KV-2 1st Impression

[sclui56]

Son of a gun, worked like a charm! I watched the glue change color, pulled on the vent and presto! Also yeah, you're right, there ain't much clearance on the left side. We'll figure a way though.

Bob, I will let you brave the new trail since they are scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. I will just be a patient apprentice. Mine are painted along with the metal tool boxes, but I am preoccupied with the broken plastic side pieces on my Taigen T34 lower hull, oh, and there's this nagging thing called work.

[SoCalBobS]

I did it with low to medium heat from the underside of the deck, while doing so, I also held the pipe from the top and "feel" if the heat was sufficient by wiggling the pipe. I didn't use high heat, I rather take time than mess up the plastic.

I think everything unit is slightly different since the parts are glued by different workers, some are done with just enough while others are more liberal.

Son of a gun, worked like a charm! I watched the glue change color, pulled on the vent and presto! Also yeah, you're right, there ain't much clearance on the left side. We'll figure a way though.

[Sappo]

One question I have is are those track tensioners a retrofit for the 6.0 kv1?

[sclui56]

Hi, you mentioned a step you took I hadn't heard about before, loosening and removing the parts with heat. This works? How careful do you have to be to not warp the surrounding material?

I did it with low to medium heat from the underside of the deck, while doing so, I also held the pipe from the top and "feel" if the heat was sufficient by wiggling the pipe. I didn't use high heat, I rather take time than mess up the plastic.

I think everything unit is slightly different since the parts are glued by different workers, some are done with just enough while others are more liberal.

[SoCalBobS]

Bob, went ahead and did the tail light + removed the fake pipes with the hair dryer, soon as our pipes get here....

Hi, you mentioned a step you took I hadn't heard about before, loosening and removing the parts with heat. This works? How careful do you have to be to not warp the surrounding material?

[sclui56]

Bob,

There's plenty of space to relocate the smoker and will know soon enough how we can actually fit the exhaust. They landed in JFK on Monday and are handed off to USPS. BTW, I have been using these smokers and they are even better than the fan-driven ones:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...21ef1802k4Zex6


EDIT - Bob, they showed up today, just PM me your delivery info and I will get those sent when I go to the office tomorrow.

[SoCalBobS]

Evan, the all-clear acrylic rod emits MG light better than the painted HL one.

Bob, while I had the KV opened up doing the rear MG like David, I noticed we will have a bit of a challenge on the exhaust hook-up, specifically the left side as the motor is directly below the opening with very little room, so we can think about it and see what works.

I opened up my KV-1 to see what you had observed. We would definitely have to relocate the smoker, forward of the motors. There may just be enough room to place a brass tube into the deck from below, and slanting forward. It'll depend on how we can mate the tube to the fitting. If this can be done, I'll have to get a new smoker. The one I have is the old piston pump type; big and loud. I bought some fuel tubing so I can experiment with the setup.

[sclui56]

Speaking of right angles, I wonder if this smoker's elbows might work? A bit of brass tubing thru the deck for the new exhaust fittings and then into the black elbow?

Well, I was changing out the 380's to Tamiya's today and the left bank has about half the clearance of that elbow you showed in terms of space between the bottom of the deck and the top of the 380 housing. We need to get a bit creative somehow on the left bank.

[SoCalBobS]

Evan, the all-clear acrylic rod emits MG light better than the painted HL one.

Bob, while I had the KV opened up doing the rear MG like David, I noticed we will have a bit of a challenge on the exhaust hook-up, specifically the left side as the motor is directly below the opening with very little room, so we can think about it and see what works.

Speaking of right angles, I wonder if this smoker's elbows might work? A bit of brass tubing thru the deck for the new exhaust fittings and then into the black elbow?

[DavidN]

And of course the flashing one in the barrel.

[DavidN]

Your Tami KV actually has the tail light, right? I originally used LED6 but ended up going with LED3 (always on). BTW, I used 5mm LED's, and with the cavity in the HL KV-2, all I did was slip a clear silicone tube (excess from smoke units) over the bulb and the assembly fits inside perfectly.

Thank you for letting me know about the lights. My KV-2 has both front light and taillight. I had to play around with the transmitter in order to turn them on.

[oldwolf]

Hmm. Maybe I'll take a peek sometime soon. I wonder if there are r/c aircraft fuel fittings, like elbow joints, that might work....

You can always make custom fittings with some brass tubing, razor saw and solder.

[SoCalBobS]

Evan, the all-clear acrylic rod emits MG light better than the painted HL one.

Bob, while I had the KV opened up doing the rear MG like David, I noticed we will have a bit of a challenge on the exhaust hook-up, specifically the left side as the motor is directly below the opening with very little room, so we can think about it and see what works.

Hmm. Maybe I'll take a peek sometime soon. I wonder if there are r/c aircraft fuel fittings, like elbow joints, that might work....

[sclui56]

Evan, the all-clear acrylic rod emits MG light better than the painted HL one.

Bob, while I had the KV opened up doing the rear MG like David, I noticed we will have a bit of a challenge on the exhaust hook-up, specifically the left side as the motor is directly below the opening with very little room, so we can think about it and see what works.

[sclui56]

David, I agree the pricing is nuts, and they charge $5 for 2 pieces - how do I know? I had to replace the rear broken one on the JS-2. I have some Plastruct acrylic coming from Amazon (linked above), will let you know.

[sclui56]

The “black plastic” on my H-L’s are painted fiber optic.

Must be the luck of the draw, the ones in my KV-2 are solid black plastic.

Edited - I went back and looked again, 1 is painted clear like you said, but the other one is solid black plastic. Guess they didn't think it needed it since there was no LED in the rear MG.

[DavidN]

David,

Just keep them coming, I enjoy seeing all the Tamiya's. Looks like your factory is full speed ahead, LOL.

Oh, speaking of MG, almost forgot to mention, you will get a much better visual if you insert one of those clear plastic rod into the MG instead of the black plastic HL provides. Taigen calls these fiber optics and IMHO, charges too much for them.

Yes, I saw those as well. Taigen sells them for $5.00. But I wonder if it is $5.00 for 1 little piece or the bundle as in the picture you posted.
The entire MG set with the fiber optic insert, the gun, the LED light and wire is only $4.79. It would be weird to sell that little piece for $5.

[Evan D]

The “black plastic” on my H-L’s are painted fiber optic.

[sclui56]

David,

Just keep them coming, I enjoy seeing all the Tamiya's. Looks like your factory is full speed ahead, LOL.

Oh, speaking of MG, almost forgot to mention, you will get a much better visual if you insert one of those clear plastic rod into the MG instead of the black plastic HL provides. Taigen calls these fiber optics and IMHO, charges too much for them.



I think these will work equally well:

https://www.amazon.com/Plastruct-AR-2H-Clear-Rod-16/dp/B0006O6QXU/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2PXHV3FOMEU4Z&keywords=Plastruct+90291&qid=1646293713&sprefix=plastruct+90291%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-3

[DavidN]

Your Tami KV actually has the tail light, right? I originally used LED6 but ended up going with LED3 (always on). BTW, I used 5mm LED's, and with the cavity in the HL KV-2, all I did was slip a clear silicone tube (excess from smoke units) over the bulb and the assembly fits inside perfectly.

David, it was a good idea to enable the rear MG. I might eventually get a Taigen/Torro lower, still think their torsion bar suspension is better.

Wow, my Tamiya KV-2 does have a taillight. I will check into it later. I have other tanks on my "operation" station now that I have no room to look into it :-).

For my KV-1, I will also use the tube to hold the light bulb more steady per your advice. I don't have any red 5mm LED left and I do have over 10 smaller (MG type) red LEDs. Therefore I will just have to use the little LED ones. They are still bright enough.