Why John did you bring me into this!!!! I was going to let dead dogs lie as you are as so many have told me both in person and through PMs a waist of time and breath to keep heads with. I wish to not waist mine or others time reading your unsolicited non contributing thoughts that end up having no bearing on the thread topic much like the one I quoted of yours above. Fact is every time it is YOU that starts in FIRST with me and push buttons. I think you really enjoy the banter with me and so many others others. Sadly I lean toward believing the theory that you are in fact this new AndrewJohn guy. Time will prove this theory either right or wrong.

Now in fair play we have both had our jabs at each other tonight so can we now move on and try a restart and agree to be civil from this point forward here on RCU. If you don’t comment on or about me in any threads or posts I will reciprocate accordingly.

Ok I offered an olive branch.... remember everyone now sees YOU knocked it away and that speaks to your true character.

Hey Uparmor don’t engage with John aka Pcomm1.v2. He just seems to likes to hate. Just have to feel sorry for someone who can’t make peace and accept an olive branch.

John my offer still stands. We don’t have to be friends just civil and leave each other’s posts and threads alone going forward. It’s in your hands now.

Fssttrack, with friends like you who needs enemies?
 

Well, Rich Johnson sucked me into this brawl and the bald faced liar thing you two instigated is not forgivable in the real world. I will leave your hobby posts alone and keep my opinions of your hobby efforts to myself. So, it is not “hate” to take on liars, that is simply the right thing to. Goodnight.

Thank you for taking the steps to met me in the middle and move forward.

Ok boys lets settle down.

If your post is gone its because it violated rules, or quoted a post that violated rules, or in my opinion did nothing but further the kerfuffle.

Last warning before I do some house cleaning.

Also, if it helps you guys move on, Pcom and that John account are from 2 vastly different IP's and geo-locations.

Good to know, thank you for the moderation.
For the record, I did not lie nor defame Pcomm. I simply stated that the AndrewJohn post seemed like his wit of writting and possibly it was his new account if he got banned again. There was no lie made by my myslef. An accusation from a drawn conclusion and I already apologised to him privately.

Personally I thought the post from Andrew was all in jest. It was funny IMO. Sorry if you got caught up in an old battle here on the forums. Welcome to you anyway and it does seem like you know something about the real tanks. I used to volunteer at a museum fixing tanks so I know exactly what you were talking about when you mentioned pumping up the track tensioner. I've helped break track on the M113, the M114, the M60, and a Sherman. Always a good time... :)

Just fight to the death and get it over with. This crap is getting old.

Ref. Also, if it helps you guys move on, Pcom and that John account are from 2 vastly
 

...what you wrote Rich Johnson: Guys, Im Sure AndrewJohn, is PCommv1.2 aka John. He has had a war on here with fast tanks. It sure soudns like him. They dont get along. But that post AndrewJohn made was deeply sarcastic and patronizing.

Rich did kinda apologize via Facebook Message. And I replyed with appropriate words.

FYI-never had a war on with fssttrack, just thought his IR tank battle challenge dual was overly aggressive and mean spirited and wrote about that.

And then pre holidays fsstrack asked for a truce. And it was over. That is until Rich Johnson and his 6 San Diego RC Tank Club guys sucked me back into this thread. Fsstrack is not an issue, Rich Johnson just stirred the pot.

Like I wrote, I have no dog in the fsstrack comedy hunt, but the “10 yard stare” is a pretty funny IR concept.

Lastly: “Also, if it helps you guys move on, Pcom and that John account are from 2 vastly different IP's and geo-locations” per barracudahockey moderator.

Like I said, not me!

I am Andrewjohn
 

Hello. I am Andrewjohn. Andrew John [last name] , to be correct.
I must apologize to everyone , I think , for my late reply. I would have posted last night but I managed to get myself locked out .
I did not mean to make such a splash at my first appearance, and I note that some unfair assumptions have been made about my identity. I should introduce myself properly and thank everyone who welcomed me to the platform.
As John ( the other John lol) surmised , I am a veteran. Three armies in fact. I volunteered for the ZNG in 91 and served about six months in Croatia while waiting for my call up papers for the British army ( I had already signed on at that point, we don’t have conscription) .
From 92 till 96 I served in the British army signal corp. Four and a half years of which two were spent in an armoured signals squadron. I drove a 439 APC variant , which I greatly enjoyed. My last six months where an extension as we deployed to Bosnia.
Later , at the start of 2000 , I returned to the army as a reservist, serving two straight years in Kosovo . I was employed as part of the theatre inventory team . Theatre inventory General Equipment register . - TIGER TEAM.
A cool name and a fun job, but total REMF. But the best times of my life.
More recently , in 16 , I volunteered to join YPG in Syria. This was brutal stuff and I can fairly say that, yes, I have seen stuff that it’s hard to talk about.

I feel myself to be a bit of an interloper on this forum. I do not at present own a single working RC tank and I have not done so for years. And this is quite unusual . My first love was tanks and my second was always Rc tanks. I started with an old tamiya 1/25 tiger when I was a kid and soon moved on to the 1/16 tiger 2. Since which I always had one on the go, sometimes two or three. Other guys treat their women like this by the way..
Right now I am having built for me ,in the Czech republic , a commission built 1/10 leopard 2A5 . I will post pictures when I have accumulated 10 posts. I will also post pics of my last Tamiya tiger 2 which I built and sold before leaving my England (and my fiancee , or maybe she left me, I don’t remember anymore..) I was quite proud of that one (the tank , not the woman) .
I have also collected some future projects, including a really rare piece I’ll talk about one day . God knows when I’ll get a chance to actually do any of this . Years away yet..
in the mean time I keep myself interested by reading threads and looking at other peoples work online. And I must emphasize this ,.. It is mostly way ahead of anything I have ever attempted. Some of the stuff out there is incredible. I am a rank amateur in comparison.
But this does not bother me at all. For me, it has always been enough to satisfied with my own work. I appreciate other peoples work and love to learn, but if something I created pleases me then that is enough . I seek inspiration , not adulation.
Mostly I hanker to get back to it and step up my game..

so, erm, THAT post. Why did I make it ? Well, who’s seen Django unchained? I just couldn’t resist..🤣 sorry Fssttrack
Sometimes, if someone’s sticking their head up that far over the parapet, you just gotta take the shot...sorry dude.
The “Ten yard stare “ was one of the ways we used to make fun of the Saturday And Sunday soldiers , by the way. The Territorial army , our equivalent of the American National guard.

My interest in the Chieftain tank is pure , unadulterated nostalgia. When I joined up they where on their way out but still in service. OPFOR (opposition force) was using them.
I can well remember when one of these things plowed through out Div main headquarters at a rate of knots. That was something to behold. She was moving fast and with a ferret armoured car in tow. (Also officially obsolete by that time) the mud was deeper than the car could handle and you had to pity the poor driver , being dragged along forty feet behind a tank.., and again , those things could move . People go on about them being slow and underpowered but those people have never seen one being driven for real.
Another memory I have is of a firepower demonstration we went to. It was for the divisional officers ,of course , but you have to have some squaddies along to make it look good.
They stood us a little to the right and a little to the rear of the tank and fired a live round down range. Y’know, just to see if it would blow our eardrums out. You gotta love the army!

Contrary to what you might think , having perhaps read my last post, I am not against any one sort of tank enthusiast. IR tank battling seems to be the new thing and it is clear that it has helped invigorate the hobby, providing the commercial platform necessary to launch an incredible range of products and services. This Chieftan tank, for example, would probably not be going to market were it not for IR tank battling. But I do note that, while there is clearly much overlap in terms of skillsets and even historical interest, there is a fundamental difference between IR and other scale modelling disciplines , and it has nothing to do with detail. Modelling , be it with RC to bring it to life, or as a static display , is not , at it’s core , a social activity. There may be clubs and meets where people get together every once in a while to exchange ideas and talk to likeminded enthusiasts, but the activity itself is essentially asocial . IR , on the other hand, is a social activity. Clearly. It is also oppositional in nature and attracts those with a competitive streak.
I do not mean this as either a criticism , nor as a praise for either approach, merely as an observation. I myself have never been especially social when it comes to my hobbies.
In the end I would say that it is important to show respect to each other (perhaps I should try my own medicine, huh ?!?) , and appreciate that it is all, after all, just a bit of fun.
And remember, no matter how realistic your tank model is, wether that is due to highly researched scale accuracy or excellent radio controlled animatronics, it is not a combat machine. Combat is a horrifying experience in which filthy , desperate , and exhausted men strive to kill each other because they are too afraid to die themselves.

Hello Andrewjohn,

Thank you for presenting yourself on the carpet and claiming your humorous post Andrew. Rich Johnson, fssttrack and Uparmor, the best way to get all that egg off your collective faces is with soap and water, Googled that for you. Still ain’t going play rc ir tanks with you all, LOL

John

Well, Andrewjohn, like I said before, welcome aboard. I thought your post was clever and funny and not aimed at any one person. Please don't mind those other ladies having a spat. They have been poking at each other for a while now. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's boring. I appreciate your bio, nice to have you join our little hobby family. Looking forward to seeing your models.

No probs
 

No probs John. I just want to let you know that I read your post before you edited it down and I respect everything you said there.

Thanks. Almost accumulated the requisite ten posts..I’ll try to post something later this evening. don’t expect too much, I’m just a humble kitbuilder lol

I am still trying to download some pics
 

This was the last rc tank that I built. Just an almost straight from the box Tamiya king Tiger tank with the minimum of upgrades necessary to make her a runner. Never really finished. The ESC was nicked from a car and the servos were never properly secured. “Well presented” is what I set out for. Classic kit. Total shelf queen.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...6aa8e63b4.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...b8e47bef6.jpeg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...24dd1e19f.jpeg
The commander figure was attached by means of an internally threaded brass tube drilled into the base.

Leopard
 

This is the leo I’m having built.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...921aa1245.jpeg
This picture shows the drive train
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...cbbc57c39.jpeg
I provided the OS FS 110 engine as an upgrade to the OS 91.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...289eead85.jpeg
This was my old leopard. An older model 2A3 , lacking the details of the 2A5. In the photo I have just finished rebuilding and painting the rear end , which was smashed up real bad. The paint is “guild “ enamel black , only available in the UK, with humbrol green and red brown. The original paint was acrylic ! On a glow engined model!! You can just see the engine fan at the top
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...ed30e9236.jpeg
The detail work on the newer models is far superior.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...50378de8d.jpeg
She’s not far off finished now I am having her left grey so I can do the paintwork and final detailing myself. These models are built kinda like an rc car. The top sides and turret are fiberglass and weigh nothing. All the weight is in the hull. Built for speed , she should achieve about 5 mph , or 50 mph scale. Main gun fires 9mm blank from a six shot revolving magazine.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...5a0b31828.jpeg
The turret baskets are a work of art.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...2839b1d3e.jpeg
I have ordered both types of track guards , the type used by the german army..
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...114eb3de2.jpeg
..And the export type
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...80c82c80f.jpeg
The last photo jiri sent me. He’s a great guy who used to drive a T64 when he was a young man in the cold war Czechoslovak army .

And now for something a bit different
 

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...f5995ea9b.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...580659254.jpeg
this is a picture of a 1/12 Mitsoboshi tiger from around 1980. They where produced in tiny numbers until the company went under. They are as rare as hens teeth. Like RARE. Unbuilt kits in their box are unheard of. I have one.
I also have an OS FS 40 engine, pre surpass series. That’s old but not too rare . Unless it’s the water cooled version . Like mine. Smirk 😏
a toy obviously, but still an rc tank. Just kooky as hell. Runs on rubber band.

Hello,

Awesomeness! Well crafted scale armor, for sure, and some unusual model types I have not seen before. 1980s, there are only a few here at rcu tanks, I would speculate, that go back as far as you do in the hobby building rc tanks.

And thanks again, that now edited post was to much info, but happy you read it. Just shedding some light on why the rcu tank current or x military guys who served in the rear with the gear would get so upset about your well experienced, spot on, military humor. I would suggest they are to thinned skin and totally without a mature since of hard a** military humor. Difficult to believe they ever served, they seem to have trouble walking the military walk.

Recommend you start your own running rc tank model photo brief post, so you can update your work as time goes on. Enjoy your enthusiasm for your return to the hobby, but leave this wonky snake pit thread and post in a fresh thread. LOL. Anyway, looking forward to getting the rc Chieftain, my one project for 2020.

John

1980
 

I will take that advice concerning running a model photo brief, for sure. At a later date. Sadly , it’s going to be awhile till I can get back to it. For now I am just collecting.
Hey dude! I ain’t that old 😂. In 1980 I was six , so do the math lol. I just like eighties stuff. Mind you , thinking about it, I must have got my first tank around then, the “action man” M41 “Iron tank” . Just like the real M41 tank it sometimes played the part of a german Tiger . Maybe that was 81 or 82. So , you see, I was always into tanks , one way or another. I remember my mum bought me a picture book, in french , about tanks. It must have been about 1982. We where living in Africa at the time. Zaire, now CAR (I think). There was a picture of a Matilda tank in the (very small, cos it was a french book) British section. That was the first time I thought “holy crap, that’s awesome”. Later on , back in the UK, I had an action man scorpion tank for Christmas . And my first model was a 1/35 M3 stuart my gran bought me. She thought it was a complete toy and didn’t know I had to put it together. I only put it together (with that awful humbrol glue that got everything covered in strings of glue, including your fingers) to keep her happy. And that was me, hooked for life 😂!

Regarding military humour,.. also, look, I was mostly in the rear with the gear myself, bud, Signals is hardly tanks. But, yeah, a thick skin sure helps in the army, yes it does. But I’m not
on in this thread to have a go at people I don’t know, and I’ve said my piece already.

Hey, can’t wait to see your Chieftain John. I really wish I could get even one project going this year. You going for black and green , or the other scheme (OPFOR yellow and green)? Don’t forget, plenty of oil stains and mud if it’s OPFOR, those guys never had an inspection.😃

Just thought I would post a quick update from Andrew Guo at Haya ltd in regard to there Chieftain tank. Due to a lot of interest being shown in upgrading from a MK3 to a Mk5 Haya
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...1f5cd185ca.png
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...676310f71e.png
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...d1fbb17df5.png
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...7c7a42eea8.png
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...1be8f37ce5.png
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...9371e11fcd.png
ltd are looking at getting an upgrade kit made.

Depending on demand the kit will either be injection moulded plastic or industrial grade ( fine detail ) 3d printed components. As Andrew points out having injection moulds made is quite an expensive option for a short run of parts. This option is still on the drawing board due to Chinese New Year and a little more market research to judge demand verses costs. Here are a few shots of Haya ltd’s 3d renderings of what the proposed kit will consist of.

Hi Tankman
It's really good to see this thread back on topic - way too much 'wandering in the desert' been happening.
If you're familiar with Armorama, you'll be aware of a persistent theme - or meme - that goes like this - you build a vehicle for which no model exists, finish it & some company (s) then produces it.
Not quite to the same level, but similar regarding my mods to Chieftain.
I'm in the process on building the Mk 6 NBC pack.
There is a bunch of changes to make on the glacis, again still working on them.
The searchlight mountings also require a bunch of tweaks.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...1b7b68f5e5.jpg
Glacis detail added, still more to do
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...f3199ed1d0.jpg
The start of the No 6 NBC pack
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...8312d29b3f.jpg
More bits of the NBC pack
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...3a818c1858.jpg
Assembled NBC pack - WIP
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...617f542593.jpg
Searchlight mounting details - WIP, plus more to do on the reverse
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...8c2817014d.jpg
Tamiya & Haya Chieftains - very close comparison externally - a lot of the same lack of detail
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...e9f703abf8.jpg
Drilled out the vents atop the smoke box
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...a3d69aa6f4.jpg
Painted Tracks with Humbrol Gun Metal, sanded lower track pads
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...48f1c79434.jpg
After sanding added 'What-A-Job' Black, Smooth, Industrial liquid polymer to track pads
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...82ee14ab5d.jpg
Embossed X's - both sides of rear Bins
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...953884df20.jpg
Gunners sight apeture, Trunnion holes & corrected wire handhold

Still have a bunch to do, but you get the picture...

Mal

Thanks afv, not the first thread to go belly up nor the last I suspect. Now back to the models, top job by the way on the detail your adding to your build. To be fair Andrew was talking about adding an upgrade pack to his model even in the design stage that is why the turret air filter was designed to be easily removed. He was waiting to see if there was a customer demand for this type of upgrade before putting time and money into something that may not be commercially viable. So it looks like you have beaten him to the punch so to speak.
We have passed on both the positive and negative comments on this and other forums/ Facebook pages about the Haya ltd Chieftain and he has told us he is taking these comments on board and will act on them if commercially viable should he decide to go ahead with a second tank model. RCTR has also been talking to Andrew as a hobby based club with some features we would like to see/ have incorporated into any future model as a club. Yes we do IR battle but we also encourage and support those who don’t or would rather build and run models more to scale, we believe it’s important to try not to be too one dimensional or restrictive in our approach to RC tank modelling, after all it’s your model so build it paint it and run it the way that suites you is what we say.

Hi Tankman
Cool. If you're needing ref photos for some of the changes, I've spent quite a bit of time finding those - more so than modelling
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...e3ed9bcdfd.jpg
Saumur Mk 10 - Searchlight mounts & detail - Front
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...d25397203c.jpg
Rear of Searchlight - mount, upper & lower vents & power cable duct
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...4205bd3d90.jpg
LHS of No 6 NBC pack detail
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...394ad0e0fa.jpg
Searchlight mounts & detail - raised view
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...a4b3ce8b79.jpg
LHS rear Turret
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...6c07aec7f5.jpg
Searchlight lifting eyes (4), - raised view rear detail, power cable duct

The good thing about these is the absence of the basket that obscures the view.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...989da9b02c.jpg
Notice the tensioners are set back from the front plate - don't usually see this as it's typically too dark
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...c9284b00f3.jpg
Closer view of RHS
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...2915959168.jpg
Prying out the tow points on the model Experimental track pads (Flex Tape) on RHS track
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...b9e74d6608.jpg
Tow points removed
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...e7f6a0300b.jpg
First plate added
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...f3853482d1.jpg
2nd plate & center tow point added

Mal

All I will say is I can see a LOT of time has been spent on researching for this build. Your reference pictures are going to be greatly appreciated by more than just me. As for the actual build I am well impressed with your dedication and scratch building skills. Keep up the good work afv as I for one am following along with a great deal of interest and actually learning a bit on the journey.