Post Your Pictures: RC Tank Gallery

[NCflying]

Heng Long T34-85 with “painted” on and natural weathering mixing to give it that field used look.

That thing looks so real! I love it!

[JCB 67]

[GetSmart]

Howdy all. I bought my first tank, a Heng Long Sherman earlier this year, and I've had a lot of fun working on it. I chose the Sherman because it's the classic US WW2 tank and I'd recently started re-reading about the D-Day landings, as an alternative to reading about politics. And the reason I started reading about WW2 is that I watched the movie T-34 on Amazon Prime. If you haven't seen it, check it out, it's easily one of the best tank movies I've seen, and that includes Fury. But I digress...

In order to customize this particular Sherman, I had to come up with a back-story. This M4A3 armed with a 150 mm howitzer would have been, in my imagination, the command tank with the headquarters company that saw action with Patton's Third Army in Normandy. This accounts for the mud (Vallejo earth texture) which I applied liberally. I slathered it on the metal tracks and since this stuff sets up like rock, I just kept the motor going with the tank held stationary, which also scraped off the excess mud on the bottom of the tracks, revealing the steel tread. I had to do some research on this because apparently some tanks had rubber treads. I love the effect of the bare steel showing through the mud.

Tank crews lived with their tanks, as indicated by the sleeping rolls, tarps, tent poles and groundsheets, along with supplies and spares that festoon the rear deck. Note too the orange identification sheet, used to warn off Allied fighters hunting for targets. In an effort to survive against the better armed Panther and Tiger tanks, crews would weld steel plates to the side of the hull to protect the crew. (I made these out of simple polystyrene sheet 2 mm thick). For the same reason, crews would paint over the 5-pointed star: they felt it gave the Germans too good a target to aim at from a long distance.

I have no direct experience of any of this of course. But I read a lot of books and looked at a lot of photos. I hope you enjoy mine.

[Sappo]

M1 having a good time in the mountains

[Sappo]

Hey guys little embarrassing but not long after these pics were taken the m1 threw a track, put that on and a few minutes later threw the other one. On closer investigation I found out that it had 15 mm of slack in the middle of the track. My question is this, what's the best way to remove 1 track link cause I am not sure how to remove the pins.

[Rubicon99]

Hey guys little embarrassing but not long after these pics were taken the m1 threw a track, put that on and a few minutes later threw the other one. On closer investigation I found out that it had 15 mm of slack in the middle of the track. My question is this, what's the best way to remove 1 track link cause I am not sure how to remove the pins.

If it is a 6.0 version simple adjust the front idler wheel one notch forward. If it is an older 5.3 version what type of tracks are you running? Plastic or metal? This will determine the best method for knocking out a pin.

[Sappo]

It's a 5.3 with plastic tracks. Was expecting a bit of track stretch especially as I am not too kind to the beast. Is it possible to retrofit the 6.0 adjustable idler to the 5.3 by any chance?

[Rubicon99]

It's a 5.3 with plastic tracks. Was expecting a bit of track stretch especially as I am not too kind to the beast. Is it possible to retrofit the 6.0 adjustable idler to the 5.3 by any chance?

No it’s a completely different lower hull.

[Sappo]

Bugger. Oh well will just have to wait until the minister of military acquisitions gives me the all clear to get some steel and rubber wheels and tracks. So will a bit of gentle beating with a hammer and a smaller diameter pin persuade the track pin to come out?

[Rubicon99]

Bugger. Oh well will just have to wait until the minister of military acquisitions gives me the all clear to get some steel and rubber wheels and tracks. So will a bit of gentle beating with a hammer and a smaller diameter pin persuade the track pin to come out?

The pin is ~1mm in thickness. I use a small punch to tap the pin out a few mm then I pull it the rest of the way with pliers. The trick is picking the end without the gnarled end and punch from that side pushing the gnarled portion out.

It is easy now but not the first few time I did it.

[Sappo]

Thanks for that. Time to break out the tools.Mabey once I clean the tracks

[Alpha]

GetSmart Welcome! I like reading your tank's backstory and I welcome the imagination! Building out a model with a story in your head makes the journey all the better.

[Sappo]

Well happy joy, pulled the track and found the problem was the crappy plastic idler had split. This let the track walk off the road wheels and then walk off the drive sprocket. Out with the wangum and it's all better. Thinking REALLY hard about steel running gear now.

[Rubicon99]

Well happy joy, pulled the track and found the problem was the crappy plastic idler had split. This let the track walk off the road wheels and then walk off the drive sprocket. Out with the wangum and it's all better. Thinking REALLY hard about steel running gear now.

The wheels splitting is common on the all plastic Abrams wheels. Simply use some CA glue on the two halves and you will be back in business.

Though all metal wheels with bearings is really the most durable and reliable way to go.

[Sappo]

Oh yeah definitely gonna go out and get the steel running gear, as for the glue I used a adhesive we use at work for fixing panels on our trucks.Mainly, and apologies to our American brothers, KWs. Our jap trucks are all welded and cope with the roads over here and don't rattle to bits.

[Sappo]

Hey get smart, love the sherman. Really cunning idea with the mud effect

[HDMM]

What's the go for getting a durable painted finish on the metal tracks? Or is it just one of those things you have to accept will need touching up over time?

I'm thinking some acrylic shot out of an airbrush followed with a few coats of clear to protect the finish?

I Haven't weathered my tracks at all, I just cleaned them with brake parts cleaner, then painted with satin black Rustoleum 2X (paint + primer). The paint is wearing a little bit in the dirt, but that's what I wanted, a natural wear effect.

[Prowler901]

Those tracks look nice that way. I was considering using some gun blue on mine.

[Vaseline]

I just washed them with dawn dishsoap and super hot water, dried with a hairdrier and used Perma-blue on mine. you even get a nice soft rust patina on them and then rinsed them really well with super hot water and the hairdrier again.. I was actually surprised there was iron content in the tracks to blue haha.

[HDMM]

I just washed them with dawn dishsoap and super hot water, dried with a hairdrier and used Perma-blue on mine. you even get a nice soft rust patina on them and then rinsed them really well with super hot water and the hairdrier again.. I was actually surprised there was iron content in the tracks to blue haha.

I'm going to try the perma blue on a set as well.