Seeking Advice on First Tank

[ZMan941]

I got a KV-1 fairly recently, and the headlight LED is mounted in a scale housing right next to the horn on the front plate.....

Sounds like the stock photos may be out of date then. I will see when mine arrives!

[SoCalBobS]

My 2 cents - yep, T-34 is great on outdoor surfaces, but both the Sherman and it are fun. If you want to compete (either in battles or in off-road performance), bigger tracks are better. Most of us are buying from Toucan or his affiliates as they have the most of admittedly limited stocks. Their prices are better than most on eBay, etc. Don't rely on labels like pro or upgraded, just look for the features you want; metal this and that, shipping costs, point of origin. Choose US Stock only unless you want to wait months for delivery.

As far as looks go, part of the hobby, at least for me, is customizing!

[canklebreaker]

To chime in what SoCalBob has said, if you decide to purchase from Toucan, I recommend messaging Godfrey on FB messenger by searching for Toucan Hobby. He'll provide a small discount by sending you an invoice directly for what you're looking for. He is pretty responsive but keep in mind he's based in China (I think) so keep in mind the time difference.

I just ordered a base model plastic Abrams from them and plan to upgrade the metal components on my own. It's arriving next Thursday!

edit: oops I just read you already made your purchase

[ZMan941]

My 2 cents - yep, T-34 is great on outdoor surfaces, but both the Sherman and it are fun. If you want to compete (either in battles or in off-road performance), bigger tracks are better. Most of us are buying from Toucan or his affiliates as they have the most of admittedly limited stocks...


As far as looks go, part of the hobby, at least for me, is customizing!

I settled on a KV after seeing how good Rubicon's looked and his feedback on its performance. A bit more interesting visually than the T-34 once I got past the E's extra plating, which the more I look at it the less I care about it.

I do plan to do some paint work, even if it is just basic weathering. The KV looks very plain stock; no shading like some of the others come with. But that just means it is more of a blank canvas! I've got a weathering kit from a past project I can finally put to use. Maybe even practice a bit with the airbrush. Even just that should really make it pop!

... He is pretty responsive but keep in mind he's based in China (I think) so keep in mind the time difference...

I used the "Make an Offer" to basically offset the shipping and they accepted it. I would assume they are in China and just have a minimal staff / shipping here for the US stock, especially based on the time the offer was accepted.

[SoCalBobS]

I used the "Make an Offer" to basically offset the shipping and they accepted it. I would assume they are in China and just have a minimal staff / shipping here for the US stock, especially based on the time the offer was accepted.

You're on your way! Take a look at Archer Fine Transfers (eBay, web). Their quality is superb, you see them on my tanks. Better than HL’s stick-ons.

[Rubicon99]

You're on your way! Take a look at Archer Fine Transfers (eBay, web). Their quality is superb, you see them on my tanks. Better than HL’s stick-ons.

👍👍

[ZMan941]

The tank arrived yesterday and after giving it a look over, I mostly just got the battery charged for today. After getting away from a twin-stick controller going from cheap RC cars back when I was a kid and getting use to the trigger and wheel type from my RC cars, it took a bit of getting used to. I can't imagine this tank without proportional controls!

During unpacking and the two-minute test, I noticed a few small cosmetic things:

• The smoke wasn't very strong. Not too concerned as I don't plan to use the smoke unit until I can correct the fact that it goes out where the tail light should be, but I figured it was worth noting.
• The headlight LED was painted over. Whoops.
• I wasn't expecting the sounds to be great, but it is a bit strange that the sound options listed are "Tiger 1, Leopard 2A6, T90, Abrams". It would have been nice if there was a T-34 engine as that would at least cover the T-34 and the KV. Also the Tiger's turret-turning sound effect sounds a bit like Fred Flintstone getting ready to throw a bowling ball.

Otherwise, I noticed three things that are a bit more mechanical:

• The tracks seem really loose. Rubicon mentioned that they have an extra link on each side, so I was aware of this going in, but when holding the tank off of it's weight I can fit a had through the gap between track and road wheel with room to spare. After running, it seemed to get worse on one side.I don't know if a tool was supposed to be supplied.
• The back right suspension seems to be too soft compared to the rear left. The tank is slightly slanted to the right and there doesn't seem to be any travel remaining for the rear two road wheels. Could this be a side-effect of the tracks being loose or the fact that the model's date of manufacture was about 1.5 years ago? It's also quite rear heavy. I am wondering if adding a small weight to the front to counterbalance the weight of the gearboxes would be a good idea, and if so if anyone knows about how much weight that would take
• The battery door screw has a metal thread insert, which is really smart. The hull screws don't seem to have that. Should I be concerned about the longevity of those threads considering that the screws look to be self-tapping screws? I don't plan to be opening the hull often, but the included instruction card from Toucan suggested opening it to see if the smoke fluid was being added correctly (there's a fairly long tube for the KV). Also I wanted to make sure nothing got inside after driving it as I rolled over some snow

Also, for the curious, I clocked the speed on flat ground to be 3.27km/h. Way slower than any of my R/C cars/trucks, but might actually be a tad fast for a KV!

Overall, I'm quite please with the KV. It's got a nice size to it without being absurdly huge, the detailing is nice, the running gear movement is just as satisfying as I was hoping, and the default paint job seems like it will make a good starting point for some details and weathering.

The KV metal track come one link too long on each side. This is not an issue at first but as the track “stretches” aka breaks in, you will have to remove the extra link. Super easy to do. This keep the tracks having the sloppy KV track look but with the correct tension to keep them from wanting to come off easily.

What's the best way to remove this extra link? One of mine got very sloppy after running and is to the point where it can have enough space for the sprocket to want to be able to slip when the tank is held off the ground. It looks like they are just pins that can be punched out, but I didn't want to force anything. If this is the correct way, is there a certain punch size or tool to use as a punch you'd recommend?

[quitcherbitchen]

Plenty of youtubes on how to do it, Just make sure you have good pliers. Don't be tempted to twist them out. Just pull. Twisting will hurt the track if you need to use the piece later, by widening the hole.

[Rubicon99]

The tank arrived yesterday and after giving it a look over, I mostly just got the battery charged for today. After getting away from a twin-stick controller going from cheap RC cars back when I was a kid and getting use to the trigger and wheel type from my RC cars, it took a bit of getting used to. I can't imagine this tank without proportional controls!

During unpacking and the two-minute test, I noticed a few small cosmetic things:

• The smoke wasn't very strong. Not too concerned as I don't plan to use the smoke unit until I can correct the fact that it goes out where the tail light should be, but I figured it was worth noting.
• The headlight LED was painted over. Whoops.
• I wasn't expecting the sounds to be great, but it is a bit strange that the sound options listed are "Tiger 1, Leopard 2A6, T90, Abrams". It would have been nice if there was a T-34 engine as that would at least cover the T-34 and the KV. Also the Tiger's turret-turning sound effect sounds a bit like Fred Flintstone getting ready to throw a bowling ball.

Otherwise, I noticed three things that are a bit more mechanical:

• The tracks seem really loose. Rubicon mentioned that they have an extra link on each side, so I was aware of this going in, but when holding the tank off of it's weight I can fit a had through the gap between track and road wheel with room to spare. After running, it seemed to get worse on one side.I don't know if a tool was supposed to be supplied.
• The back right suspension seems to be too soft compared to the rear left. The tank is slightly slanted to the right and there doesn't seem to be any travel remaining for the rear two road wheels. Could this be a side-effect of the tracks being loose or the fact that the model's date of manufacture was about 1.5 years ago? It's also quite rear heavy. I am wondering if adding a small weight to the front to counterbalance the weight of the gearboxes would be a good idea, and if so if anyone knows about how much weight that would take
• The battery door screw has a metal thread insert, which is really smart. The hull screws don't seem to have that. Should I be concerned about the longevity of those threads considering that the screws look to be self-tapping screws? I don't plan to be opening the hull often, but the included instruction card from Toucan suggested opening it to see if the smoke fluid was being added correctly (there's a fairly long tube for the KV). Also I wanted to make sure nothing got inside after driving it as I rolled over some snow

Also, for the curious, I clocked the speed on flat ground to be 3.27km/h. Way slower than any of my R/C cars/trucks, but might actually be a tad fast for a KV!

Overall, I'm quite please with the KV. It's got a nice size to it without being absurdly huge, the detailing is nice, the running gear movement is just as satisfying as I was hoping, and the default paint job seems like it will make a good starting point for some details and weathering.


What's the best way to remove this extra link? One of mine got very sloppy after running and is to the point where it can have enough space for the sprocket to want to be able to slip when the tank is held off the ground. It looks like they are just pins that can be punched out, but I didn't want to force anything. If this is the correct way, is there a certain punch size or tool to use as a punch you'd recommend?

Yep simply punch out the pin. One way is easier they the other . You can tell this by looking at the pins. The end flush with the side of the track is not the end you want to punch from. The end that is not flush with the side of the track is the better end to punch from.

Just punch the pin out far enough to grab with pliers and pull it straight out from that point. You will need to remove two pins in order to remove one link. You will need to reuse one of the pins to link the track ends back together.

It sounds harder then it is and the second time you do it is easy.

[ZMan941]

Yep simply punch out the pin. One way is easier they the other . You can tell this by looking at the pins. The end flush with the side of the track is not the end you want to punch from. The end that is not flush with the side of the track is the better end to punch from.

That's what I figured but wanted to check. Any particular size punch that tends to fit best? I've got down to 1/16" on hand.

Any thoughts on the suspension arms or is that a side effect of the track?

[Rubicon99]

That's what I figured but wanted to check. Any particular size punch that tends to fit best? I've got down to 1/16" on hand.

Any thoughts on the suspension arms or is that a side effect of the track?

Whatever size punch fits. All the tracks I run are a bit different and require different size punches and tools.

You can increase the spring tension on the last two suspension arms on both sides. This will generally help keep the tension tighter as the tracks engage the sprockets.

[ZMan941]

Whatever size punch fits. All the tracks I run are a bit different and require different size punches and tools.

You can increase the spring tension on the last two suspension arms on both sides. This will generally help keep the tension tighter as the tracks engage the sprockets.

I did some digging and people had mentioned using brads or even a push pin. A push pin worked since I didn't have any brads on hand. Both tracks are corrected now, plus I'm comfortable removing them for when I want to detail that area of the hull and to do the nylon washer and idler reinforcement tip you mentioned. If you have a chance to share details or instructions that would be appreciated. Not sure if it is worth doing now or waiting until there is an issue that requires it.

I noticed there were two holes for the spring but trying to get the spring to seat while in the higher-tension area was proving to be more trouble than I was up for last night, so I gave it a rest for the time being!

Also, I fixed the issue with the smoker, so that's another minor issue solved.

Thanks again for all your help on this!

[RichJohnson]

I can comment that the Sherman is an m4a3 is a 105 because that was the tank they went to measure up.
I actually think the M4 105 was a lower produced tank lol.
any way, it’s a superb rc tank, I have several and it took a 2 year old pushing it to cause damage. It’s nearly indestructible except for the fact the wheels on the all plastic
version need better bushings and wear out. The metal version with metal bogies has bearings. This tank will survive hard driving for a very long time.
you can upgrade it with model building techniques to a 75mm tank through the use of a nick aguilar kit or using a mato rotor shield and barrel but it will take some skill to do the modification. You can also get a 3D printed recoil unit for a servo that drops in , from DAK RC electronics in Phoenix.
I do not know if the whole mato metal turret will fit the henglong tank, the turret holes tend to be different with each mfr. for example the taigen turrets have a slightly larger hole, but a good modeler can graft one in as I have done a few times. If you go this route pm me for help if you need it.
i attached a photo of one of my Hl Sherman’s that is modified to a 75mm tank.

the panzer 3 is a great tank. I have a old one that was all plastic. I had to add metal sprockets and idlers and a couple links of track on each side because they were way too tight. I think they have corrected that now. I also changed out the gun barrel to a 55mm one I think from mato.
lit is a very good runner and Ir battle tank.

[ZMan941]

I contacted Toucan Hobby about the sagging right rear suspension. They got back to me quickly asking for pictures. Hopefully they will reply within the next few days with a fix or if they are sending me parts.

Otherwise everything is going well. After a few outdoor runs and a few indoor runs, I'm quite happy with the performance of this tank. Once things warm up, I'll need to find some new environments and areas I can build some small mounts and hills to see how it handles them. So far I've that woodchips are not a good idea to drive on as they like to jam up the drive sprocket, although that was discovered before I corrected the track tension, so that may have been a factor. I'll likely look into a larger capacity battery and a charger since I am not sure my current LiPo charger can be used to charge Li-Ion batteries.

The next step will be adding some weight to the front to level things a bit and paint detail. I'll probably make a new thread for that since this thread was mostly asking for input on what new tank to choose.

Thanks again to everyone who helped out and provided input!