ARMOR - Tamiya 1/16 Tiger 1 Group Build

That was Shaw's stunt double! You can see him in a few scenes!

Erock, you're gonna be done by next week, aren't ya?
That sound system is cool, eh? Question: can you control the volume? All the ones I've seen were EXTREMELY loud!

Hey fellas, Moses, I went with a different technique because it was easier and because I'm
not that good yet! I still couldn't have done it without your advice though. Edog, the only ballsy thing I did was heavily modify the turret. If I didn't like it I could always order a new
one. Hey, if any of you are going to install a battle unit, do so before you fully assemble it.
It's much easier to get in before it's fully done because you have to cut here and drill there!

Roy

Hey Erock, what batteries did you settle on and how much did they cost, if you don't mind me asking?

Roy

Roy,

I had an older RC truck in storage and had 4 sets of batteries and a charger also. They are the Trinity Sport packs. I wasn't sure if they would work but, I did the slow "Trickle Charge" on them and they are just fine.

In the mean time, I was looking to pick up 2, just in case. I found the price range between $20 and $25 per going all the way up to $32. I am sure WW can point you in the right direction, having more experience in the RC field. I did check eBay and I am seeing a lot of homemade packs. (2 for $24) Not sure how the quality on these are

Well ordered a Tiger from D4W's up in Detroit. I might see it here the middle of next week. I was sort of torn between them and BYA. But BYA only accepts payments via Paypal. I didn't like that.

Btw... he sells nicd batteries and the TamBU's for a nice price. Guess I should go order that Aber set. It'll prob take awhile to get here.

Update:

Made decent progress today. Starting work on the turret itself. I have also begun taping off the interior in prep for the primer coat.

[urlhttp://www.erock68.com/erock68t17.html][/url]

.........and the build continues:

Okieboy !

Hey , been trying to contact you through e-mail , guess my messages haven't been getting through .

Got a way to pay you for your boxes ! Can you do me a favor though ? Use your puller and pop the pinions off the motors first ? I came close to mangling the ones with the pliers and punch method . Pack 'em up with the gearbox mounting stub-nuts so they wont get lost ?

Anyone found a close match with the R/C race car pinions ? We've been looking for ages .

NiMH vs NiCd :

I debated this myself ... and then discarded it as you need a special charger for NiMH batteries . I've seen what a regular R/C trickle charger can do to them , and unless you replace both chargers and batteries , you're gonna blow something up !

BUT ... if you have the money to throw about , they are a better battery type ... less chance of memory , hold their charge stable longer , etc . Wont be long before they offer us Lith-Ion batteries for our gear ... or at least the radios ...

WhiteWolf

And today's progress is:

Looking good, Eric!

I went to Tamiya World today, and they were demoing the RC tanks...man, that Tiger looks good! Usually they demo some rather simply done, rather beat up tanks, but the Tiger they were running today was stunning.

Yet another thing making me wish I'd gotten the RC kit...

This weekend was by far, the best in build time, that I have had in quite a while.

I have assembled the turret, recoil unit, flash unit, got to use the Dremel on the barrel, added the PE parts to the Commander's cupola, drilled and hung the spare track hangers and have started on the lower hatch covers.

Eric, Looking good!!! That's starting to look like a Tiger tank now! I should be done with the Marder this week and then I'll be getting started on mine!

Eric

Hey WW,

I talked to Dave about the new gearboxes. He told me he called Tamiya and that those are only available in Japan. [:0]

Hey guys,

Sorry, but I've been working like a dog lately. So far this weekend I didn't have a lot of time to build, but I did finish my track
link hangers and primer the turret. (I added wire handles to the hangers.) Man, that was a serious pain! I also primered
the turret. I will have to do a little more work on the inside of the turret to get the base of the Tamiya GFS battle unit to fit
while still allowing my turret hatch to close. (Evergreen sheet spacers!) I met some of the guys in a local tank club and
got a few valuable tips... Tip 1. Seal, or filter any holes in the bottom of your tank to keep dust and rocks out. One fellow used
the soft foam from the packaging of the battle unit as filters between the gearboxes and the inside of the hull. Tip 2. Use
velcro with an adhesive backing to secure the speaker unit and other components that you will undoubtedly have to move
now and then for maintenance and upgrades! I will try to paint my wheels in camo and hopefully get to painting the base
color on the hull this week.
WWMcB, your e-mail is hosed bro cause you're not getting my msgs. I decided to hang on to those gearboxes in case I
need them. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Roy

Roy,

I'm waiting to do the handles on the track hangers for last. I just know I will "knock 'em off" if I put them on now.

Erock, I used copper wire for my handles and I bent them into shape using needle nose pliers. The hardest part was
getting them into position for the superglue! Your Tiger is looking good. Will you be using a gloss coat or Future over your
paint prior to doing your washes?

Roy

Looking great Eric !!!

Eric,

As the now late (*snif*) Robert Palmer might have said, "Simply Irresistible"!!

Bill

Thanks Sherm......jeez, do I want to paint already. I must keep calm and I know it will get there

Roy,

Yep, I will be using the wire also. As for the gloss coat, I have never tried using Future (guess I'm a bit behind the times on that one) For all of the models I have done, I go back to the trusty Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear Gloss.

Thank you Erock. I was waiting on my LHS to get some gloss coat in that wouldn't yellow over time or show up big time
under ultraviolet light. Apparently, Testors does this...

Roy

Okie :

I wasn't getting anything in either Hotmail or EISA ,. and I do scan the spamboxes before purging . Not that it matters now though .

Kuma :

Regardless of what Dave says , the Type 4's are available here . I know a bunch of people that have gotten 'em , even as part of a Tiger 1 kit .

I've written Dave off as I'd asked him if he had certain parts , and that was two months ago . NADA , and I've popped him mails since too .

Anyone have a good supplier for raw sprues in Canada or direct from Hong Kong ? Perhaps Kuma can get them direct from Tamiya and private-ship 'em ?

Whitewolf , now stuck without gearboxes again .

Ordering from Dave4What ?

If anyone is going to place an order with Dave4What and can accept PayPal , PLEASE contact me before you order ?

I cannot get him to reply to my e-mails ( that or the Micro$oft virus-spam is buggering up my ISP ) and need to grab some of the Type 1 gearboxes before they are all gone .

I will cover postage to me and PayPal transfer fees !

WhiteWolf
( hoping his Tiger won't become a hanger queen )

Well,

I am now working on the turret smoke dischargers (the photo-etched parts) These, by far, have been the most time consuming. I must say that, they do look a lot better with the wiring and holders behind them

Will post pics when complete (hopefully after work this eve)

Anyone ...

... of you guys do your own machining , or know someone who does ? I need some custom parts made (mill / table , not lathe) for my pseudo-Tiger ( ok , so its a Blizzard, but it may have a task as a Kelly's Heroes T34/Tiger)

They are track cleats for a proper metal & rubber track-band to replace the fragile-when-cold & now-discontinued Kyosho one .

I'd consider farming this out to Kenny Kong , but I can't afford him either . You'd have thought someone would have tried to fill this niche already , hmmm ?

If no-one can find me a maker , I'll either make crude ones myself or try the local college's metalworking program .

WhiteWolf

PS: if anyone wants to see them , I'll send Erock the images .

Check this website out! 1/6 scale Tiger tanks. www.fieldofarmor.com
One of the guys in my armor club said that he saw a fellow convert one of these kitties to full R/C. I wonder how much they're asking...

Roy

Here is a comparison picture of the smoke dischargers. There are 26 PE pieces per side On the left is the completed box-stock launcher, on the right, the launcher with all Aber parts added. There is still one more piece that goes on the top of the turret:

ooooooohhh, I can tell my eyes are going to hate me for that Aber set!!! How hard was it to work with that tiny stuff Eric?

Eric

Eric,

To tell you the truth, It wasn't really that difficult. My BIGGEST fear was launching the parts off the tweezers. It happened with 2 parts but luckily, I found them (after recovering from heart palpitations [:0] )

I would say the hardest part was to bend the brass tube to follow along the launcher mount. In the instructions, it has you do this once the PE parts are in place. I would suggest doing this first. That way, the glued parts don't get in the way.

Heads-up....The PE parts with the chain are very fragile (B-48). Try to go very slowly with these, I don't think they could take more than a few bends. With part B-46 I attached to the lower part of the launcher as it was easier to get it bent around the brass tube.

Erock :

Tried to view the enlargement here , but you have too much grey space around the things , and I can't maneuver the box enough to see the parts . Wanna crop the image a bit ?

WhiteWolf

Sure WW,

I'll have to do it when I get home.