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Customization Log: Heng Long 1/16 M1A2 Abrams "Pro Plus"

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  • #21
    Alpha,
    This video looks like it's a "Pro Plus" version. If you carry it at Motion will there be more than just the Abrams in the "Pro Plus" config? It's pretty badass!



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    • #22
      That is a slightly different configuration than the Pro Plus I'm working on. That person's video shows a Pro Plus lower hull, but its main cannon fires an Airsoft BB and emits a red visible laser pointer.

      By contrast, my Pro Plus replaces the Airsoft BB with an LED flash, a real-time servo driven recoil (as opposed to the one second delay while the BB motor compresses the firing spring), and a second smoke module in the turret which propels smoke out of the barrel in sequence with the LED flash.

      Personally, I don't mind trading off the delay-fire Airsoft BB function for the real-time barrel LED/smoke function.

      Over time, we're trialing different configurations and assessing their modularity. We'll present them formally online when the time comes!

      Live Q&A every Tuesday and Friday at 9pm EST on my Twitch Livestream

      Live chat with me and other RC Nuts on my Discord

      Camp my Instagram @Alpha.Makes

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      • #23
        Xx r r

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        • #24
          Nice work, Alpha, on upping the game with a ProPlus series. It certainly appeals to me but I'm more interested in WW2 subjects so would love to see this available for the Panther or either Tiger.

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          • #25
            This is fantastic stuff Alpha. Great job on the work. I'd also be interested in a Pro Plus version of this and/or the Challenger II.

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            • #26
              I'm gonna need to do that barrel smoke/light upgrade on mine when I start working on it. The effect is great!

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              • #27
                YAH, This is the one !! but for now I will order The Pro version & B Happy face.

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                • #28
                  How much is the M1A2 Pro Plus and how can I order/preorder one?

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                  • #29
                    Originally posted by Chs51 View Post
                    How much is the M1A2 Pro Plus and how can I order/preorder one?
                    Under $300. If you don’t want to wait months for Motion to restock there are tons available on EBay.

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                    • #30
                      Alpha it appears your Pro Plus Abrams has the same suspension setup as the Pro Plus T-90 I just got from ToucanHobby - I have issues with the suspension though, unfortunately. The little brass rod that the torsion bars mount to, which threads onto the suspension arms, slides and "pops" along the threads when enough pressure is applied. I have a ton of this happening on one side, and was wondering if you have seen this or found any solutions to it? I'd really rather not return the item (my assumption is that it got hit a little too hard during shipping, or maybe dropped), so I've been going in and adding thread lock to the brass rods in hopes they'll stay more fixed.

                      Otherwise I'm at a bit of a loss! A bit disappointed too, considering the pricing puts these above Tamiya. A lot of the workmanship is great - small internal touches and integrated charging is nice, and the dual-bearing system that the suspension arms go through is fantastic (no more dust or water infiltration, but definitely more bearing maintenance ;p). Paint quality is nice too, my lower hull has a textured quality and it feels like it's something thicker and nicer than most model paints that probably wouldn't adhere as nicely to a metal surface.

                      Just darn, those brass rods are a trick! I'll probably post a review when I have a chance, and I'm not too upset since this was partially bought in order to explore Heng Long's newest offerings/quality + as a gift for me with my new job's signing bonus, but losing out on immediate drivability is a bummer. Wonder if there's a better solution or design for this.

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                      • #31
                        Originally posted by fuchstraumer View Post
                        Alpha it appears your Pro Plus Abrams has the same suspension setup as the Pro Plus T-90 I just got from ToucanHobby - I have issues with the suspension though, unfortunately. The little brass rod that the torsion bars mount to, which threads onto the suspension arms, slides and "pops" along the threads when enough pressure is applied. I have a ton of this happening on one side, and was wondering if you have seen this or found any solutions to it? I'd really rather not return the item (my assumption is that it got hit a little too hard during shipping, or maybe dropped), so I've been going in and adding thread lock to the brass rods in hopes they'll stay more fixed.

                        Otherwise I'm at a bit of a loss! A bit disappointed too, considering the pricing puts these above Tamiya. A lot of the workmanship is great - small internal touches and integrated charging is nice, and the dual-bearing system that the suspension arms go through is fantastic (no more dust or water infiltration, but definitely more bearing maintenance ;p). Paint quality is nice too, my lower hull has a textured quality and it feels like it's something thicker and nicer than most model paints that probably wouldn't adhere as nicely to a metal surface.

                        Just darn, those brass rods are a trick! I'll probably post a review when I have a chance, and I'm not too upset since this was partially bought in order to explore Heng Long's newest offerings/quality + as a gift for me with my new job's signing bonus, but losing out on immediate drivability is a bummer. Wonder if there's a better solution or design for this.
                        The all metal lower Abrams and T90/72 hulls are well know for having some issues that require “more extensive hobby skills”. That is way they are not sold widely. They offer nothing that the new 6.0 hulls don’t already do very well or can be made to do for a much lower cost by comparison. I spent years beat HL hulls and suspensions up probably more than 99% of the users and this experience has shown me first hand what they can and can’t handle in comparison to the “new Pro Plus” metal hulls.

                        Don’t get me wrong I like the idea of the HL Abrams and T90/72 metal hulls, but don’t think they are ready for the wider unskilled RTR hobby market especially at their current price point.

                        If someone asks me about swapping over to a metal HL hull, that is when I highly recommend then moving to a full Tamiya build up kit especially in the modern tank designs like the Abrams.

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                        • #32
                          Originally posted by Rubicon99 View Post

                          The all metal lower Abrams and T90/72 hulls are well know for having some issues that require “more extensive hobby skills”. That is way they are not sold widely. They offer nothing that the new 6.0 hulls don’t already do very well or can be made to do for a much lower cost by comparison. I spent years beat HL hulls and suspensions up probably more than 99% of the users and this experience has shown me first hand what they can and can’t handle in comparison to the “new Pro Plus” metal hulls.

                          Don’t get me wrong I like the idea of the HL Abrams and T90/72 metal hulls, but don’t think they are ready for the wider unskilled RTR hobby market especially at their current price point.

                          If someone asks me about swapping over to a metal HL hull, that is when I highly recommend then moving to a full Tamiya build up kit especially in the modern tank designs like the Abrams.
                          Absolutely agree, honestly. Already have a pretty healthy list of tweaks I'll be making and concur that if you have the money to spend and are looking for a great modern tank - go Tamiya first. I'm relieved to have the money to spend without worry, but that's quite a privilege and why I wanna be careful about how I speak about these in case it encourages more folks to just blindly "buy in" and end up disappointed if they're not ready for the fussiness of these hulls.

                          If you're determined to just get a metal MBT hull for example, I'd say get the Taigen Leo and invest in new electronics and internals for that - you'll still be below the price I paid for the metal T-90, lol. Otherwise going with the cheapest all-plastic model from Heng Long and upgrading it over time with nicer and nicer internal components is another great idea (honestly doing this right now with a 6.0 Abrams hull, and it's definitely more immediately rewarding - especially for beginner hobbyist skillsets).

                          It is interesting to see the various refinements from each manufacturer, though. My curiosity about the minutiae of small-scale mechanical and electrical systems is most of what lead to this purchase. Also just kinda excited to see HL headed in this direction, because with what Alpha has teased about modularity and with some of the really good things I've seen in these models I think things will be a lot better in a few years (once more of these get out in the wild and the design gets tweaked/improved). Doubly so since I've been buying Heng Long tanks since ~2009, when they were definitely not as refined and user-friendly as they are nowadays.

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                          • #33
                            Originally posted by fuchstraumer View Post

                            Absolutely agree, honestly. Already have a pretty healthy list of tweaks I'll be making and concur that if you have the money to spend and are looking for a great modern tank - go Tamiya first. I'm relieved to have the money to spend without worry, but that's quite a privilege and why I wanna be careful about how I speak about these in case it encourages more folks to just blindly "buy in" and end up disappointed if they're not ready for the fussiness of these hulls.

                            If you're determined to just get a metal MBT hull for example, I'd say get the Taigen Leo and invest in new electronics and internals for that - you'll still be below the price I paid for the metal T-90, lol. Otherwise going with the cheapest all-plastic model from Heng Long and upgrading it over time with nicer and nicer internal components is another great idea (honestly doing this right now with a 6.0 Abrams hull, and it's definitely more immediately rewarding - especially for beginner hobbyist skillsets).

                            It is interesting to see the various refinements from each manufacturer, though. My curiosity about the minutiae of small-scale mechanical and electrical systems is most of what lead to this purchase. Also just kinda excited to see HL headed in this direction, because with what Alpha has teased about modularity and with some of the really good things I've seen in these models I think things will be a lot better in a few years (once more of these get out in the wild and the design gets tweaked/improved). Doubly so since I've been buying Heng Long tanks since ~2009, when they were definitely not as refined and user-friendly as they are nowadays.
                            I agree^^^^^

                            I expect to see HL surpass Tamiya in performance and option in the not so distant future. Tamiya has been slacking off quite a bit as is so evident with their new M551 Sheridan and this is allowing HL to catch up fast. There are now more aftermarket parts and performance enhancements made for HL then Tamiya which makes HL so much more appealing especially in the fast growing “Cold War” and modern tanks offerings.

                            Keep up the testing and posting your results good and bad. This forum is very open to hearing the “out of the box” thinking and fun people are having with their tanks....unlike some others.

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                            • #34
                              This is exactly what I've been looking for with all the specs you have mentioned in your pro plus edition, please let me know asap if heng long go ahead with the pro plus cheers Rob

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                              • #35
                                Are there any instructions out there to help me with installing metal road wheels on my new Heng Long M1A2 abrams?

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                                • #36
                                  Sure...remove hub cap, remove screw for wheel, remove old wheel, install new wheel, install screw, and replace hub cap.

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                                  • #37
                                    This is a pretty old thread at this point, but I own both HL metal chassis for the Abrams and the T-72. So far no issues with them. The T-72 has never thrown a track. The only issue I've had with that hull is there is a tiny space on the front of the hull where it doesn't quite line up right, but once it's painted no one notices. I have adapted the gearboxes from these metal chassis into other builds and so far the sealed CNC gearboxes have been flawless. I bought the metal chassis for the Abrams much cheaper than it sells for now as I was probably one of the first people to ever buy it when it was released. I bought the HL Abrams long before the Tamiya was on the market and although I don't own it, the suspension on the metal Abrams chassis is better IMO. I actually do have a Trumpeter kit I have installed most of the Tamiya suspension on and I can say from that experience the Tamiya suspension is really soft. It also has less travel. I own two Tamiya tanks and a bunch of non-Tamiya tanks. At this point one of them no longer has the Tamiya electronics in it and the other has had tons of issues with tracks, but that being said I bought that one second hand and the previous owner is probably responsible for most of that. For the price of the Tamiya Abrams with all of it's detail inaccuracies, for me it was not worth dumping my HL build and going with Tamiya. My Abrams is now the heaviest tank in my collection as it has the metal chassis, all metal suspension, metal idlers, metal wheels, metal tracks, metal sprockets, and the big 550 motor based gearboxes on it. I say based because they now have 540 motors as the 550s wouldn't fit length wise.

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