PzKpfw II Ausf L "Luchs"

[SoCalBobS]

Taking out some of my tanks that have been on the shelf too long for some exercise. I ran it on my test trail to assess its performance on obstacles. It handled everything easily except the brick hill, but finally conquered it!

By the way, I recommend you watch the clip directly on Youtube, not in the forum box. It's better resolution.

[DavidN]

Thank you for your encouragement.

[SoCalBobS]

David, thanks. You should submit one of yours next month!

[DavidN]

I submitted my vote :-)

[quitcherbitchen]

Your losing out to Herman. I voted for you, but Herman does some nice work. I like your early Panzer II as I have a soft spot for Panzers II,III, and IV.

[SoCalBobS]

I put mine in the Tank of the Month poll at RC Tank Warfare. If you want, give me a vote. I'm losing out to a Panther G!

[DavidN]

I took it out and ran it again at the front of my house this afternoon. I haven't gotten tired of the sound on that 20mm cannon yet :-) And I will put the antennas up some days .

[Vaseline]

Bob I think a 21st Century action figure could work and drill out elbow and put a smaller brass pin in.
Ludwig makes PZ 38T tracks in metal but state they are static Not sure what that means, maybe not be pinned to move.
But thanks for the information.

[SoCalBobS]

No metal tracks. Someone mentioned a past company "Spade Ace" that made some but is out of business now. Fruilmodel, and R-Model on eBay both make metal tracks, but not to my knowledge for either of the models in question. As far as the Luchs is concerned, their plastic tracks seem quite robust. They look like little Tiger tracks.

Regarding the Kettenrad, we'd need to find an articulated soldier whose arms moved with the handlebars!

[Vaseline]

Hey Bob
In your resource have you found any metal tracks for the Luchs and a PZ 38 t? I've looked but haven't come up with any yet?
A Kettenrad would be cool
Thanks

[SoCalBobS]

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.

[DavidN]

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 .

[SoCalBobS]

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

[SoCalBobS]

I guess it was preferable rather than inside! I don't think there was much excess space there.

[Evan D]

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

[Vaseline]

Bob
Great job on the paint and weathering

[SoCalBobS]

Here are some stills of the finished....um...finish:

[SoCalBobS]

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!

[Vaseline]

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.

[SoCalBobS]

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.