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New Heng Long T-34/85

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  • New Heng Long T-34/85

    So this happened this weekend. After getting my son the Sherman for Christmas, I have been thinking about getting a tank myself to IR battle with him and was looking for a T-34/85 as we both really enjoyed the movie Tankers, aka T-34. I had also been looking at the Panzer IV, Panther G, and Tiger I as candidates, because I couldn't find the T-34 anywhere but eBay, and I was limited to Amazon as I was going to use some gift cards that I had. Lately, the only WW2 models I've seen available aside from the Sherman are the Panzer IV and Tiger I, so I was starting to lean towards the Panzer IV as it seems like everyone gravitates towards the Tiger. Making one last search, I happened upon a listing for the elusive T-34 (TK7.0) at a lower price than I had seen before, so I jumped on it, and here it is! You'll probably notice that there are no accessories mounted on the turret, and there's a reason for that. I read in another thread that the rough texture of the T-34 made the vinyl decals all but useless, so I think I'm going to just get some flat white paint, some paint brushes, and paint my own turret markings since it looks like a lot of them were hand painted anyway. Aside from that little bit of "customization", it will probably remain stock for the foreseeable future.

    I do have some questions that perhaps some of you may be able to provide some input on:
    1) My tank did not come with the machine gun barrel. My son said his Abrams (which he bought on his own) also did not come with a barrel for the machine gun. Is this just something I need to contact Heng Long about?
    2) The spring base end of the antenna is very loose and will not stay on the antenna base on the turret. For now, I wrapped some aluminum foil around the base on the turret, and that has helped some, but I don't consider it a long term solution. This also seems to be an issue with the two Abrams antennae. Is there a better more permanent way to fix this?
    3) What kind of paint would you recommend for painting the turret markings?
    4) Some of the accessories fit very loosely in their sockets, so I think I'm just going to glue them down. I thought about using rubber cement so that they could be removed if I wanted to paint them properly in the future, but that seems like it would be an unholy mess. Does anyone have any other suggestions for a sturdy adhesive that could be fairly easily removed later? If not, I suppose I'll just go permanent and use CA glue since it dries quickly.

    Thanks in advance, and I appreciate those of you who gave me input on other threads where I've posted prior to making my purchase. Cheers!

  • #2
    I used the decals and did a light spray of matte clear over them and they have been doing okay... for now... knock on wood....

    The machine gun barrel came with all my seven tanks. I could see some thinking it's just a plastic stick and tossing it. Contact your Amazon seller.

    Yes the spring base is loose, you can crimp it to tighten it of use the rubber cement you mention to glue it on.

    While many just snap the accessories on I glue them on. I use medium plastic glue that is brushed on. If it's in a place that might be knocked off running like shackles on the tub I have a contact cement that comes with foam airplanes I use,

    The T-34 is a great little tank. The only thing I don't like is the treads are smooth and they slip easy on loose dirt, they don't dig in like some. But it's well designed, needs little maintenance and just works.

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    • #3
      I run most of my IR tanks outdoor. I would hate myself for parts that fall off and I could not find them. I applied CA glue just to feel safe. I also check on all the added on accessories to ensure they are well "stuck" in their spots before I put them into battle.

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      • #4
        The mg barrel is a small acrylic stick painted black except for the end. It’s found in the plastic bag with the decals.

        The antenna is non-functional, a leftover from the 27mhz versions. The 2.4ghz antenna is a half inch wire sticking out of the main function board. If you want it, any glue will do, preferably a silicone or rubber cement.

        CA is what I use to attach accessories. Just be aware that the lugs on the lower real hull will probably get knocked off no matter what glue you use!

        Regarding decals, there are waterslide decals available online. If you use setting solutions, they will conform to the surface texture.

        Since you’ve watched “T-34”, you know that the tank can slide pretty radically!
        Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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        • #5
          Thanks, all, for your input. I took another look and found a black plastic stick sitting there patiently. I overlooked it previously, because it doesn't look like the piece that is shown in the manual, which has some detailing at one end. It also didn't help that there was paint on each end, so it wasn't readily apparent that it was clear, but after scraping each end and putting it in, it sure enough is the barrel!

          Re: the antenna, I now feel kind of stupid since I know that the actual 2.4GHz antenna is considerably shorter than the old AM antennae. Thanks for the recalibration!

          Sounds like gluing everything solidly from the get go is the dominant strategy, so I guess I know what I'll be doing tonight. Hopefully, I won't destroy anything removing them from the hull.

          I'll take a look at the decals. I think I read about them in one of SoCalBobS's build threads, although I'm still tempted to do a not-so-historically-accurate-hand-paintjob similar to these.

          Click image for larger version

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          One parting question: I see steel gear gearboxes with motors for sale, but is it possible to just buy the steel gearset to replace the plastic gears in the stock gearbox?

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          • #6
            Toucan Hobbies have all the gear boxes for all their tanks on the web site just need to now the length of the drive shaft and the motor configuration which is low/ high or Low/ medium or the other thing is they may list them by the tank number like 3818 for a Tiger1 and so on. Hope this helps

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            • #7
              White lines painted along with waterslide decals. Nice thing about the T-34 is nobody can say "oh, it was never like that" since each tank was customized!

              Click image for larger version

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              Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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              • #8
                Originally posted by SoCalBobS View Post
                White lines painted along with waterslide decals. Nice thing about the T-34 is nobody can say "oh, it was never like that" since each tank was customized!

                Click image for larger version

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                ^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^👍👍

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by SoCalBobS View Post
                  White lines painted along with waterslide decals. Nice thing about the T-34 is nobody can say "oh, it was never like that" since each tank was customized!
                  Yes, this is the one I remember looking at. I'll definitely look into these decals then. Looks awesome!

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                  • #10
                    Love the T34 series of tanks...

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                    • #11
                      I'm loving mine, too. Unfortunately, I haven't had time recently to work on it.

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                      • #12
                        To the screams of "say it ain't so, Joe", I've decided to repaint my T-34/85! Why, you ask? My IDF M4 Sherman needs an adversary. I'm looking to redo it in Egyptian sand colors, with a Cold War Soviet MG on top. I've already stripped the paint and markings off the turret. So now I'm looking for suggestions for a realistic tan to use. Ideas?

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                        Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by SoCalBobS View Post
                          To the screams of "say it ain't so, Joe", I've decided to repaint my T-34/85! Why, you ask? My IDF M4 Sherman needs an adversary. I'm looking to redo it in Egyptian sand colors, with a Cold War Soviet MG on top. I've already stripped the paint and markings off the turret. So now I'm looking for suggestions for a realistic tan to use. Ideas?

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                          I did mine in ModelMaster “Armor Sand”. The other color I looked at was Tamiya “Buff” which when weathered turns a nice dirty sand walked all over color.

                          Tamiya “Buff” weathered. Mike’s Centurion foreground Click image for larger version

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                          ModelMaster “Aromr Sand”
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                          • #14
                            Nice score.


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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Vaseline View Post
                              Toucan Hobbies have all the gear boxes for all their tanks on the web site just need to now the length of the drive shaft and the motor configuration which is low/ high or Low/ medium or the other thing is they may list them by the tank number like 3818 for a Tiger1 and so on. Hope this helps
                              Speaking of gearboxes-Whats up with those new gearboxes that are selling on eBay? Jesus they want as much for the gearbox as the Tank. Whats so special about them?


                              https://www.ebay.com/itm/23469587290...Bk9SR6Khmor-YA

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                              • #16
                                Originally posted by Zippersnapper View Post

                                Speaking of gearboxes-Whats up with those new gearboxes that are selling on eBay? Jesus they want as much for the gearbox as the Tank. Whats so special about them?


                                https://www.ebay.com/itm/23469587290...Bk9SR6Khmor-YA
                                Answer moved to "PDSGB (Propulsion Dynamics Steel Gearbox and HL "Dual Current" Gearbox Discussion"...

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                                • #17
                                  Originally posted by tank_me View Post

                                  That is called the "Dual Current" gearbox in the 6.x and 7.x manual. They have been around for a few years now starting with DKLM offering them as the PDSGB (Propulsion Dynamics Gear Box), but the PDSGB version went unavailable for a time. Then HL started making them. HL started making several different variants at different price points. They make a plastic case with plastic gears version, a plastic case with metal gears, and a metal case with metal gears. Of course the price goes higher with the addition of more metal in the HL pricing schema.

                                  The one you posted is the top of the tree with metal case and metal gears hence the high price. I've seen the plastic case with metal gears for about $200 shipped and the plastic case with plastic gears are around $110 shipped. The gear box works by using the large 550 motor as the drive motor and the smaller motor controls changing direction. They are pretty quiet from what I've seen and pretty powerful. I have one going into my static to RC Trumpeter/HL T-72B1 build. I started that conversion way before HL made their version of the B1 with reactive armor.
                                  Thank you kind sir for the breakdown. Most appreciated.

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                                  • #18
                                    Originally posted by tank_me View Post

                                    That is called the "Dual Current" gearbox in the 6.x and 7.x manual. They have been around for a few years now starting with DKLM offering them as the PDSGB (Propulsion Dynamics Gear Box), but the PDSGB version went unavailable for a time. Then HL started making them. HL started making several different variants at different price points. They make a plastic case with plastic gears version, a plastic case with metal gears, and a metal case with metal gears. Of course the price goes higher with the addition of more metal in the HL pricing schema.

                                    The one you posted is the top of the tree with metal case and metal gears hence the high price. I've seen the plastic case with metal gears for about $200 shipped and the plastic case with plastic gears are around $110 shipped. The gear box works by using the large 550 motor as the drive motor and the smaller motor controls changing direction. They are pretty quiet from what I've seen and pretty powerful. I have one going into my static to RC Trumpeter/HL T-72B1 build. I started that conversion way before HL made their version of the B1 with reactive armor.
                                    Functionally though, how do they actually work? Do any of the manufacturers provide an exploded or cut-away diagram explaining them? I can make a few guesses from what is stated here but I would like to have more specific details. They seem a bit pricey to consider buying on the basis of my guesses. Are all MFUs compatible with them?

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                                    • #19
                                      Fresh out of the paint shop. Undercoat of Tamiya spray Light Sand, with Tamiya Buff airbrushed overall. Now off to detailing.

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                                      No, I don't know what the green triangles, etc. mean, but they're in a lot of images online in green or red colors. Anybody know?
                                      ​​​​​​
                                      Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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                                      • #20
                                        Ok, another photo. There is so much difference in the perceived colors depending on the light. This is why I take my photos outside whenever possible. After all, that's where most tanks spent most of their time! Even outside, sun and shade changes things substantially. Here are my two recent repaints, trying to match pics of the real things online:

                                        Click image for larger version

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                                        Different colors. The Sherman is Iraqi Sand over Wooden Deck Tan & the T-34 is Buff over Light Sand. In shade, the T-34 almost looks like an albino! (It's not dirty yet.)
                                        Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!

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