I'm the new guy...
 

Ello!

I'm Tank_Historian, most people call me Tank. I have been building 1/35th scale models of tanks and armored vehicles for up on 15 years now, and just recently, I've come upon the scene of R/C tanks. I own two Heng Long tanks, a Panther F and a M41A3. The primary reson i'm here is i'd like to begin enjoying my panther more, as both it and my M41 have low run times, and i am kinda scared to drive the panther outside given that the electrical openings are all on the bottom.

Any suggestions? I'd like to first upgrade the battery situation so that i can drive it for more than the stock battery provides. I'd then like some suggestions on how to make it so i can drive it outside without fear of a short.

Welcome to the forum! You're gonna hear all kinds of good info on this forum for any questions for sure. A quick fix is to seal any holes with shoe goop. Can be found at any hardware store. Next you may want to look into some improved gearbox/motor combo's to give you more
driiving response, then will come an aftermarket control board to put you in the "hobby grade" transmitter. All really are a must to get the potential out of these tanks. As for battery, do you aready have a battery charger other than the stock wall charger? If not we'll have to direct you to purchase an aftermarket batt charger and batt type. If you want to get into LiPo batts thats a whole nother discussion which we can help you with. If you want to stick to NiMH it's all about the milliamps or Mah on the batt. A 4 -5000 MaH batt will last quite a while, but may not fit dimensionally wise so you'll have to check what will. fit. This will seem overwhelming but that's what this forum is for. We're here to help.

now i read that Lipo has some issues with catching fire and whatnot. I will probably like to stick with NIMH. I have a Nicd 1700mah that came with the tank so i figure i will need a different charger anyway if i switch to Nimh. I mean, what is the size difference between a 1700mAH that ls 5inches by 2inches?

Also. If i were to get a steel gearbox, would i then have to get the metal drive sprockets? or do the plastic ones come off well enough?

The stock sprokets should not be an issue with the metal gear boxes. We all drive our tanks without sealing things up completely outside and that is never a problem.
These are not designed to be driven through deep water in any situation.
It can be a quite complex operation to make them water proof, then you add the problem of heat build up on the electronics.
As Benny said just get your self a decent charger and some high capacity NiMh. batteries, go outside and have some fun.

I just so happened to have my batteries out this morning to recharge for a get together today and the DuraTrax DTX 5000 mAh NiMH size is 5 1/2" X 1 7/8"... minus the 4" leads & connector.

And welcome to the forum! :cool:






Jeff

As an added thought, with most of the HL tanks I own I had to make an opening in the back wall of the battery boxes too allow the new batteries to have a little more clearance. Most of the better batteries are going to be slightly longer than those that came with the tank and this is a mod that has been done by many of us over the years.
I;m not sure if there are any posts on how to do this but it is not difficult.
Just cut a window in the end of the battery compartment to allow the slightly longer packs to fit.

As said before, a 3000+ NIMH with a good charger and you are good to go an hour or more in the grass. I've never sealed one of my tanks and I run my Panther in wet grass and mud, but not standing water with no ill effect. If you do want to run thru puddles, you might consider moving your switches from the bottom.

I highly recommend steel gearboxes of any make. I also run metal Idler/sprocket and swingarms on my Panther for strength, but kept the treads plastic for better performance. Added weight is good up to a point, but a whole new can of worms opens up once you cross a certain line. Track tensioners are also a wonderful thing for rough running since the tracks will stretch out over time.

Here's a basic charger that will charge multiple types of batteries as well as 2 batts at the same time. I'm sure others will chime in with chargers they've had luck with too.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXAZZS&P=ML

I have used the Super Brain for a number of years now with good results. It is LiPo compatible also.

Quoted from the CanAm international RC Tank Club (Ontario Canada), Yes a plug for us :)

You will usually be good with most 6 cell NiMH batteries, they may be a bit tight, but they should all fit.
Depending on how handy you are at modifications to the hull/plates/plastic work, you find a few who replace the upper/lower hull screws with magnets, relocate all the switches/potentiometers and seal the lower hull up as best they can.