Discussion: Heng Long's 1/16 scale M1A2 Abrams RTR, Upgrade Edition!

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Introduction:

Likely needing no introduction, the venerable M1 Abrams is the US Army's main battle tank. Developed in the 1970s, distinguishing itself during the Persian Gulf in multiple conflicts, and poised to continue serving into the 2030s, the Abrams is one of the world's most advanced weapons platforms and comprises the "tip of the spear" of America's combined armor battalions.

My Personal Averaged Total Score for the Heng Long 1/16 Scale "Abrams" UK Main Battle Tank: 90 out of 100

Heng Long's Abrams was their first modern tank in 1/16 scale. Read below to see how I arrived at my 90% rating, as I evaluate the "Upgrade" version of this tank. "Upgrade" means that its exterior is plastic but its interior gears are steel. Note, where shown, the metal tracks denote a "Professional" version which includes more external metal parts at higher cost.

As a visual companion to this written review, our Overview and Build Summary Video can be found *here*

Functions:

Featuring the latest TK6.0 MFCB (Multi-Function Control Board), the Abrams is full of features:

1) Proportional acceleration, steering, turret traverse, and gun elevation/depression
2) Programmable radio settings for the amount of recoil, the sensitivity in turns, the overall sensitivity in acceleration, etc
3) Smoke (On/Off)
4) Volume (five settings including Off)
5) Four different Sound Sets. Each Sound Set contains a unique engine start sound, idle sound, accelerating sound, traverse sound, elevate sound, machine gun, cannon, and shutdown sound.
6) Track Recoil (Three settings from low, medium, and high) -- Low or Medium are the most realistic.
7) Fires a 6mm plastic BB
8) Fires an invisible IR signal to be used as part of Heng Long's Infrared Battle System to disable other tanks during simulated combat between up to 20 tanks at the same time


What's In the Box:

As an RTR or "Ready To Run" RC model, everything is included in the box except six AA batteries for the radio transmitter. In areas where shipping liquids is restricted, the glycerin used for the "smoke effect" is absent, but can be found locally at hardware or convenience stores that sell glycerin oil.

The radio, tank, cosmetic accessory parts, tank battery, tank battery charger, and plastic BBs, don't require any "assembly", other than installing the aforementioned "cosmetic accessory parts".

Initial Two Minute Function Test:

Because the tank itself is functionally complete and it doesn't require the cosmetic accessory parts to run, I recommend testing your tank's basic functions immediately after unboxing the tank, before you install the cosmetic accessory parts. If there happens to be any problems, it is better to report them to Motion RC for warranty support before the tank has any cosmetic parts attached to it.

To conduct this initial two minute test, insert six AA batteries in the radio and turn it on. Plug in the tank's included 2s 1800mAh battery and slide the tank's switch to On. The switch is located on the underside of the hull. The radio and tank are already "bound" to each other via 2.4Ghz signal, so simply press the Key button on the radio and your tank will activate. Move all the tank's controls in every direction to evaluate their function. Refer to the Manual for all controls. Note that the turret and cannon barrel will produce a "clacking" sound when they reach their maximum travel points. This sound is normal and is a warning for you to stop moving it in that direction. Importantly, DO NOT run the tank more than two minutes for this initial test, since it arrives with only a storage charge.

Once satisfied that your tank is operating normally, plug the battery into the included wall charger. While it's charging, turn your attention to the installation of the "cosmetic accessory parts", covered in the Details section, below. Installing the cosmetic parts onto the exterior of the tank result in the finished result:

Exterior Quality:
The tank is primarily composed of ABS plastic, which is molded nicely except for a warp along the forward glacis edge. The variant is painted in desert sand with a factory applied shading treatment along select panel lines and areas. As with many Heng Long tanks, my Abrams had a couple small sunken areas in the molding, but these are barely visible.The shading varies in weight at different areas of the tank, resulting in a nice, inconsistent shaded appearance. Some people may prefer an unshaded version, but in my case I plan on eventually using the factory shading as pre-shaded base for a custom airbrushed paintjob. This is the same plan I have for my Challenger II.

.Details:
The Abrams includes several sprues of painted plastic parts are provided for the modeler to install on the tank into pre-drilled holes that are almost all "snap fit". Two flexible tow cables are also included, that are nicely flexible but not so easy to paint over. ABS glue can secure any parts that don't snap in securely enough. Installing the plastic "accessory parts" takes about an hour. CIP panels, tow cables, both machine guns, CITV, APU, bustle rack, and other parts really enhance the tank's overall appearance and is time well spent. The engine deck intakes are sharply molded and painted well.

Assembly:
The tank arrives RTR, with a radio, tank, accessories, tank battery, tank battery charger, and plastic BBs. The glycerin needed for the smoker may not be included depending on your area's local shipping restrictions, but it's cheap enough to source locally. The main thing you'll need to run the tank out of the box is six AA batteries for the tank's radio.

Assembly of the Abrams itself is complete, and the tank can be running literally within a couple minutes of opening the box and inserting the batteries.

Once you're done verifying everything works, plug the tank's battery into the charger, since it only arrives with a storage charge.

While the tank's battery is charging, attach the plastic cosmetic parts, or "accessory parts" as they're called on the website. This took me as mentioned about 45 minutes to complete.

Apply the decals, as desired, on a cleaned and dried surface, using the instruction manual's clear diagrams. These are simple adhesive vinyl decals. They are NOT water slide decals. After applying them, you may want to seal them in with a clear coat. I didn't, and the decals continue to hold well to the surface. I chose the "Carnivore" markings, which I believe participated in OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) in or around 2003. If you have more specific information, please let me know, I'm always interested to learn!

By the time you're done detailing your Abrams with the parts sprues and decals, your tank's battery should be fully charged and you're ready for your first full run!

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Pre-Drive Checklist

Plug the 2s 1800mAh battery into the battery bay under the tank. I like how Heng Long designed the screw to always stay connected to the battery bay door, so it's impossible to lose that little screw. The 2s battery uses a Tamiya-style connector for main power, and also has a conventional three wire balance plug which is convenient for checking the battery voltage with a battery voltage checker. Heng Long's system will automatically shut down when the battery is depleted, although I prefer to use a small low voltage alarm to notify me before that happens. The Abrams can sit idle for nearly an hour, or it can drive and operate for 20-25 minutes depending on the terrain and if you're running the smoker or not. The smoker seems to consume significant energy because it is a separate motor and heating element that are both running constantly.

If you plan on battling your friends with the included IR (infrared) system, plug in the IR apple and locate its magnetic anchor spot in front of the hatch. The Abrams' magnet is tricky to find on the top of its busy turret.

Note the metal suspension arms, which are a nice durability upgrade that is installed out of the box on all editions of the Abrams (Original, Upgrade, Upgrade A, and Professional).

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Running the tank:

Driving Heng Long tanks is easy to learn. The right stick controls forward and reverse, and left and right travel of the tank treads. The left stick controls the turret's traverse (side to side) and elevation/depression (up/down) of the main gun. The fun is learning to synchronize your control inputs so that the tank moves realistically, including pointing the gun as the tank moves in a different direction. All Heng Long tank turrets can traverse 320 degrees, and the barrel elevates and depresses through a range of 20 degrees or so. When you hear a "clacking" sound, the movement has reached its maximum limit and you must stop pushing the stick in that direction. Perhaps in the future Heng Long will be able to implement a limit cutoff switch?

The TK6 enables the user to program a range of features by means of pressing down a combination of buttons and moving one or the two control sticks. The amount of recoil can be adjusted higher or lower, the top speed can be set to two limits, the sensitivity in forward turns and reverse turns, and other actions are programmable in mere seconds. RC Airplane pilots would recognize this feature as adding "Expo" or "Exponential". It's a neat feature that Heng Long has included in this latest generation of TK6 MFCB.

The Upgrade edition available from Motion RC does not use Zinc Alloy gears like Upgrade editions of years past. Rather, as of 11/2019, all of Motion RC's Upgrade edition tanks include Steel gears, which are superior to the old Zinc Alloy gears in every way. While the remainder of the tank's running gear is ABS plastic, I prefer this Upgrade version because the steel gears in the gearbox are very durable, yet the plastic tracks keep the tank light and maneuverable. The Abrams is a large tank like the Challenger II and King Tiger, so for the Abrams' Professional edition that replaces the plastic tracks, drive sprocket, and idler wheel with metal versions, the total weight almost doubles to nearly 11 pounds. I recommend the Professional edition for tankers who don't mind having a shorter drive time or having to buy a couple spare batteries. The durability and heft of the Pro version will appeal to those who want weight above all other considerations, and are comfortable paying the premium.

Throughout my testing, the plastic tracks had no problem on all outdoor surfaces. Indoors, it slipped on polished tile floors, as can be expected. The weight of the metal tracks that I also tested had better traction across a wider range of surface types, and were more resistant to gouges and scrapes while running over broken gravel terrain.

Indoors, the sound is very loud, the two LED headlights are bright along with the two rear tail lights, and the glycerin "exhaust effect" is easily visible. Outdoors, the sound is still audible and the LEDs are also visible in daylight, but the exhaust effect becomes difficult to see. This is just as well, since real Abrams wasn't constantly venting smoke as if it was on fire, so I don't mind the reduced visible volume in daylight. The tank's "exhaust effect" is emitted from the center grating at the rear of the tank hull, just like on the real Abrams. It's a bit difficult to refill, though.


"Send It!" Firing the cannon

Firing the machine gun by pressing the labeled button triggers a machine gun sound and a bright LED at the base of the coaxial mount located in the turret alongside the main cannon. Firing the main cannon is accomplished by holding down both the cannon button and the machine gun button, resulting in a cannon firing sound and a track recoil and a 6mm BB going flying 30 feet out of the barrel. A "track recoil" feature is also included in the TK6 MFCB, which is programmable from the radio transmitter. The track recoil shudders the tank rearward to simulate recoil when the main cannon fires and the speaker plays back the firing sound. It's all synchronized very well, so that the overall effect is convincing. I prefer the lowest or the middle setting for track recoil, because the highest setting is too exaggerated and unrealistic in my opinion.

I appreciate the need to push and hold two buttons to fire the main cannon, as this prevents accidental firing of the 6mm BB. The BBs don't hurt, but they are projectiles nonetheless, so all precaution should be taken for safety. I normally don't load any BBs, and after a hundred or so shots at the included target paper, I taped over the BB loading hole inside the hatch so that there's no risk of any further BBs firing from the main cannon. Another method would be to disconnect the plug from the MFCB.

The most fun I've had with all these recent Heng Long tanks is engaging in IR Battles with other tanks equipped with the same TK6 MFCB. Whether a BB is loaded or not, firing the main cannon will always trigger the cannon sound and the track recoil, and will also always trigger the IR (infrared) emitter that's hidden in the mantlet, facing forward. This IR emitter sends an invisible beam that is detected by the IR mast that connects to any other TK6-equipped tank or Tamiya IR battle system equipped tank. The mast connects magnetically to the turret, and receives "hits" from other tanks. Registered hits result in the tank shuddering for a split second. After five hits, the tank plays back an "explosion and burning sound", then shuts down for five seconds, before powering back up automatically so you can resume battling your friends. A backyard brawl with four or five tanks is serious fun! Maneuvering and angling for a shot while driving for cover, all the while shouting taunts to your friends, becomes very competitive very quickly.

As with all other Heng Long TK6 series tanks, I found the Abrams' IR emitter's sensitivity to be acceptably consistent in overcast conditions out to ~10-15 meters. In optimum conditions, a hit can be registered out to 25 meters or more, but in my experience this was rare, and in local RC tank engagements, the range to target tends to be much shorter. It should also be noted that IR technology is susceptible to decreased performance in direct sunlight, which is why IR Tank Battlers often use sunshades on the IR receiver ("apple"). IR receivers can also be masked by obstacles, even those on the turret. Additionally, it appears that turning the turret can create less than consistent results when registering hits, so it isn't a perfect science. Chalk it up to simulating real life misfires? I haven't found a perfectly consistent IR solution produced by any manufacturer in the RC tank industry, yet...

Power and Handling

The new generation TK6 MFCB makes all previous Heng Long controllers obsolete. The smoothness in driving is difficult to describe, but suffice to say, I cannot recommend purchasing the previous generation tanks. Their features don't come close to what the TK6 series offers. I'm glad that Heng Long is gradually moving the TK6 into all their tanks. The Abrams moves at a walking pace at full throttle on the High setting and about 25% slower on Low setting. Hold G and move the left stick up or down to select the High or Low setting, respectively. With the proportional steering controls, can really be slowed down for "creeping" maneuvers that look very realistic, or it can be accelerated to full speed. This is where the TK6 MFCB shines, in giving excellent proportional control to everything that moves on the tank. Older versions only cycled their cannon barrel up/down in a loop, but now with this TK6 version I can elevate or depress the gun at any time along its path, and I can do so quickly or slowly in proportion with my stick inputs.

Upgrade path and "Wrenchability" --how easy is it to service, maintain, and upgrade this tank?:

Like the large hulled Challenger II and King Tiger, the Abrams is very easy to work on internally. There is lots of space to add a larger speaker, for example, or implementing a recoiling barrel or other DIY upgrades, or installing a 360 degree turret traverse mod.

The TK6 MFCB also has several unused ports, including six unused LED ports that each have a function as specified in the manual. There is a brake light port, and also turn signal ports. There is even a "Main Cannon Barrel LED" port, that flashes in sync with the cannon sound. If you were okay with running an LED into the barrel and cancelling the airsoft BB firing function, you could within minutes have a neat simulated "flash" at the tip of the barrel every time you fired the main gun.

As mentioned earlier, my Abrams is the "Upgrade" version, meaning its exterior components are all plastic, while the gears in the gearbox are steel. I find this to be a great balance between cost, driveability, and weight. The more expensive "Professional" version features metal tracks, idler wheel, and drive sprocket. The increased weight provides better durability in certain conditions, and of course it feels more tank-like (i.e. a brick), but the trade-off for this weight gain is lower drive time. For anyone operating the heavier Professional version, I recommend buying a spare battery. I like that the Challenger II's Pro version doesn't use metal road wheels, since those seem to be a waste of weight on an already large and heavy tank.

Things to watch out for:

1) The plastic BBs included in all of Heng Long's tanks aren't the best. Their instruction manual recommends visually sorting the BBs and removing any BBs that are deformed, flat, broken, or oblong. Expect ~10% of the BBs to be unusable.

2) Don't flood the smoker. There is one smoker in the tank, with two exhaust tubes. Those tubes in fact function as both the exhaust for the smoke and the intake for the smoke oil, so it's imperative that you only put one drop in each of the tubes every hour of smoking. Less is more! If you overflow the tubes, the smoke can't exit, causing the smoker unit to clog and die.

3) Read our "Do's And Don'ts of RC Tanking" article *here* and watch its accompanying video *here* for all relevant tips, tricks, and warnings that pertain to any RC tank. Most importantly, do not attempt to run the tank into obstacles larger, in 1/16 scale terms, than what the real tank was subjected to. These tanks are not scale crawler trucks, so don't expect them climb over rocks and boulders taller than the tank's ground clearance, which is typically around 1" from the underside of the hull. Also, do not attempt to drive in water or mud. In their stock form, RC tanks are not intended to be used in wet or muddy conditions. Extensive waterproofing and cleaning is just the start of upgrades required to make such operation repeatable without irreparable damage.

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CONCLUSION

As with all Heng Long 1/16 tanks, I assess a rating for each of seven key areas. To be fair, my ratings are given in the context of the Abrams' own price point and intended audience, which is the entry level and mid-level RC tank enthusiast looking to get started in the $175-$300 RTR range. Having also driven all of Heng Long's 1/16 tanks, my rankings also factor in comparisons between the Abrams and all its brothers. From that vantage point, here is how I rank the Heng Long 1/16 Scale "M1A2 Abrams" main battle tank:

Initial Quality: 98/100
Over the years, Heng Long's QC and IQ has steadily improved. I have owned over 30 of these tanks over the past 15 years, so it's nice to see a reinvestment in these key aspects in the past year. Everything worked, nothing was missing or broken, solid all around. Internally, the steel gears were adequately greased and sounded good. The smoker unit's well was also not dried out.

User-Friendliness and Transportability: 86/100
The convenience of Heng Long's RTR package really makes it easy to get started in the world of RC tanks. In that sense, all of Heng Long's tanks excel in lowering the cost of entry into this segment of the hobby, and I think many scale enthusiasts would appreciate a scale tank as much as they would a scale airplane, car, truck, or boat. Heng Long's included radio does the job, without being overly flashy. I tend to prefer a cheaper overall package with this basic radio than one with super low latency and 1km range and hall effect sensored bearing gimbals. This isn't a jet flying at 100mph away from me at a thousand feet. While other manufacturers dominate the higher scale and higher featured market, the price is often prohibitive for someone starting out with their first tank to see if it's even something they're interested in.

Like the other "Big Five" tanks in 1/16 scale from Heng Long (Challenger II, Leopard 2A6, T99, King Tiger), the Abrams' large size can be arguably as much of an advantage as it is a liability. It needs to be carried with two hands, weighing about six pounds despite being the "lighter" Upgrade version. The Professional version with metal wheels and tracks weighs about 11 pounds! So, persons wanting a lightweight, easy to transport tank should probably look elsewhere.

The Abrams does include an adjustable idler mechanism, although it's not as easy access as the Challenger II. Page 15 of the instruction manual demonstrates how to adjust and tighten or loosen the tracks, if/as needed.

Mobility and Drive Experience 90/100
I love that Heng Long finally equipped the TK6 series MFCB with four sound sets, one of which is a turbine sound set! Say goodbye to the years of a Heng Long Abrams sounding like a V12 diesel and say hello to much more realistic turbine start-up sound, idle, cannon, and on-the-move sounds.

The Abrams is satisfyingly mobile, and its wide stance, wide tracks, and long track length give it low ground pressure which is ideal for running over short grass, sand, packed dirt, and small gravel.

Durability 87/100
Metal suspension arms and a mostly flat underside hull rank high for long term durability when traversing uneven terrain. The road wheel arrangement is also simple to work on and resists clogging or breaking. The wide and raised pads on the track cleats, made to represent the rubber pads on the real Abrams' tracks, do wear down if running on gravel or sharp rocky surfaces at fast speeds cross country for long.

Customers wanting the added rigidity and durability of metal tracks, metal idler wheel, and metal drive sprocket should consider purchasing the more expensive "Professional" edition, pictured below to the left, with the plastic tracked/wheeled "Upgrade" edition is shown to the right. Note the metal parts are easily identified by their lack of paint out of the box. I would rank the Durability of the Professional edition at 92/100

Scale Fidelity 80/100

Some areas of detail are necessarily softened at this price point and acceptable for a mass production RC tank, but overall this 1/16 scale Abrams is a fair representation of the real Abrams. Likely adapted from a Tamiya SEP2 OIF, there are certain errors that carry over into the hull and turret, although the proportions are generally spot on.

Probably the most glaring scale elements that are missing from this tank are the vision blocks for the driver, commander, and CITV, the fact that the doghouse is molded in the closed position, and the lack of non-skid coating. I covered this in my summary video linked in Post #1. Suffice to say, super scale modelers would probably prefer to take a Tamiya 1/16 Abrams as a better base that is "closer" and requires less updating to be accurate, but I'd argue that most readers wouldn't readily know the difference between T156 or T158 tracks, or be able to visually identify five distinguishing factors between SEP2 or SEP3. My point is, "accuracy" and "RC" are moving targets for all of us.

Subjectively, because I am one of those Abrams nuts who does know the difference, I have to rank the Heng Long Abrams' scale fidelity lower than I think most probably would. Take my ratings with a grain of salt!

Ease of Maintenance and Upgrade Potential 94/100

There are lots of upgrades for the Abrams, and its large size and overall component layout make it easy to wrench on. When removing the upper hull, be careful with the crew step up ring near the forward corner of the side skirts.

Overall Value (Cost, Size, Performance, Quality) 91/100

Solid 90 for the Abrams' overall value. It's an A-grade tank at this price-point, undoubtedly.

My Personal Averaged Total Score for Heng Long's 1/16 Scale "M1A2 Abrams": 90/100

Iconic service history, fun to drive, fun to customize, instantly recognizable, and lots of upgrade options. For anyone wanting a larger sized 1/16 scale tank under $300, Heng Long's Abrams gets my surefire recommendation.

The possibilities with this platform are limited only by resources and your imagination! For those interested in seeing a much deeper dive into the customization/accurization of a Heng Long Abrams, I recommend reading xhack2's excellent thread on RCU. Beware of getting hooked on these low cost RTRs, though, otherwise you may find yourself chasing the latest upgrade and sinking untold cash into a 20lb beast...

[StormyDog1962]

Just as reliable as the B-52

[Alpha]

I agree, the Abrams has been around for a while and with SEP4 being implemented, it will continue to be around for a while longer.

[Alpha]

Working on a resin modern TC bust..

[JDMac761stBP]

I have one with no ON/OFF switch. Unbelievable. Sent it back for a refund.

[Rubicon99]

I have one with no ON/OFF switch. Unbelievable. Sent it back for a refund.

That’s interesting I have never seen a missing power switch or any missing parts to really speak of. Was the slot on the bottom of the tank for the switch empty? Who did you buy it through? Was it a 5.2, 5.3, 6.0, or 6.1 version?

[JDMac761stBP]

That’s interesting I have never seen a missing power switch or any missing parts to really speak of. Was the slot on the bottom of the tank for the switch empty? Who did you buy it through? Was it a 5.2, 5.3, 6.0, or 6.1 version?

Purchased it from RC Trux. I don't know which version. On sale for $208.49. Reg. $249.58

[Alpha]

JDMac761stBP Another member here bought an Abrams for around $250 from a local hobby store reasoning it was the TK6, as I presumed it was too based on the price. However I believe he ended up returning it after discovering that it was in fact an obsolete 5.3 version. Accordingly, unfortunately everyone should be wary of what they're buying, and double-check before purchasing from a local store or even Amazon. Heng Long told me directly to my face that their own Amazon store is mostly being used to sell off the TK5.3, since they're fine in that configuration for most budget-minded drivers. But for actual RC Hobby tankers, the TK6 is truly leaps and bounds ahead of the earlier TK5 series. In summary, if shopping online or at a store this season for Heng Long tanks, keep in mind that just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's the latest TK6 version, so please ask the seller to clarify first! I'd hate to see anyone overpay for something they didn't want.

To be clear, all of Motion RC's tanks use the latest TK6. We are not bringing in anything with the older electronics.

[JDMac761stBP]

Thanks, Alpha.

[JDMac761stBP]

JDMac761stBP Another member here bought an Abrams for around $250 from a local hobby store reasoning it was the TK6, as I presumed it was too based on the price. However I believe he ended up returning it after discovering that it was in fact an obsolete 5.3 version. Accordingly, unfortunately everyone should be wary of what they're buying, and double-check before purchasing from a local store or even Amazon. Heng Long told me directly to my face that their own Amazon store is mostly being used to sell off the TK5.3, since they're fine in that configuration for most budget-minded drivers. But for actual RC Hobby tankers, the TK6 is truly leaps and bounds ahead of the earlier TK5 series. In summary, if shopping online or at a store this season for Heng Long tanks, keep in mind that just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's the latest TK6 version, so please ask the seller to clarify first! I'd hate to see anyone overpay for something they didn't want.

To be clear, all of Motion RC's tanks use the latest TK6. We are not bringing in anything with the older electronics.

They sold me a lemon. No ON/OFF switch on the bottom of the tank. How do you start it without one? You can't. The CS guy told me the TK6 version doesn't require ON/OFF switch. Do you anything about these guys. https://rcworldstore.com/ ?

[Rubicon99]

They sold me a lemon. No ON/OFF switch on the bottom of the tank. How do you start it without one? You can't. The CS guy told me the TK6 version doesn't require ON/OFF switch. Do you anything about these guys. https://rcworldstore.com/ ?

The 6.0 due require an on off switch. Are you saying there was NO slot at all on the bottom of the tank? If so there is chance you got one of the newest Abrams upper hulls meant for the metal lower hull version with 6.1 system that has an on off switch located under one of the side engine vents? I suspect the basic 6.0 manual would not have shown this.

[JDMac761stBP]

The 6.0 due require an
on off switch. Are you saying there was NO slot at all on the bottom of the tank? If
so there is chance you got one of the newest Abrams upper hulls meant for the metal lower hull version with 6.1 system that has an
on off switch located under one of the side engine vents? I suspect the basic 6.0 manual would not have shown this.

That's the thing. Empty ON/OFF slot. Okay. Checked under the vent. You are correct, sir. Problem solved. Thank you.

[Alpha]

Just to clarify, you received an Abrams from that seller with the latest hull, but would you also please confirm if you have the latest version of TK? The easiest way to tell is to confirm that you have adjustable track recoil. Tap the K button and S button at the same time, and see if the track recoil changes. You should have four levels of track recoil.

Whoever that CS guy was, he was obviously guessing when he said that the TK6 doesn't require an on/off switch. It does. He probably just didn't know where the switch was located. Glad Rubicon99 got you sorted out!

[Draig73]

Hey Alpha I just bought an upgraded Abrams what must have upgrades do you recommend? It comes with metal gear and tracks already.

[Rubicon99]

Hey Alpha I just bought an upgraded Abrams what must have upgrades do you recommend? It comes with metal gear and tracks already.

The best overall upgrade you can make is to swap in the RED Heng Long 390 motors. These will provide for more scale like top end speed and will enhance low speed turning torque in rough or soft terrain surfaces.

Also look at adding the rear drive shaft axle bearing. This in combination with the new adjustable idler wheels (that tension the tracks) will greatly add support to the shafts and reduces sprocket play. Sprocket play(wobble) is one of the leading causes of track lose on the Abrams.

There is a lot more that can be done, but it becomes more of tuning little things here and there to adjust for your style of driving and use needs.

[Draig73]

The best overall upgrade you can make is to swap in the RED Heng Long 390 motors. These will provide for more scale like top end speed and will enhance low speed turning torque in rough or soft terrain surfaces.

Also look at adding the rear drive shaft axle bearing. This in combination with the new adjustable idler wheels (that tension the tracks) will greatly add support to the shafts and reduces sprocket play. Sprocket play(wobble) is one of the leading causes of track lose on the Abrams.

Thank you! Now my problem is where would I be able to buy those, would the ones from Taigen work? and would it be a 3:1 or a 4:1 gear box. Im sorry for all the questions hahaha I'm a new guy when it comes into these things

[Elbee]

Thank you! Now my problem is where would I be able to buy those, would the ones from Taigen work? and would it be a 3:1 or a 4:1 gear box. Im sorry for all the questions hahaha I'm a new guy when it comes into these things

D7, Welcome to Hobby Squawk. Glad you are here. Best, LB

[Rubicon99]

Thank you! Now my problem is where would I be able to buy those, would the ones from Taigen work? and would it be a 3:1 or a 4:1 gear box. Im sorry for all the questions hahaha I'm a new guy when it comes into these things

The motors can be found on EBay just search Heng Long 390 motors. They should cost about $25 delivered for two. I am hoping Motion RC chooses to stock these as upgrades as time goes on.

The axle bearings are a little harder to find. I have bought mine through Aliexpress.com in the Tankzone store. Aliexpress in like a Chinese Amazon. They are safe to buy from. Again I hope the bearings become something Motion RC will be stocking or better yet included with there tanks.

In modern tanks like the Abrams, 3:1 gearboxes are the way to go for top end scale speed. With Heng Long’s new 6.0(6.1)systems and 390 motors you don’t need a 4:1 gearbox. The system has excellent low speed control which is even better then that of the industry leading Tamiya Abrams and which becomes even smoother with the 390 motors.

Now you can buy upgrade 3:1 gearboxes that have thicker support walls and are all bearing shafts. Taigen and HengLong both make these. Heng Long is currently the only one though that has the upgraded 3:1 gearboxes that have a factory option to come with 390 motors already installed. Also the Taigen drive shafts need to be filed down as the are ~.25mm too wide in diameter. Not hard but a PITA if one was not expecting it.

For the Abrams you need to be looking at the High Low gearboxes in 58(or59)mm shafts (long shafts).

All that said the new stock steal gearboxes are pretty darn durable. I have three sets of these in three different 6.0 tanks and I do not baby my tanks. If you have Instagram visit me @fsttanks to see some of my photos and videos.