KIT PREVIEW: LARGE-SCALE RC TANKS
TAMIYA 1:16 US AIRBORNE TANK M551 SHERIDAN FULL-OPTION KIT ● KIT NO.5604352 September 2019 TMMI 287T
amiya's new 1:16
radio control M551
Sheridan tank has
arrived at TMMI's
office after months of my
patient waiting; I have been
looking forward to this one
since I first saw it at the
Nuremberg Toy Fair back in
the winter! It's a magnificent
production that comes in
a large, glossy-fronted box
sporting a stunning painting
of the vehicle, plus the
familiar classy graphics.
Slide the cover off and you
are greeted by a slickly
packed interior. Being a
relatively small tank, the
main hull of the M551 kit
is quite compact, certainly
way smaller than Tamiya's
previous model in this range,
the 1:16 RC Abrams (also
coming soon to TMMI).
The upper hull is a highly
detailed moulding that
carries all the sophisticated
features of the 1:35 kit(reviewed last issue) but
the lower hull is formed
from pressed aluminium
sheet which is not only
rigid, but extremely strong
and an ideal material for
the gearbox and numerous
suspension components to be
screwed to.
There are a great many
parts in the box and
you'll need to organise
the screws, nuts, bolts,
washers, bearings, castings
and more into a system to
avoid getting frustrated
when hunting for each part
as assembly progresses.
Anglers' organiser boxes
with moveable inner dividers
can be found for a few
pounds online and are the
perfect thing for building
these complex models and
can be used over and over.
Even though it is a very
involved model, Tamiya's
instructions are impeccable
and will guide even arelative newcomer through
the process. One piece of
advice I can offer when
embarking on a Tamiya RC
tank is to gather everything
you need for the project
before starting the build;
there's nothing worse that
realising you need something
on a Sunday afternoon when
the shops are shut! A full,
step-by-step feature on this
kit will appear in TMMI
soon. Subscribe here:
http://www.doolittlemedia.comSO, WHAT DO YOU GET?
You won't get much change
from £1,000 for this model,
so it's aimed at modellers
with deep pockets (and
forgiving partners too). But
as the saying goes, you get
what you pay for and in this
instance, you get rather a
lot for your cash. Let's take
a look at some of the many
amazing features of this
fantastic kit...- A 60mm speaker with a
bass reflex-duct is provided
for the lower hull. It belts
out deep, rich engine and
gun-firing sounds. Speaker
volume is adjustable via
the transmitter. Don't
annoy your neighbours.
• The barrel of the M81E1
152mm gun/missile-
launcher is actuated via
servo motor and offers a
range of -5 degrees to +15
degrees of elevation. Don't
'fire' at the dog.
• Turret rotation is
controlled via transmitter
and the gun barrel
automatically rises to
avoid contact with the hull
rear.
• Access to the main power
battery is simple: just
remove the left rear side
panel. There is no need to
remove the upper hull like
previous RC tank kits
• Pre-assembled tracks
moulded from tough
TAMIYA 1:16 US AIRBORNE TANK M551 SHERIDAN FULL-OPTION KIT KIT NO.56043relative newcomer through
the process. One piece of
advice I can offer when
embarking on a Tamiya RC• A60mmspeakerwith
bass reflex-duct is provided
for the lower hull. It belts
out deep, rich engine andBIG BEAST IN A BIG BOX!
Tamiya's new 1:16 radio controlledSheridan has landed:
The Editor^can’t wait to get that box open...