So, with the Stugs arriving at Matomart, I was able to properly keep my promise to my daughter after all - Team Hippo from Girls und Panzer has arrived.



Some notes about the tank itself - this is the 7.0 version of the HL control board.  Supposedly it is properly Tamiya IR compatible, although I have no way of testing that at the moment.  I was able to test it with the T-34 and the smaller HL 1/30 tanks, and it can play properly with both.  IR signal bouncing got interesting during the test, though - more than once, the T-34 or Stug managed to hit the smaller Sherman beside or behind it (deflection shot, I guess?).  The T-34 found it very easy to hit the Stug, but not the other way around unless it was oriented towards the side of the T-34, which we're guessing has to do with the turret geometry of the T-34 (a test of the sensors found both that were used of sufficient sensitivity to register hits).  Since I had to cannibalize the batteries from the Tiger remote to power the Stug remote, the Tiger 1 was not part of the test.

Speaking of batteries, this tank only takes the physically smaller ones.  Based on the manual, it looks like this is the case for all of the Panzer III HL variants.

As far as the 7.0 control board goes, I like what I see so far.  Setting aside the Tamiya compatibility, I REALLY liked the ability to turn off the airsoft gun via the remote control.  It also has some additional control features to make the tank more realistic, and you can set things like how hard it breaks.  The sound selection was a bit odd, though - supposedly Heng Long decided to improve the sound fidelity, which meant that the extra data left room for only two sound sets on the board.  On this one, the first option (and the one it defaults to) is the M1 Abrams, which uses a jet engine.  So, it's an interesting experience turning the tank on for the first time and hearing that sound come out of it.  Happily, the second sound set IS a proper diesel engine.

The only issue that goes beyond a minor quibble has to do with the chassis itself.  To my surprise, the chassis is not sealed where the upper chassis connects to the lower chassis, and you can see daylight through the tank just above the tracks.  This is not the case with either of the other two tanks I own.  What it means, functionally, is that I'll have to be careful not to drive the tank outdoors in wet conditions.  It probably will have some benefit in preventing the tank from overheating, though.



Still, it's a nice tank, very fun to drive around (and drift on the floor, which is a very GuP thing to do), and my daughter is delighted by it (which is the most important thing).  Promise kept in full, at last.

Nice Rob........HL electronics are getting better and better so at some point it will be a viable option for some, particularly when it comes with the tanks 

I did notice how small your hippo is... Always LOL'd at the "Kiss my Hippo's butt" logo

LOL... The damned built in censorship is strong on the forum. Typed in A S S and it auto corrected to butt. I thought I had spelled the three letter word first and then when it did it a 2nd time... Sigh... STINCE! Turn that BS off!

Jarlath wrote:

I did notice how small your hippo is... Always LOL'd at the "Kiss my Hippo's butt" logo

Not by choice, I'm afraid.  I couldn't find that particular decal in 1/16 scale, at least not in any way that was actually affordable.

Actually, finding the right decals for the tank was an adventure all of its own.