RichJohnson

You may have seen my Leopard 1 updating build over the last two years. Leopard 1 updating build
That was a double meaning, I updated the tank to more modern standards to compete on a modern battlefield with modeling changes as well as I experimented with the chassis and turret to update it to modern RC standards as a full option RC IR tank.
With that project completed successfully I am moving on to my collection of NIB tanks to use the process I developed in the updating build.
With everything I have collected I have 3 and a half tanks.
It breaks down like this, one used clutch drive chassis/hull, one used clutch drive chassis only, one 2000s era static kit, one 80s era motorized plastic hull kit and two Perfect Scale 1/1a5 turret kits.
The motorized kit I paid a ton of money for because it has a dual motor tranny picture on the box and was new but turns out its not worth buying. it has a plastic hull plastic arms with molded on tortion bars and a cheesy dual hobby motor weak tranny with a wired hand remote control. So the used clutch drive chassis with worn out wheels and missing parts will be substituted under that build. The used chassis/hull will get one of the 1/1a5 turrets as will the "Motorized" kit.

I am preparing right now to modify the arms for bearings and then run all the wheels through my buddy's lathe when hes not doing jeep jobs. Then I will convert the shocks to operational with springs and guides as before, with two per side in the rear and one per side in the front. Last for the chassis will be converting the return rollers over to ball bearings. I did this successfully on the 1a7 updating build but ti wipes out the detail on the return roller. Since I plan on at least one early plain Leopard 1 without side skirts I may not put them on that tank and run the rollers as is, though I experienced lost rollers on the 1a7 build from them wearing too much and just sliding off thats what prompted the bearing conversion. I probably should just do the bearings on all the tanks. Last is the trany conversions. The Static kit tank will receive a custom ETO tranny while the other two will receive henglong tranys.

Crius

Rich, have you seen the A4 leopard for sale in the classified section? He says it's ready to run, even comes with the spektrum radio, and he only wants $300 for it. I'm not sure if that's a good price or not, but I would say any running tamiya tank for 300 bucks would be a decent price.

RichJohnson

pleeeeaaase don’t tempt me…….

Pcomm1.v2

Rich, Appreciate that your pursuing the Leopard builds, very cool. I modeled the Tamiya Leopards and Gepard for a few years and then moved on, but kept two Leos.

RichJohnson

Very nice clean models John!

Durahl

Tamiya has, with the release of the #56020 Leopard 2A6, introduced a Turret Bearing Race you can get as a standalone spare part ( you'll need 3 separate Bags: The 5-Piece Bearing Race, a Bag of Bearing Balls and a set of Tamiya self-tapping Screws ) that is super nice for any build that fits it and was so far also used in the JGSDF Type 10 and M1A2 Abrams - The concept has since also been adopted into the M551 Sheridan and Centurion Mk. III but there it is part of the Hull and or Turret itself and as such cannot be used elsewhere.
I've used it when I turned my Display Model #36208 Gepard into a Full Option Model and with my D.I.Y. E-100: E-100 Fidget Spinner - IMHO, highly recommended!

RichJohnson

There is almost no room between the turret and the hull on the 1a4. The turret basically sits on the hull. How did you fit the thickness of that bearing race between your gepeard turret and the hull? Did you cut out the bottom of the turret to install it?
On my 1a7 build I glued a styrene strip around the hull ring and then cut the tabs off the turret and glued new ones under to allow it to raise up .010" Worked just fine so far.

jha13

Hi,
there is a shop in germany that sells some parts for the Tamiya Leopard 1.
Among other things, there is also a conversion kit for the Leopard 2 bearing race so that it can be fitted exactly to the Leopard 1A4.
https://www.der-emma-laden.de/leopard-1/

This is my Leopard 1 :

Crius

Well, he tempted me on the Pershing, but I've tried to contact him by private message, by profile message, and by leaving a post in his for sale thread and I haven't heard anything back. I noticed that the guy only has three posts and two of them are classified ads so he's probably just missing the notification of the messages. Hopefully. If that Pershing runs as well as he says it does, comes with the radio, and he only wants $500, I'd have to snap that up. Now if I can only get a hold of the seller!

RichJohnson

JHA13, I have bought parts from Der Emma Laden. He makes nice stuff. Im going to use his gun mount system in the A4 turret. I just didnt care to have to convert the whole turret bottom to rollers and such. The way I did my 1A7 has worked out fine. And for my round turrets from Perfect Scale, I would not be able to use that roller system any way.
What brand is your turret?
How did you make your front fenders? I plan to build the same early plain Leopard 1 with one of mine and will need to build up that fender type after cutting off the tamiya later design for side skirts.

jha13

It´s the turret from EMMA-Laden.
The front fender made by cutting appart a piece and glued on some pices..

RichJohnson

His turret looks so nice but after buying two perfect scale turrets which I think are not nearly as good, I am stuck and spent on money. Thanks for the pics on the fenders. I will be building that for at least one of my three tanks. I cant believe I will have 4 leopards when Im all done. Wanting to build an early Leo1 turned into a bizarre addiction.

Durahl

I cut both the Turret and the Hull:

The respective Turret Ring Parts were mounted flush into the Upper Hull / Lower Turret parts after cutting the original Turret Ring out with the help of a Stencil.
Gaps between them were filled with micro sized glass beads and then Superglued ( after backing the rear with Masking Tape ) together.

Video of it in action:

Shagnifico

Do you guys know if the metal tub in the gepard is interchangeable with the metal tub in the Leo 1?

bowlman

There the same
Thanks
Jimmy

afv aficionado

Just saw on RC Tank Warfare, Hooben has put out a Leopard 1A5. Looks nice..... BUT Hooben....
Apparently metal hull - https://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/foru...ic.php?t=33887 -

Mal

RichJohnson

As much as I would like to buy that, I’ve had my turn as the Guinea pig with hooben. Who else wants to buy it and try it out.

cleong

William Feng responded that it would be an assembly kit, but he wouldn’t reply if it was injection moulded or 3D printed parts.

I too have a soft spot for cast-turret Leopard 1s…

RichJohnson

His price point is not bad if its a good kit. Sheesh and im on all these leopards right now..... If its a kit, I hope its not 3d printed. Are you going to buy one?
That perfect scale turret Ive got is a serious pain to convert to RC. Really. And i have two of them. Im thinking more and more about just spending more money to get the Der Emma Laden turret....

tankme

It looks like the same nylon tracks and sprockets they are using on the Hooben ZTZ-99A I have. I haven't run my ZTZ outside yet so I can't comment on the durability, but the gearboxes in the ZTZ are really noisy. If they are the same tracks they are narrower than the HL and Tamiya tracks. Seeing that the ZTZ has track skirts like this one, the HL and Tamiya tracks won't fit it as they won't fit under the skirts of my ZTZ.

Shagnifico

Thanks man. I wonder why they don’t cost the same at afv-model.

Crius

The way prices can change from vendor to vendor has always baffled me. Here's just one example, the Ford GPA. When it was first released I looked at getting one directly from Torro but once you added shipping it would have been about $325 by the time it got to my door. Then motion RC started carrying them and I picked one up for $160 with free shipping. If you haven't checked out motion RC yet I do recommend them, they have a lot of good stuff and pretty good prices. Right now I'm looking at that small LCT they have, but since I still don't even have a place to run the GPA in the water I think I should calm down a little bit and save my money.

Shagnifico

Afv-model sells a metal tub for the leo1 and they (afv-model) also sell a metal tub for the gepard. They have different item numbers and the price is different. That’s why I asked.

RichJohnson

So Lillian twin horse told me the leopard 1a5 is not a kit, it is RTR. Steel tub, 3d everything else. I asked about the wheel arms and she sent me a picture and said the arms have a steel upgrade for $120.

RichJohnson

Work has continued slower than I usually progress on models. Ive been working on one step at a time rather than jump around. I just didnt feel like it, although I have been working on my a1 turret. What project that is to RC.
Anyway here is 3 leopard1 tanks worth of wheels that I turned on the lathe front and back to recess the flanged bearings into.
I have already hacked and drilled and tapped 3 sets of suspension arms so the next step is to assemble up 3 chassis. Then I need to make up my shock absorbers.
My design uses 3 sprung shock absorbers on each side, two rear one front so I will need to make 18 shocks up before I install all the wheels. I should have been working on them while I was waiting for more late at my friends as I had to get in and set up between his jobs, but I just didnt feel like starting another project.