Hooben stuff

[RichJohnson]

CS makes that new metal track for the Merk3. That only runs on their sprocket but they market it for the HL merkava 4.

[keilau]

CS makes that new metal track for the Merk3. That only runs on their sprocket but they market it for the HL merkava 4.

Rich, do you have a link to that Canshou metal track for Merkava MK3 seller?

[Rubicon99]

Rich, do you have a link to that Canshou metal track for Merkava MK3 seller?

This is the CS track. I have a set and sprockets for it. It's great looking well made track. BUT it does not run well on my HL Merkava. The sprockets have a wobble that is not drive shaft related. This causes them to not mess well with the tracks and makes the entire use of the CS tracks a step backwards in running performance. I would not recommend them at this time.

Before blackening.


After blackening.

[tank_me]

Any luck from Hooben. I need parts as well for my T-55. Does anyone know if the CNC 1/16 hooben transmission upgrade is any good?

It looks like a copy of the HL version which I have several installed in my tanks. If it is a copy, it is a good gearbox. It probably uses the dual flatted shaft instead of the D shaft HL uses. I do not personally own a Hooben version though.

[keilau]

This is the CS track. I have a set and sprockets for it. It's great looking well made track. BUT it does not run well on my HL Merkava. The sprockets have a wobble that is not drive shaft related. This causes them to not mess well with the tracks and makes the entire use of the CS tracks a step backwards in running performance. I would not recommend them at this time.

Rubicon99 , thank you for sharing your experience. My plan A is still using the Hooben nylon track and sprocket on the HL Merkava. I understand that the Hooben sprocket is NOT a drop in fit to a HL motor shaft. But the adaptation seems to be feasible. The Hooben sprocket is in the hands of the local USPS office and should be delivered today.

I really like the look and construction of the Hooben nylon track. If I failed modifying the Hooben sprocket or breaked it, my plan B may be to purchase a Hooben CNC gearbox and the Hooben sprocket for the HL Merkava. Hopefully, my plan A works.

https://www.hooben-shop.com/collections/spare-parts/products/hooben-scale-1-16-all-metal-closed-cnc-gearbox-fit-all-hooben-tanks-or-hl-tank

[quitcherbitchen]

What does Hooben mean with the statement in the gear description There are also large ones that can match 550 and 775.?

[keilau]

What does Hooben mean with the statement in the gear description There are also large ones that can match 550 and 775.?

Hooben makes 1/10 scale RC tanks.

https://www.hooben-shop.com/collections/spare-parts/products/hooben-scale-1-10-new-released-cnc-gearbox-all-metal-closed-fit-all-hooben-tanks

The 550 and 775 are motor size designations. They are the next 2 sizes up from the 380 series motor used on 1/16 scale RC tanks.

https://www.mabuchi-motor.com/product/

[quitcherbitchen]

So how do you figure out which motor to order? Do 550 need more power? I am using a Clark TK 50 board.

[keilau]

So how do you figure out which motor to order? Do 550 need more power? I am using a Clark TK 50 board.

Sorry, I am not qualified to answer that question. I stick with 390 motor for 1:16 scale RC tank.

[RichJohnson]

550 is a huge motor and really shouldn’t be used in a standard tank tranny.
Where they are useful is in the dynamic transmissions for the drive motor while the turning motor can be a 390 or 480.
typically the largest you really want to use in a standard rc tank would be 390 and higher voltage batteries to combine for a a powerful tank.

[keilau]

550 is a huge motor and really shouldn’t be used in a standard tank tranny.
Where they are useful is in the dynamic transmissions for the drive motor while the turning motor can be a 390 or 480.
typically the largest you really want to use in a standard rc tank would be 390 and higher voltage batteries to combine for a a powerful tank.

Heng Long market 1:16 scale all metal chassis RC tank such as the T-90 here:

The 540/550 series motor may be the right size for the all metal chassis. For typical plastic chassis HL, I agree that a 390 pair is more than sufficient.

[tank_me]

My HL Abrams is using dual 540 motors and runs quite well on those. They are the same gearboxes that DKLM RC sells in their Leo 2A6 all metal chassis except I replaced the longer 550s with 540s as the 550s were too tight a fit for my liking. They are soldered to a Clark TK80 board. The switch has been beefed up to a 20A switch as power is going through it.

[Oddball tanker]

I really wish Hooban would have done a better job with the Fury M4A3E8 Sherman. The only "easy eight" on the market without a bunch of modifications to other Sherman models. Long promised metal upgrades to the weak HVSS suspension parts never brought to market, but they still spout off about them on their fb page. Its a shame they cannot consistently step their quality and custom service levels up to something close to Henglong or the other better thought of brands.

[RichJohnson]

Hooben is a small production custom model shop basically. With very typical Chinese business attitude. I communicate with an employee through FB. That is how I get support. I’ve bought two tanks, believe it or not, even after the horrible saga with my Merkava which I really love and have worked in the most of any tank I have to make it run reliably.

[keilau]

Hooben is a small production custom model shop basically. With very typical Chinese business attitude. I communicate with an employee through FB. That is how I get support. I’ve bought two tanks, believe it or not, even after the horrible saga with my Merkava which I really love and have worked in the most of any tank I have to make it run reliably.

It is the challenge and satisfaction of trying to make a poorly designed or poorly executed RC tank model work that keeps me in the RC tank hobby.

[Oddball tanker]

If they would get the metal upgrades out for the M4A3E8 Fury, to deal with the plastic suspension issues, I might pull the trigger as I do like the cosmetic work they do on the Master built version. But it needs to have a suspension set up to withstand outdoor use off road. Not just indoor running or hard surface running. Sadly Hooben has a very poor reputation among most tank modeling forums and fb. Between bad or lack of customer service, long promised and not delivered items/lack of essential spare parts, just does not sit well with someone spending a chunk of money on a nice tank. Just cause it looks great on the shelf, "lipstick on a pig" so to speak, does not make a good RC model. There has to be some quality in place, decent availability of spare parts to earn most folks trust and sales.

[keilau]

Hooben is a small production custom model shop basically. With very typical Chinese business attitude. I communicate with an employee through FB. That is how I get support. I’ve bought two tanks, believe it or not, even after the horrible saga with my Merkava which I really love and have worked in the most of any tank I have to make it run reliably.

Now that I completed the adaptation of the Hooben nylon track/sprocket to the Heng Long Merkava, I fully appreciate your comment on the Hooben Merkava. The Hooben parts did a tremendous job in enhancing the HL Merkava.

On the issue of Hooben's customer service, I received the track in 2 weeks and the sprocket in 7 weeks. In your word, "very typical Chinese business attitude". During that time, I have had no problem communicating with Hooben by regular email.