King Tiger Turret Rotation Problem
 

I know this is a known problem but has anybody figured out a reliable fix for the turret rotation problem. In my case The turret will go right with jerking and gear slippage sound but not left. The large turret ring gear will not stay engaged with the gear driving it. It almost seems the motor/gear assembly is inadequate for the heavy turret. Quite disappointing for an otherwise beautiful model.

Is it the Torro (Henschel turret) or Taigen (Porsche turret)? I have the Porsche and the turret works perfectly.

Henschel

take the top of the hull off and see if the turret rotates any better - you could just have gotten some wires tangled up in there? If its still a bit iffy, you could try greasing the underside of the turret where it sits on the hull, I've had to do this with one of my M41's (tho that was probably due to the rough paint finish, rather than the weight of the turret?)

Greasing that area would really not be a good idea. Grease attracts dirt like a magnet. Just look really well to try and determine what is causing it to hang up and fix it. the only place you want grease on these models is in the gear boxes.

Normally I'd agree with you, but as a last resort measure it did cure the turret rotation issue when multiple sessions of sanding with fine grit wet 'n' dry paper failed to produce a smooth enough surface :p

Mine came with some left over flashing on the bottom of the turret that caused irregular turret movement. A few minutes with a file solved the problem.

I have found graphite powder is the best thing to use as lubricant between the turret and the hull,

I also use graphite powder, you can get it anywhere they sell Boy Scout stuff that carries the little pinewood derby cars. I usually pour a bit on a piece of paper or sheet plastic and then apply it with a very small make-up brush. In fact, I've found women's make up stuff to have all kinds of cool applicators that we can use for modeling. And they said that me being such a skirt chaser all my life would never pay off. Ha! :)

EDIT: I had to insert the words "skirt chaser" because the site wouldn't print the word I originally used and inserted four asterisks. The original word was four letters and rhymes with "glut" but starts with an "S". I'm kind of offended by their censorship. I understand the reasons (or what they THINK the reasons are), but I've still always hated censorship of any kind and I hate to see it used on my favorite forum, but that's not a discussion for this forum.

Does anyone know what country the RCU website is controlled from? Or originated in?

Just curios, have you ever tried it on the gear boxes?

No, I stick to white lithium on the gears. Not sure what Dan has tried.

Never oil the turret or ring. It will harm more than help. Lets try a few KISS things first.

For a Tamiya KT.....

Are the rotation unit wires are well connected (at the joints & motor terminals)?
Are ALL the wires out of the way or binding?
Is the rotation unit is securely screwed down and level?
Is the turret ring gear secure, deformed or damaged (missing a tooth)?
Is the rotation motor is clipped in properly? The rotation & elevation motors just pop in and out of the housings.
Is your turret out of balance? The Tamiya KT turret need a counterbalance weigh (included in the kit) added to the back of the turret. Metal muzzle brake???
The rotation units is U shaped with the ring running thru the center. Pinch it tighter.
The Tamiya turret rides on 3 white vertical rollers make sure the spin freely
Add a neat layer of glossy Scotch tape to the bottom of the turret to enhance the smoother surface.
De-burr or sand turret bottom as needed.
Check the two turret lugs and chamfer / bevel the edges. They can hang up going over the removal slots (Really bad for an unbalanced turret) and jam.
Make sure the 3 black horizontal centering rollers (mounted under the upper hull) are spinning freely.
De-grease the slipper clutch and weld (soldering iron) or glue it solid. Buy the blue gear if you are rich or can't do the other two options.
Are there any mods or add-ons that are binding? Look for telltale or unusual scratches on the underside of your turret.
I had one customer with a VERY heavy KT turret with many metal add-ons. I added a second rotation unit wired parallel to the original and it eliminated all the issues.

I hope this helps you or someone else. Let us know how you make out. Bob Held

Is this a Tamiya King Tiger?

Ok so I do see this happen from time to time on some tanks. This usually happens with kids around, from what I see it has to do with the clutch being triggered (the turret forcibly turned) and it either breaks a tooth or shears it in one direction, making one turn direction either non functional or reliable. You can try to open your rotation unit and check the gears to see if they are in good condition. If not or you do not wish to check them I do have a few rotation units here for the KT.
Your rotation unit should be more than adequate to spin that turret. If there is slipping then the unit needs to be fixed or replaced. There are also mods you could perform to help with rotation as well such as roller bearings to help ease movement strain, but I think this is different topic.
Hope this helps!

Could be a balance issue as well. Tamiya used to supply a counter balance weight to put in the back of the turret to off set thebarrel. This was on the Porsche kit, not sure if they still supply it on the
production kit.

Max-U52,
Do you have a basement with a dried-out well in it and are you raising butterflies? :D

I do agree with you EPT dont get me wrong. There just needs to be a better way and all avenues need to be explored before any type of lubricant should be added in that type of location. I sometimes wonder if the Tamiya ball bearing or roller system could be modded in to the upper hull to see that would help. I don't have a KT so i dont know how it is configured but it might be worth taking a look at.

;)

The rollers sit in molded pockets in the underside of the lower turret shell on the M51 - not sure how you would fit that to another tank without cutting the whole pocket out, and then try to get all 3 of them all glued into the upper at the same protrusion height? If one is lower or higher than the others the turret will not sit down flat and you'd probably have it catch even worse?

Thanks Lord Haw-Haw, I now have that scene from the movie stuck in my head - but with Gary's voice saying *it rubs the graphite on the rim, or else it hears the turret click again...* :eek:

"It puts the bigger rollers in the well then it rotates really swell". Here try this link if this is a Tamiya King Tiger you are working with.
Steve

Here is what I did on my Cromwell

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2098886

Airsoft pellets were used as bearings with graphite powder as a lubricant.

I'm not sure what I ever did to you, but that was extremely offensive and insulting. Just for the record, no, I am not a homosexual serial killer. It's pretty easy to run your mouth over the internet and I usually don't let it bother me. I keep reminding myself that people talk stupid all the time and the best bet is to just let it go.

And thanks a lot for playin' into that garbage, Martin. Glad to know you've got my back, Bro.

All good info. Thank you! What part number is the blue gear you refer to? What is a slipper clutch?