Upgrade Paths, Explained

[Elbee]

Yes, I would contact the Supplier/Manufacturer. That is a better alternative than "brute force" which is my 'go to' when all else fails. LOL Best, LB

[alexrob95]

Hi LB, I have tired the heat gun and didn't work 😥 Will try the WD 40. have you got any other suggestions if that dosent work? Or do you think I should get in touch with the supplier? Thanks 😉

[Elbee]

Hi all a newbie question. Just got some metal Idler wheels and one of them I can take apart, the other one can't! How can I take there other one apart, I have taken out the pin and still wont budge. Or should they be glued together? Any help would be apperciated! Thanks Alex.😉

AR, I would try heating the larger part with a heat gun and carefully pull those apart or try a little WD-40 penetrating oil. Good luck. Best, LB

[alexrob95]

Hi all a newbie question. Just got some metal Idler wheels and one of them I can take apart, the other one can't! How can I take there other one apart, I have taken out the pin and still wont budge. Or should they be glued together? Any help would be apperciated! Thanks Alex.😉

[SoCalBobS]

Just came in today, here’s an example

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[SoCalBobS]

Thought I'd share a bit of info I ran across regarding upgrades, just in case you see one for sale outside of Motion RC. On a recent T-72 box HL listed their versions by letter.

P: Metal gearbox, but plastic gears.
Z: Metal gearbox, zinc alloy gears.
S: Metal gearbox, steel gears.
MZ: Metal gearbox, zinc alloy gears, metal tracks, metal wheels.
MS: Metal gearbox, steel gears, metal tracks, metal wheels.

[alexrob95]

Thanks 😉

[Rubicon99]

Hi all, where would I get the metal road wheels and metal suspension arm for the Heng Long King Tiger? (From UK). Thanks Alex. 😉

Right now the best place is EBay.

[alexrob95]

Hi all, where would I get the metal road wheels and metal suspension arm for the Heng Long King Tiger? (From UK). Thanks Alex. 😉

[bcmfin]

Thanks for that, it's a living room and backyard runner so probably no need. Just that Mato has them on sale for almost half off. What with the stay home rules during these times I'd probably kill an afternoon painting and installing.

[Rubicon99]

I have a Mato KT with metal tracks, sprocket and idler. Is it worth upgrading the road wheels to metal as well?

Yes and No. All depends on how you use your tank. If it is a simple display tank and just run occasionally save the money and stick with the plastic. But if you run it in the dirt and want to drive it hard then upgrade to metal.

[bcmfin]

I have a Mato KT with metal tracks, sprocket and idler. Is it worth upgrading the road wheels to metal as well?

[Rubicon99]

Thanks, I will take a look at your instagram pictures.

Also did not know about the adjustable suspension based on tank weight, that's definitely a plus.

Where can we find the bearing turret ring and high speed gearbox upgrades?

There are a number of vendors for them. The easiest to start with are DKLMRC.com or on EBay Tucan Hobby. I am hoping 🤞🤞 MotionRC will be stocking them soon as well.

[Flanker271]

Thanks, I will take a look at your instagram pictures.

Also did not know about the adjustable suspension based on tank weight, that's definitely a plus.

Where can we find the bearing turret ring and high speed gearbox upgrades?

[Rubicon99]

Hello Alpha,

Is there a way to custom order the Pro Plus version but without electronics installed? For me, building and customizing a model is part of the fun. I had plans to install either a Clark MFU or ELMod electronics to the model, and drive the turret with a continuous rotation servo with a gyro for stabilization. But the condition is that the baseline model and working mechanics needs to be of high quality worthy of custom mods. The Pro Plus with metal chassis and 360 rotation turret sounds like the perfect candidate. Not sure about the price but it is still probably hundreds of dollars cheaper than a Tamiya kit, which is mostly plastic.

Thanks,
Bo

The base “plastic hull” Heng Long tanks are quite stout. They are built like a unibody where the upper and lower hulls work together to make a rather rigid body. In fact they are often more rigid then the thin aluminum hulls the expensive Tamiya kits use.

Depending on the tank many of the new 6.0 Heng Longs now come with adjustable idlers that are actually equal too or better then the ones Tamiya tanks uses in their kits.

Suspension wise the stock set up is also quite good and becomes even better if upgraded to the metal arms and road wheels. The suspensions are adjustable to match the weight of the tank to the performance desired, soft, medium, heavy and in between. That is not easily done with the Pro Plus or Tamiya kits.

Turret rotation can be made much faster and smoother with a low cost bearing turret ring and high speed turret rotation gear box. Both of which are direct fit upgrades.

Gearboxes? Well there are a number of aftermarket ones available including the ones used in the Pro Plus lower hulls that are outstanding in both durability and smooth performance. Personally I feel the ones used in the Pro Plus hulls (being 4:1) make the tanks too slow for the Abrams and T90/72. Though fine for the Tiger.

You could easily have a completely built up super tough tank ready to go for about the price of the Pro Plus hull alone. Because the Pro Plus is metal hulled does not mean it is necessarily a better starting point.

I have plenty of photos and videos of the stock hull Heng Long tanks get beat up and coming back for more on my Instagram @ fsttanks if you are interested.

[Flanker271]

Hello Alpha,

Is there a way to custom order the Pro Plus version but without electronics installed? For me, building and customizing a model is part of the fun. I had plans to install either a Clark MFU or ELMod electronics to the model, and drive the turret with a continuous rotation servo with a gyro for stabilization. But the condition is that the baseline model and working mechanics needs to be of high quality worthy of custom mods. The Pro Plus with metal chassis and 360 rotation turret sounds like the perfect candidate. Not sure about the price but it is still probably hundreds of dollars cheaper than a Tamiya kit, which is mostly plastic.

Thanks,
Bo

[Alpha]

Gerard Teo Hi Gerard! Welcome to Hobby Squawk!

I don't usually have much luck with installing magnets to make the upper hull removable. I usually end up with a poorly aligned fit, or the magnets themselves don't seem to be as reliable in holding down the upper hull when I' bouncing around. Granted, others have had much more success that I have, so I'm the odd man out.

Please consider starting a new, separate thread regarding your Clark MFU install. I know myself and several others would be interested in seeing your progress and any insight you could provide along the way.

Thank you!

[Gerard Teo]

Hello all, I am Gerard from Sydney, Australia, a new member and new in RC tanks. I have 3 HL new version V6.0 tanks. 1 x Sherman and 2 x Abrams - just love the Abrams. Just a suggestion: It is worth removing the battery compartment to give more space and also to attach magnets in place of the hull and chassis mounting screws. The only place I am not able to change to magnets is the Sherman turret due to insufficient room to trim the plastic post for the magnets. (I used to try to fly rc helis but feel that at my age, need to be more grounded, hence the shift to tanks. Still have many T-Rex 450 spares that needs a new home.) I am getting help to replace the V6.0 with Clark MFU for one of the Abrams. This has been a very interesting experience.

[karltrek]

Are there any operational advantages to metal tracks besides looking cool and making the tank heavier?

On face value they're more durable, but are there limitations to the durability of the plastic tracks?

Also, drop your tips for the T-90. It's clearly the coolest looking tank in the fleet!

I have been driving my "Upgrade" plastic track Heng Long Challenger II around pretty hard and I can tell that the tracks are very tough. Even with the upgraded high torque Red Motors, I installed. I think the metal version is beneficial if you are going to run your tank in more challenging terrain. Where you are more likely to get rocks and sand between the tracks and main drive sprocket. But as things wear out I will replace them with metal parts.

[Rubicon99]

Just a little question, would the 5.3 mfu handle the extra power of the red motors

Yes.