metal hull insert to fit in the front 2/3s of the tank, and a couple braces as well. I got a good sheet metal guy, and I'm a welder by trade, so it'll take some time, but I should be able to make it work. Plan on filling any gaps with epoxy, and keeping my fingers crossed.

Remember guys if you want an Abrams we have them here with 4:1 steel gearboxes with 20pc bearing sets for $229 :) You get the same great IMEX-Erik service with it and I check it myself and will install the 4:1 for you.

And yes, I am lucky enough to have a gf that is decently supportive of my strange building habits. I jump from project to project sometimes and I get the house messy but luckily she hasnt got rid of me yet! She was very iffy on the first RC lawnmower, but I'm on the 2nd one now and now issues. It is very expensive to drive these things though, either you need a 56mm+ brushless motor or some electric wheelchair motors. I prefer the wheelchair motors as they come with a gearbox already and you can pick up a pair for around $100 or so.

Also, no worries on more videos. I got a new assistant here to help me with busy work so I can focus more effort into working on new things and focusing on media relations and support. I honestly think a great support model will push the RC tanking business a step further. I know a lot of the times when people come on here they may say that they had a problem and I fixed it, which may look like we send out a bunch of broken tanks, but if nothing breaks I cant tell them to come to RCU! So in essence it isn't too horrible right? I always try to promote this forum, you guys have always been a great community, something other RC groups do not have.

(Edit: If you want a specific video PM me and I'll see what I can do!)

So I don't know if anyone is still paying attention to this thread, but I now have both sets of tracks in my possession. The set from hobbyraw is way lighter, less heavy duty, but the pads are set in them very nicely. The other tracks my wife got me from summit hobby are very heavy duty, but the pads are kinda just resting on the track. It is only attached by a little 1/8 in square of rubber protruding from the bottom of the pad. It goes into the track and pretty sure just a dab of glue holding it on. I feel they may pull out fairly easy.... :-\ Anyhow, I only have a smart phone and trying to get pics on here is kinda difficult, but soon as I figure it out I'll make sure to have comparison photos for y'all. Well, hope I get to post soon. Wish me luck.

I'm still following this thread. I would like to see the pictures of the tracks.

Have you found a paint color that matches the Abrams? I like the stock color but the modifications I have planned will require paint touch up. Some touch up I will do in NATO green but some I want in the desert color.

Keep us posted on what you do with your Abrams.

Pah: so I've got some good pics, but I can't get them to post! Like I said I've only got a phone that I use to surf the Web, and it's not letting me load any pics. :-\ heck, I can't even figure out how to add them in my profile. I can't even remember how I got my profile pic on here. If u have any suggestions, feel free. In the mean time, I'll keep trying.

I'll just try at work tomorrow, I've got wifi there. If that doesn't work, I'll stop by my sisters and try with her computer. There's some big differences between the two. The hobby summit tracks look better, are more to scale, especially the guide horn, but I still feel I'm going to loose pads. The hobby raw tracks are nice, look decent, but a lil less heavy duty,and not as scale as the others. Well hopefully I'll have some pics tomorrow.

Erik I'm sorry if I missed an official announcement but what does Taigen have planned for your Abrams upgraded release? Anything as extravagant like a lower hull redesign, or a more traditional redo with metal tracks / wheels etc?

HobbyRaw is interesting. I bought from them before and they have actually answered specific tank questions promptly, and seem to know more about their tanks than the average retailer / ebay store. They even corrected a gearbox photo that I pointed out was wrong... hehe... I'd love to know for sure who manufactures their tracks / parts. Maybe I'll ask.

Just to say so again along with a good review & video from YHR, these http://www.hobbyraw.com/item.jsp?id=948 gearboxes are fast, and strong. They turn my small-sprocketed Pershing along at such high speeds that I had to limit the throttle via radio limits hehe.

They would propel the Abrams (and Leopard) at a wicked clip.

-J

The outer track that is black is the stock plastic track.
The middle one is from Hobby Raw.
The other outer track is from Hobby Summit.
Pulling up the edge of the track pad with my thumb,Hobby Summit Track.

Any thoughts on these?


http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073193http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073194http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073195http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073196http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073197http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073199http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073200http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073202http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073203http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073204http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2073193

Not 100% sure but think one of the metal sets may be produced by kenny kong?
http://www.kennysmodeltank.com/page/..._16/page1.html

http://www.kennysmodeltank.com/photo...6/1_16M1A1.JPG

After another look, doesn't seem so. Guide horns/pads are different.

Hey TheBennyB,

I've been seeing the Set you posted listed on Ebay for at Least Six Months, maybe more.
Not sure who makes em...

-gus

Pah, not sure if I've got the right paint or not... I got 4 different colors from 3 different brands. They all look close, but you don't know for sure till you actually apply it to the tank, and I'm not that close yet. Just got the road wheels primed, still waiting on different motors and trans, and 360 turret ring before I reassemble it. Then paint will be going on last. Also need new compressor for airbrush. I will let you know which color from which brand I go with though.
Strato, I will look into that combo. I got new 3:1 coming now with "high torque" motors. I would like a lil more scale speed, but don't want to loose the power I got with the 4:1. I don't mind getting a few different options. I want it to be right!
Gus, I also saw them before I could even find the tank. That set is nice! Very heavy duty. The tracks are thicker,pads are thicker, guide horn is correct, and even the sprocket teeth are a good 1/16 thicker then the set from hobby raw. Im just afraid the pads are going to pull loose. But I guess they did give about 2 dozen extra pads though.

The pic I posted is from the Kenny kong site. They are his tracks. People have been using them for years on the HE and Chunwai.