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New To R/C Tanks-Which Brand To Buy

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  • New To R/C Tanks-Which Brand To Buy

    Hello I am new & just signed up. But I've been into r/c cars/monster trucks & learning r/c helps. I've been checking out the tanks & I'm interested in several. My question is: which brand is best for realistic looks & movements? I'm looking at heng-long & torrent & even some tamiya. I'm not really going to play with them but just build up a collection. I used to big into building high end 1/35th. plastic kits but I like the r/c tanks. Also, 2nd. question, does anyone make high end kits instead of rtr??? Thanks for any help.

  • #2
    LOL yeah your going to play with them alright! don't be fooled by static. Once you turn it on and run it, your hooked.
    About a kit... The only one I've ever seen which i purchased myself to buil is the Tiger 1 by Teigen Tanks. It's come as a complete kit that allows you to build three different configurations of it. You even build the two tracks themselves, piece by piec, pin by pin. It is all metal too except the main deck.

    Here's a link: https://www.taigentanks.com/products...ronics-options
    Be sure to view the online colored manual: http://www.imex-model.com/TANK%20MAN.../TAG12501.html that shows whats involved in building this beast. It's a really good start and will teach you a lot of what the parts are for RC tanks which is an absolute thing to know.

    Here's mine, I just added a new module to it. This is the tank listed above.

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    • #3
      WOW! when I got mine it was 299.95 back in 2018. Now it's a lot more. However you can buy a cheaper and really good RTR tank and then take it apart, check everything out, make sure all part are secured like screws and bolts and then you can start adding to these tanks and modding them out by adding a whole bunch of custom parts like metal parts, better motors, accessories.... there's tons of options out there.

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      • #4
        I just got this one last week: RTR and it's really good. I'll be updating it also. It's the Heng Long M1A1 Professional model which features steel gears and metal running gear (Track, Wheels, Idler wheels and sprockets) It's good to get the lower half in metal if you can but remember this: the heavier you make it the more power you'll need. What I mean is: a better set of motors and a better battery. The best I found so far for runtime is a Li-Ion Battery of at least 3500 mAH the heavier your tank is the more runtime you'll need and more power for the motors but it also depends on the gearing in the motors as well.

        There are a lot of others on here who know a lot more then I do about tanks so I'm sure they'll be replying soon enough.
        https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc...-m1-video-clip

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        • #5
          If you are looking for high end then you want a Tamiya. It builds like a model that is R/C. Torro/Taigen also has a couple of kit tanks. The Tamiya infrared battle system is pretty much the standard system if you want to battle with other tankers. Torro/Taigen tanks need an additional module that doesn't usually come with them in order to battle with Tamiya or newer Heng Long tanks. The only Hooben kit I would recommend would be their T-55A, but probably not the best tank to start with as it does have some quirks in the build procedures.

          If you are just looking for a fun build I would go with a Torro kit (mid grade price), if you want to battle a high end kit I would go with Tamiya (highest price), and if you're undecided if you want to join the hobby I'd get a ready to run Heng Long (lowest price) to upgrade/putz around in.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Janxon1022 View Post
            Hello I am new & just signed up. But I've been into r/c cars/monster trucks & learning r/c helps. I've been checking out the tanks & I'm interested in several. My question is: which brand is best for realistic looks & movements? I'm looking at heng-long & torrent & even some tamiya. I'm not really going to play with them but just build up a collection. I used to big into building high end 1/35th. plastic kits but I like the r/c tanks. Also, 2nd. question, does anyone make high end kits instead of rtr??? Thanks for any help.
            For movement the newer 7.0 Heng Long tanks are excellent because they can be easily tuned for the individual tank types steering, speed, braking and turret rotation speed. For overall detail they are moderately accurate but can be made to look “right” with a good paint job and aftermarket accessories. Heng Long tanks by far have the most aftermarket parts and accessories available for them.

            High end kits? Really there is only Tamiya IMO for those. But many of their kits are hard to find or out of production so there is not much variety available. Expect to pay top dollar for an out of production tank and then you do have to be careful it is not one of there really old tanks with clutch drive gearboxes and no DMD/MFU system.

            Taigen and Torro IMO are middle of the road offerings. Slightly better mechanically but much better looking stock then Heng Long. Arguably their electronic are a bit dated, but still good if you get a V3 or newer.

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            • #7
              Which one is best for a beginner? I'm looking at my first tank and so far I think I will get a HL KV-1.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Ace190 View Post
                Which one is best for a beginner? I'm looking at my first tank and so far I think I will get a HL KV-1.
                Nothing wrong with a Heng Long for a beginner tank. Just make sure it's either a version 6 or version 7 tank of whatever tank you like. If you like metal tracks, sprockets, and road wheels it can sometimes be cheaper to buy them already installed on the tank, but not always.

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                • #9
                  When I started I was only interested in the Heng Long tanks as they came more or less totally assembled and ready to run and had a well matched set up. I bought the larger tanks and got the ones with all the metal upgrades, gear boxes, tracks sprockets, wheels, 360deg turrets, etc. What I learned is the larger tanks and the metal treads cause a need for more fiddling and maintenance and the 360deg thing in the turret (slip ring?) is a common failure point.

                  My suggestion is to not get the biggest and stick with plastic versions with metal gear boxes. Consider the 360 but it may be less troublesome without it.

                  The tank that runs the best for me is the Bulldog (I do have the full metal/ 360 version). The tank I grab and run most often is the all plastic but with metal gear boxes King Tiger.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Ace190 View Post
                    Which one is best for a beginner? I'm looking at my first tank and so far I think I will get a HL KV-1.
                    The KV1 is a good starter tank. It is super rugged and very capable off road. I would like others have said advise you to get the plastic track version with steel gearboxes. The all metal track and road wheel version is incredibly strong but does require a bit more attention to maintenance and is grossly under powered do to the increased weight and grip of the metal track (it has a hard time turning in dirt and grass).

                    I have a bunch of video of my KV on Instagram being driven hard and abused. Feel free to have a look. Instagram @ fsttanks

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                    • #11
                      None of my KVs have any issues running full metal through grass or dirt, but I guess I also use the all metal enclosed Heng Long gearboxes. The T-34/85 is a great runner from my experience. I would agree that the metal components will put extra strain on the tank, but they also make the tank look heavy and not bounce around so much IMO.
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