Metal tracks for Tiger I finally arrive!

As you all know Tiger I comes with plastic tracks out of the box. While they work fine both indoors and outdoors (especially in the snow) I have always wondered how would the tank run with metal thracks. After hearing that ToyEast has metal tracks in development I have immediately asked Steve from ToyEast to sell me a set as soon as they become available.
Well, last week they have finally arrived!

There package contains 2 threads and 4 spare links with pins. I have quickly mounted them on one of my Tigers and gave them a run. It was a blast! The tracks fit perfectly, the tension is just right.
I was a little concerned that having metal tracks on a tank with plastic wheels and derlin gears would destroy the latter. But after running for 2 full days over various obstacles I am happy to report that the tank runs just fine!

One thing I absolutely love the metal tracks for is for a lot better traction on smooth surfaces. I guess there are two reasons for that

• metal has higher coefficient of friction
  
• the whole tank is a lot heavier when equipped with metal threads.

The only word of advice I should give when running your Tiger indoors with metal tracks. Do not run it on hardwood floor - they will damage it (just like real tanks damage roads). But running on laminate is OK!

Checking in.

Hello VsTankers - Tanker11 kindly invited me to contribute to his blog, so VsTank fans can have a centralized source of news, reviews, pictures and spy photos. I don't have much to report today, but watch this spot.

Head over to VsTank.com to see Steve's latest post - he's back, and he's busy, with the KV-2 launch fast approaching. Steve also mentions that color choices will become narrower in the future, and that colors will be rotating in and out from time to time - VsTank is growing so fast they can't produce every flavor of every tank all the time. You can see this in current tank stock worldwide - not every store has every tank, they're not always ready! The moral of the story: buy the tank you want when you see it, because there is a potential to miss out, at least for a time.

I'm eagerly awaiting more news on the KV-2, which I hope to be reviewing shortly. Stay tuned!


EDIT:

Steve informs me the first KV-2 samples are expected September 10th. Shortly thereafter I'll get mine, and the world will see them end of September, begining of October.

Quality control at VsTank factory

Recently I saw on www.vstank.com site some pictures from the factory that makes our tanks. In particular some photos showed the quality control process.













The captioning to the pictures stated that each tank is subjected to 6 different tests (picture on the left shows IR targeting test, picture on the right shows slope test).

This intrigued me because I never imagined that with the volume of VsTank production the manufacturer would be testing each tank. So I contacted ToyEast.com to ask more about their quality control process. Here is what I found out.

• Each and every function of every tank is tested. This includes firing, turret rotation, climbing slope forward and backwards on each available speed, gun elevation, radio reception.
• About 10 people are working full-time doing all the quality control work.
• A separate paint quality verification is performed on each tank that weeds out any tank with paint imperfections.
• The quality control people at the factory use special battery pack that fits into VsTanks. This greatly speeds up testing because there is no need to manually insert and remove 8 individual AA batteries.

As of today I own 14 different VsTanks Pro, and I never have received a defective tank, also many other fellow RC tankers that I talked to have highlighted that they find VsTank Pro quality to be top notch. I thought it was all just good luck, but now I know - this wasn't luck but the result of hard work of factory personnel that stand behind their product.

In this day and age more and more companies choose to cut corners, dump money into (sometimes false) advertising, hype their products, looking only how to make quick buck. It is refreshing to deal with the company that took a different approach to the business, an approach that can has become almost forgotten : If You Build It, They Will Come.

Proper tank break-in

So the postman just knocked on your door and delivered your tank. You are eager to open it up immediately, put in freshly charged batteries and start driving it at full speed? We all are, aren't we :) But if you are serious about your tank and want it to live happily for many years to come resist the temptation and spend an hour for a proper "break-in".

You've probably heard this term before. If you buy a new car, your dealer (good dealer) would advise you to take it easy first few kilometers so that your engine and other parts are broken-in properly to fit together. Your tank also has moving parts but because they are mostly made of plastic there isn't really an issue there. With the exception of electric motors. Motors have carbon brushes that press against rotor and transfer electricity there. In brand new motors brushes have flat sides but the rotor is curved. Therefore the contact area between them is pretty small. And the smaller the contact area - the more resistance it will have to current flow. This will also result in tiny sparks. And sparks are the worst enemy. Have you ever observed sparks and what they do to the metal? You'd notice that they produce a very small "pit" of burned metal where they hit. If you get too much sparking on the rotor it will "pit" it so that the surface becomes abrasive. And abrasive surface will eat your brush a lot faster.

The solution? Proper break-in. Professional RC enthusiasts have complex procedures where they submerge motors in water, use special liquids etc. In my opinion for our tanks we don't have to be so diligent. All we need is for motor with no load to spin long enough that brushes wear out (without sparking) to take the form of the rotor.

Here's how I do that with my tanks. I unpack the tank, put the batteries in, remove threads so there is no load on the driving wheels and then press the lowest speed on the controller. I let the tank run like that for 15 minutes and then run it in reverse. Then forward again, and so on until my batteries are dead. You do not have to sit there with the controller, I put it on the floor and put some heavy object against button on the controller. Once this process is done - that's it, the tank is good to go for your normal driving.

Because overall VsTank components usually last a lot longer than your racing-style RC cars and trucks this little trick will make sure your motor will last a long time as well.

Tiger I back in the snow!

The last few weeks the temperature was around +5C - all the snow had melted. Finally cold front came into the area, overnight temperature dropped to -15C and we had some snow. Great time for my Tiger driving...

T-72M1 finally arrived

Well, the long-awaited VsTank Pro T-72M1 has finally arrived at my doorstep. And there is much to be happy about!

First of all because T-72 is the most mass-produced modern main battle tank (MBT) and it is in service in over 40 countries worldwide. Secondly, up until now no other manufacturer has made an RC version of T-72. And finally the fact that ToyEast is the first to make one sets the benchmark high enough that we are not only talking RC tank, but an RC tank that rivals in details and appearance static collector tank models.

Let's look at the outside of the tank. This modification of the T-72, the T-72M1, is actually a soviet export version, with thicker armor, and 7+5 smoke grenade dischargers on turret front. The tank also comes with external fuel tanks mounted at the rear. A notable detail - under the external tanks there is a wooden log that would be used on the prototype in case the tank gets stuck in deep snow or mud. Another notable detail - turret's shape and texture looks exactly like the real cast turret with minor wobbles and bumps. The tank has front headlights that light up when tank is moving forward. In the dark room they look particularly nice!

Overall the outside appearance of the tank is so detailed - the tank can be used as a stationary model alone! But why stop there, let's put in it some batteries and see what it is really capable of.

First, the controller. For those familiar with other VsTanks Pro, nothing has changed here. The controller includes

• 3 Forward speeds
• 2 Reverse speeds
• Left and Right turn buttons that together with different forward and reverse speeds can give different turn radii
• Buttons to rotate in place at different rates
• Turret rotation
• Gun elevation
• Cannon fire
• Machine gun fire
  

The controller used 6 AA batteries. Based on my previous experience fresh set of batteries lasts about 6-12 month depending on how often I play with the tank.

The tank itself needs 8 AA batteries to run. I always use NiMH rechargeable batteries. The manufaturer's claimed runtime on freshly charged batteries is 60 minutes, though I think this is conservative - I find it is close to 90 minutes before batteries need recharging.

The tank comes with soft rubber threads. One word - superb traction! You may have seen promo videos where the tank is climbing 60 degrees. Well, this is thanks to these rubber threads and low center of gravity (well and strong engine as well, but that's a given).

When running indoors I rarely use speed higher than 1 - the tank is strong enough to climb books and other obstacles. When running outside in the snow where there is a lot more resistance I have to run at speed 2. At speed 3 motors produce so much power that tank goes way too fast under even heavy running conditions. The only time it may be needed is when playing in a group and one wants to tow a disabled friendly tank off the battlefield :)

One notable feature of the tank's movement is that at the low speed the movement starts gradually, not the abrupt full speed gain. This makes it look realistic, as if the driver accelerates realistically.

Another interesting and usefull feature is the turning ability at the speed 2 and 3. If you press the lower turn button while moving one thread stops and the other continues to move giving the tank very sharp turn radius. But if you press the upper turn button then one thread slows down and another one continues to go at full speed giving the tank a larger turn radius. Needless to say, this is how it all works on the real tank as well :)


The tank I received is an arisoft version - the cannon shoots 6mm airsoft BB's.

Ah... the infamous VsTank airsoft cannon. Put some empty tin cans in your running area and go for a shooting spree! Aiming, firing, seeing cans bounce is fun all by itself. Just remember to wear safety glasses and be careful that there are no other people or pets in the vicinity.

Well, there you have it folks. Another tank in a VsTank Pro series, encapsulating all the latest and greatest of VsTanks in a never before produced model - Soviet T-72. Great running capabilities, great detail, long battery runtime, powerful airsoft cannon. All in one and all for just a hundred bucks!

Where to buy: eBay or www.ToyEast.com

Tiger in the snow...