Hooben Elefant... am I high?

[HorribleHarry]

Hello all, I'm looking at a RTR Hooben Elefant on eBay. Have I fallen on my head one too many times or is it worth investigating?
Has anyone ever done business with Thor-Electronics?
Is the second choice ($498) tank really RTR?


https://www.ebay.com/itm/HOOBEN-Germ...Cclp%3A2334524


I'm open to your opinions and suggestions.
Harry

[Zippersnapper]

Typically, I shy away from vendors with less than 96-97% approval rating. However, this price is tempting to say the least. Which options are you looking at? If you have the cash to tie up in case of things going south, go for it. Paypal's got your back.

[SoCalBobS]

There’s a couple of Hooben threads on this forum. Unfortunately it’s difficult to scan for them, you may have to scroll through the threads. There are mixed opinions.

[Rubicon99]

Hello all, I'm looking at a RTR Hooben Elefant on eBay. Have I fallen on my head one too many times or is it worth investigating?
Has anyone ever done business with Thor-Electronics?
Is the second choice ($498) tank really RTR?


https://www.ebay.com/itm/HOOBEN-Germ...Cclp%3A2334524


I'm open to your opinions and suggestions.
Harry

That is Hooben name on EBay. They sell directly from the factory. Just an FYI there are no spare parts and NO support of any kind with Hooben tanks.

[SoCalBobS]

Not that I'm seriously considering it, but since they have different levels of completion, what would be the desirability/feasibility of getting their base static or motorized versions and adding other equipment; HL or Clark electronics, etc.? Do other aftermarket gear boxes fit in it?

[Rubicon99]

Not that I'm seriously considering it, but since they have different levels of completion, what would be the desirability/feasibility of getting their base static or motorized versions and adding other equipment; HL or Clark electronics, etc.? Do other aftermarket gear boxes fit in it?

Yes and no on the gearboxes. But the new Hooben gearboxes are actually pretty good. Otherwise you can use HL electronics or Clark’s.

[Zippersnapper]

That is Hooben name on EBay. They sell directly from the factory. Just an FYI there are no spare parts and NO support of any kind with Hooben tanks.

That's damn good to know.

[Vaseline]

Like I said on the other thread that Ive had a Hooben Elefant for something like 5 years...the thing is a nightmare of crappy hardware and worse engineering. and as rubicon said, if you break a track its just too bad so sad for you. All said, Ive never completed it, just take it out of the box, work on some stuff and rebox it.

[HorribleHarry]

Like I said on the other thread that Ive had a Hooben Elefant for something like 5 years...the thing is a nightmare of crappy hardware and worse engineering. and as rubicon said, if you break a track its just too bad so sad for you. All said, Ive never completed it, just take it out of the box, work on some stuff and rebox it.

Want to sell it!? asking slightly seriously.

[RichJohnson]

For advanced builds like the hooben elephant there are subjects like that posted where I typically live and post on RCUniverse.
The Elephant is a tough build, while I do not know all the idiosyncrasies of that kit, I know that they are known to not build well or run right.
I have a friend that has build every tamiya kit, plus lots of custom builds. I remember when he showed up at LA with his Elephant. He told me he found the solution was to get a transmission custom made for it by ETO Armor. A company that makes super trannys mostly for Tamiya tanks. I have a few, including some some custom requests. But they cost 300 bucks by the time they get to me. Well worth the money as you will NEVER damage the tranny.
That being said, I really do not want to scare you off from building one as the challenge is always the best part of what I tackle. And I do some crazy stuff.
I want to suggest you go to RC Universe and search the forum threads for the hooben and see what others have done, there are a few on there if the archive wasnt deleted with the upgrade a couple years ago.
Also, Kenny at DAK RC, the US Clark dealer, is doing a hooben elephant right now for a customer. I battled agaisnt it a couple months ago in Phoenix. You might pic his brain before you jump on buying one.
Good luck and I hope you decide to tackle the build.

[Vaseline]

Want to sell it!? asking slightly seriously.

Sorry No, right now, Ive got a tank to paint for a friend and a couple other backlog projects but Im going to revisit the Elefant, Ive Conversed with Bob from ETO, and he doesnt have any plans in the foreseeable future to do any transmissions for the Elefant because of low interest. that being said Im going to attempt machining some parts to mate the Hooben running gear to a Heng Long Tiger I transmission set. and 6.0or 6.1S board. Long story short, I have plans to make it work.