Tamiya German Tank Panther A - 56601
(Radio Controlled Model Review)

  Released by Tamiya on December 8, 1999, the German Tank Panther A (#56601) is based on a plastic tub chassis, with a rear-mounted double gearbox driven by two 280 electric motors, that operate together or individually to produce forward/reverse running and pivot turning. A DMD Control Unit (T-02) is also provided, which consists of a FET amplifier for running of the motor and a control unit for precise steering. These technologies provide the user with superb control potential, including forward/reverse, rolling turns, pivots and super-pivots, over a wide range of speeds.

  In June 1941, the fearsome war machine of the Wehrmacht rolled into Russia to be greeted by an even more powerful force, the new Russian KV-1 and T-34 tanks. The sloped armor and powerful 76.2mm gun equipped T-34 made it both offensively and defensively superior to the main tanks of the Wehrmacht at that time, the Pz.Kpfw.III and Pz.Kpfw.IV. To rectify this imbalance, Germany started work on the Panzerkampfwagen V, more commonly known as the Panther. Like the T-34, its armor was constructed with ample slopes. It was mounted with a 70caliber 75mm main gun which could penetrate the armor of a T-34 at even a frontal assault. The Model A Panther was equipped with various improvements over the Model D version, including a ball-mounted hull machine gun, stronger wheel fixings and an armored cupola in the turret.

Rating: 4 RCScrapyard

Electric Motors for RC Models

Q/  What does 15x2 or 17x3 mean?
A/  The first number relates to the number of times the wires are wound round each of the 3 armature segments, the second number relates to the number of wires side by side. So a 15x2 would have 2 wires laid side by side and wrapped around each segment 15 times.

Q/  What is the difference in performance between a Low Turn motor (eg 11x1) and a High Turn motor (eg 27x1)?
A/  A Motor with Less Turns like an 11x1 means high current draw from the batteries which corresponds to less runtime, but More Power (Torque or Punch) Best for tracks with lots of corners and short straights where fast acceleration is needed. (use a small pinion)
Motors with More Turns like a 27x1 give you More runtime, but Less Power. So you get a smoother response and are therefore easier to drive. Better for less experienced drivers and Long straight, sweeping corner tracks. (with a large pinion). This is correct for Brushed, Modified and Stock Motors as well as Brushless Motors.

Q/  How do the number of winds effect a motor?

Bumpsteer

   In plain language, Bumpsteer is exactly what it sounds like. If your car goes over a bump, it will affect the toe-in setting and can on some tracks make handling of the car in a straight line difficult.

   To check if your car might have any problems with bumpsteer, have it in race mode, with the motor and battery etc in position. Place the car on a flat surface and push down your car at the front. Looking down from above, keep a close eye on the wheels and watch for any angular movement to the side. If there is then you have bumpsteer.

   For off road cars, because of them having longer dampers in comparison to on road, a small amount of toe out is considered by many as acceptable in the lower position and can sometimes be used as a tuning option because of its aggressive effect on turning ability when entering corners. On road cars, because of the shorter damper movement and the greater need for precise steering and stability in a straight line, generally have less of a problem. However if bumpsteer is detected, drivers generally try to eliminate this as much as possible.