Radio controlled tank ready for a makeover

SCUDMAN · Nov 14, 2016

Hello everyone. Christmas came early for me this year and I would like to share an in-boxing with you. It's a Heng Long 1/16 scale remote control tank.

Why am I posting this here you ask? Because I think this would make a great chassis to scratch build a Space 1999, UFO or Thunderbirds inspired vehicle. Or any futuristic, science fiction vehicle for that mater.

DeLano80 · Nov 14, 2016

Let me know if the quality of that thing is any good. I have contemplated getting one in the past, to use as a tank...

Richard Baker · Nov 14, 2016

That is going to be a fun project!

mofo77 · Nov 14, 2016

hey guys,
highly recommend this tank.i recently finished a rebuild of one of these and yeah was much inspired by the gerry anderson shows.
here's a link to my thread here on the rpf

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=268843

cheers,
rod

SCUDMAN · Nov 14, 2016

Thank you for your interest guys. In a nutshell, this kit is great value and quality. I highly recommend it. In addition to the M-1 Abrams, Heng Long also make the British Challenger and the German leopard as well as several WWII era tanks. There is a wide selection to choose from for sure.

SCUDMAN · Nov 14, 2016

Here are some of the features of the tank.
I'm not gonna go into the radio controlled aspect other than to say it's amazing how this thing moves around. if you want more information on the radio controlled capabilities of this tank, check out you tube. There are a ton of videos that show these tanks driving through high grass, over rocks, through mud and water and snow. These things are tough!

SCUDMAN · Nov 14, 2016

If you are interested in purchasing one of these tanks be aware that Heng Long makes several levels of upgrades.

I purchased the standard version for $100 American bucks. The gears, wheels and treads are made from ABS plastic. This is fine for my purposes because I'm going to build it up as a static display model. I may fire it up every now and again to "wow" my friends, but I won't be driving it around outside. However if you intend to race this thing around outside I would recommend spending the extra money and get the MS promotional version, which has all metal gears, wheels and tracks. I have seen the MS version $350-$400. There is also a company that makes aftermarket parts for these tanks, and you can get an all metal chassis for these tanks for an additional $300. Food for thought.

SCUDMAN · Nov 14, 2016

Without further delay, lets dive in and check it out. If anyone wants to see a close up of anything let me know.

As you can see everything is well packed and protected. The main gun is made out of aluminum.

SCUDMAN · Nov 14, 2016

Some assembly is necessary, and here are the sprues of parts. The two parts on the lower right look a little warped, but when you push them into place they straighten right out

All the parts are made from ABS plastic. The detail is excellent and crisp.

SCUDMAN · Nov 14, 2016

The tank is approximately 25" long from the tail lights to the end of the main gun. The tank is made of ABS plastic and it has a thin coat of flat sand colored paint on it.

the detailing is excellent, and the proportions are correct as near as I can tell.

SCUDMAN · Nov 14, 2016

The periscopes are absent, however would be easily scratch built and added.

SCUDMAN · Nov 14, 2016

Crisp detail all around

In this shot you see the head lamps are lit.

SCUDMAN · Nov 14, 2016

Size wise, it's big and would make an impressive model. Here it is with a Tamiya 1/35 scale M-1 Abrams tank hull top for comparison.

More to come. Thank you for looking.

SCUDMAN · Nov 15, 2016

Hello everyone. I have a few more photos for those whom are interested. I must say the tracks on this tank are very beautiful and very detailed, unlike most 1/35 scale tank models which have a continuous track which is cast of rubber. The tracks on the Heng Long tank are individually cast and held together with a metal pin.

SCUDMAN · Nov 15, 2016

Years ago there was a company called forces of valor. They manufactured a whole series of tanks in various scales. These were basically toys, and were toy like. This Heng long Tank is a huge step above the forces of valor tanks. For comparison I put a 1/18 scale forces of valor tank next to the Heng Long tank.

The forces of valor tank is made out of a plastic which is somewhat rubbery. This is most evident when looking at the bustle rack on the back of the turret, you can clearly see how it is warped and sagging under its own weight. I never used the forces of valor tank for any scratch build projects because the plastic is a bit hard to work with, it's been in my spare parts bin for years. The Heng Long tank is made from ABS plastic and would be very easy to work with. You would just have to sand off the paint if you were going to glue anything to it. Which is easy enough to do.

Wes R · Nov 15, 2016

I'm going to keep an eye on this build and this tank...not for chasing my cats around or anything lol. It looks like it could be used as a base for a lot of scifi-inspired tanks.

SCUDMAN · Nov 18, 2016

I have a quick update:
i started to take this thing apart to see what makes it tick.

Everything is held together with screws and is very easy to disassemble.

SCUDMAN · Nov 18, 2016

I'm gonna build this up to be an old beat up, rusty, crusty M1A2 Abrams MBT. I have some reference books to guide me, and I just ordered some parts from shapeways which is gonna take this build to the next level.

To those who were on the fence about purchasing one of these tanks, I hope this helped you out one way or the other.
Best wishes and happy modeling.

SCUDMAN · Jun 8, 2018

Hello everyone;
I wanted to share a quick update. I saw these two darlings for an awesome price on eBay, so I grabbed them both. It is the Heng Long radio controlled 1/16 scale German Leopard and British Challenger. They are as wonderful in detail and quality as the Abrams, and I highly recommend them.

SCUDMAN · Jun 8, 2018

As for the Abrams, the lions share of the scratch building is on the turret. With the exception of the periscopes I’m almost done.

Radio controlled tank ready for a makeover

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