US M1A2 Abrams Army Tank

Realistic in every way? Smoke, Sounds, Shooting!

Cheap parts broke, now I got trash

Alright, many points to go over here so let me try to keep everything in mind.. Thing the first, i have just finished assembly of the (included) parts. I'm also concurrently working on the heng long m41a3, now for anyone who remembers when hobby stores were more prevalent or old hands at model building you will appreciate that there is a good deal of work involved in getting the final product looking like what you think you're buying. That being said, this is a model kit; it's not your average r/c toy and you need to understand what you're getting before you make the purchase. Brass tacks: it's good if you treat it carefully and you can modify it to your liking as much as you wish. However, it is not really a toy. If you want toy tanks there's other vendors. If you're an enthusiast or looking for a project then alright, it's probably for you. Thing the second: the 1:16 scale m1 is HUGE. the model is nearly 2 feet total length, if you don't have room to even store it on a shelf.. it's not for you. Alright so meat and potatoes... this kit is pretty good for the price considering what you get. If you've been around in the model building world for a while then you already know it's practically a giveaway at this price. Gripes: I have a few but most can be solved with custom painting or aftermarket mods, biggest one is going to be the periscopes and targeting systems. They have no lenses in the kit, you wiĺl have to either find someone to make some for you or manufacture them yourself. Performance and durability mods can be solved with aftermarket parts you can buy from HL. OR parts any intermediate model builder can create themselves. TLDR: this kit is mainly geared towards enthusiasts who want to mod the product, not as a toy for kids, however you can use it as such (i'd recommend supervision for younger users). If it's a family project or show piece then i suppose value is up to you. As far as r/c 1:16 scale kits, this seems a steal to me for collectors and model enthusiasts. All functions work, came as promised in good condition with 2 batteries and all advertised parts. 10/31/25 update: It's not a tamiya, it's never going to be. You could spend 3k on a heng long, put in the extra work and make it nearly like the real steel. But hey, you bought heng long. Tk 7.0 mainboards are solid and the base kit is amazing for the price. Give it a little paint and tlc and you have a model kit that not only will last and look good.. but YOU CAN ALSO PLAY WITH IT XD. putting in some mod pics here since it's taking me much longer than the hl m41a3 to finish. Will update later (if i ever finish it) hehe! As to the airsoft bb shooting... just don't. Yes it works, it's terrible in terms of airsoft, and if you're into mock battles.. well it doesn't have much impact force.... but i wouldn't want my hard work shot at with them. Stick to the infrared if you want to fight other tanks. Buy airsoft guns if you want to pretend to shoot things. :) Hope this helps! 2025/11/2- last update didnt post. Current progress in pics.

First you will need 6 AA batteries for the controller. Okay, there are two serious RC tank manufacturers out there, and only two. Tamiya, which has a price tag of 1000.00 dollars minimum. Then there are the Heng Long tanks, that offer serious value, and can easily be upgraded as needed. This bad boy is 1/16th scale, and it is massive, at over 24 inches long and 7 inches tall, your not messing around. The WWII figure looks out of place, but it is always included, and can easily be swapped out if needed. Included features are: - Latest Generation TK7.0 Multi-Function Control Board (MFCB). - Proportional acceleration, steering, turret traverse, and gun elevation/depression. - Programmable radio settings for the amount of recoil, the sensitivity in turns, the overall sensitivity in acceleration, high speed and low speed modes, etc.. - Smoke effect (On/Off). - Headlights and Brake lights (On/Off). - Volume (five settings including Off). (So much volume that in house we use just level 1) - Four different sound sets. Each contains a unique engine start, idle, accelerating, traverse, elevate, machine gun, cannon firing, and shutdown sound. - "Track Recoil" (Three settings from low, medium, and high) -This shudders the tank briefly rearward to simulate recoil when firing the main cannon. - "Barrel Recoil" that physically retracts the barrel during the firing sequence - Fires a 6mm plastic BB (10 meters with minimal accuracy and limited velocity, but should still be treated with caution and with adequate eye protection). We disabled this, because we play indoor, with which is included. - Fires an invisible IR signal to be used as part of Heng Long's Infrared Battle System, which disables other tanks when hit five times during simulated combat. Up to 20 tanks at the same time can battle each other! - Independent suspension on all road wheels, with metal suspension arms. - 2S 7.4v 1800mAh Li-ion battery with XT60 connector (THis version, all my other tanks are old Tamiya connectors). - 2S USB LiPo/Li-ion battery charger. - 12-Channel 2.4GHz radio transmitter. - Magnetic Infrared (IR) battle system receiver. - Painted cosmetic accessory parts. - Adhesive decal sheet. - 6mm plastic BBs (50 Pack). (These are your standard airsoft affair). - 2x spare track links. - Smoke oil. - Complete instruction manual (which is sort of awkward to understand, but don't let that stop you from all the fun!). So, with the included IR system, you can purchase another 1/16th Heng Long tank like a Sherman and duke it out for some serious fun. I have a few Heng Long tanks already, and on seriously hot summer days or extremely chilly winter days, I charge them all up and the kids and I play indoor IR battles. Just make sure to purchase the other tanks on the same 7.0 upgraded battle system for the best compatibility. If your on the fence about what this is all about, there are plenty of videos out there on RC tank battles, and for all out indoor fun you don't need all the metal upgrades and stuff. Don't even need FPV stuff, just get the basic models and start playing. We built a whole bunch of WWII houses out of cardboard to sneak around and sneak up on with. With engine noise, and smoke it is tough, but such a blast. What sets this version apart from Tamiya tanks is that the IR battle system is already installed, configured and included, so no need to spend another 250+ dollars on that!

Nice works good, problem is some parts don't lock on very good and fall off. No way listed to order replacement pieces. I already lost one piece.

I did not order the exact tank in this listing, but I do own two other Heng Long RC 1/16th scale tanks (including one M1A2 Abrams Version 7.0) and have owned several HL Abrams in the past. What follows are some tips which may help other hobbyists and parents. First off, it should be noted for parents that these larger scale (1/16th) radio controlled (RC) Heng Long (HL) tanks are hobby grade and not toy grade. What does that mean? It means that you need to have a bit of maturity and modeling experience to read through the manual, add the included detailing and a few drops of smoke fluid, and then insert the battery and be up and rolling. Buying a $200+ Heng Long RC tank and handing it to an unsupervised nine-year-old is a recipe for a broken tank in short order. These tanks are not toys and many smaller children will either have the treads off or run the canon barrel into a wall or some such. Instead, attentive parents who have a bit of modding skill will be much better able to guide (and observe) a nine-year-old over their shoulder for a better experience. Of course, many of these tanks are purchased by adults who simply like modding them or wish to enter them in IR (infrared) tank battles, which can also be a fun endeavor. As to the M1A2 Abrams, it is a blast. You get 6 DOF motion (the barrel moves up/down in addition to the 4 DOF on the ground), a turret which turns 320 degrees, an cannon which fires real 6 mm Airsoft BBs, hull recoil effects as the tank fires (which can be set to three levels), a machine gun with a LED that lights as it fires, head and tail lights, several different sounds (startup, moving, shutdown, cannon fire, etc...) and even an included smoker unit which is supposed to mimic an Abrams starting a smoke screen (many new tankers think the smoker is supposed to mimic exhaust gases but the Abrams turbine engine produces no smoke by design). All of this is controlled (on 2021 and later models) from a TK 7.0 or 7.1 multi-function unit (MFU) which acts as the "brain" of the tank. These units offer several new features not seen on the circa 2017 TK 6.0 and 6.1 receiver/mainboards. The only real downside in the stock "basic" versions of the M1A2 Abrams is the low capacity 1800 mAh battery, which only lasts for about ~ 20 minutes. It will likely be the very first thing you wish to upgrade. Aside from the battery, Heng Long was able to address some long standing issues with their latest Abrams models. Notably, the correct turbine sound files are now used (the M1A2 Abrams uses a 1500 hp turbine instead of a normal diesel engine, and the turbine produces a sound more similar to a jet engine) instead of the old diesel engine sounds of a WW II tank. The turn/brake curves are now user adjustable as well. The TK 7.0 boards also allow the cannon recoil effect to be dialed down and adds more realism. The stock Heng Long smoker has been redesigned and now produces more smoke with less overheating problems. Most new users will want to know, Can I use this tank to fight other similar tanks? The answer is yes you can. You can either fight other tanks using the Airsoft cannon or you can use the Heng Long IR (infrared) battle system. With the Airsoft cannon you can either use normal 6 mm Airsoft BBs or you can purchase special 6 mm paintball Bbs (you need the very low density kind that break open at less than 30 fps). The only downside is that they will leave small splatter marks on your or your friend's tank. Almost all large scale tank tournaments use IR (infrared) transmitters and receivers with the Tamiya standard being the most popular. When your cannon fires, you are actually sending out an infrared burst of light to "hit" the enemy tank. Likewise, the receiver on your tank can "register" bursts from other opposing tanks. With the stock Heng Long system, a hit will stun your tank. Five "hits" on the Abrams means that it has been destroyed, and it will then turn off for 10 seconds. If you want to use the nicer Tamiya system, you need an MFU (like IBU, Clark, El-Mod, etc …) that supports it. Either system can be a blast, especially if you take your tank to an event with 20+ other tankers. Plenty of upgrades are available for Heng Long tanks. Some supported officially and some not. You can find mods at online sites such as Heng Long’s official website, Toucan Hobby (Hong Kong), RC Tank Legion (Malaysia), ForgeBear (UK), OzArmour (Australia), Heng Long Panzer.de (Germany), Taigen Tanks (USA), etc ... Most online retailers will sell several versions of the Heng Long Abrams. The highest end versions are called the "Pro" model and feature full metal treads, sprockets, idler wheels, road wheels, and suspension bars. They also typically include 360 rotation mods for the turret, higher grade steel gear transmissions, a larger battery, a cannon recoil mod for the barrel, and even first person view (FPV) video mods that sync with your smartphone. One of the latest mods to come onto the market is the canon smoke mod that shoots out a small puff of actual smoke as your cannon fires. The only downside is that this mod will not work when firing Airsoft BBs. (Some later modders have made both work together, ... check on Youtube.) It will also work when firing IR bursts of light. Many parents willing to spend more (and perhaps knowing little about RC tanks) will go for the more expensive "enthusiast" or "pro" models which feature more metal tracks, sprockets, idlers, and road wheels ... believing that this metal will mean a tougher tank. Actually, for the M1A2 Abrams specifically, it is not a good idea to have metal tracks and wheels unless the lower hull is also upgraded to full metal (which is usually is not, even on "Pro" models). What happens to many of the upgraded models featuring metal tracks is that the mounts where the sprocket or wheels attach to the resin hull take stress from the increased friction and weight of the metal treads, and eventually break away. Some of the upgraded tanks also feature 390 electric motors (instead of the 380s which come stock) which place even more stress on the plastic hull. You can use metal tracks, wheels, and suspension with a plastic hull but in turn the hull must be reinforced, and you need support bars for the wheels (particularly the idler wheels at the front). Also, full metal suspensions can take your Abrams' weight up over eight kg. That means that your battery has to power an increased mass resulting in lower run times. After a fair amount of experience with both the stock models and the several versions of upgraded Abrams, my advice is to use metal sprockets (the two rear driving wheels), add a support bar for the front idlers, but keep everything else plastic including the treads. You will get much longer run times for your battery, and you will not destroy your lower hull. The reason more metal components are favored by some adult enthusiasts is due to the increased traction they provide (the added weight increases the coefficient of friction)(even more traction is provided by the higher grade metal tracks with rubber pads) and so that the tank does not bounce around like a toy. Metal tanks are also better if you mainly ride your tank in dirt and mud and enjoy taking it over obstacles, etc …. Unless that is your niche, I don’t recommend metal wheels and treads. On the topic of mods, many first time buyers wonder what they can mod or do to make their Heng Long Abrams even better. Here is a rough list of many of the more popular mods: MFU Mainboard - The TK 7.0 or 7.1 is fine but there are also the IBU3, IBU2 Ultimate, Taigen Version 3, El-Mod and TK 22/40/60/80 mainboards available from Clark. Some of these boards feature a plethora of extra features and custom options (like homemade sound files) but they also require a familiarity with radio transmitters and receivers to get set up. Roughly $25 for a TK 7.0 board to over $255 for an IBU2 Ultimate/IBU3 or $285 for a Clark TK 80. Also remember that the mainboard must be mated to the correct transmitter (the unit you hold in your hands with two joysticks). Third party transmitters cannot be mated to Heng Long MFU mainboards. Drive Gears – While I don’t recommend metal tracks or wheels, I do recommend steel gears with bearings. These would be Taigen Verson 2 or 3 or the Waterson models. If you want higher speed you want the 3:1 ratio and if you want more torque for an all metal tank, you want the 4:1 or 5:1. Roughly $45 to $70 Smoker - The stock Heng Long version has been upgraded, but if you want even more smoke check out TARR or Lady Jaye smokers. Expensive but nice. Roughly $45 to $70. Smokers aren’t the best fit with the Abrams but they are a great match for most WW II models. The best smoke fluid is called Mega Steam and is widely available. Speaker - The crap tiny speaker can easily be replaced with a dual unit that includes better bass for about $12. If you use an aftermarket MFU like the Clark 60 or IBU2/IBU2 Ultimate/IBU3, you can wire in a 15 watt amp and use a higher end aftermarket speaker that can be heard across an entire football field. Battery - A 5000 mAh NIMH battery will fit nicely into the stock compartment on the underside of the tank. With the stock (plastic) Abrams, this will give you about one hour of run time (or ~ 40 min if your tank is mostly metal). About $40. There are also decent 7000 mAh LiPo batteries for $40, but they require specialized chargers to correctly balance each cell. Battery Charger Mod – All the Heng Long Abrams come with a cheap wall charger that is not particularly good for your battery. Instead, what you want is a Tenergy TB6-B that you can custom set to send 0.5 amps to your NiMH batteries over several hours (say at night). This will not heat up your battery and preserve its life for years to come. You will also need this type of charger if you decide to go with more advanced LiPo batteries. A 5000 mAh LiPo battery is very nice and will power the heaviest tanks but it is also volatile and in the hands of beginners can be a fire hazard. BB Unit - There aren't really any mods to make the BBs come out harder/shoot further. You can buy an all-metal cannon though to fit the Abrams. About $35 to $85 IR Unit – Some Heng Long models and some Abrams versions come with the Heng Long’s IR transmitter and receiver. It should be noted however that the Heng Long receiver ($35) is inferior to the more expensive Tamiya “Apple” ($95). The Heng Long receiver will not register shots from other tanks in direct sun often and also suffers from bounce back (its own “shot” can disable it). For this reason some IR tank battle gatherings insist on the Tamiya receiver, and it is compatible with the Heng Long TK 7.0 and 7.1 MFUs. 360 Hull Turret Rotation Mod - Not included on most lower end HL Abrams models. You can purchase this mod separately but it is a pain in the butt for new modders to get the slip ring set up correctly. About $14 and requires intermediate modding skills. Cannon Recoil Mod - Not included on most lower end HL Abrams models. You can buy a nicer cannon that actually moves backwards as it fires. There are plastic versions of this at $18 all the way up to full metal barrels with metal mechanisms (up to $105). Cannon Barrel Smoke Mod - Makes the cannon emit a puff smoke after it "fires." About $35 but tricky to setup and implement, ... especially if you are also using the 360 degree hull turret rotation mod. Not for beginners. FPV Mod - Allows you to set up a tiny wifi camera in the tank, and then see the corresponding view from your smartphone. Best to set this up from inside the CITV sight assembly that sits atop the turret. Most of the lower end FPV systems suffer from some lag and stutter, especially if the tank is more than about 10 meters from the smartphone. Higher end systems though are almost essential for group combat as this allows you to better sight enemies. (Starting at about $40 to over $200 for a high-end system) Turret Weapons upgrades - These mods include upgrading the sights atop the turret with fake glass or using metal weapons or resin accessories. Some very detailed mods at various RC forums across the net. Anywhere from $5 up … Paint and Decal Mods – Some gifted airbrushers can weather their tanks and add in custom bits to make them almost photorealistic copies of the real Abrams. Others make custom decals or add in tiny hand painted flourishes. I added in five tank kill symbols on my barrel (the sign of a tank ace). Cost dependent upon supplies used. Resin/Acrylic Tank Figures - The stock Abrams comes with an anachronistic poorly molded WW II tank commander that is totally incorrect for the Abrams. At online stores like TankBear and Heng Long Panzer.de (a German site) there are many quality resin figures to choose from, including up-to-date Abrams tank commander figurines. Anywhere from $12 unpainted up to $75 for a hand painted model. Tank Flags - The stock Abrams comes with two (2) radio antennae, and you can add tiny flags to them. My son and I made a tiny flag with the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor to represent my time as a naval aviator with the Marine Corps. We also made a tiny “Trump for Prison 2024” flag that brings us a great deal of laughs. (In the Corps, all ranks (whether enlisted contract, warrant, or commission) pledge to support and defend the Constitution and not some petty wannabe dictator who openly admires Putin.) Magnet mods - The stock Abrams comes with the top screwed into the lower hull. This means any time you want to mod or check something in the interior, it is a real PITA. The way around this is to use magnets so that the top seamlessly mates to the bottom without screws. Search online for build guides. In my opinion this is a must have mod. About $10 for the magnets. Metal tracks, metal sprockets, metal road wheels, metal suspension bars, metal idlers - These do not come standard on the stock Abrams. As mentioned above, the only one of these I recommend (unless you are also willing to spend time to either reinforce your lower hull or buy a full metal lower hull) is the metal sprocket wheels (the two back wheels). (And if you buy metal sprocket wheels, you want the kind with the circular guides in the middle to hold the track and prevent if from slipping off.) All the other wheels I would keep as is. Better battery life, less stress on the lower hull, and easier to find replacements online are the benefits. About $15 for rear metal sprockets alone all the way up to $200 +. Please note there are two types of metal tracks; The cheaper version which comes on all the enthusiast and pro models for ~ $90, and an even more expensive version which includes rubber pads for about $170. Full Metal Lower Hull – If you insist on metal wheels, suspension and tracks, then I recommend a full metal lower hull with support rods. They cost roughly $550 to $700. Pricey … Hull Reinforcement Mod – The regular stock resin hull will flex on you even with only plastic wheels and tracks. Head to Youtube and watch some videos on how various guys reinforce their hulls. I recommend using lightweight 3 mm thick aluminum struts that are bolted together. Rear sprocket bearing mod – These are high-end bearings that go around the protruding drive axles in the back that attach to the rear drive sprockets. These prevent plastic fatigue problems down the road and mean less problems with thrown tracks. (about $15) Loctite Mod - Use a bit of blue Loctite to tighten the bolts holding the rear sprockets to the drive shafts in the back. Also do the same for the front two wheels. Much less problems with thrown tracks. Idler wheel support bars - You can search for the very rare Henntec idler bars or the more common straight support bars for the two front wheels. Greatly helps with preventing thrown tracks. ($15 to $45) There are even more mods than these, but those above will give you a pretty good idea of what is possible. I also recommend watching Stanlley Legion’s videos on Youtube, … very informative. Beware that a fully modded tank with all metal tracks/wheels/suspension can cost over $1100 and weigh more than 8 kg. These Heng Long M1A2 Abrams are a blast but they can quickly consume hundreds of hours of time if you fall into their money pit. As long as kids are being supervised by a knowing adult who has a bit of tinkering ability, these Heng Long Abrams tanks provide a fun five star experience! Highly recommend.

Missing battery and miscellaneous parts .

This was my first Heng Long tank ever. So, I didn't know any better. It came with missing wheel caps! and now I know that this is not ideal for the price because it has plastic gears. other sellers can give you the upgraded version($270) with metal tracks, Sprocket, idler & road wheels. and PLUS metal gears. this item is 5 stars if it was $150.