I need help picking a Tamiya Tank

[Rubicon99]

I hooked up the TBU. It is now ready to enter the battle in LA on 3/12/22.

I look forward to lighting its TBU up often at the LA battle on 3/12.

[DavidN]

Yeap, I will bring my two latest Tamiya tanks to the battle. One will fight against your US tanks and one will fight alongside with your M26 :-)

[Rubicon99]

Yeap, I will bring my two latest Tamiya tanks to the battle. One will fight against your US tanks and one will fight alongside with your M26 :-)

One will try to fight against my US tanks but will not have much success.....LOL! All kidding aside I can’t wait to see your new tanks!!!

[DavidN]

That’s the reason we have Aimee and Jeff dividing us so we could have 2 sides with balanced talents :-).

[Hand of nod 59]

Other than fact they're hard to find the great models but the thing is for the price I don't think they're worth it summer a grand or more , and you still have to put together

[Hand of nod 59]

I love the paint job on your Panther Tank it's not quite the same one that was on the tank I used to play on at APG is more dulled down but almost the same pattern it's very nice

[Rubicon99]

Other than fact they're hard to find the great models but the thing is for the price I don't think they're worth it summer a grand or more , and you still have to put together

You obviously have never owned a newer generation Tamiya RC tank. Yes they are expensive but for good reason. Better engineering, higher quality fit of parts, more true to scale and overall much smoother operations.

Tamiya tanks are “hobby grade” and HengLong are “toy grade” that can be brought up to “hobby grade” with some work and additional cost involvements. To bring a HL tank up to equal the overall performance and features of a stock Tamiya will cost about the same as a stock Tamiya tank and involve about the same amount of work (hobby skills) to build a Tamiya tank from a kit.

Tamiyas have their down falls, but they have fewer then HL.

[Evan D]

I'm not sure I agree with the labels that you used. I am happy with my "toy" H-L's. Are they perfect, we both know they aren't, but for the price of one Tamiya I can have three or four H-L's and not the basic all plastic versions... So far my biggest issue is the metal treads on the Callenger2, really my only issue. I do admit I am not racing them around but the seven I have have been pretty good.

[Rubicon99]

I'm not sure I agree with the labels that you used. I am happy with my "toy" H-L's. Are they perfect, we both know they aren't, but for the price of one Tamiya I can have three or four H-L's and not the basic all plastic versions... So far my biggest issue is the metal treads on the Callenger2, really my only issue. I do admit I am not racing them around but the seven I have have been pretty good.

Unfortunately the fact is HL tanks have been and are even still intended and designed as TOYS as they have been for more than a decade. HL has no intentions of changing this according to information HL has stated. As such HL can take short cuts and these often are the cause of many issues. You are experiencing some of these with you Challenger 2.

The different in “hobby grade” and “toy grade” is the difference in overall parts fit quality, accuracy and execution of engineering. Out of the box “hobby grade” typically requires more “hands on” work vs “toy grade” is more plug and play.

I am in no way saying a HL tank can’t be made into a “hobby grade” tank, I am saying HL tanks do not start out in life as “hobby grade” tanks they start out as toys regardless of the factory upgrades they are marketed with. I have quite a large number of HL tanks that are still “toys” and quite a large number that are along the lines of “hobby grade” tanks. So I have a bit of understanding as to what it takes to go from one to the other.

HL has no doubt out paced Tamiya in 1/16 RC tank sales and is now the market leader (something I predicted five years ago would happen and took a lot of heat for from the RC tank community). Most of this is do to a very low starting price and the fact that the majority of people today do not like to build things from a box of parts any more. Even still it does not change what stock out of the box HL tanks are.

[DavidN]

I have 45 HLs. Most of them were static tanks that I slowly upgraded. The rest were RTRs. By the time I put nice stuffs in each of them for battle, each would cost around $350 to $400. I just want to add that each company has its pros and cons. They are still toys from my view. It’s all about how each owner satisfies with his toys.

After I built the Tamiya, I realized its quality. We can’t compare Chinese products with Japanese products :-) We get what we pay for. I bought some used Tamiya tanks and they are still very good. Because I love WWII tanks, accuracy is a little bit of a big deal for me. I also like the barrel recoiled functions. I have to pay for what I want :-)

For some of my HLs, the plastic holes for the screws to connect the two hulls start to wear out (I need to learn to attach the magnets soon). The idlers in some of my HLs are unable to cope with the track tension. They become loosed now. I had to replace the screws with nuts and bolts. The engine sounds and the gearboxes are better in the Tamiya than the HLs.

For my conclusion, I am just happy that there are more than one companies that are making these toys for big boys like us to play in our own interests and our own ways.

[Evan D]

I agree with you David. I was just saying I don't like labels and that one person may prefer one thing over the other either way. I didn't mean to start an argument about it.

[DavidN]

I still like my HL panzer III very much :-)

[DavidN]

I love the paint job on your Panther Tank it's not quite the same one that was on the tank I used to play on at APG is more dulled down but almost the same pattern it's very nice

Yeap, it has just come out of the "factory." I put 2-3 coats of clear matte to protect my paint job. So it still "shiny". After the battle on March 12, it surely will become dull :-)

[DavidN]

In fact, I put in new gearboxes into my panzer III 2 days ago. It deserved it.

[DavidN]

I was looking for one thing and ended up with another. By twist of fate, I came across a small shop selling RC car/truck parts 3 miles from my work. After a few moments of chatting, the gentleman there eventually took me back to his warehouse to show me some of his big RC trucks. And as I browsed around among many of his shelves, a built 1/16 scale Tamiya Pershing was sitting there full of dust on top of it.

Well... it is now in my room :-)

[Rubicon99]

I was looking for one thing and ended up with another. By twist of fate, I came across a small shop selling RC car/truck parts 3 miles from my work. After a few moments of chatting, the gentleman there eventually took me back to his warehouse to show me some of his big RC trucks. And as I browsed around among many of his shelves, a built 1/16 scale Tamiya Pershing was sitting there full of dust on top of it.

Well... it is now in my room :-)

So you bought a second Pershing?

[DavidN]

So you bought a second Pershing?

Yes! You mentioned to me before that this tank is a very good fighting tank and it is discontinued. This one is even in better condition than my 1st one. The price was good too. The tracks are practically almost new. The electrical components inside look great.

[RichJohnson]

Other than fact they're hard to find the great models but the thing is for the price I don't think they're worth it summer a grand or more , and you still have to put together

Thats the point of a tamiya tank KIT. Tamiya RC tanks are high quality pieces of machinery. Henglong, taigen torro, they are toy tanks. Various stages of quality of toy tanks but still toy tanks and yet still their quailty improves yearly. But Tamiya tanks are machinery that you build, learn alot doing that and then maintain them. They are cherished by their owners who built them and have so much more invested other than just money. Effort, time, pride in completing the model and using it. Yes they are expensive, sadly thats the way it is. But in most respects, they are way better than the rest of the competition.
Dont knock them if ya dont understand them.

[DavidN]

My original Tamiya M26 (right side) now has a its flank protected.
It will take me about a week to finish it. By then, the Centurion will probably arrive for me to start on that kit.

[Rubicon99]

My original Tamiya M26 (right side) now has a its flank protected.
It will take me about a week to finish it. By then, the Centurion will probably arrive for me to start on that kit.

Good buy. Two Pershing is what I have. Same but slightly different. Now your only problem is stocking up on spare parts to keep them running for years to come.