Heng Long M1A2 Abrams RC Tank Review - model kit rc pros and cons review

This M1A2 Abrams rc tank is reviewed to see the quality and performance of this model kit

[Kburn]

A few tips re. "upgrades" from someone who have a few of these, including the Tamiya ones. Easiest tip is store your tank's hull on a block of wood, so that the tracks don't make contact with the ground when not in use. Your suspension will spoil within months if you leave the full weight of the tank on it constantly. The best upgrade you can give your tank is a good paintjob and weathering. That'll beat out any "realism" mods you buy. The next tip is metal =/= better. Metal =more weight = strained drivetrain=need for better motors = need for stronger gearbox. The tank's suspension will get worse and less realistic the more weight you put on it. The only thing that really needs to be metal is probably the drive sprocket. If you're good enough, get a programmable radio (OpenTX) to program in things like gearing, inertia or additional lights. Good luck and have fun. I've come across from scale modelling to RC tanks, and can't go back anymore.

[somethingmorerealistic]

As a old gunner for a tanker this RC makes me smile hearing the sounds

[beesod]

the turtle was like "Mama! Mama! is that you!" fun stuff. What a fun rig, Thanks Francis!

[JIPPERR_]

These tanks are a lot of fun and the electronics included are getting more sophisticated with each new version. I've had a heng long leopard 2a6 for over a year now. Its definitly worth it to get metal tracks and wheels, make sure you get a recent version of the control board. I have a big nimh battery that lives in mine, it's always got enough charge in it for a garden patrol. Driving experience is like a crawler but with tracks the approach to obstacles is different. Tracks can jam up on sticks and rocks so mind the terrain you run it on. Lots of fun, the control board supports many optional functions for those willing to tinker with ot a bit. Cheers!

[Suzukii-DIY]

Tanks a lot for your video. We learned the hard way with our 7 tanks. The changing of the battery exercise sucks bad since we must flip the tanks over to remove the battery from underneath. What a displeasure dealing with the power switch's location. I would've only purchased 1 or 2 instead just for the experience.
Our Walker Bulldog right out of the box came with a burnt smoke unit which was Intermittently failing. Fortunately, the MotionRC tank support guy is great, pleasant, fun to deal with and very patient whilst having me as his hands to open up the tank and get to the bottom of the problems which ultimately resulted in us now waiting for a new smoke unit since we really wanted to keep the tank and not go for a refund/exchange experience.
Anyhow, sorry for the rant, and keep up the good work with the videos and the content coverage 👍.

[CertsUAsPilot]

The tracks tend to come off so I added two ball bearings to support each drive shaft. This upgrade takes out all the play from each drive shaft and keeps tracks at proper tension.
While I had the gear box opened up, I replaced all the bushings with ball bearings. This upgrade should reduce drag and lower temperature for the motors. I also added a larger battery pack to the front to balance out as current configuration has an uneven weight distirbution which mostly comes from the gear boxes. The turret was upgraded with a 12 channel slip ring which allows it to rotate pass 360 degrees. My tank did not come with barrel recoil. I upgraded it and it's now a double action recoil. Thanks for sharing the video.

[focuszx]

Good stuff! Thank you for bringing different segments of the hobby to the channel.

[darrylcarpenter]

I love this. I also have a Heng Long tank, a Tiger 1. Its got 360 degree turret rotation, all metal except hull.
I added a shorty 4000mA battery and it works great. Definitely a very cool rc tank.

[twain]

I have 2 of these from when they first came out and I had to buy the metal parts. There are a number of upgrades to do with these including actual gun recoil and 360 turret rotation. I also have the Tamiya version and it is loaded with features this is why it is so expensive.

[RicktheCrofter]

I had the Heng Long M-4 Sherman. One of my grandsons took it out onto grass and got it stuck. Broke something inside. I thought it had stripped the drive gears, but when I took it apart, the gearboxes looked fine. I can’t figure out why it won’t drive anymore. It’s a static model now. So I just replaced it with the $200.00 version of the M-1A2 Abrams. Fun to play with so far. I agree the manual is a bit confusing. I always leave the turret a bit off center to expose the hatch to the on/off switch when I turn it off. I added some custom painting and “nose art” decals. Painted the tank commander. Add backpacks and pouches to the railings. Extra ammo cans, crates, and Jerry cans in the external storage racks. I am planning to add some Velcro to the base of the tank commander, so he doesn’t fall out, as seen in this video; but will also allow me to remove him when I want to button up the hatches.

[whyandaccount]

10:24 The recoil modelling is faulty. Yes, if the gun is pointing to the direct front you would get some "rock back" with the hull (mainly with the suspension, not the drive sprockets turning). But here the gun is at 10 O'clock but somehow the recoil somehow turns a corner (Newton wants to know why its not conforming with his 3rd law of motion) and still pushes the tank directly back.

[disciplinerc]

Yeah it definitely needs adjusting after the first run. I treated it like a crawler and with the metal treads it just didn't hack it. None the less, after a while you just get it and it's a load of fun!!

[ruftime]

Interesting!
Love MotionRC! Great people and products. Been buying planes from them for a decade now😎

[wardkline]

Its great we can always rely on an honest review from Francis(Frank?), and the running videos are always fun!

[jasontorre]

I have pair of Henglong tanks, Tiger 1 and a Sherman. Both of mine are version 6 systems. Version 6 has much more flexibility. 4 engine sounds, different gun noises . My tanks came with 1800 mimi amp batteries. They only last about 5 minutes. With a 5000 milap nim battery I have run times over 30 minutes.
Great value for the money and lots of fun!

[Some_Cat_]

I've recently got a Challenger 2 in dark green with the metal tracks and hardened steel gears. It's awesome but I'll definitely be getting a 4000 mAH battery. 20 minutes playtime from the 1800 it comes with just isn't enough. I was wondering where the off switch is so I'm glad you mentioned it. Also, I absolutely love your adorable tortoise. Nature's tank! 😍🐢✨

[steveblackbird]

I love the Heng Long tanks. I have a V1 or V2 Leopard from the 90's and it's still going after a few small repairs here and there.
Very different controller.
It's all plastic with no smoke or sounds. still fires the cannon though lol.
Great fun!!

[mikerussell]

Looks cool. I have the german model. Wish we could buy these in build it yourself kits. That would Eliminate the missing lock tight. Cheers.

[gamingstokr]

I was happily surprised to see you looking at a tank. I have three. 1 Taigen and 2 Torros. It's a different kind of fun, but fun none the less.

[ThePckupelan]

thanks for bringing this up, definitely tank is gonna be my next crawler.