1/16 HL StuG 145$ w/ metal upgrades.

Panzer_M · Post by **Panzer_M** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 3:41 am

found this online. with metal engine gears(Plus speed reduction?), metal treads, and spocket and idler

all for 145.00

I was wondering if that was worthwhile price-wise?

ostketten · Post by **ostketten** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:50 am

If it's the one being sold on ebay by "RC Dynasty", this is Mato toys of Canada's ebay store, and I think you'd be better off by a few bucks to simply purchase the same package directly off their website... https://matomart.com/main.php Their ebay prices are usually a bit higher to offset the fees associated with selling on ebay. They also accept Paypal at the website, so no issues there. All the factory issued HL Stug III's whether they have metal drive gears or not, are equipped with the newer RX18 main board which allows pretty good slow speed control for most people, and I'm not aware of any "speed reduction" package being offered on these from the factory that is different from the standard speed control. Anyway, it's uneccessary IMO (gear reduction) for most people, as the stock setup allows the tank to creep along quite slowly with a little practice and a soft touch on the control stick. The "metal upgrade" package from Mato is a good deal, and cheaper than buying them (ie. tracks, sprockets etc.) seperately I think. For what it's worth, I believe there are some 3rd party gear reduction drive units being sold in europe and elswhere, but they are not cheap or easy to install, and for the average user, they're an uneccessary expense in my opinion.

flpickupman · Post by **flpickupman** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 10:02 am

Man. It is a damn shame these are all 1/16. That Panzer III looks really tempting.

If I figure correctly, the 1/16 Panzer III would actually be a tad longer than the 1/18 Panzer IV. Guess that won't work.

ostketten · Post by **ostketten** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 11:56 am

Man. It is a damn shame these are all 1/16. That Panzer III looks really tempting.

If I figure correctly, the 1/16 Panzer III would actually be a tad longer than the 1/18 Panzer IV. Guess that won't work.

This dilemma has been discussed and debated at length many times before, the consensus around here seems to be that XD figures and equipment, and even some of the smaller vehicles like Jeeps etc. and probably even halftracks, will mix and match up quite well with the 1/16 tanks, where most people seem to notice an unacceptable size difference is when mixing XD and 1/16 tanks. If you don't want to go down the RC road, you could do what some of our members here have done and buy some non-functional (RC wise) 1/16 tanks and paint them up to use as static models, and some of our guys have done this quite successfully, and you can usually get these dead RC tanks for very cheap as well.

flpickupman · Post by **flpickupman** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:21 pm

If I didn't already have 2 Panzer IV DAK repaints, I'd be all over that. Maybe I'll try to pick up a dead one for giggles and see how it looks.

Panzer_M · Post by **Panzer_M** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:40 pm

ostketten wrote:
Man. It is a damn shame these are all 1/16. That Panzer III looks really tempting.

If I figure correctly, the 1/16 Panzer III would actually be a tad longer than the 1/18 Panzer IV. Guess that won't work.
This dilemma has been discussed and debated at length many times before, the consensus around here seems to be that XD figures and equipment, and even some of the smaller vehicles like Jeeps etc. and probably even halftracks, will mix and match up quite well with the 1/16 tanks, where most people seem to notice an unacceptable size difference is when mixing XD and 1/16 tanks. If you don't want to go down the RC road, you could do what some of our members here have done and buy some non-functional (RC wise) 1/16 tanks and paint them up to use as static models, and some of our guys have done this quite successfully, and you can usually get these dead RC tanks for very cheap as well.

how well do they do as a "outside" toy?? As in breakdowns?

flpickupman · Post by **flpickupman** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 1:00 pm

I've heard mixed reviews regarding Hen Long tanks (which these are). The drivetrain has been improved, and that should go a long way towards maintaining reliability. I'm not sure how well the metal link tracks hold up to wear and tear, but it's a non-issue ultimately since rubber tracks are included as well. Swap em out for driving around if necessary. If I had the money and scale wasn't an issue, I'd probably buy the cheaper version if I just wated to play with it. I'd get the metal tracked one if you want to display it as well.

ostketten · Post by **ostketten** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 1:32 pm

how well do they do as a "outside" toy?? As in breakdowns?

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but if it's in the "RC" sense (ie. actual outdoor running), then like anything mechanical, breakdowns and repairs are inevitable, but to a certain extent I think it depends on how "hard" you run em'

Regarding metal tracks.... they add considerable weight to the tank, and I have heard that in addition to the increased weight, the added "bite" of metal tracks puts quite a strain on the gears and motors. None of my RC tanks (I have about 6 now) has metal tracks, nothing against them per se, but I just have not found them neccessary for the kind of running I do... the plastic tracks (and gears for that matter) have served me quite well. RC armor is a fascinating and growing hobby, and if you guys have more than a casual interest in it I strongly recommend you check out the Tankers forum at RC Universe, those guys are the REAL experts, and most are happy to answer questions and welcome newcomers to the hobby. Be advised though.... some of these guys are SERIOUS "rivet counters" over there who will you give grief over a grab handle out of place, and that kind of thing, if you post pictures of your models...

Debates rage over there all the time over "this bolt, or that nut, or blower housing, etc."... Personally, I never get too worked up about such minor inaccuracies, but I thought I should give you guys fair warning....

Anyway, there are a lot of nice helpfull people over there, and don't let the rivet counters deter you from diving in to RC armor...

RCU Tankers Forum: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_369/tt.htm

Jesse James · Post by **Jesse James** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:21 pm

Every forum on the net has a handful of guys who can ruin the experience. In general it's just good advice to not deal with them if you can avoid them.

I wouldn't be too anal about stuff like that myself, so I totally could se being annoyed with criticisms I don't view as important but they do... I'll make sure to refrain from posting photos of my stuff ever, thanks for the tip, haha.