Question aobut Running Tam Tiger Stock with Metal Tracks

[calvinlo]

Just got one set of metal tracks, which I'm thinking of using on my Tamiya Tiger.

But having notice beforehand that some gears were secured by black plastic cover over the metal mounting, I wonder whehter the Tamiya gearbox is actually suitable to run with metal tracks, or is it meant for plastic tracks...

Any advise will be appreciated!

[devils_grin87]

bro i can confirm that in no time it will be gone ......... mine did fail on my king tiger

[calvinlo]

Sigh...that's what I'm afraid of.

Don't intend to start any Tam/HL war...but I just feel that it is so ironical - My Tam Tiger which cost me almost $800 without Tx can only run with plastic tracks while my HL Tiger I which cost only around $300 with metal reinforcement and up-powered metal gearbox can run around on metal tracks with no problem at all.

Oh well...

[tattybear]

Sigh...that's what I'm afraid of.

Don't intend to start any Tam/HL war...but I just feel that it is so ironical - My Tam Tiger which cost me almost $800 without Tx can only run with plastic tracks while my HL Tiger I which cost only around $300 with metal reinforcement and up-powered metal gearbox can run around on metal tracks with no problem at all.

Oh well...

Hey guys, tis "chap" Criticize Tam again... oh well, you can always sell ur tam away and get 2 more HL...

[devils_grin87]

Sigh...that's what I'm afraid of.

Don't intend to start any Tam/HL war...but I just feel that it is so ironical - My Tam Tiger which cost me almost $800 without Tx can only run with plastic tracks while my HL Tiger I which cost only around $300 with metal reinforcement and up-powered metal gearbox can run around on metal tracks with no problem at all.

Oh well...

but for a tam gear box u get better tourque..... well a impact TU would give both scale speed and everlasting gears....... if u dun abuse your tam gear box it will do fine

[calvinlo]

Hey guys, tis "chap" Criticize Tam again... oh well, you can always sell ur tam away and get 2 more HL...

I NOTICE YOU SEEMS TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ANYONE WHO APPEARS TO 'CRITICISE' TAMIYA TANK? ARE YOU WORKING FOR TAMIYA? HAVE A LIFE! I expect mature grown-ups who regards rc tanking as a hobby to be more objective in such matters. Or perhaps you are not?

For the price that people are paying for Tam tank, I wish Tamiya could have given people a better gearbox. They should not have to spend another $200 to get another gearbox to run metal tracks.

[Planedev]

Well calvin, most of your post is either pro HL or Vstank, you seem to state bad things abt tamiya the chance you get. Maybe thats why ppl think you are anti tamiya to begin with.

To answer your qn in honesty is that the tam tiger I will work with metal tracks as long as you run them in normal conditions. By normal I mean that they will run on grounds like hard packed dirt or short grass.

If you run it in cow grass or sand, you might wear the gears out esp the plastic initial gears in the tam gear box. But even in such terrain, I am sure you will burn out a HL main board. The vstanks I have will not even tunr in those terrains.

I am not pro tamiya as I have a HL pzIII and 2 vstanks myself. I am just fair at what I observe. Lastly, I think the tiger I does not really need metal tracks as most of the T1s I have seen and battled with are all on stock tracks. The metal tracks usually add to the scale looks only.

Btw just curious, are you using HL tracks for your T1?

[calvinlo]

Hi Planedev,

"Well calvin, most of your post is either pro HL or Vstank, you seem to state bad things abt tamiya the chance you get. Maybe thats why ppl think you are anti tamiya to begin with."

To be frankly, I've absolutely no loyalty to any brand, whether Tamiya, HL or Vstank. My expectation for any tank model is proportional to their reputation and their price tag. For Tam tanks, there is no need for me to say anything good about it in this forum because it is universally understood - Tamiya is still the BEST of 1/16 rc tanks. As for HL tanks...well, for the price that you pay, what can you expect? But I cannot deny that they are improving.

I'm just frustrated because the Tam Tiger is not a new model like the Panther or even the Panzer IV. It HAS been around for quite a while. From engineering viewpoint, all potential problems should have been rectified by Tamiya in their later production runs long ago. Furthermore, I can see for myself that Tamiya gears are far better quality (thickness, surface finishing...etc) than the best gearbox that HL can offer, but I just cannot understand why don't they go all out and make the entire gearbox fully metal? Is it Complacency?

"If you run it in cow grass or sand, you might wear the gears out esp the plastic initial gears in the tam gear box. But even in such terrain, I am sure you will burn out a HL main board. The vstanks I have will not even tunr in those terrains."

Agree. That's why I run my tanks on terrains that are proportional to their scale.

"I am not pro tamiya as I have a HL pzIII and 2 vstanks myself. I am just fair at what I observe. Lastly, I think the tiger I does not really need metal tracks as most of the T1s I have seen and battled with are all on stock tracks. The metal tracks usually add to the scale looks only."

I guess that's the problem. For battle, I will definitely use plastic tracks, so that it can move and turn faster. But...as you may be aware, I'm more incline towards Scale-look than IR Battling, and metal tracks DOES add a great deal of realism when the tank creeps on the ground.

To answer your question, I'm trying to use metal track from my HL Tiger that is already modified into a Late model with full metal wheels. Not sure if the tracks will fit the Tam Tiger. If not, I'll have to source for new tracks and new gearbox.

BTW, I've tried emailing Impact about their gearbox a few weeks back from their yahoo website, but no reply thus far.

[Planedev]

Actually you got the part abt the tiger beingthe oldest model should have more solid engineering wrong, as you stated it is one of the older models of the line, thus the engineering is not up to par to newer models like the pershing or leopard II.

Seldom does tamiya revise its components, even the gear box, though revisied 3 times was revised for general use for all tehtanks across the board. Also they did design their gear box to run on PLASTIC tracks which they SUPPLIED. Not after market metal tracks from 3rd party manufacturers.

By thinking that Tamiya should have designed their gearbox to take the strain of aftermarket parts they they have no ties to nor know would have been made in the future is a bit of a moot point, don't you think?

So I think when you made this statement "My Tam Tiger which cost me almost $800 without Tx can only run with plastic tracks while my HL Tiger I which cost only around $300 with metal reinforcement and up-powered metal gearbox can run around on metal tracks with no problem at all." You are expecting tamiya to come out with a superduper design that will do anything is a bit unfair.

Anyway, you already stated the obvious inthat statment alone, HL packaged a REINFORCED and UP-POWERED(I really dun think its up-powered accordingto my own testing) metal gearbox to run their metal tracks, it is as you said, they release a product to run according to their specs. but at teh same time they did not uprate their main boards. How many threads I read in RCU abt ppl frying their main boards?

So in summary, tamiya just release a product to run well according to their own specs, that means, with its stock parts, so if the gear box fails when you put something else than stock, you should not be crying foul. Even when you buy a car, if you make unauthorized modifications on the car engine and it explodes in your face, it usually voids the warrenty.

[calvinlo]

Ok. Pointed taken.

So the conclusion of the matter - The Tamiya Tiger, in its stock form, is not meant to run on metal tracks. I didn't know that intially.

[IMPACT]

Dear Calvin,
we received your inquire for TU on July 24, 2008. The reply was made on July 25, 2008.
See the below evidence:

Dear Calvin,
thank you for your interest with IMPACT product.

There are two versions of the TU:
1. Brass/Steel Gears
S$176/set

2. Full Steel Gears
S$198/set


IMPACT will refund you 10% when you have come to play with RCABS 3 times, each time for a full day's game.
because the guys at RCABS has special price. If you played with us ( as stated required above), you will enjoy the discount.
The warranty for all Singapore buys is LIFE. We will take care of your TU for LIFE,
NOTE:
Provisions of the warranty of the TU:
1. TUs must be well maintained with good lubrication. No TU can be run at bone-dry condition
2. The bearings are only warranty at 3 months.
3. Any modification done on the TU will void the warranty.
both types works as well. It is just because of the USA market, that we are forced to change to full steel gears. The guys are RCABS used Brass/Steel Gears.


Regards
Erwin
Have an IMPACT in your tanks

----- Original Message ----
From: calvinocp
To: Erwin
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 10:08:59 PM
Subject: Where to Get Impact TU for Tam Tiger?

Hi,

I currently thinking of upgrading to Impact TU in order to run my Tiger
on Metal tracks. Can you advise what's my available options and where
to to get it?

cheers1
Calv

I was invited to HL back in July 2007 and had 3days meetings with their Boss.
I had also Tamiya, HL and VS tanks.
They all belong to different markets for different tankers.

To make the story short, if your engineering "analysis" was strong standing, please come to our tank battle game and have fun.
It will give you sufficient proving grounds of your improvements made in your tanks.
Talking about it or running your tanks in your estate play ground will only remains a conclusion that is never provened

[tattybear]

I NOTICE YOU SEEMS TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ANYONE WHO APPEARS TO 'CRITICISE' TAMIYA TANK? ARE YOU WORKING FOR TAMIYA? HAVE A LIFE! I expect mature grown-ups who regards rc tanking as a hobby to be more objective in such matters. Or perhaps you are not?

For the price that people are paying for Tam tank, I wish Tamiya could have given people a better gearbox. They should not have to spend another $200 to get another gearbox to run metal tracks.

Well, i dun get paid from tam. it jus i'm happy wif wat i got. for ur 800 BUCK I BELIEVE YOU WANA HAVE REAL EXPLOSION, REAL SMOKE GRENADE OR EVEN REAL LIFE ROUND FLYING AROUND HUH? I BELIEVE IT JUS YOU CALVINO SHOULD HAVE A TAM AT ALL... DO YOU THINK YOU ARE MATURE ENOUGH TO SAY "I EXPECT MUTURE GROWN-UPS WHO REGARDS RC TANKING AS A HOBBY TO BE MORE OBJECTIVE IN SUCH MATTERS?

TAM din say its a muz to use metal track. it jus u and ur pple "muz" die die use metal track. from looking at ur PZIII i know ur standard liao...

[edmundlkm]

Words from people like Planedev & Erwin, have really given me
a clear picture of what our tanks can do. Every type of brands,
have their own limitations & advantages.

I have 3 Tamiya tanks. The oldest tank is about 6 years old now.
Why I'm able to run it till now, is because Tamiya has never stop
making replacement parts for our tanks.

We can simply order the parts by it's parts code numbers.
It even has the price listed for every parts in the tank components.
That explains the costs of running it's productions & why it's more
expensive than other brands. You have after sales service from Tamiya.

Besides, Tamiya's TBU(Tank Battle Unit) is the only component which
can perform under direct outdoor sunlight. While most of other brands,
perform poorly outdoors.

Most of us whom bought a Tamiya tank want a realistic tank,
which performs like the real tank & sound like a tank, so we
feel that the price is justified.

[The Blitz]

Good to see the smae ol fight goes on here too!

Well here comes the Blitz to the rescue, let show them what Heng long can do!

And that includes battling against Tamiya's on the Arizona son, no problems with the DBC DBU! To each his own but battlers you now have a very good options if you want to compete!

Here a few picks of my tanks in action at DAK

The Blitz

[122]

Welcome To The Little Red Dot - Singapore

Yo Blitz,

Thanks for dropping by. Welcome to Singapore's very own RC circle.

Your Heng Long Tanks battling in Arizona using Darkith IR Battle Systems?

You guys battle in Summer too?

Anyways, great pics you've got and what a Great Looking WWII bridge!

Whereabouts are you guys in Arizona? I used to stay at DesButtes at Tempe.

Cheers!
122