Hooben stuff

[SoCalBobS]

Seeing R’s post regarding the Merkava, I looked at Hooben’s website. Lots of good stuff! I thought it’d be worthwhile to run a general thread about their tanks. Anybody got any? What’ve your experiences been?

What’s their IR compatibility with HL and Tamiya? How about their transmitters, receivers and MFU’s?

Here’s another real interesting preorder alongside the Merkava!



Dai, better get out your credit card! 😉

[quitcherbitchen]

They (people) on tankwarfare.co.uk seem to dislike them on almost every level. I have no experience with one. Lots of threads over there on the subjects. I am neutral as I really like Dynam foam airplanes because the subject matter they choose to model are very cool even if the quality is so so. Everything can be improved even in tanks.

[SoCalBobS]

QB, yeah sometimes the subject overrides quality issues. Hooben’s VK4501 calls to me. I’ll do some research on RCTW.

<I agree completely about Dynam planes. I just bought their BF109, BF110 and Albatros DV. Photos on the Callie thread.>... back to our regular programming. 🤪

[dai phan]

Seeing R’s post regarding the Merkava, I looked at Hooben’s website. Lots of good stuff! I thought it’d be worthwhile to run a general thread about their tanks. Anybody got any? What’ve your experiences been?

What’s their IR compatibility with HL and Tamiya? How about their transmitters, receivers and MFU’s?

Here’s another real interesting preorder alongside the Merkava!



Dai, better get out your credit card! 😉

I am a fashion and oil mogul so money is like water ! Let's hear from Rubicon99 ! Dai

[Sureshot]

On the RCU tank forum there is a lot of cautionary tales and negative comments about Hooben.
Nice subject matter however.
A friend of mine has a Hooben Elephant that is very nice but I think it has Clark electronics.
Steve

[UltraVargen]

Following. My eyes fell on the Elephant a couple if times, but the negativity about the brand has held me back.

The Merkava that Rubi99 posted looks spectacular. I'm not really drawn to the modern stuff, but all the same I'm impressed.

[Rubicon99]

I have a few of the Hooben tanks. As RTR models go they are in most respects better detailed then HL tanks. Their new gearboxes are an easy match for Tamiya BUT their electronics just flat out suck and the Hooben battle system is not Tamiya or HL compatible.

Mechanically they work well but Hooben takes short cuts and still uses plastic on plastic rolling contact between the wheels and their axles which leads to a rather short life expectancy for all the axles if the tank is driven outdoors in dirt or sandy conditions. HL changed this with their 6.0 tanks and no longer does plastic on plastic do to the rapid wear issues.

The electronics can be easily changed out with a HL 6.0 or higher but the 6.1 would be best as the Hooben tanks use servo recoil and would need the 6.1 if you wanted to retain this feature. Of course any other aftermarket MFU can also be used such as Tamiya or Clark.

The rolling plastic on plastic wheel to axle issues can also be addressed in a few ways though neither is “plug and play” and will require some moderate modification and modeling skills. The most common modifications is to sleeve the axle shafts with brass. This creates a metal bushing effect and greatly increase the life of the tank. HL kinda took this approach with their new 6.0 tanks by using metal suspension arms and “plastic” wheels on their non metal wheel tanks and it works well.

Now for the really bad part! Hooben is HORRIBLE in after sales support for their products and acquiring spare parts of any kind is all but impossible. Trust me I have tried and tried! So when you buy a Hooben you have to be ready to improvise and make other parts work or make your own parts.

The new Hoobens are exciting tanks and I am keeping my fingers crossed that Hooben is following the lead of HL with making improvements, but even if not their tanks with some extra work can be made into something reliable and special.

[fuchstraumer]

Yeah with Hooben you just gotta go in ready to put some work in - especially when it comes to spare parts.

I'll probably eventually pick up a Cromwell. A Merkava would be nice but I'll see what we hear about the quality of that tank first, and I'll wait to see if the (highly unsubstantiated) rumors about a Heng Long Merkava hold any water. The suspension system has me interested in Hooben's Merkava, at least. Heng Long just does the same setup on all their tanks for suspension since it's probably way cheaper to produce, so if we get something a little more unique that'll definitely interest me more

I will for sure be waiting at the least for a chance to fix up my 3D printer before chancing it with Hooben though, because if parts break or need modification (and it seems likely they will) I'd rather have that as an option for fabrication then just trying to rough it by hand.

[Vaseline]

I bought one of the Elephants from ETO when they first started importing into the US, Ive taken it out of the box...fiddled with it for an hour or so a bit and promptly stuck it back in the box. Ive done that about 4 times since I got it the only thing Ive really managed to do in all this time is completely replace all the hardware+ eclips that came with the suspension system. They use proprietary transmission units withbrass gears and tiny axle shafts, they use a hub held onto the axle with a grub screw to attach the drive sprocket. Thats kind of whats stopping me from just building it, if the drive system grenades then Ill have to figure out how or if I can engineer a HL system to replace it. Outwardly however the casting details are beautiful. Other thing stopping me is from whjat I gather the only company that manufactured metal tracks went out of buiness, and its almost impossible to find replacement plastics

[fuchstraumer]

Other thing stopping me is from whjat I gather the only company that manufactured metal tracks went out of buiness, and its almost impossible to find replacement plastics

argh, this I didn't consider. it's the same thing that's held me back from the Tamiya Sheridan. I imagine on some of the models there's engineering you can do to fit a new (potentially inaccurate) sprocket to get some replacement metal tracks on there, but still. Making me feel like Heng Long has us spoiled wrt parts availability.

[Vaseline]

The other consideration is on the Elefant specifically, it was designed with elevation, traverse and recoil in mind (the stock system is crap it binds and sticks like mad), My plan is to eventually convert it to use stock Henglong parts with a 6.1S board and retrofit it to take HL or Taigen tracks, assuming I get to it at all. TLDR, my experience with Hooben has just been a headache from first opening the box

[Rubicon99]

The best tank Hooben produces is their reworked “new” T55. It largely comes as a kit but I have seen it as an RTR tank. The Hooben T55s are actually even in quality to the majority of the Tamiya WWII era type tank kits and there are a number of aftermarket companies making upgrades and spare parts.

I would buy another one if HL was not making the T72. Though not the same tank, they are close enough in resemblance to scratch that itch so to speak.

[fuchstraumer]

The best tank Hooben produces is their reworked “new” T55. It largely comes as a kit but I have seen it as an RTR tank. The Hooben T55s are actually even in quality to the majority of the Tamiya WWII era type tank kits and there are a number of aftermarket companies making upgrades and spare parts.

I would buy another one if HL was not making the T72. Though not the same tank, they are close enough in resemblance to scratch that itch so to speak.

Do you know a reliable supplier for those or the best place to pick one up? I've always wanted one of those to do a T-55AM conversion, and if the kits now are much better it'd be a lot of fun to pick one up. Especially given how many spare electronic boards I have around now lol, dealing with that particular problem isn't an issue at all.

[Rubicon99]

Do you know a reliable supplier for those or the best place to pick one up? I've always wanted one of those to do a T-55AM conversion, and if the kits now are much better it'd be a lot of fun to pick one up. Especially given how many spare electronic boards I have around now lol, dealing with that particular problem isn't an issue at all.

Amazon and EBay have a bunch. All are about the same price range on either sight. There are a few kit levels. I would forgo the level with electronics as you will be throwing them away.

[Timbo68]

I've bought and 'fettled' some Heng Long tanks over the 'lockdowns', and I took the plunge recently and, although I already have a T-72, I have started building the Hooben T-55. It's quite a challenge, but not as bad as I had read on line. So far, I've completed the lower hull and suspension, which, while fiddly, was not too bad. I'd read of issues with the fitting of the motors/gearboxes and aligning the drive shafts, but I found that with a bit of care, this was OK. The instructions are poor - for example, the part on assembling the tracks is missing altogether, and the detailed view of the shock absorber is the wrong way round. The version I have is one with a brass insert and a ball bearing race in each road wheel (which need some modification to allow the fitting of a retaining circlip) and the idler, with needle roller support bearings set into the plastic axle covers. The plastic moulding seems to be quite good also. I've added a Henntec track adjuster, and with that, the steel motor plate, and an aluminium plate I had made screwed under the hull (which provides some protection) the hull is adequately stiffened. I'm looking at the turret assembly with some trepidation, but it's been great fun so far. I have a Heng Long 6.1S MCU as the controller - I've used them before, and they provide everything I need including, for example, a recoil servo output. There's a very useful article at http://www.modelersite.com/en/112919...-both-versions (you have to pay a small sum to download it), which I have found to be almost essential. I bought mine (without electrics apart from motors) from rctank.de (who I can recommend), and I'm sure it's the latest version. I'm trying to source some metal tracks (I just like them!).

I'll try to report back when I've fitted the turret and electrics. I'd be very interested if anyone else here has built one.

[SoCalBobS]

Keep us posted, Timbo! Especially regarding mating the HL 6.1S with the Hooben components.

[Broffermoon]

I am a fashion and oil mogul so money is like water ! Let's hear from Rubicon99 ! Dai

Dai, congratulations on your successes. I am happy for you and your ventures. You have been an important part of this forum. You have purchased many tanks and your trials and tribulations have been windows for me to understand different dynamics of our Heng Long offerings and Taigen. I look forward to your continued participation and insights. I would encourage you to continue your activity. I agree, Rubicon 99 is a great resource also to this forum. Thanks to you, Rubicon and others who share your frustrations and solutions. You will keep this hobby alive and well.

[dai phan]

Dai, congratulations on your successes. I am happy for you and your ventures. You have been an important part of this forum. You have purchased many tanks and your trials and tribulations have been windows for me to understand different dynamics of our Heng Long offerings and Taigen. I look forward to your continued participation and insights. I would encourage you to continue your activity. I agree, Rubicon 99 is a great resource also to this forum. Thanks to you, Rubicon and others who share your frustrations and solutions. You will keep this hobby alive and well.

Please I ain't no fashion mogul. Just a humble public servant. I am going to hold off on Hooben because I do not have the understanding and skills as of yet to modify things. I just want reliable tanks out of box. Dai

[Timbo68]

Keep us posted, Timbo! Especially regarding mating the HL 6.1S with the Hooben components.

It's been a while, but it's nearly done. I've found useful advice online and have sorted out the turret functions eventually. It took a lot of modification, and I had to add some brass plate under the 'breech' to ensure that the recoil did not jam as the barrel returned. The 6.1S has worked perfectly, with one small exception - the recoil servo operated backwards, but a small servo reverser unit solved that - much easier than re-wiring. I had most of the wiring necessary, and lots of JST plugs. I've managed to squeeze into the hull an exhaust smoker, a barrel smoker and a muzzle flash, plus a small cooling fan. I cut down an HL speaker and used Velcro so that I could move the components around to get some sort of fit, and so it looks a bit untidy. There isn't room for an NiMh battery so I've a smallish 2s LiPo in there. The hull is secured with magnets on L-shaped brackets mounted out of sight on the hull in four places, with a small length of brass rod in the upper front screw pillars ensuring that the alignment is correct. I've added a co-axial machine gun with LED and an IR transmtter - difficult due to the location of the main gun mounts - plus a socket and magnet for an HL IR receiver. I've sprayed it with desert yellow and dark green camo, weathered down with a coating of sand yellow deposits for a generic dusty Middle Eastern look.
And it runs...! I've read comments saying that there are too many defects for the price, which is probably true, but if you're reasonably handy with a mini-drill, and have a good toolkit plus lots of M2/M3 nuts and bolts, and a good stock of silicone and brass tubing etc. (plus a good supply of LEDs), then it's a very satisfying, if a little frustrating, build. The plastic kit assembly bits I found a bit dull, but the wiring and finishing was great fun - and I now have a very nice T-55 (or, as I fitted the turret vent supplied, it's probably really a T54!). I'm attaching some pics (the PE mesh over the engine vents was not included, but is a worthwhile improvement) and I'm interested to hear from anyone else who has tried this build.

[Rubicon99]

It's been a while, but it's nearly done. I've found useful advice online and have sorted out the turret functions eventually. It took a lot of modification, and I had to add some brass plate under the 'breech' to ensure that the recoil did not jam as the barrel returned. The 6.1S has worked perfectly, with one small exception - the recoil servo operated backwards, but a small servo reverser unit solved that - much easier than re-wiring. I had most of the wiring necessary, and lots of JST plugs. I've managed to squeeze into the hull an exhaust smoker, a barrel smoker and a muzzle flash, plus a small cooling fan. I cut down an HL speaker and used Velcro so that I could move the components around to get some sort of fit, and so it looks a bit untidy. There isn't room for an NiMh battery so I've a smallish 2s LiPo in there. The hull is secured with magnets on L-shaped brackets mounted out of sight on the hull in four places, with a small length of brass rod in the upper front screw pillars ensuring that the alignment is correct. I've added a co-axial machine gun with LED and an IR transmtter - difficult due to the location of the main gun mounts - plus a socket and magnet for an HL IR receiver. I've sprayed it with desert yellow and dark green camo, weathered down with a coating of sand yellow deposits for a generic dusty Middle Eastern look.
And it runs...! I've read comments saying that there are too many defects for the price, which is probably true, but if you're reasonably handy with a mini-drill, and have a good toolkit plus lots of M2/M3 nuts and bolts, and a good stock of silicone and brass tubing etc. (plus a good supply of LEDs), then it's a very satisfying, if a little frustrating, build. The plastic kit assembly bits I found a bit dull, but the wiring and finishing was great fun - and I now have a very nice T-55 (or, as I fitted the turret vent supplied, it's probably really a T54!). I'm attaching some pics (the PE mesh over the engine vents was not included, but is a worthwhile improvement) and I'm interested to hear from anyone else who has tried this build.

The current Hooben T55 is one of their better tanks and is more or less on par with Tamiya quality. It’s a fun build because one has so many options for a paint scheme being that the T55 was and is still used all over the world.

You really went all in with smoke, not many people add smoke to the T55, I did not on mine but then I don’t like the smoke effect on any of my tanks. The HL 6.1 systems is a good call for the T55. Does everything you need it to do with only a few minor exceptions. I am planning to swap mine over to a 6.1 later this summer.

Can’t wait to see some “in the field” photos of your T55.