Official Torro 1/16 Scale German King Tiger Heavy Tank RTR Thread

[DavidN]

Here it is. It can battle among the HL, Tongde and Tamiya tanks. It has the latest V4 IR battle receiver from LegoDEI.

[steve vfr]

Not all that long ago I purchased a HL Pro StuG. Up to this point I had either purchased Taigen or Torro products. I was rather pleased with the much better slow speed functionality of this HL. For me excellent low speed performance/operation is a high priority.

So, I recently added the HL Pro King Tiger to compare with the Torro King Tiger. Again, like the StuG it has superior slow speed functionality over the Torro KT. It's always seems this way; you never quite get all the right stuff in a single package, there are always tradeoffs. Each product line has it's strengths and weaknesses.

Though by no means other than a newby, is the correct path gearing, a software change, or both? I have seen mention of both in various places.

Taking the software path, is there a MFU with the correct sound card, that will improve the slow speed operation of the Torro/Taigen KT, or am I wasting my time. I did see over at Toucan Hobbies a HL TK 7.0 kit. Have also heard of the Clark products.

[steve vfr]

Thanks Tank_Me for the info, will look for info on low voltage cutoffs.

Yeah, the smoker is not a big deal for me either.


For the new owners.

Did some research on NIMH and LIPO batteries.

Interestingly, Nickel based (NI CD and NIMH) battery chemistry is rather complicated when it comes to charge monitoring and optimal management for performance and longevity. In a nutshell, I don't see how the wall wart supplied can properly cope with the battery. At a 400 ma output it will work but at .2C or C/5 it's a medium rate charger with no way of knowing where you are at when battery is either connected or disconnected. Working blindly it would be easy to under or overcharge. Both lead based and LIPOs are much easier to manage

Fortunately, I have a Passport P2 charger which allows me dial in a charge or discharge rate. I can dial down to 100ma which to the 2000mah NIMH supplied is at the top of the trickle threshold (.05C). Based on one of the tech article I read NIMH can be charged continuously at a trickle rate without damage. Modern NIMH can process overcharging at .05C and below. Having several batteries this will permit me to utilize the longer charging times.

I did remove the fwd clevises, definitely secured with a threadlock. Also, have an issue with the hullsides. The matter involves the spread of the hullsides being too wide at the front for the deck to slide in easily. The fix looks to be either a strap or threaded rod to pull the hullsides closer together by about .060-.080". I also have a Panther which does not have this problem.

[tank_me]

Taigen/Torro doesn't recommend lithium batteries of any kind because their MFU doesn't have a low voltage cutoff circuit built in. Nothing wrong with running them if you use a low battery alarm.

Can't help with the smoker as I remove them from all my 1/16 scale tanks.

[steve vfr]

Guess it is time for a bump......

Just added the Torro KT to the depot. Because of the 30 day warranty window I jumped right in to make sure all was sound. It will take the place of my old Tamiya KT. Also, have a Taigen Panther and Tiger 1. Like the Torro's because of the crate which is not offered in the Taigen package.

I am just a casual armor hobbyist. About the time I entered the hobby the nearby club (Detroit Tank Command) was in the process of dissolving. As a side note back in my college days I was in a class that toured the Detroit Tank Arsenal back in '75.

On to the Torro KT......

First issue is the battery......

In the manual it states not to use lithium batteries, I really don't see why as long as the voltages are equal and the correct charging profile for the specific type of battery is used. The problem is the supplied battery and charger do not provide any info on charge level. Have 2S batteries here but I thought I would ask first.

Removing the deck.....aka, the deck follies

Kind of funny here....not really hard to remove but the forward hull clevises interfere with the removal and refit of deck. Furthermore, the turret needs to be swung to access the deck hatch and switch. Then to place tank in crate the turret needs to be centered. Also the "charging port" next to the switch inside that same hatch is a totally different connector than that of the supplied charger, could be a 3-4mm barrel, which is not supplied.

Like others around the web have mentioned, one must have a light touch with the throttle....way too fast.

So far the only issue has been with the smoker unit. Both hoses were kinked and is not working. The fan runs but no smoke. Pulled cap to inspect looked ok. Don't get me started on refitting that gasket.

Ah yes, the flopping barrel and turret....it's on the list.

Overall, seems to be pretty good as a baseline....with plenty to do.

[keilau]

Matomart has Mato all-metal tanks for ~ $400 and up. I've bought two kit versions on M4 chassis, each $439 unpainted with no electronics. An HL board, a speaker & some paint and they're done:

Went to Matomart and saw the all metal static versions for $439. From your description, it is ready for the gearbox. One drawback is that the Mato all metal chassis cannot use the Heng Long compatible gearbox making the selection very restrictive.

The RTR all metal Sherman at $599 is a better deal, unless you have the parts laying around in the shop. Mato has only one Sherman gearbox with 14 ball bearings. But the RTR tank webpage does not have any information on the gearbox nor the motors.

On the tank subject, I will be most interested in a cold war era tank with torsion bar suspension. I am more likely to get a Torro tank because they are more interchangeable with Heng Long parts.

[SoCalBobS]

Matomart has Mato all-metal tanks for ~ $400 and up. I've bought two kit versions on M4 chassis, each $439 unpainted with no electronics. An HL board, a speaker & some paint and they're done:

[keilau]

Ironically, mine came from Motion instead of IMEX in July 2021. I tried asking IMEX to confirm gearbox (they still indicate v1 right now) but did not hear back, OTOH, Motion responded quickly and their unit was even slightly cheaper. I did swap out for 390's, it would be quite taxing for 380's, this is one chubby girl.

It is a beautiful setup. I do not own any all metal RTR tank because they were all priced well above $1K until the recent Torro all metal. My typical investment on a metal upgraded plastic hull Heng Ling are in the upper $400 to low $500 range which makes the under $600 Torro RTR all metal very tempting.

I have the Torro/Taigen version 2 gearbox on a Heng Long Pershing. It was a 2005 HL Snow Leopard that went through a series of electronic and metal upgrades. I use a pair of hand selected Red390 with them.

[sclui56]

Ironically, mine came from Motion instead of IMEX in July 2021. I tried asking IMEX to confirm gearbox (they still indicate v1 right now) but did not hear back, OTOH, Motion responded quickly and their unit was even slightly cheaper. I did swap out for 390's, it would be quite taxing for 380's, this is one chubby girl.

[keilau]

I think the specs are old, mine came with V2, don't think any model come with V3 from the factory. And the 380 on mine was the newer black 280's from Torro/Taigen.

I comment based on the picture that Aros posted. Admittedly, it is more than a year old. It is a Version 1 gearbox. The Version 2 gearbox gets the Black 380. More importantly, The gears have ball bearings which I consider mandatory for a heavy all metal tank. Can you show a picture of the gearbox in your King Tiger for side by side comparison with Aros'.

[sclui56]

I think the specs are old, mine came with V2, don't think any model come with V3 from the factory. And the 380 on mine was the newer black 380's from Torro/Taigen.

[keilau]

Those are not comparable to HL's standard gearboxes, the Torro/Taigen are built better, granted that particular heavy beast could use a pair of 390's and there's plenty of room for the longer can.

I am familiar with the Torro/Taigen gearboxes version 1, version 2 and version 3. At the price point of an all metal King Tiger, I expect to see at least Version 2, if not Version 3 gearbox. The Version 1 gearbox is a surprise. Yes, a Version 3 gearbox with the 390 motor will be a better match for this King Tiger.

[sclui56]

Very surprised to see Heng Long grey 380 motors and thin wall, sleeve bearing gearbox at this price point.

Those are not comparable to HL's standard gearboxes, the Torro/Taigen are built better, granted that particular heavy beast could use a pair of 390's and there's plenty of room for the longer can.

[keilau]

1/16 Scale German King Tiger Heavy Tank from Torro - RTR - TOR1112200701

Tiger II, Konigstiger, King Tiger. By any name, this German heavy tank was the most fearsome tracked weapon during WW2!

Faithfully recreated in 1/16 scale, Torro continues to grow its reputation as a producer of high quality, high functioning RC tanks. This Pro Edition of the King Tiger features more than 70% metal part construction, a 360 degree rotating turret, a realistic torsion bar suspension, and a barrel recoil and muzzle flash effect that fires in sync with the IR (infrared) battle system.

This version is delivered as RTR (Ready to Run), meaning it is fully functional out of the box.

Very surprised to see Heng Long grey 380 motors and thin wall, sleeve bearing gearbox at this price point.

[SoCalBobS]

Torro makes a BB version. See if their website sells the module.

https://www.torro-shop.de/1/16-rc-kingtiger-ii-bb-unpainted

[maddog136]

Can this tank be modified to install a compatible BB launcher? I’m not so interested in keeping the IR function.

[761st]

Enjoy!

[OSMD]

Changed battery and it worked...thank you both very much!!!😁😁
I actually used the battery that came with Fairplay IV which is a Lipo battery 2s, 7.4 v, 2800 mAps and it work perfect. This battery came w a Tamiya-XT60 adapter, anyway thanks again guys.

[761st]

OSMD. Exactly what Bob said. I have had similar issues. Generally, I have found the included battery has been short term. Panther is a nice tank. Always feel free to ask questions here. A lot of useful information.

[SoCalBobS]

Here's one possibility, just one:

Maybe it's a low voltage issue. When voltage drops below LVC (low voltage cutoff), the tank turns off. With no current draw by the motors, the board resets and the lights start blinking that it's ready to be turned on again. By turning off your transmitter, you're also giving the board time to reset. After some additional run time, the cycle repeats. The prime culprit in this is the quality or condition of the battery. Although it may charge fully, internally it could be weak.

If you can, do what a lot of us do; process of elimination. First, replace a component, in other words try another battery. If it clears up the problem, all good. If not, there could be so much friction in the system that the voltage just drops. By friction I mean something like jammed gears, bearings, bushings or tracks too tight.