Begginner guide?
 

Hi,

First post here. I have been collecting the 1/72 metal tanks and other WWII stuff for years, for x-mas this year I got a drone.. it was fun but I wanted something different and looking into other RC stuff, I stumbled upon the tanks! I am definitely interested in collecting some of these, painting them, but also would like to play with them, possibly some kind of game for the BB type or if they work good the IR. Looking into this further it gets confusing, tanks with out sound and smoke, with sound and smoke, metal tracks - MFG's seemingly over lapping... I have questions like what is the range on say a Heng Long or Tamiya IR tank? Does one really need metal tracks for a basic back yard? I have read different opinions on 2.4 versions vs the older ones...

There is no local supplier or group in the Milwaukee area I am aware of so no help there, my local hobby town - no help...

If there is a beginner's guide out there that addresses these questions and explains better that would be great... It does not look to me like there are a million different ones of these out there, just a handful of MFG's which I assume for most part all the tanks are more or less on the same "frames" with the same electronics but different bodies (by same MFG) - I know there are differences between MFG but they seem to all be very similar other than price... but I cannot find that after a couple of days of looking.. if there is not one, there should be a definitive guide or RC tanking fo dummies book...

What are the best places to get info.. I don't care to have the biggest and best and budget is certainly a factor, most will sit in a cabinet on display once painted... my plan at the moment was to get probably 2 tanks to play with - both Heng Long - 1 with metal tracks, sound/smoke and 1 with just the basic config so I could compare them... I don't even know if that's a good plan...

any help greatly appreciated.

Talex Hi, Welcome to the Forum, Your first enquiry as to whether there is a beginners guide to this excuse for spending money, Well the best source is the Forum you have just joined,
As to the similarity in different makers products is like this, If for the first time in your life you saw two automobiles you could easily think that they were all the same.
OH IF ONLY,
When Heng Long/Taigen/Torro and Tamiya began making R/C Tanks with the exception of TAMIYA the others were very much alike but with the evolution of our hobby there are more differences than likenesses BUT a 1/16 TIGER 1 made by HENG LONG or TAIGEN must, because they share the same outline and external dimensions be able to accept many of each other detail external parts although some fettling might be needed, which brings us back to this Forum, because we know what works and what does not,
SO ASK US.
Enjoy this hobby, we do!
Shaun.

Thanks Shaun,

I gathered there was quality differences along with major price differences between MFG - I don't think at this point I am worried about having the higher end or metal tanks. I know I would enjoy painting them an occasionally spinning them around the house and yard, possibly playing some games like target shooting or 1v1 with the wife using some kind of target stuck to the tank that could come off when hit, unless the IR version have some decent range - I have been able to find zero info on the range of the IR tanks or if they are front hit detection only... that would play a role in decisions for my purposes. All the video's I have seen of IR online the tanks are basically nose to nose...

Am I correct that most tanks from same MFG use more or less the same chasis with different bodies? For example Heng Long Tiger and JagdPanther/ Panther - do they all handle the same, have more or less the same stuff in them?

I am thinking of getting the Heng Long Tiger with smoke, sound and metal upgrades and a Heng Long either Panther or Jagdpanther more or less plain (maybe with smoke/sound) to compare them... does this seem like a good starter plan?

What you buy is to a large extent dependent on where you live,
If you view the sidebar you will see that I am from England whereas many members of the Forum are US or Canadian residents so if you are from the US or Canada I would not recommend HENG LONG but suggest TAIGEN/TORRO because probably the best supplier is "IMEX" and "ERIK" is a member of that company and an extraordinarily helpful member of this Forum as well.
As to Tanks The HENG LONG Tiger 1 is a favourite choice of many of us BUT beware of the HENG LONG PANTHER, The company when they began, to save tooling costs they designed a Pantherish body to fit the Tiger 1 Hull, IT IS NOT A PANTHER, in the hobby it is called Politely a PANTIGER more honest people call it an abortion!!!
TAIGEN make both a Real Panther as well as the Jagd Panther and both are nice replicas,
HENG LONG have discontinued making I/R Tanks,
Within this hobby there are some very competitive souls who worldwide enjoy I/R Battling which is why there are some rules on equipment and basically you have to fight using TAMIYA compatible I/R kit to be able to use your Tank in club battling BUT there is nothing to stop you using any I/R equipment you own for your own fights.
Different Tanks made by the same maker in only rare cases share hulls, although many internal parts are the same such as R/C control boards /smokers/and sometimes gearboxes but there are not many interchangeable parts between different types within a makers range, Panther and Tiger 1 tracks are different in length but are the same otherwise, a number of parts from the PANZER111 are interchangeable with the PANZER4 but you really need to ask someone on the Forum if you are in doubt as to what will fit and what won't. I hope that helps.
shaun.

Thanks again!

I think if my best option is to buy the $250 - $500 tanks only then I might need to pick a different hobby or just build models... some hobbies are like that which is why I am glad I asked.

Talex, The problem is that HENG LONG acknowledge they are TOY makers and with that in mind do not make a product that cannot safely be used by an 8 year old and of course are priced to fit into the price range of Children's toys whereas the others who came into this hobby hanging onto the coat tails of Heng Long, rather snootily in my opinion claim to produce something rather more superior and of course more expensive,
The exception to this is TAMIYA but their Tanks are in Kit form and are most certainly NOT toys and they do not come cheap.
Many of us combine let us say for example a TAIGEN Tiger 1 metal Hull (In reality plastic around metal) with a Plastic HENG LONG Tiger 1 body and whichever turret you prefer, HENG LONG Airsoft or TAIGEN I/R/Airsoft
The Taigen Turret is available in metal or plastic, this combination keeps the cost down and more closely meets the practical usefulness for us, Unfortunately we then fit after market control boards $100-300 and after market gearboxes $80-500 and after market Radio Transmitters and recievers $40-200, Metal tracks $80 - 300.
Any friendly relationship between you and your bank manager will by now be history.
shaun.

Hi, and welcome. Have you read the thread titled "A Thread for The Brand New Tanker"? You can find it here

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-t...ew-tanker.html

and it may have some useful info for you. You may also want to browse my youtube channel. It has lots of RC Tank stuff and may be helpful to you. You can find that here

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8...kqoLJ6KcUvfflQ

Thanks Shaun, reading up more...

Thanks Crius (Gary I think)... just watched some of your video's on youtube - good stuff, very informative. Do you happen to know the approximate range of the IR tanks? 5ft, 10ft, 20ft? more?

Also if you don't mind - I described my situation and current interest above - trying to see if it's for me - I do plan on painting the tanks, but the tanks do not need to be 100% historically accurate, I would like to try doing some battles with them and like I said, when I first looked I only saw airsoft so I was thinking about just rigging up some type of target which could be Velcro to the top of the tanks and when hit would indicate a kill... or a target range so 2 people could play.

My thoughts were then to get 2 tanks so 2 people could "play" some and also to learn about them - I don't want to go much over $250 initial investment so from what I read I thought something like the Heng Long Tiger 1 with S&S and metal upgrades + either the Panther or Jagdpanther with plastic tracks (with or without smoke and sound) would fit my budget and provide an appropriate entry into the hobby... would you agree that would be a good approach given my initial budget or are their better options I may be missing?

Thanks,
Tom (talex)

The range on the stock Taigen or Heng Long IR system is about 30 feet. Tamiya is about 90 feet. This is the main reason that every club I've ever heard of uses the Tamiya IR Battle System.

As for good first tanks for you, you said mainly you and the wife, so first you have to decide IR or airsoft. It's not difficult to hook up a stock IR tank to be able to swap hull tops from IR to airsoft, but only certain tanks make good candidates for that. If you'd be happy with a pair of Tigers it would be very easy to do. If you want to go airsoft, most any tank will be a good choice, and it sounds like you have a budget for Heng Long. As far as I know there are no systems for two airsoft tabnks to battle each other, but you could maybe set up targets and do a number of hits competition or who can hit fastest or something like that. Here's a silly idea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GG5xV0SCUo But seriously, do you think you'd want IR or airsoft, now that I've given you the ranges?

I think to start I could do either - I really want to see if I enjoy the painting and displaying or if I really get into the "battling" aspect... I have 40 acres in northern WI part of which used to be a gravel pit so lots of sandy hills, rocks etc I could setup one helluva fighting course on and I am late 40's now... so who knows - this hobby I outta be able to do until I am far older... by the way, great video...

So you do think for trying out the Heng longs are a good way to "sniff" the hobby out? I know if I enjoy it I could afford more down the road.

noticed you said Detroit area in that video - I grew up about an hour north of there - near Marine City... small world and Goooooo Wings!

Crius,
Just read some from that link, Detroit area has a tanking club? My parent still live in Marine City and I visit often - do they have a regular place or just get together when possible? Do you know of any in Milwaukee area? I have not been able to find anything.

Talex where in the Milwaukee area are you? I'm in Kenosha. I have 8 different Taigen tanks, some are stock and some are in the process of being upgraded with Clark TK22 boards. Maybe we can make a meet somewhere, preferably in a warm location. I should be available next Sunday. I can bring a couple of tanks with me and you can check them out. Drop me a PM if interested.

I am in Saint Francis, not far from Milw airport... it would be cool to see these things as I have never seen one in person... like I said I stumbled on this by getting a drone at x-mas and then not being happy with it starting searching RC stuff and found the tanks which is something I have always had an interest in (models, history etc).... and that led me to these boards... subscribed to Crius's youtube... going to sit back with some popcorn tonight after the Wings game and go through his video's.

Welcome talex! These guys won't steer you wrong! I myself started with a cheap heng long. I have since completely rebuilt it with taigen and other upgrades. It's still running on the heng long electronics though. I have no problems with suggesting a heng long to cut your teeth on this Hobby.

Thanks Robo... I think after reading and watching many, many video's it's a good starting point... I also have the advantage that I don't have anything to compare them to, so I probably won't even know what (if anything) I would be missing...

It would be nice if there was a guide out there as there does not seem to be to many different MFG and models - it would be cool if there was a guide to each MFG speaking of their models, its pro's and con's and best upgrades... I would buy that book / ebook...

If you want, you can check out my Pershing thread. It's chronicles my first tank build with all the mistakes and stuff I learned as a newbie.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-t...-pershing.html

Glad you posted that, Chase, because that's one of the tanks I'd recommend as a second airsoft Heng long tank, which I think is the best way for you to go, talex. You can get in cheap and see if the wife likes it, if you like it, and if you want to go further. I can guarantee that if you do go further you'll buy more tanks and then you can look at more expensive and better quality tanks and still have these two in your stable. We'll help you get these first two fixed up on the cheap, and if you're having fun you can take on stuff like gearbox and track upgrades.

So anyway, here's my first tank recommendation video, and since the wife wants one too I think an M-26 like Chase's is a good choice, or maybe an HL Walker Bulldog. Both of those are good running and usually dependable. I am in Detroit so if you like the tanks and want to do some basic upgrades I can help you out. I have a good sized spare parts box, and I've picked up a lot of parts for both the Pershing (M-26) and the Bulldog (M-41). I even have a complete new turret for an M-41 hangin' around here somewhere.

Anyway, here's the video, taken about a year ago and i still recommend this for a first tank. I still have mine and she'd still one of my favorites. This little honey is more fun than a barrel o' monkees. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFU5J2vVFks And if you can add a bit to the budget and get the Imex/Taigen M-26 or M-41, so much the better. Either one is well worth the extra and comes with metal tracks and zinc gearboxes. The Tauchpanzer or even a Heng Long PzIII is very easy to upgrade for stuff like metal tracks and better gearboxes. If you want more specific info PM me and I'll make a few recommendations for vendors. What's the schedule like? Maybe you'd like to have something on the way to you by the end of the week?

Thanks, you guys are great - I want to start with WWII era tanks - that is what I was collecting in the metal tanks, planes etc so I am only risking having big models I will enjoy if I am not into driving them... what 2 Heng Long WWII would you recommend starting with? I was thinking the Tiger and either the Panzer III or the Jagdpanther.

I'd go PzIII and Jagdpanther, and if you can afford it I'd get the Imex/Taigen versions of both tanks. Have you decided if you want to go airsoft or IR? You can get the Imex/Taigen tanks in either.

I started out with a $125 Heng Long jagdpanther and turned it into this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra1PPocvTcI About $700 later. :)

So much to learn apparently... I also need to head to harbor freight and get their air gun kit and find a good place around here for some basic military paints... the best place we had around here was Greenfield news and hobby and they just closed their doors this past year...

Picked up my first today... it's on the way. Nothing fancy, jus a HL Panther for $60 to my door - I plan on using it to tear apart and learn on and painting practice - still planning on picking up 2 others for more "play" - still deciding on which 2... waiting for Crius to get back to me...

OK, Tom, given your needs and budget I'm going to recommend Xenonproject.com for a Panzer III and a Jagdpanther, both airsoft, it will cost around $240 for both, including the shipping. If that sounds good you can order at www.xenonproject.com and these are the two tanks

http://www.xenonproject.com/rc-tanks...-p-100375.html

http://www.xenonproject.com/rc-tanks...-p-136429.html

If those don't work for you let me know and we'll see if we can find you something else.

Thanks! - really wanting the Tiger I for display purposes though...

Been looking around a lot - there is one tank I would like but have not been able to find it - the Easy Eight from late in the war - I am not seeing those in RC at all.

Currently, the Easy 8 needs to be custom built. Most start with a Tamiya Sherman, as it comes with the HVSS suspension. There are a couple guys that make the T23 turret for it as well. Also, Imex/Taigen are working on more stuff for their Sherman. Erik is being very secretive though :)

cool, maybe for that one I will just buy a model kit... and or I am looking into a CNC for woodworking that could easily do plastic blocks and or a 3D printer - so I could make some of my own parts hopefully if the better 1/2 approves the purchases.

Hey Tom, as Chase said, no stock E8 at the moment. If you want the Tiger, Xenon has it for about $80 so you could just get the tiger and one of the others. The metal track tiger is about $150 but I recommend against that because the gears are zinc and the tracks aren't as good as the Taigen tracks you can get from Erik. You'll be better off in the long run to get the plastic tiger now and upgrade later if you stick with the hobby. Of course, if you're set on a Tiger I highly, Highly recommend the Imex Taigen Tiger one. Even the plastic version has the metal lower with torsion bar suspension and Erik usually gives a good deal for first time buyers so you might be able to get it delivered for around $210. Plus $110 from Xenon for a PzIII would put you at about $320. Up to you, Tom.

Thanks, I might just call down there and talk to Erik...

I have to :) You guys would get mad at me if I gave a date and couldn't follow through. Plus I have to make sure ALL details or as many as possible are checked and corrected and sometimes that really kills release times when I am super picky.
Go ahead my friend, I'm here until 6pm EST (though please dont call me at 5 til lol) and ask for Erik. I usually don't get into the "recommend me a tank" or similar threads as I tend to be more of a tanker than seller. If you want you can buy from me, but I'm here to tank first and foremost :) Feel free to write up a list if you want, I can give you the pros and cons of every tank we have plus a real recommendation for a tank based on what you actually plan to do with it. You can then make a decision from there. Oh and welcome to the best tank forums there is!

Thanks Erik,

So as not to waste your time I plan on reading up more before calling you as to have less generic questions.

I don't care about dates. I just want to know what you're working on! lol But really, I totally understand. I just get impatient :p

I have built one EZ8 so far from a tamiya chassis and a urethane turet from Nick Aguilar. It is a very diffcult project unless you are an experienced modeler. One easy way to make an ez8 right now, if you can find an old mato 76mm sherman turret, put it on a henglong sherman hull, and put that on a tamiya chassis. I did this but skipped the tamiya chassis and have the model temtatively sold to a friend.

Very soon imex taigen will have an m4a3 76mm sherman wich you could then transplant the upper half onto a tamiya chassis you could get if you watch ebay. I plan to do this to build a fury and matador, the two ez8s from the movie. Then use the lower chassis of the taigens to make early tanks with urethane hulls for murder inc and lucy sue.

Fyi, henglongs are hit and miss. The electronics go bad and the radios are junk. The fastest way to upgrade one if you have a burnout is get an ibu2 board and a real hobby radio. I like the 25 dollar hobby king 6 channel.
And stay away from the henglong metal gears they are cast zinc and worse than the plastic gears.

My converted IR tanks shoot about 30 yards or so.

Good luck And have fun.

So I am hearing bad things about the zinc gears on here, yet when I looked at the Imex site and the taigen tanks everyone recommends... many of the models I looked at said they had zinc gears (metal gearboxes (Zinc, M/L, 3:1, 48mm)) - now I am truly confused...

I wish I could release some more details but I'm kinda limited on what I can right now. I can 100% say for sure it is the T23 turret, is split hatch, and doesn't have the extra lift ring near the split hatch. That is all for now :)
Just so you guys know, the 76mm turret Sherman was made to reflect the want for split hatch versions. We know you want them so we will do our best to make sure you get them! Also the drive and idlers are of a different design too since we are at it haha.

So what happened to the Abrams, Erik? I thought I heard a 2016 release? Like for Christmas, maybe?

Im surprised you are making split hatches. The split gunners hatch ended production in october 44. Many more oval hatch 76mm shermans were produced than split hatch. And besides, mato and nick already make the split hatch.
Hopefully I can grind away your gunners hatch and graft in oval hatches. Ugh gridning that metal is going to suck big time.

First thing that came to mind: "You'll shoot your eye out kid" ;)

That's why I only show the plain wooden sabot rounds, not the steel tipped rounds. Those will stick in your target's leg and make 'em squeal like a little girl. Hey, laugh all ya want, until you've taken a steel tipped Q-Tip in the ankle you have no idea how much that hurts. :)

heck those wooden tipped ones look like they could do some damage! I am definitely going to be trying that, shooting Styrofoam targets like a bow...

Yea Abrams is still being worked on, just a bit delayed behind other projects. Still shooting for Q4 if all goes well.
Lots of requests for the split hatch actually. I think the look of the 76mm is nice too, I think it will be just as popular if not more than the 75mm version. We might actually do camo for paint too :) We shall see...