I want to get into rc tanks as a new hobby any suggestions and advice would be appreciated.

[cmdrcody]

Since everyone said a t-34 how about this? https://www.motionrc.com/products/he...tr-hlg3909-001

👍

[Baddest_Larry]

What kind of accessories could I put on there? And upgrades eventually what would you recommend?
and is the one in the link a 34/85?

[cmdrcody]

https://www.motionrc.com/products/he...tr-hlg3909-001
On that page go through all the menus and see the overview, videos, spare parts, upgrades, Q&A and support available for that model.
From there you'll see what options you can choose.

And then you are off on your adventure into the 1/16 RC RTR tank experience.
Browse through the entire MotionRC website to see all the options.
Also browse through this website and see what other members have done to their RC tanks. It's wide open to what and how you finish your tank.

I think for now I'm going to bow out as there are many other members starting to chime in with all their suggestions and opinions. Just remember - it's your choice to the direction you wish to go.

[tank_me]

I'm a sucker for a nice T34/85. That one has steel gearboxes which is probably the most important part. I'm one of the guys that advocates for metal parts like track, road wheels, sprockets, and idlers only because I want my tanks "heavy". Heavy tanks don't bounce around so much when driving them and since I use high capacity batteries the run time doesn't suffer. A nice plastic version like that is great to get into the hobby with as all the add-on metal parts can be purchased later if you so desire. You are in luck also since you mentioned Bradleys. For years there were none and now it seems there are at least three of them available now or in the near future. There is a Bradley that can be 3D printed (cheap), there is 3D printed Bradley for purchase from DKLM RC (expensive), and Coolbank models is designing one for future release. Future releases are just pie in the sky until the tracks hit the pavement... :)

[MrChef]

Larry, you are getting good advice here. I concur my T34-85 from Heng Long has been problem free. Mine is a Pro model that I got from Toucan last September. Metal gearbox which is the least you'd want to start with, Metal Sprockets, idler, road wheels with rubber tires, metal tracks. All the Metal from Heng Long comes unpainted so if you'd want it to match think about painting too.

It is also important to mention how you will be driving your tanks. Casually, aggressively? What type of terrain? Indoors. hard wood floors, thick carpet, Etc. Outside dirt, sand, rocks, yard with well kept lawn? It all matters. You may be light on your tanks, the 8 year old not so much. Rubicon99 tends to torture test these models so we don't have to. Not only will he give good advice with their reliability, but it's a good bet he will steer you in a way that you will end up with the least headaches. Getting frustrated is never fun especially when just starting out.

Leopard 2 is a decent tank and one of the better modern type RC tanks, but you with will be needing to reset the track on the sprockets often. It is something you will have to learn and be comfortable doing with It. Just one of those learning curve skill that will be transferrable to other tanks.

IIRC R99, Isn't the Abrams more reliable out of the box of the modern MBT's than the Leo? That's my only interjection with your advice.

[Baddest_Larry]

I'm a sucker for a nice T34/85. That one has steel gearboxes which is probably the most important part. I'm one of the guys that advocates for metal parts like track, road wheels, sprockets, and idlers only because I want my tanks "heavy". Heavy tanks don't bounce around so much when driving them and since I use high capacity batteries the run time doesn't suffer. A nice plastic version like that is great to get into the hobby with as all the add-on metal parts can be purchased later if you so desire. You are in luck also since you mentioned Bradleys. For years there were none and now it seems there are at least three of them available now or in the near future. There is a Bradley that can be 3D printed (cheap), there is 3D printed Bradley for purchase from DKLM RC (expensive), and Coolbank models is designing one for future release. Future releases are just pie in the sky until the tracks hit the pavement... :)

I seen they offered all the metal parts at motion rc including tracks but do they offer painted parts and accessories crew members boxes tow cables shovels as well as stuff like the tracks?

[ccarley]

Welcome, Baddest_Larry. There's a lot of great advice given here.

My family has a few tanks since starting last year; we don't have a T34 yet but it's on the list (my daughter loves the movie, T34, although Tanks for Stalin is fun if you find the dubbed over versions). We do have a Sherman though and it's been great, I typically will use that as a loaner tank. My daughter has the Leopard 2A6 and it has had track issues that I've worked through. If a track gets "thrown" it's generally not very hard to get it back in place :)

I would definitely start with that T34 if that's what's catching your eye. Start with that, try it out a bit, see what you want to modify on it. We've used some paints on our tanks to enhance the look and it really makes a difference, especially using a wash. Little bit of a dark wash around the edges, maybe some silver paint to mimic bare metal, and some "rust" paints were pretty easy to get started with. We've found some crew members on ebay (from Toucan) that are painted for reasonable prices, I've seen them on Toucan's website as well.

If you are looking for other add-on accessories, keep your eyes open; I know the Sherman comes with some tools like a shovel etc. and you can sometimes find those parts trees on ebay. There's other vendors that offer some boxes, I've seen some nice accessories from DKLMRC including crew bags & such. Don't hesitate to check out what people have done for details on youtube as well, you'll find some good ideas there for sure.

You'll have a lot of fun, I'm sure, once you get one in your hands!
Clay

[Rubicon99]

Larry, you are getting good advice here. I concur my T34-85 from Heng Long has been problem free. Mine is a Pro model that I got from Toucan last September. Metal gearbox which is the least you'd want to start with, Metal Sprockets, idler, road wheels with rubber tires, metal tracks. All the Metal from Heng Long comes unpainted so if you'd want it to match think about painting too.

It is also important to mention how you will be driving your tanks. Casually, aggressively? What type of terrain? Indoors. hard wood floors, thick carpet, Etc. Outside dirt, sand, rocks, yard with well kept lawn? It all matters. You may be light on your tanks, the 8 year old not so much. Rubicon99 tends to torture test these models so we don't have to. Not only will he give good advice with their reliability, but it's a good bet he will steer you in a way that you will end up with the least headaches. Getting frustrated is never fun especially when just starting out.



IIRC R99, Isn't the Abrams more reliable out of the box of the modern MBT's than the Leo? That's my only interjection with your advice.

The Abrams has a few advantages for sure, except the Leopard has a stronger idler adjustment mount and is slightly less sensitive to having proper track tension. Along with the higher side skirts in the area of the sprockets which make for a slightly easier time putting the track back on the sprockets. For these reason it is a little better choice for a new tanker over the Abrams if one MUST have a modern tank as their first.

Now for all around durability and "tune ability" the Abrams is a much more advantageous platform.

[MrChef]

I seen they offered all the metal parts at motion rc including tracks but do they offer painted parts and accessories crew members boxes tow cables shovels as well as stuff like the tracks?

If you are interested in the Metal tracks, sprockets and road wheels then consider the "Pro" model that includes all of these metal from the get go and is a better deal for the price as opposed to getting the "Upgrade" and adding all the metal goodies, at least with this particular model. But the "Pro" T34 seems to be out of stock currently at motion. If you really want the "Pro", Toucan RC has it in US stock- https://www.toucanhobby.com/products/th17770-dzn1
The metal parts do not come painted so you'd have to consider that.

This video on Motion's site gives you an idea what you'll get with the T34-

The T34 doesn't come with a lot of accessories like some other models but cool stuff can be gotten from several places like Value Gear for boxes and crates. I have a bunch of stuff from him. http://valuegeardetails.com/index.html

Check out the "Post your pics gallery"` https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc...c-tank-gallery to see what many of us have done.

Almost forgot to mention that the T34 from Heng Long is one of their best painted/finished out of the box.

Enjoy sir!

[Rubicon99]

Here are some Heng Long T34s in action to help motivate you.

[Baddest_Larry]

Yeah, I have seen some people really customize there tanks I am not so much into making it weathered and all that but a fresh coat of paint maybe different markings from Russia or outside Russia. on that note where would one find different markings that are like the vinyl decal set that comes with the tank is there a business or something that has different sets, or would you have to paint them on your self? Cause i would love to make this a polish t-34/85 or a captured Finnish one i think that would be unique and one of a kind.

[MrChef]

Yeah, I have seen some people really customize there tanks I am not so much into making it weathered and all that but a fresh coat of paint maybe different markings from Russia or outside Russia. on that note where would one find different markings that are like the vinyl decal set that comes with the tank is there a business or something that has different sets, or would you have to paint them on your self? Cause i would love to make this a polish t-34/85 or a captured Finnish one i think that would be unique and one of a kind.

Like this?

[Baddest_Larry]

Like this?

Yeah, I saw one last night from around 1944 a captured one with Finnish markings and camo paint scheme it looked pretty clean.

[MrChef]

Yeah, I saw one last night from around 1944 a captured one with Finnish markings and camo paint scheme it looked pretty clean.

This is a Finnish captured T34. That is the Finnish marking, not a Swastika, you can see the Finnish flag too.

Sounds like a cool idea.

[Baddest_Larry]

This is a Finnish captured T34. That is the Finnish marking, not a Swastika, you can see the Finnish flag too.

Sounds like a cool idea.

Yeah, I haven't seen to many people do that or make them from other countries that operated the tank when it was in service, just Russian units, markings, and paint. Right now I am trying to convince the lady to let me get this t-34/85. Some other tanks like the kv-2 and tiger 1 have my interest as well as jagpanther and sturmgshutze, but I remember the conversation from yesterday about throwing track and operation issues with sticks and stuff getting caught up in the drive and road wheels.

[MrChef]

Here's mine running in the yard recently-

And a little brotherly love with my Panther G as well...

[Baddest_Larry]

Here's mine running in the yard recently-

And a little brotherly love with my Panther G as well...

Man That Panther Ausf G looks absolutely fantastic same with the T-34/85 love the cosmetic details, I hope I can get mine to look that fantastic.

[MrChef]

Yeah, I haven't seen to many people do that or make them from other countries that operated the tank when it was in service, just Russian units, markings, and paint. Right now I am trying to convince the lady to let me get this t-34/85. Some other tanks like the kv-2 and tiger 1 have my interest as well as jagpanther and sturmgshutze, but I remember the conversation from yesterday about throwing track and operation issues with sticks and stuff getting caught up in the drive and road wheels.

Ultimately it's up to you for whatever you like. Most all of the Tanks run well out of the box. Some can be more finicky when run hard or on demanding terrain. If you like the look or style of one more than the others then that's what you should get. t's going to be yours anyway. You gotta be the one that enjoys your purchase we are talking about around $200. less or more for this first model. So you might as well like it and enjoy it.

I do not compete in tank battles yet although I look forward to it one day soon.

I do not torture test my tanks like Rubicon99.

But I do have most of the tanks you are interested in and more and I don't have any major issues with any of them. It's a live and learn process and hobby.

Investigate before you invest...

My first tank was a Taigen Tiger I btw and that just got the ball rolling.

[Baddest_Larry]

Heng Long German Tiger 1 S33 Upgrade Edition 1/16 Scale Heavy Tank - RTR [HLG3818-003] Motion RC This is the one i was looking at on motion Rc, very good price as well.

[MrChef]

Heng Long German Tiger 1 S33 Upgrade Edition 1/16 Scale Heavy Tank - RTR [HLG3818-003] Motion RC This is the one i was looking at on motion Rc, very good price as well.

I have been a Tiger I Fanatic, not just a fan since I was a kid. So I won't say no to that choice. The Tiger I has a lot of support and aftermarket options. As a model alone not even an RC tank it has amazing resources available for historical accuracy and investigation.