Review and Discussion: Heng Long 1/16 "Tiger I" WW2 Tank

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Heng Long 1/16 Scale "Tiger I Early Type" German WW2 Tank

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Introduction:

Able to penetrate the armor of Allied vehicles even beyond typical engagement range, the Tiger I's 8.8cm cannon earned it a reputation for lethal, unmatched firepower. Heng Long's rendition of this popular tank in 1/16 scale RC has been on the market for many years, but with 2020 comes some important changes to the mold and the electronics that bring this tank into the new decade with style. Read below to see how I arrived at a 90 out of 100 rating for this incredibly popular RC tank.

My Personal Averaged Total Score for the Heng Long 1/16 Scale "Tiger I": 90 out of 100

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

Functions:

Featuring the latest TK6 Multi-Function Control Board (MFCB), Heng Long's Tiger I like its other TK6 series 1/16 scale tanks 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, high speed and low speed modes, etc
3) Smoke effect (On/Off)
4) Headlights and Brake lights (On/Off) *note, the real Tiger I didn't have brake lights, so neither does this RC tank, but the MFCB does have extra ports for lights to be added if you choose
5) Volume (five settings including Off)
6) Four different Sound Sets. Each Sound Set contains a unique engine start sound, idle sound, accelerating sound, traverse sound, elevate sound, machine gun, cannon firing, and shutdown sound.
7) Track Recoil (Three settings from low, medium, and high) --This shudders the tank briefly rearward to simulate recoil when firing the main cannon. The Low or Medium settings are more realistic.
8) Fires a 6mm plastic BB (~10 meters with minimal accuracy and limited velocity, but should still be treated with caution and with adequate eye protection)
9) Fires an invisible IR signal to be used as part of Heng Long's Infrared Battle System, which disables other tanks when hit five times during simulated combat. Up to 20 tanks at the same time can battle each other!
10) Independent suspension on all road wheels

Durable Tracks Confidently conquer terrain with durable tracks that are easy to service. Professional Versions feature metal tracks.

Independent Suspension and Steel Geared Gearbox Reliable steel geared gearboxes transfer power while independent suspension provide traction over rough surfaces.

Omnidirectional Proportional Control The latest generation TK6 Multi-Function Control Board (MFCB ) provides smooth driving response and personalized configuration options.

IR Battle Ready Engage in friendly infrared ("IR") combat with other TK6-equipped tanks, both inflicting hits upon and receiving hits from opponents! Sounds and action signal each hit, until the 5th hit disables the tank. After 10 seconds, the disabled tank restarts and can rejoin the fight!

Airsoft BB Launch Safely fire 6mm plastic airsoft BBs at the included paper target at short ranges. *Take safety precautions and wear eye protection.

Scale Detail The perfect balance of scale detail and practical RC Tanking, each Heng Long tank arrives factory painted and includes Cosmetic Accessory Parts to further enhance the tank's realism.

Realistic Operation 320 degree turret traverse, 30 degree cannon elevation, programmable track recoil, and four different sound sets put you in complete control.

LED Lights LED lights indicate the tank's standby and active modes, and also flash when "hit" during IR Battles.

Exhaust Effect Glycerin-based "exhaust effect" simulates engine exhaust for added realism.

RTR The convenience of "Ready to Run" (RTR) allows new players to join the world of RC Tanks with ease!

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. One of the neatest updates that Heng Long did to this generation of their Tiger I is to add functioning hatch covers for the Driver and Bog. The driver's hatch opens to reveal the On/Off switch. I really enjoy this more convenient switch location, compared to its previous location under the tank.

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 battery and slide the tank's switch to On. 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:

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Details:
Several sprues of plastic parts are provided for the modeler to install on the tank. These all plug into pre-drilled holes, and are nearly "snap fit". A few of the parts were loose, so I bonded them with ABS glue. But otherwise, I prefer to keep the parts unglued so they're easy to remove or replace if needed in the future. Plan for about 30-45 minutes to clip the parts off their sprues and attaching them to the outside of the tank. I recommend a sharp clipper designed for this purpose, as it makes cleanup much easier.

The Tiger I's pre-painted tools, shackles, and tow cables clip onto the hull and turret with ease. One of the longer tow cable pieces didn't quite sit down flush, so I trimmed its mounting pin to sit more securely in the mounting hole. A dab of Beacon might help it lay even more flat against the upper hull.



At this point I also take a moment to hold the tip the tank's rear upward about 45 degrees and insert 1-2 small drops of glycerin oil into the exhaust stacks. The smoke effect is expelled through these two exhaust stacks, so don't flood the exhaust stacks. Less is more! The clear bow machine gun barrel falls out from time to time, so again a dab of beacon adhesive or hot glue helps hold it in place.

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Decals:

Apply the decals, as desired, on a cleaned and dried surface, using the instruction manual's clear diagrams. These are simple "peel and stick" adhesive vinyl decals, NOT water slide decals, so do not soak the decal in water otherwise you'll ruin the adhesive. Stick the decal to the surface, then use the back of your fingernail to firmly burnish the decal onto the surface, then carefully remove the clear upper film off of the decal itself. I decided against applying the decals on this tank, because the iron crosses seemed oversized and because I plan on eventually painting this tank with a different color scheme.

After applying the decals, you may want to seal them in with a clear coat such as a spray can of Testors Dullcote or WBPU ("Water Based PolyUrethane") from either Minwax or Varathane. I didn't apply a clear coat, but the decals continue to hold well to the surface, so I do not consider a clear coat absolutely necessary for casual use. If you do decide to apply a clear coat, always test under the tank first to ensure the colors do not react adversely to your chosen clear coat product.

Heng Long's Tiger I uses two headlights (although technically most examples only used one). As a wartime tank, there aren't any other lights such as brake lights or turn signals on the real Tiger I, but note that the TK6 MFCB inside this model does have unused LED ports for brakes and turn signals, if you wanted to wire in LEDs for whatever reason.

Pre-Drive Checklist

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

Plug the battery back into the battery bay under the tank. The Tiger I doesn't require a screwdriver, but instead uses a sprung-latch to secure the battery hatch cover. I like this tool-less approach! The 2s battery uses a Tamiya-style connector for main power, and also has a conventional three wire balance plug. I've found this to be convenient for checking the battery voltage with my battery voltage checker, just as I do with my larger airplane batteries. Heng Long's system will automatically shut down when the battery is depleted, although I prefer to use a low voltage alarm to notify me before that happens.

If you plan on battling your friends with the included IR (infrared) system, plug in the IR apple and locate its magnetic anchor spot behind the hatch. Heng Long's magnets are concealed inside the turret and thus there isn't any unsightly mount visible from the outside of the turret. The IR apple is low profile, and reasonably sensitive in overcast conditions out to ~10-15 meters. If you also plan to fire the 6mm plastic Airsoft BBs, load them through the commander's hatch. While being a low velocity plastic BB, still take all precautions to avoid hitting anyone or anything fragile. Animals, eyeballs, etc.


As part of your pre-drive routine, inspect the suspension arms for any debris from previous use, especially if you run it outdoors in dirt or gravel. Check the suspension travel to ensure each road wheel moves smoothly. On the less expensive Original and Upgrade versions, the arms rotate on bushings, not bearings, so it is normal to have some play between the parts. However, excessively loose or wobbly road wheels or suspension arms should be tightened with a screwdriver or allen key before driving. For this reason, I do not recommend gluing the wheel covers on, but instead recommend relying on their tight press fit to remain attached. They will remain removable if in the future you ever needed to access the screw that connects the wheel to the arm for either tightening it or replacing it. The Tiger I's interleaved road wheels are especially prone to gathering wet debris in between them, so avoid wet mud/sand/grass or else you'll run the risk of bogging down the running gear.

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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 trick is to synchronize your movements so that the tank moves realistically, and points 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.

Refer to the manual for how to fire the machine gun, the main gun sequence, load 6mm BBs, and conduct IR battles. The TK6 also allows 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. Out of the box, the Tiger I's track recoil was too high for my liking, so I reduced it to the Low setting. The forward turning was too fast for my liking, more akin to an RC truck, so I reduced it down to turn more slowly and react to my inputs more sensitively like a real tank. 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.

Gears, Driveability, and Run Time

The Upgrade version available from Motion RC does not use Zinc Alloy gears like Upgrade versions of years past. Rather, as of 11/2019, all of Motion RC's Upgrade version 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 Tiger I is already a beefy tank that has a good weight without extensive metal parts. The Professional edition replaces the plastic tracks, drive sprocket, and idler wheel with metal versions and adds two bearings into each road wheel. This roughly doubles the weight of the tank from ~5+ pounds to ~10.5 pounds, and increases the cost as well, so I recommend the Pro version 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 more expensive Pro version will appeal to those who want weight above all other considerations. By contrast, for the average casual RC tanker wanting to save weight and cost, I think the cheaper Upgrade version is worth considering.

The Tiger I looks really good in the sun! It it impressive how much detail is crammed onto this tank. It's begging for detailing and weathering, but we'll get to that later.



Like other tanks with wide and long tracks, such as the Leopard 2A6, Challenger II, Abrams, and T99, the Upgrade configuration of the Tiger I can climb comfortably at 35 degrees with good traction. Like other tanks at the Upgrade level, the plastic tracks grip most surfaces well, although it tended to spin out sometimes on tile floor. On a hard dirt hill, the Tiger I climbed a 50 degree slope with the plastic tracks. I'd expect the metal tracks and higher weight to lend better traction on steeper slopes, although again, I don't expect tanks to perform like RC crawler trucks.

Indoors, the sound is very loud, the LED headlight is bright, and the smoke is easily visible. Outdoors, the sound is still readily audible and the LED is also visible in daylight, but the smoke becomes difficult to see. This is just as well, since the real tanks weren't constantly venting smoke as if they were on fire, so I don't mind the reduced visible volume in daylight.

Seen next to the frankentank "PanTiger", it is obvious to me why so many people think of a Tiger 1 whenever they here the phrase "WW2 Tank". It had the bite to back up its fearsome silhouette.

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"Send It!" Firing the Airsoft BB 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 being shot about 30 feet out of the tank's barrel. 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 about 30 shots at the included target, which humorously depicts a King Tiger with the earlier style of turret, I taped over the BB loading hole so that there's no risk of any further BBs firing from the main cannon accidentally.

Note that the more expensive Professional Edition of the Tiger 1 also features Barrel Recoil, where the barrel itself begins to move for a half second followed by the airsoft BB being fired at the instant the track recoils and the firing sound plays. The delay is a bit odd, but it's unavoidable given the type of firing mechanism Heng Long uses, which requires a motor to take that half second to spin a gearbox that compresses a spring within a piston which then provides the burst of air to propel the BB out of the barrel.

IR Battle System

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 Tiger 1's 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. Direct sunlight degrades the performance the most, so look into a 3D printed sunshade as we discuss in the 3D Printed Parts thread here on Hobby Squawk.

Power and Handling

The Tiger 1 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 scale. Refer to the instruction manual for specific directions on programming your tank's responsiveness to your preferences. 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. For this and other reasons, I consider the previous ten years of Heng Long's MFCBs to be completely obsolete, and this new MFCB TK6 is the way of their future. I wouldn't recommend buying the previous versions that came before the TK6.

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Upgrade path and "Wrenchability" --how easy is it to service, maintain, and upgrade the Heng Long Tiger 1?:

The 1/16 scale Tiger 1 is probably one of the most recognized tanks in RC, and Heng Long's is compatible with many upgrades for performance, durability, and cosmetics. Every 1/16 tank manufacturer I know of produces at least one type of Tiger 1. From Trumpeter to Tamiya and everyone in between, there are metal upgrades, resin parts, brass and steel PE parts, wooden tool handles and un-ditching logs, decal sets, crew figures, etc. It's an extensive list! There is also a good sized list of updates that a modeler can do if he/she wants to improve the overall scale fidelity of the Heng Long platform itself. I'll cover that in more detail in a separate thread.

Under the hood, the TK6 MFCB really makes this tank worth the effort, should you decide to refinish it, accurize it, paint it, or upgrade it to a higher level of battle-readiness. I was pleased to see that the MFCB has several unused ports. 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. I don't expect anyone to add turn signals on this Tiger 1r, however, but it's nice to know there are at least expandable LED port options.



In terms of overall ease of working on the Tiger 1, I'd give it a 9 out of 10 because its hull and turret are both very large. This makes accessing the tank's internals very easy, and there is a lot of space for adding a larger speaker, for example, or implementing a recoiling barrel or other DIY upgrades. The Tiger 1's boxy silhouette lends itself to larger internal volume.

As mentioned previously, my Tiger I 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 plastic tracks are wide, which is good traction, but not so good for lateral rigidity. The plastic tracks can be twisted with one's fingers approximately 45 degrees around datum along the length of the entire tank.

The more expensive "Professional" edition features metal tracks, road wheels, idler wheel, drive sprocket, and bearings --essentially all the moving drive system parts outside of the tank--. This significantly increases the weight, which some tankers may enjoy, and also the durability in certain conditions, but the trade-off for this weight gain is lower drive time. For anyone operating the heavier Professional edition, I recommend buying a spare battery or two.

The metal parts also arrive unpainted, making it easy to visually distinguish in product photos which version is which. If the road wheels are green and the track is black, they're plastic and that's the Original or Upgrade version. If the road wheels are metal colored and the tracks are as well, then they're metal and that's the Professional version. The metal wheels would need to be painted by the user, if he/she prefers. I know I do!

To the left is the Original and Upgrade edition with painted plastic wheels and tracks. To the right is the more expensive Professional edition with the unpainted metal wheels and tracks.

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. Almost 8% of the BBs in my Challenger II's bag of BBs were throwaways. Still, there were at least 70 or so BBs that were sufficiently smooth and spherical.

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.

[Alpha]

CONCLUSION

As with all Heng Long 1/16 tanks, I assess a rating for each of seven key areas. To be fair, I don't rate Heng Long's 1/16 scale Tiger 1 against other 1/16 scale Tiger 1s twice or thrice or five times its cost, but rather in the context of its own price point and intended audience, which is the entry level and mid-level RC tank enthusiast looking to get started without breaking the bank. From that vantage point, here is how I rank the Heng Long 1/16 Scale "Tiger 1" German WW2 Tank:

Initial Quality: 96/100
Like all my Heng Long tanks, the Tiger 1 is primarily constructed from ABS plastic and arrived in perfect working order. The battery arrived with a reasonable storage charge of 3.80V.

Despite being such a large tank, the lower hull and upper hull didn't exhibit much noticeable flexing. I think a casual tanker would agree that under reasonable conditions, it is not necessary to reinforce this tank's hull out of the box. Internally, the steel gears were greased sufficiently and sounded good, and the smoker worked very well.

User-Friendliness and Transportability: 85/100
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 a more expensive radio with super low latency and 1km range and hall effect sensored bearing gimbals, all of which are features I don't need in a tank. 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, those prices are often prohibitive for someone starting out with their first tank to see if it's even something they're interested in.

The Tiger 1 is one of the larger tanks in Heng Long's 1/16 scale lineup. Its boxy shape makes it easy to carry, and this is a tank I'd recommend always carrying with two hands, especially the ~11 pound Professional Edition. There aren't too many small parts to be lost during transport, but keep an eye on the bow gun and the smoke grenade launchers.

Mobility and Drive Experience 92/100
With a similar configuration to most other German medium and heavy tanks from Heng Long, the Tiger 1 has surprisingly good mobility despite its size, owing to its wider area of track contacting the ground and thus lower ground pressure. It is not a race car, but it does plow through terrain with reasonably quickness. The wide tracks give positive traction when climbing reasonable grades, and its independent suspension and tall road wheels naturally give it better handling over uneven terrain. When used in the context of a scale tank and not subjected to unreasonable expectations of being a Crawler, which it is not, the Tiger 1 demonstrated good mobility on all surfaces I drove it on. Probably better still, its ground clearance is just enough to trudge through grass, weeds, short rubble, and gravel. Taller grass, though, will slow you down.

The aforementioned flex inherent in the plastic tracks found on the Original, Upgrade, and Upgrade-A versions, however, are prone to skipping a tooth if the user tries to do a fast "super spin" maneuver because the outer edge of the track cleat can dig into softer surfaces and gradually work its way out. In scale maneuvering speeds, however, the plastic tracks functioned flawlessly. It's a tank, not a drift car!

I recommend the first or second sound set for the Tiger 1. Tap the G and K buttons at the same time to switch between different sound sets.

Durability 90/100

So far, I haven't had any issues with running the Tiger 1. Granted, I'm not a petal-to-the-metal tanker, but I'm not a sedate living room driver, either. On all outdoor surfaces I haven't encountered any hiccups or jumped track.

Scale Fidelity 78/100
Several sprues of plastic parts are provided for the modeler to install on the tank to enhance its overall scale appearance. These all plug into pre-drilled holes, and are nearly "snap fit". A few of the parts were loose, as with the aforementioned tow cables, so I bonded them with Beacon adhesive. But otherwise, I prefer to keep the parts unglued so they're easy to remove or replace if needed in the future.

Avid tank historians can probably spot several inaccuracies, from the glacis' welds, lack of engine deck screens, closed driver's vision block, erroneous extra antenna stowage bin, simplified starter, etc. For the average tanker, I don't think these individual scale inaccuracies are deal breakers, but they are worth mentioning. Super scale modelers will likely spend time further accurizing the Heng Long base model, and I think such will be time well spent.

Ease of Maintenance and Upgrade Potential 96/100
To continue my thoughts regarding scale fidelity, Heng Long does sell a PE ("Photo-Etched") steel mesh set, that better represents the screens used on the engine deck. It's well worth the few dollars. There are also dozens of scale upgrades a modeler could do to elevate the Heng Long Tiger 1 to a different level entirely. I think the tank has good "bones", and with the new opening hatch design for the on/off switch, and a second hatch that can easily be modified to conceal other functional components, your options are extensive.

Overall Value (Cost, Size, Performance, Quality) 90/100
The Tiger 1 is a great value overall in many aspects. The updated 2020 version with opening hatches, better steel gears and the TK6 MFCB comprise a real improvement over Heng Long's previous versions of Tiger 1. It runs well, is reasonably accurate, provides a good balance between size and weight, and has extensive customization possibilities. Frankly I think everyone needs to have a Tiger in their armored vehicle depot.

My Personal Averaged Total Score for the Heng Long 1/16 Scale "Tiger 1": 90/100
Scale missteps aside, Heng Long's Tiger 1 is a real performer and remains an important part of their 1/16 scale tank lineup. Considering its age, the Tiger 1 from Heng Long continues to offer tankers a compelling desktop model or outdoor battle-ready machine.

[Sureshot]

Hi Alpha,
Do you have a video clip showing the barrel recoil function of one of the "Pro" model tanks that you could share?
I'm interested to see how the sequencing looks in real time.
Thanks
Steve

[Pynaegan]

So I received my Tiger-1 about a week ago and I can't come up with anything negative to say about it. (Well, I could come up with criticisms but they would be "unreasonable" 😆 )

Today as the first time that I was able to actually go out and have some "fun" at there has been a lot of rain as of late. Now that I've had the opportunity to go to the park and "stretch her legs", I can tell you right now that I'm 100% satisfied!😃

I didn't get a whole lot of "run time" but I really didn't expect to since I have the "lame" battery the tank came with. (I plan to get a couple of better batteries in the near future.)

Alpha, earlier you said: "Heng Long's system will automatically shut down when the battery is depleted, although I prefer to use a low voltage alarm to notify me before that happens."

Is there a setting/product that I can use to notify me when the battery is low...or is this something I'm just going to have to feel my way through and deal with?

Sureshot, in case you haven't found footage yet, I made a little video of the barrel recoil and posted it on YouTube for you.😁

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4WANdy6P7w

If I did have at least ONE complaint, it would be that it seems to take for FLIPPING ever to recharge the battery. I haven't "timed" it yet, but I will and thus far it seems to be taking around two hours.😒

[Alpha]

Pynaegan I'm glad you like it! Yes, the new version is fun and I think a good value for its price.

To answer your question, the stock LVC ("low voltage cutoff") setting, which is not adjustable by the user, is safe. It automatically stops the tank completely. Assuming you recharge the battery at that point, instead of continuously restarting the tank to squeeze out another couple of minutes, then your battery should be just fine. I use an external battery alarm just because I have so many from my trucks and boats. I wouldn't consider it a necessary component, but rather a "nice to have".

As for recharging, you're right that the stock charger takes a long time. It's a trickle charger, and not a precisely "smart" computer aided charger. I have used my computer charger to balance the battery every so often, probably once every 8-10 charge cycles.

If I've ever driven one of these tank batteries down too low to the point that they don't charge, I "jump" the battery by putting it on a higher voltage setting for one or two seconds. Officially, I don't recommend this, although it's fair to say this is a commonly known trick to resuscitating these types of 18650 cell packs.

[WarbirdFan66]

I was very happy when Motion announced the release of the Tank line. My Tiger is in service for a few years now, still working fine, but when i see all the new features these things have i was thinking about changing my electronics if possible. I hope Motion gets spare or replacement parts for all its tanks too in the near future so i can swap my tx/rx from 27MHz to 2.4Ghz and install a new controlbox aswell, that would be sweet.

[NCflying]

I have been checking the site everyday multiple times a day waiting to order 2 tanks. I hope they come in very soon!

[Yardracer]

How long does it typically take to ship an order from Motion? I placed my order over the weekend, and it hasn't gone any farther than "confirmed." I have wanted an RC tank since I was a kid, and the anticipation is killing me!

[Yardracer]

My Tiger 1 was waiting for me when I got home today! This thing is great! The quality is quite good, especially considering the price. I can't wait to get the battery charged and really run it around some.

[dsmith10]

I'm actually having an issue with my Tiger 1, the BB unit seems to be broken. When I try to fire it, it makes a awful grinding noise and doesn't shoot. The tank will still stop if it was in motion but I don't get the sound effect, no barrel recoil and no BB launched.

[JoeM723]

I'm actually having an issue with my Tiger 1, the BB unit seems to be broken. When I try to fire it, it makes a awful grinding noise and doesn't shoot. The tank will still stop if it was in motion but I don't get the sound effect, no barrel recoil and no BB launched.

perhaps the BB firing mechanism got jammed? The henglong BBs aren't of the greatest quality and it is possible that one of the BBs was misshapen and jammed your BB gun.

[dsmith10]

I pulled it all apart and the air cylinder was stuck in the rear position I have no idea how or why it happened but all I needed to do was open the BB unit and reset the spring.

[dsmith10]

I pulled it all apart and the air cylinder was stuck in the rear position I have no idea how or why it happened but all I needed to do was open the BB unit and reset the spring.

I guess I spoke too soon, I tried running the tiger again and everything was good for the first shot, then it stopped feeding BBs, now it's right back to square one.... I think I may just end up replacing the BB unit

[Merry Boozer RC]

Today we got our Tiger out for her full review absolutely love this tank it was definitely the top of my list and the first Heng Long tank.... actually it was my first tank in general so happy I jumped on this one check out the in-depth review video attached.

[Delta_19]

Well guess I'll revive this thread with some fresh content.

so bought this on the 15th of Feb
then a short while later I decided it needed zimmerit

and then I painted it
and now we're here, still need some decals and weathering. Not sure if I'm gonna get decals or paint everything but that's a problem for another day.

[UltraVargen]

Well guess I'll revive this thread with some fresh content.

so bought this on the 15th of Feb
then a short while later I decided it needed zimmerit

and then I painted it
and now we're here, still need some decals and weathering. Not sure if I'm gonna get decals or paint everything but that's a problem for another day.

Could that be where that last Tiger I on the MRC EU store went? Or are you not in Europe?

Great work on the Zimmerit. I think the weathering you're planning will bring it out even better!

[Delta_19]

Could that be where that last Tiger I on the MRC EU store went? Or are you not in Europe?

Great work on the Zimmerit. I think the weathering you're planning will bring it out even better!

Nah got mine from matomart, they had tanks in stock and are based in canada.

[Vaseline]

Just wondering what you used for the Zimmerit? Nice work