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PzKpfw II Ausf L "Luchs"

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  • #61
    I am glad you got it working. I finally took the advice from a member in the LA Tank Club and got myself a spektrum transmitter last week to run the Tamiya tank. I was using his radio to test on my Luchs a few weeks ago but we did not get much further than had it running. Which spektrum radio did you get? I got a DX9.

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    • #62
      I have an NX8, used to have a DX9. I've been r/c flying for a long time.

      I'm very pleased with the mg and cannon sound and action. The elevation takes some adjusting of the control arm on the servo during setup. The only thing I had to get used to is how to shut down the motor sound. It takes nearly 10 seconds of holding the throttle stick sideways to activate, and any up/down movement during this time is not good.
      Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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      • #63
        Milestone achieved, and some observations....

        It's actually working! Now for the cosmetics; more details, weathering, etc.

        The conversion kit from 35rctank is a quality product. Everything works, the gearboxes are robust, the main board works without a hitch, the turret revolution is smooth anda suitable speed, and the recoil of the auto cannon is cool. His product interacts with the tank kit well.

        All that said, it's been a struggle that I wasn't sure would succeed. Primarily it's because of the suspension. Earlier I showed how the working torsion bars had to be modified. It weakened the arms severely. A couple broke and had to be reinforced. Although the road wheels are meant to turn, The axle design won't stand up to r/c use. And because of the nature of the overlapping road wheels, removing one means removing them all for access. Although the conversion manual wants the torsion bars glued in early, I fortunately never did because I had to remove them a number of times for adjustments. I can't fault 35rctank's conversion, he did the best with what he had to work with.

        Building this tank from two sets of instructions presented it's own challenges. The tank has hundreds of detail parts for the interior and exterior. For instance, one headlight assembly has seven parts. Three parts including PE for a strap buckle! One must follow their manual in strict order for everything to fit. However in this case the sequence has to be altered to accommodate the r/c conversion. It's necessary to make the lower and upper hulls separate Selecting which should be included or left off and when to add them led to some frustration.

        Click image for larger version

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        Notwithstanding the above, it runs. You'll see I chose a Panzer gray scheme. For one, I could never equal DavidN's job, but in actuality, I have too many "dunkelgelb" tanks! the Luchs was apparently operational for a number of months before the three color camo directive was issued. Notice the bottom half has some weathering while the top is still clean. That's a consequence of the issue I mentioned above. The bottom had to be dirtied up as the wheels were added, and the top had to be taken off so many times for construction access, I couldn't add on all the tiny detail parts and therefore couldn't paint until I was satisfied it would run reliably. I still haven't added the four piece clear periscope lenses on the turret!

        Would I do this again? No, not really. But I learned a whole lot from the process, so it was a positive though frustrating experience.
        Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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        • #64
          Here's a quick video clip, low production value, just to show how it works:

          Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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          • #65
            Congratulations Bob. Just Beautiful. Hope you keep you notes in case I or someone else wants to convert one.
            Don't just fly--WREAK HAVOC!!!

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            • #66
              Originally posted by quitcherbitchen View Post
              Congratulations Bob. Just Beautiful. Hope you keep you notes in case I or someone else wants to convert one.
              Thanks! Most of the critical issues involve the running gear, which I hope I covered earlier, and the need to coordinate the tank and the conversion assembly instructions.
              Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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              • #67
                Now that Bob has finished his Luchs, I will respectfully follow behind and finish the rest on mine :-)

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                • #68
                  David and Bob
                  The Luchs is one of my favorite tanks.The thread has been a joy to follow. Great jobs
                  I'm still on the fence if I want to tackle the conversion, as you stated you were not thrilled with the suspension. Wondering if there might be any recommendations or fabrication that may help to make it more robust.
                  I also would like to IR battle with it and was wondering if the RC 35 system supports that.
                  A lot of the battling we do is in a large pole barn in the middle of winter so it is really close quarters and is set up like a town or street battle scenario. The Luchs would be great for this since it's small.
                  The Luchs wouldn't be subjected to the long pounding of high speed travel or challenging terrain as with normal battle area;s that you fella's have down south.
                  Your thoughts and ideas would be helpful.
                  Thanks and great thread!

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                  • #69
                    My personal opinion...this kit was manufactured for a purpose of a static displayed tank. The all the plastic parts on the kits are thin and fragile. To convert it into RC was a great task. But to turn it into battling for outdoor, it will be very difficult. We need to deal with the sprocket and idler support areas as they are to be abused significantly. The hull is quite too thin for these two parts to be attached. That was the reason Bob used the screws to keep the idlers stronger from the pull of the tracks. The tracks and wheels won't last long either. I don't have a panzer II in my collection. I got it just to have it, but it will only for my indoor driving. I think because of its small size, and if we put the IR system into it, it will look un-proportional. The tank will probably look funny. It is also a tank with a rapid 20mm gun. I don't know how it can involved with the battle rule you have in your region since it could not damage any of the bigger tanks. My 2 cents :-)

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                    • #70
                      Yeah all of the small tank r/c conversions I've done - PzKpfw 1A, PzKpfw 1B, PzKpfw Breda, Renault FT & this PzKpfw II/L - are really only meant for indoor or at least non-IR operation.
                      Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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                      • #71
                        Vaseline, just saw your post.

                        To upgrade this for moderate outdoor running, there are some changes that could help. The metal torsion bars themselves are fine and are anchored well in the hull. It's the link arms that are weak, as I'd shown earlier. That cut to hold the torsion bars would have to be reengineered or the arms made of something stronger. At the other end of the link arms, a better way to secure the wheels is needed. Not bearings necessarily, but bushings and bolts at least.

                        Regarding IR: I suppose a way could be found to place an IR bulb in the turret, but it's extremely tight in there. If you removed the machine gun maybe you could place it in there. However, I cant see any way to place an IR receiver in the turret, so it would have to be on top. As far as I know the 35rctank board doesn't support IR.

                        I haven't broken any track links. Metal pins are used. The tracks will probably last for a while, but they're not as strong as, say, the HL plastic tracks.

                        I did this project because I was enchanted with the auto-cannon recoil feature and the overall build experience.
                        Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          Hey Thanks fellas for the insight,
                          I think I will just get the kits and see what I"m up against. If nothing I would have a functional static model of a great tank.I am fascinated by the auto cannon also. I have an Ostwind on the bench that would be fun to animate.
                          Was thinking I could machine something for the wheel/torsion arms or swing arms.
                          The bunch I run tanks with are really new at it, so they just want to get going and play. All of us at this point are using the Heng long protocol so pretty layed back about the battling. As we move through the learning curve of battling we will modify the format and rules as interest moves forward.
                          Most of us run tanks when the weather in too nasty to fly. We have lots of wind so we hit the ground and still do something R/C
                          Thanks again for your input.

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                          • #73
                            Another short clip. Still having some trouble with the interface between the gear train and the sprocket. It slips. Hey, it just needs more glue!

                            Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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                            • #74
                              Here are some stills of the finished....um...finish:

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                              Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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                              • #75
                                Bob
                                Great job on the paint and weathering

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                                • #76
                                  Great job! Did they really carry gas on the sides and near the muffler like that? Seems like inviting disaster....

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                                  • #77
                                    I guess it was preferable rather than inside! I don't think there was much excess space there.
                                    Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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                                    • #78
                                      I removed the short clip from Youtube and uploaded a three minute video of it scooting around.


                                      Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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                                      • #79
                                        The video is great for members to view. I have the tank with me. Hearing the engine and the rapid fires from the tank when it is in front of me is so awesome. I tried to watch Bob's video from my Apple computer and my iPhone. The sounds did not feel right for me. I guess that big speaker 35RCtank really served its purpose. Lucky for me that I bought this tank and was able to work with Bob to accomplish the same result .

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                                        • #80
                                          There is a noise that occurs when the throttle is high which sound like a grinding or whining. I listened to a real one on youtube and that noise is present there too. It's a "feature" not a "bug"!

                                          I e-talked with 35rctank. He is evaluating the possibility of r/c'ing Freedom Model's 1:16 SdKfz 2, the Kettenrad. He's not sure it's practical since it's so small. I asked about the Das Werk1:16 Pz III and Stug III. He says he won't since there are r/c models already on the market - HL, Torro, etc.
                                          Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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