01/13/06

ADVANCED MODELING - PAGE 2

How to convert a Bandai Mark IV f2 or Stug IV Kit to a Tamiya Tiger I Full Option status including DMD, sound, recoil, ect.

By Paul Howald  6-20-2001

Disclaimer:  Read the article completely before attempting the modification.  If you do not understand the modification, do not attempt it.  Find someone who understands the modification to help you.  FRAG accepts no liability for any damage caused as a result of this process.

PARTS REQ’D TO UPGRADE BANDAI TANKS:

The first improvement is to replace the original Bandai motors.  This will improve the performance of this kit dramatically.  You have two options for this.  First is to use two 380PH motors available from your local hobby shop.  We used a Traxxas #4578 motor.  The second option is to use two Tamiya motor and gear box sets.   Please note that if you use these, there are required modifications to the tank hull and gear box.  These Tamiya gearboxes can be obtained from Dave4what (refer to links page).  The Tamiya part numbers are 4205017 (left) and 4205018 (right).

 The MF-01 Full Hop-Up Package (#53446) and T-03 DMD (#7255012) can be obtained from Dave4what.com or Tamiya America.

Here is the remaining parts list needed for the conversion.  These parts are also available from Tamiya America or from Rainbow 10 in Japan.  We purchased the parts from Rainbow 10.  To contact either Dave4what, Tamiya America or Rainbow 10, refer to the links page.

NOTE 1:  The following part numbers are from the Tamiya 1/16^th Tiger I kit.

NOTE 2:  All parts marked with ** are included in the MF-01 Full Hop-Up Package (#53446) and should be ordered for the Mark IV.  For the Stug, order the parts separately because you don’t need the Turret Traverse items (motor, black ring, etc).

NOTE 3:  The MF-01 Full Hop-Up Package (#53446) and T-03 DMD (#7255012) can be obtained from Dave4what.com or Tamiya America.

NOTE 4:  The MF-01 Full Hop-Up Package (#53446) includes some hardware needed, but not all.  The remainder can be purchased at your local hobby shop or hardware store or you can order Screw Bag A (#9415561) and Bag C (#9465563).  Keep in mind that you will only use some of the parts in Bags A and C.  The hardware you will need includes:

TIPS FOR INSTALLING TAMIYA FIRING/SOUND SYSTEM INTO BANDAI STUG IV & PzKpfw IV f2

All of the following comments are based on converting the Bandai Mark IV f2 but will work for the Bandai Stug kit, and possibly the Bandai Hummel and Tiger.  PLEASE READ EVERYTHING BEFORE STARTING TO CONVERT.  

NOTE: Item 3, 4 and 13 do not apply to converting the Stug IV (its turret does not traverse).

My list of tips is not in order of construction.

1. Having built the Tamiya Tiger 1 first is definitely a benefit in knowing how things go together.  Having the Tamiya Tiger instructions also helps to understand how to adapt the Bandai kit.  If you don’t have a copy, send an email to FRAG, give us your address and we will mail you a copy.

2. There is ample room to mount all the Tamiya goodies.  But, the two 7.2v batteries will not lay side by side as they do in the Tiger.  I used electrical tape to hold them on top of each other with the top one pushed forward so that 2.5” of the two batteries overlap.  This provides clearance for the Turret Traverse Motor (not applicable to Stug IV).  They set in the starboard rear area of the body. The battery wires face to the rear and I glued the clear plastic clips together (back to back).  This makes it a lot easier when disconnecting them, as I do not remove the batteries from the tank to charge them.  All I do is open the two rear engine deck hatches, reach in and connect the wires to a charger.  Otherwise you have to remove the four screws and take the hull off each time to recharge the batteries.  The MF-01, T-03 and R/C receiver all set behind the motors, with the MF-01 on the starboard side (right) under the batteries and the R/C receiver sets behind the T-03 unit on the port (left) side.  The T-03 is tilted up a little. I glued the R/C receiver wire around the inside of the hull body, but not over the motors.  Run the last bit of antenna back down the center of the tank toward the speaker unit.

3. Cut out the area in the hull deck where the black Turret Ring will insert, but cut it only large enough to fit with as little slop as possible.  I found that mounting the three 1” diameter black nylon rollers underneath does not really help.  An opening just big enough for the Turret Ring works fine.

4. I had to shim the Turret Traverse Motor by ¼” to position it the correct height below the hull deck so it will engage the Turret Ring in the right position.  DANGER!!!  I made the mistake of gluing the Turret Ring in place so that the Gun Elevation Motor would set at the back center (the only place the motor can set), only to find out that the blind spot on the black Turret Ring (no teeth in the ring) was then positioned at the back of the turret, and as a result the turret will not rotate very far to the right.  SOLUTION: Don’t mount the Gun Elevation Motor to the Turret Ring in its normal spot.  Either mount it directly to the turret floor (a thicker shim may be needed) or modify it to mount on the Turret Ring in a different position (3/32” shim is needed).  The Turret Ring must be glued into the turret so that the blind spot faces directly to the front.   This will allow the turret to rotate 350 degrees, with half the turn in each direction. NOTE:  Tamiya now makes a ring without the blind spot thereby alleviating the entire problem.

5. I add a small piece of wire to each hatch to simulate a handle and act as a locking device to keep the hatch shut when the tank is in operation. The wire is bent at 90 degrees underneath.

6. Take the speaker out of the Tamiya box.  Mount it inside the rear Bandai hull, face down, with shims and screws, or glue it in place, but leave some area underneath for the sound to get out.  I put it in the port side rear corner. There is no room for the box.  This method also gives a higher pitch tone to the sound, so that it simulates a smaller Mayback cylinder engine, not as “deep throated” as the Tiger Maybach would be.

7. To power these Bandai kits, I used Traxxas 380 PH electric motors (#4578) from the local hobby shop ($12.00 ea.).  I tried Radio Shack 12v motors for $3.00 each and they are “too” under powered.

8. There is a little black on/off switch box that goes to the T-03 unit.  I mounted this to the port side of the lower body, just under the front driver’s hatch.  Because of the type of Tamiya plastic material used, it will not stick very well to the side wall, even with super glue, so I fashioned a styrene enclosure around it.  Styrene sticks very well to the Bandai plastic with super glue, and this holds the switch box in place. I still glued the switch box inside the styrene enclosure.  Now you can open the hatch and reach in to turn on the controls.

9. Do not glue the plastic barrel together without first inserting the gun flash unit.  There is not enough room to slide it in afterwards.  I also had to extend the barrel length with a piece of styrene tube.   The extra piece is needed inside the turret so the barrel sticks out of the Mantlet the right length.  How long you make the styrene piece depends on which prototype tank you are modeling.  I added about 1.5” for a PzKpfw IV “G”.  There is a little black clip (J3 and J4) on the Barrel Recoil Unit that the barrel (i.e. styrene piece) slips into, after you cut it to fit.  Part of each side of the styrene piece has to be shaved off.   I glued it in place.

10. I put the Machine Gun Flash Unit in the mantlet, but it sure gets crowded.  It can be installed in the hull body as well.  Your choice.  Or get creative and put two working MGs in the tank, by splicing the wiring before the plug that fits into the MF-01.

11. In order to get the barrel to raise and lower a fair amount of distance, I had to shave some of the top and bottom of the mantlet off.  It still binds a little and doesn’t raise like it should, but it works well enough.

12. Be sure to solder a capacitor across the + / - terminal of each motor.  This helps to eliminate interference with the R/C receiver.  However, if you get a high pitch sound as the motors start up, you will have to solder 2 additional capacitors, one from each terminal to the motor case.

13. I was able to screw mount all the goodies that go inside the turret.  This is how Tamiya does it in the Tiger 1.  The only thing else I had to do, was shorten the length of the threaded rod that connects the two white plastic adjuster clips that go over the brass ball connectors.  These two white pieces have to be about 7/8” long when threaded together.  Otherwise they bind up inside the turret.  This is part of the reason the barrel won’t raise and lower as much as Tamiya designed.  The Bandai turret doesn’t have as much clearance.

14. DANGER: Do not hook a 4.8v battery direct to the R/C receiver.  Each R/C transmitter usually comes with a 4.8v battery pack to plug into the receiver.  Do not do this, as the receiver draws its power thru the MF-01 from the 7.2v battery.

15. I originally installed a 6 channel Futaba 6XAS unit and until I recycled the MF-01 and T-03 units thru their “self check” sequence, one of the functions would not work.  Either the main gun or MG would not fire.   This self correction process does not work all the time. So it is far better to use a 4 channel system than a 6.  Tamiya designed this goodie package to go with a 4 channel, not 6.  But if you are going to add an Infra Red firing system other than Tamiya’s, you may need at least a 5^th channel. You really need the Tamiya Tiger 1 instructions to know how to operate and service the whole MF-01 and T-03 system.

16. I used Kenny Kong Metal Tracks to give more weight and traction to my Bandai model.  This adds about $130 of cost to the project.

Have fun and send pictures when you are done.