I'm an Old Timer ----
 

---- who has been away from this site for about 1O years or so. Thanks to Tanque (Jerry), I am going attempt to participate in this forum and re-activate my scratch building skills in spite of bad eyesight and arthritic fingers.. Building R/C tanks was the best hobby I ever had spending a lot of hours and a ton of money on. I gotta lot of catching up to do.I guess things are a lot different than they were 15 to 20 years ago ------ or are they?
Re Ross

I'm also feeling the affects of aging. I now have three magnifying lights, two mounted on benches and a third is on casters so I can wheel it to where I need it. Plus the three hand held magnifying lenses. Two headlamps and multiple handheld LED flashlights. And then using my phone's camera at X2 to take pictures so I can read small print.

Had a second cataract operation and my eyesight is as good as it was in my 20s,
I can get on with all the outstanding builds waiting in the workshop with a level of confidence I never thought I would ever feel again.

Hurrah to all you guys! John

Hi Rex
Welcome back. Good to know you'll still in the game. As for the changes - mostly incremental

Mal

Hey Rex….. glad you are back w the rest of us old timers…. been 23 years since I started… time sure flies!! PP

Good to see you back, Rex. I'm coming up on 10 years in the Hobby and you're right, there's been a lot of changes. Mostly in electronics and the different models that are now available. Someone even did an M60, but boy was it expensive. If you pick up any of the hl tanks with the new 6.0 and above Electronics you'll find a lot of changes there. HL has really stepped up their game.

Good to hear from you Rex. Yes, age afflicts us all, some faster than others.

I've been wondering how you have been doing. I think about you sometimes when I drive by your kids house. I do miss the great pictures of your amazing scratch builds. I bet you could do a thread just showing off what you have already built, and we would all be thrilled to view them.

Always enjoyed your work Rex.

I'm surprised and happy to see the names of forum members from years ago that have replied to my posting. It's been a couple of years since I have built anything, but I still have everything I ever built, or bought, sitting on the shelves in my hobby room. Most of them are covered in dust ----- thick enough to plant corn or tomatoes on some of them !!! I have a lot of cleaning to do and counting/sorting everything out. One of the reasons I haven't done any building is because I ran out of shelf space. My house is not a home --- It's a hobby shop. A few of my neighbors think I'm a crazy old man, but I prefer to think I'm just a goofy octogenarian. I turned 83 last month, or at least my body did, but I still am 8 or 9 mentally..

I have a question. Back in the 1990s, before Tamiya came out with their M3 Sherman, there was a plastic tank model outfit that issued 3 or 4 Germen tanks.that were 1/15 scale (I think). Does anyone remember the name of that outfit?

,

Hi Rex
Bandai perhaps?

Mal

Rex: It was Bandai and they issued these tank kits:
#53465 German Tiger 1 (early version)
#53466 German Panzer Mk IV F2
#53467 German Hummel SP Gun
#53468 German Stug IV

Yes !!!!! Thank you !!!!

Bandai Stug and Hummel
 

From 2006 SCAT Battle....
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...f710f8440e.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...b31775242f.jpg

Very glad to see your post Rex!

Glad all my blabbering did some good.

I still have my four old Bandai models, just as someone above listed them. I used to like running the Tiger I but the original gearboxes
were too fragile. At one poit I converted mine to 'full option' what a pita that was. Haven't run it since before Ken R had club days in his backyard...
Also converted the Bandai StuG IV to 'incomplete option' but with Kenny Kong tracks.

Great to hear from you and I promise to stop by for a visit...!

Jerry

Jerry ---- You are the all time Grand Master of model building who got me hooked on this hobby when the Bay Area Tankers used to meet in the back room of a pizza parlor. I remember seeing you driving your gas powered metal tank around and thinking to myself ---- I gotta have one of those.

We gotta get together. Let's talk --- tell me when and where, and I will be there.!!

Glad to see you have come back Rex!!!