1-16th Russian Tank Question

[gk5717]

I see where shortly there will be a 1-16th Russian tank on the market.
Will that work with 1-18th? Or will the size difference be that much different?
I do have to wonder if a company is doing that tank why go to a different scale?
Gary

[pickelhaube]

There is a big difference in size.

Here is a 1/16 T-34 next to a 1/18th scale.

It is night and day.

[aferguson]

Merit's release is simply a static version of the WSN 1/16 T-34/85 which is turn an r/c version of the Trumpeter 1/16 model kit. 1/16 has long been a scale for armour, especially r/c armour. 1/18 is the relative newcomer armour scale.

[MUDHEN336]

By static version I assume that means the treads don't roll?

[Jnewboy]

they should roll, turret should turn, dont know about hatches opening or gun elevation

[MUDHEN336]

Here is the description from Bad Cat:

1:16 scale plastic model display tank, prebuilt and painted.

1/16 Scale WWII Soviet T34/85, Kurland, Eastern Front, 1944
- Static Display Pre-built Model
- Individual/workable track links
- Elevating main gun
- Turret rotates
- Hatch in closed position only
- Photoetched engine cover screen

What does individual workable track links mean?

[Threetoughtrucks]

It means the tracks are individually linked and show a realistic sag instead of a continuous track like the all rubber half tracks tracks.

Don't like the idea of no opening hatches. Cutting hatches to open are hard enough on a 1/6, having to cut a 1/16 is too much of a pain for me.

TTT

[aferguson]

they'll be seperate hatches, just glued on like the WSN T-34. They can probably be pryed open with some patience.

[MUDHEN336]

Has anyone picked up one of these Merit T-34s yet? I am considering it but I would like to hear someone elses feedback on this product first.

[tankduel]

they'll be seperate hatches, just glued on like the WSN T-34. They can probably be pryed open with some patience.

The early RC version which I have two of has an opening drivers hatch, it could only be opened by separating the upper/lower halves and opening the latch from it's 'closed' position. The turret hatches don't open. I believe that when WSN released the IR combat version now being sold that not even the drivers hatch can open so that's probably the case with this static version we're discussing.

As much as I liked to think that 1/18 and 1/16, 'go together' , really they don't, and so I've been selling off my 1/18.
Nev

[CW4USARMY]

Has anyone picked up one of these Merit T-34s yet? I am considering it but I would like to hear someone elses feedback on this product first.

I ordered it but they sent a Tiger on accident. Im hoping the T-34 will arrive this week. For what it's worth, the Tiger looks good to me so I think the T-34 will look good too.

[parrish333]

To answer the original question, I think it depends on whether you have reference points to make it look bigger. So in Pickel's post, you see a 1:18 T-34 next to a 1:16, so it's very noticeable. But if you had a 1:16 T-34 facing off against a 1:18 Tiger six feet away, it wouldn't be noticeable in my opinion. But now if you park them next together, and you've studied the two tanks enough to know what the relative size difference should be, then you'll notice a problem.

I think the 1:18-1:16 diff. actually works to an advantage in some places - get 1:16 tanks that were regarded as monsters (Tiger, KT), and your 1:18 Sherman will look extra puny facing off against it, which I think is exactly how the US troops often felt. But a 1:16 Sherman next to a 1:18 Tiger would make you almost feel like the Sherman had a chance 1-v-1

[aferguson]

agreed 1/16 can work with 1/18, sometimes. But if you put a 1/16 panzer iii in with some 1/18 tanks it doesn't look so hot as the panzer iii is nearly the size of a 1/18 Tiger. And with the King Tiger, it would look ok with a sherman but put it near a 1/18 Abrams and it's not so good as it's bigger than the Abrams. Then if you got the 1/16 Leoopard it makes a 1/18 Abrams look like a toy (which i guess it is..heh).

It really boils down to what bugs you, personally and what doesn't. Some guys freely intermix 1/18 and 1/16 and could care less. Others wont' go near 1/16 if they collect 1/18.

It's quite a frustrating size difference, close but not quite close enough.

Years ago someone came up with the idea of releasing a line of 1/17 tanks, which would work decently with both 1/16 and 1/18. I thought that was a pretty good idea.

[Jesse James]

For my tastes, and because basically 1:18 no longer exists at retail, I've adopted 1:16 armor wherever possible... But since 1:16 doesn't get a lot of (affordable, anyway) love in support stuff, I include the 1:18 trucks, half-tracks, etc., along with the figures. The tanks then are all basically 1:16. I have my 1:18 tanks, and will not mix them. They'll stay up on a different shelf from my 1:16 tanks.

My halftracks, jeeps, etc., will chill out with the 1:16 RC tanks at this point though, and the 1:18 tanks just get their own shelf separate of all of the rest. At some point I may wind up selling them all off too, I don't know.

[CanberraPaul]

My recently purchased Pershing 1:19.9 width and length & 1:18 in height looks good next to my 1:18 Panther. Its unfortunate that the Alibaba line of tanks do not include any other tanks that are reasonably accurate models of the original except the Pershing. When it comes to US tanks I feel its always better to be slightly undersized when compared with German tanks in 1:18. I had considered getting a 1:16 Pershing but realized that it would make all my existing 1:18 look small.

[20july1944]

I saw online a static 1/16th T-34 for about $90 but now I can't find it again.

Is the Merit tank the one I must have seen?

Where are they available? I see their website but not dealers.

[Barbarian333]

http://www.badcattoys.com/t1mein86fcod.html

[20july1944]

Thank you, Barbarian -- that is exactly what I had seen the other evening and could not find again.

To all -- I am a mere dilletante in the frenzied world of toy tank collecting and have not looked at the market for about three years, but one of my idiot tenants destroyed my T-34 and that put me in mind of replacing it and getting an accurate but cheap Panther if now available.

Is there now a Heng Long or Matorro or similar 1/16th Panther on the market for c. $100? I don't mean the PanTiger -- I think I've seen a cheap but nice 1/16th Panther with real Panther running gear, but I only see it on non-US sites where the shipping is presumeably prohibitive, and I was unclear who the manufacturer is.

I use these as static display but I discover -- strangely -- that RC models seem to cheaper than static prebuilt models and WAY cheaper than kits (e.g. Trumpeter T-34), so I am looking for a nice cheap 1/16h Panther and I don't care if it is static or RC.

[CW4USARMY]

Ii have this one and really like it. I think you will too. Don't forget to use the BADCAT5 code to get 5 percent off. It isn't much, but every little bit helps!