King Tiger and Tiger 11.

The first r/c model tank that I can ever remember was when Tamiya brought out their model of the Sherman.

This what started my interest in r/c tanks.

Tamiya were always slow to release new models, but when they did,I usually built them, but sadly - very few ever had any pictures taken of them.

I have just found these of my King Tiger in its “ambush” paint scheme to show alongside the Tiger 1 that I painted to accompany it.

No pictures were taken of these tanks after the final detailing and weathering had been completed, but the airbrush work was more or less done.

Bob.

I also have some Heng Long tanks and they really are very good, and excellent value for money - and they work very well too !

Many people have started their model tank hobby with Heng Long tanks and have later enjoyed making their own very individual alterations to them to customise them based on real tanks that they have either seen in real life or in pictures.

All tanks have been very well documented over the years so it is easy to see something that you like that can be achieved with minor or no expense to your Heng Long model tank.

I wish they were available when I started - they have made the hobby affordable to everyone at really low prices and they often cannot be identified as being any different when stood alongside similar more expensive models.

Bob.

All of my tanks are Heng Long. They are cheap but well detailed. All of them have been repainted and I never use the stick on markings. I make my own decals. Also, I look at photos of real tanks to model after.

That M1 Abrams in the photo was modeled after a tank in Desert Storm call "Absolute Death". I upgraded the motors and changed to metal gears and put a slipring so the turret can turn continuously.

Tamiya makes 1/16 scale kits that can be upgraded to rc. They are about four times the price of a Heng Long.

There are other RTR tanks that run from three to five times the cost of the Heng Long tanks. Some even more.

Lew

Chieftain Mark 3.

My Chieftain is a HAYA model that was bought as an RTR, but this only means that it would drive when it was delivered.

The paint was incorrect and incomplete and it needed to be airbrushed in the correct colours dependent on the time period and theatre to be replicated.

The main gun barrel needed to have some lagging added to look "right" and I have used thin cable ties to replicate the individual straps (after I lagged it) until I have time to make some more authentic ones with cast clamps etc - but they give the right effect - especially when the tank is being driven and not being given a close-up inspection.

The tracks are metal with authentic rubber pads inset in them as used to protect the tarmac roads that the regular metal tracks would churn-up!

I also have a set of authentic moulded tracks that actually run better and when weathered they really look good.

Lots of extra individual detail can be added to replicate any individual tank and convert it to any particular mark, so although it would be possible just to buy and run one of these (sadly not currently available) most owners that I know who have bought these expensive models have been serious enough to do a lot of extra work on them, so no two are likely to be exactly the same as each other.

I also have another Chieftain that I have not shown here yet that I have converted and painted to replicate a Mk5 variant in the BATUS colour scheme, and I have an appliqué armour set to convert my first Chieftain to a Mk 10 at some time in the future.

1/16 scale r/c Model tanks are seldom ever "finished" but always remain a "work in progress" that need constant maintenance and rebuilds to keep them "battle worthy" but (like a lot of model boats) - many remain box standard and are kept at home and are not allowed to actually get wet and dirty!

My tanks are all driven and run as often as possible (like my Classic Model Power Boats) and are most definitely NOT shelf queens.....so they will never be pristine or look like they just left the factory.

Bob.

To answer your questions regarding the source of my 1/16 scale Cold War period r/c tanks.

Centurion Mk 5.

My Centurion was built from the HAYA KIT of parts, but it is also available as an RTR variant as well, but I wanted to build mine from the kit of parts as a typical Berlin Brigade tank from the Cold War time period and convert it to a Mk 5 as I built it..

The standard HAYA RTR Centurion comes as a Mk 3 and is painted in some sort of green colour that should be Bronze Green.

The Centurions used in the Berlin Brigade were the only green Cents anywhere that were not painted in Bronze Green but we're painted in Olive Drab to the same colours as their American counterparts that they were working with in Berlin.

My Mk5 Centurion has the authentic Rolls Royce Meteor engine sound (as it was processed through the tanks silencers), it has synchronised main gun flash with smoke that pumps-out with each shot. It also has a separate exhaust smoke system that can be switched off after the cold start, and other sounds such as the turret turning sound and the machine gun (with muzzle flash) also work.

The engine features a cold start sequence and warm-up and can be revved and idled when the "drive" is not engaged and has a "shut-down" sound sequence when the motor is turned-off, but will idle until it is turned off.

It has fully proportional steering in forwards and reverse with turret rotation, and barrel elevation. These functions can all be operated at the same time as well as firing the weapons independently and switching on/off the searchlight and the normal running lights.

Conquerer Mk2.

My other Cold War tank is the Conquerer and that has been 3D printed and I will be working on that one when I am next in the mood and have some free time.

This Conquerer is a Mk2 as used in Germany during the Cold War period, and will need a lot of time to make and change some of the parts and find a way to make the flexible gun cover and correct and refine some of the 3D printed details.

The tank also needs a sound board to replicate the super-charged Rolls Royce Meteor engine as it was run on this variant with open exhausts - different to the Mk1 Conquerer that run with silencers - so a different and louder (!) sound.

The commanders cupola needs to be made to rotate independently of the turret to replicate the real Conquerers action.

Gun flash needs to be "sorted" along with a suitable source of smoke that can be synchronised to be pumped out of the barrel only when the main gun is fired as well as the independent machine gun flash and sound.

A separate smoke unit for the exhaust will also be source and fitted for use during a "cold start" that can be faded out as the engine warms-up and runs cleanly.

All the sounds such as turret rotation and different gun sounds as well as the engine need to be included.

When all the buildings and detail work has been completed it need's to be painted in Bronze Green before it can be weathered and fine detailed.

As far as I know, nobody has ever made a set of metal tracks to fit a 1/16scale Conquerer tank.

The tracks on my Conquerer Mk 2 are 3D printed but may be changed to metal if I can find the time to make moulds for the individual track plates and cast them in a suitable metal and then make and fit the end plates before mixing a "blueing mix" to dunk them in to start the track colouring process.

I will also be looking at the motors that are currently fitted to the two metal gearboxes as the Conquerer (despite it's bulk) could actually run faster across country than the Centurion so it may need a bit more power to give it a realistic performance.

Bob.

Kevinsharpe that question is exactly what i wondered
Philuk👍

Looks interesting. Are these tanks from a kit which have been upgraded or are they the commercialy available Heng Long.
Regards
Kevin

Finally got my Abrams tank running and to our tank meet today. I need to do a radio upgrade and was testing it. The existing radio wasn't working and found one of the transmitter's battery contacts eroded. Now it is back to boats for the next meet. A real seesaw.

Lew

Chieftain Mk3..

My Chieftain Mk3 tank has had some work done on it since I first bought it and is shown as it is now in the garden at home and in our local club hall.

The Chieftain has exhaust smoke and engine sound along with barrel flash on the main gun and the machine gun. The main gun also has synchronised barrel smoke that looks really good as it puffs out when the main gun is fired, illuminated by the gun flash.

I run the tank with full metal tracks that have the authentic track pads fitted as used when running on roads in Germany, but I also fit a set of the correct pattern moulded tracks too for running indoors etc.

Future plans include increasing the power by fitting a pair or "RED" motors into the metal gearboxes, and fitting a Clarke board to add the genuine Leyland multi-fuel engine sounds.

Bob.

Conquerer

Just for you Lew .

Here is a quick glance at the 3D printed Conquerer that I will be working on ...sometime...


Bob.

HAYA Centurion Mk5.

Hi Lew,

My 3D printed Conquerer is not fully assembled yet, but I will loosely put the parts together later and take some pictures for you.

To compensate, here are some pictures of my 1/16 scale r/c Centurion that I built from the HAYA Centurion Mk3 kit and modified it to a Mk5 as used in the Berlin Brigade.

These tanks in the Berlin Brigade were unique in being painted in Olive Drab - all other Centurions and British tanks in Germany were painted in the more usual (at the time) Bronze Green.

It is not so far off the mark as the Conquerer was brought in to supplement the Centurions in Germany to boost the available NATO firepower, but was short-lived as the Centurion's own upgrades made the Conquerer redundant and saved the army having to carry spares and parts for two different types of main battle tanks (MBT).

I am still working on the weathering and final paint but I have some spray masks made so that I can airbrush on the unit markings and the name of the tank etc in due course

The tank has a revolving commanders cupola, metal tracks and sprockets, authentic Rolls Royce meteor engine sound with machine gun and main gun sound via a Clarke board and has engine exhaust smoke as well as gun flash and barrel smoke following each shot of the main gun.

Future plans include adding more powerful motors to drive the two steel gearboxes to help the tank when running across some of the more demanding terrain that it has to encounter.

My tanks are like my Classic Model Power Boats insomuch that they are not "shelf queens" - they are driven often and enjoyed - and worked hard.

Bob.

Lew, you have a good selection there.

Partly because i was late to the hobby I have enough on my plate with the boats and my Tamiya Unimog and other hobbies. A neighbour, who was partly the reason for my getting into model boats, is also interested in trains, including a garden layout, and planes. He has offered to teach me to fly on more than one occasion but I have resisted! I nearly built a plane though, when helping to look after my mother but didn't in the end.

Any photos of the Conquerer? Lew

British Conquerer.

As part of my Cold War r/c tank collection I have a 1/16 scale 3D printed Conquerer.

This tank looks really impressive and is not available any other way than to scratch build it from raw materials, or to use the available 3D plans that really do produce a very good accurate model.

Unlike yourself, I an unable to 3D print anything but I was able to buy a set of parts via someone who advertised their 3D printing services.

Whatever plastic he printed it with is VERY tough and I have been trying to improve the surface texture for months on and off (I have been away a lot this year) and a couple of the small detail parts were not printed cleanly enough, but I have been able to replace them.

Maybe I will get it finished over the winter months. I have seen others (not many) online that are finished and running well and they do look very impressive (and big!).

Bob.

Bob... sounds good! We meet two Sundays a month for rc scale boats (SSMBC) and two other Sundays for armor (Bay Area Blitzkrieg). Pretty active with both.
As for my armor, I need to fix and upgrade my Abrams. It is based on a real Desert Storm tank photo. I have two Sherman M4A3 (105) and am getting a third, plus a M3 half track. This will be for my howitzer platoon. I also have a M26 Pershing and a "captured King Tiger" complete with Zimmerit. All have been repainted, remarked and accessories added.
Lew

Hi Lew,

You have inspired me to dig out one of my 1/16 scale British Chieftain tanks that I will be working on over the winter when I am not outside in my workshop working on any model boats!

This one has had most of the "technical" work done already as it has a gearbox with metal gears, a pair of "red" motors to give it a bit more power, engine smoke to use during start-up, and gun barrel flash with smoke.

The tank also has an authentic engine sound on the Clark board so it is quite well specified, but it needs some more work to complete the paintwork and the barrel wrap needs changing.

This tank does not have any metal tracks yet as I have not been able to find any to fit it with the right profile, but something will crop-up and in the meantime I will weather the plastic ones that are fitted as they work well and have the correct pattern moulded into them.

I have two other Cheiftain's that I had had for some time. They both have metal tracks and and have been weathered, but neither have the Clark board to give the correct engine sound or the red motors to improve their performance when running on grass that tends to sap the power!

Tanks are a bit like model boats insomuch that they are never really finished and can always be improved......

Your portable workbench must be perfect to take to events like your WW2 event last week 👍

Bob.

OK Doug, not a lengthy report. The WWII event was well attended, probably in excess of 6,000 people. I only went Saturday and I'm glad I did. There was a heavy rain on Sunday. We had a nice setup for our RC tanks. 100's of kids got a chance of being a "tank driver". Needless to say, we have to make a lot of repairs. The big battle was OK, I've seen better. The big booms frightened my grandson. For me, I enjoyed the sounds of those Sherman's with the radial engines running across the field.

Lew

wrong post :(

We'll be expecting a comprehensive Battle Report Admiral.
And, if you please, not just the usual sardonic response to a SITREP request, SNAFU!!🙄
Bon chance mon ami🤞🤞
FLEET😎

Not completely different. Scale RC model boats have a lot in common with RC tanks, radios, smoke, sound, and more!

I have a 1/16 armor collection as well, mostly in WWII, but I do have an Abrams MBT. Like I usually do with many of my scale boats is to trace back to the real thing.

As we are on the subject of German Tigers, I have a King Tiger that replicates on captured by US troops. It was struck in the turret (also on the model), fixed to run, and covered with star flags. Lucky I found some photos and a short video of the real tank as references.

Like others I modified the tank. Applied "Zimmerit" ((JB Kwik"), to the modified body, and Airbrushed it. I can remove the flags so it can operate as German or US.

I also have a US half track, a modified M16 Quad 50 carriage RTR model. Converted it to a M3 half-track and added a crew and equipment. I addition, I have a good selection of armor, buildings, a bridge and more so the local cub can operate in a scenic area.

We will be attending a WWII reenactment (free) in Zephyrhills on the November 7-9 weekend. If you are there, stop by and see us along with many real vehicles and equipment plus the battle. We (Bay Area Blitzkrieg) will have a setup and mini battles over the weekend. I will be there on Saturday only.

Lew

Gee, I got one too, just haven't got around to R/C the tank & do the Tramontana ship

Hi Phil,

Being brought up not too long after the war meant that almost every kit available was for models from WW2, and when I got older the 1/16 scale r/c tanks were from the same time period.

Over the last few years I have moved on to tanks from the Cold War period as i now find them more interesting.

Here are some shots of a British Centurion Mk5 that I am working on.

This model was built from the 1/16 scale HAYA Centurion kit, and I added the Mk 5 Conversion to it.

It runs well, and during the winter I will complete the paintwork and weathering and add some markings to finish it.

Building and driving r/c tanks makes an occasional change from model boats and offer’s a new set of skills and materials to try to learn.

Bob.

Looks good i would love to build a tank at some point.
Philuk👍

Bob, that’s what I call up-cycling you have extended the life of a box
🤣

Interesting, Bob. Something new to know. Thanks for sharing

Hi JockSott. That is an authentic camouflage colour way for the King Tiger, known as the “Ambush” camoflage scheme.

Towards the end of the war, Tiger 1’s were often taken into King Tigre groups to make up for their losses, and when they were they could be given the matching camo scheme (if time permitted) so they did not stand-out from the other tanks they were working with.

I had already done a King Tiger in this Ambush Scheme and several 1/16 r/c Tiger 1’s in different European, Russian, Winter and Desert camo schemes, so I thought it would be nice to do a Tiger 1 in this fairly unusual scheme for a change.

The King Tiger and the Tiger 1 were both made from the Tamiya Full Options kits, and they did look really good together.

Bob.

very nice, will add my tiger in winter camo...

Very impressive.... the Tiger. I use something similar, veggie boxes from the grocer but with holes on the side for more air flow.
But what are the dots on the tank for. Never seen anything like it in the WWII photos.

Wow Zooma! That is a real quality production. Tank looks good as well but not in the same league!😊😊😊
Roy