This
review is sponsored by
ArtisticHobbies.com
who are a USA online model
hobby and RC Tank retailer
with a great reputation in
the hobby. As well, their
Proprietor is an RC Tank
hobbyist himself and when it
comes to VS Tanks he can
offer customers expert
guidance with any
troubleshooting as he has
demonstrated by helping many
RC Tankers on our RC Tank HQ
forum, where we have a
section devoted to VS Tanks.
ArtisticHobbies
sent along a
1/24
scale VS Tank Leopard 2A5
for review and whilst it is
amongst VS Tank's earlier
releases, we'll be looking
at a 2010 release IR combat
version, now equipped with a
recoiling gun barrel,
bringing it into line with
the current standard.
REVIEW
I have tested
this tank over a period of 3 months
now and I'm glad to report it has
performed faultlessly and when it's
not in use I find it to be one of
the most beautiful tanks amongst my
collection of various scaled RC
Tanks. Although upgraded with a
recoiling barrel, this Leo, like the
Abrams reviewed previously, does not
have an adjustable volume which is a
feature on new VS Tank releases
these days as opposed to upgraded
versions of earlier toolings which
this Leo is.
Therefore this tank also retains the
clear lenses for the battle damage
lights to show through and because
they are situated under the turret
they aren't noticeable and you have
to look from underneath to see them.
VS Tank have done away with such
lenses on new releases for a couple
of years now since the lights are
sufficiently bright to show through
the plastic turret anyhow.
ACCESSORIES
Included
are are range of accessories you can
add to the Leo, a pair of antennae
and of course a push button remote
controller and instruction manual.
PAINTING AND
DETAILING
The Leopard 2A5 comes in a nice 3
colour NATO camouflage scheme black,
brown and green, no paint defects or
excess glue anywhere, perfect! I
think however the smoke discharger
caps should be painted black instead
of silver, an easy fix. Also the
machine gun accessory needs
detailing since that's all silver
too. The tank otherwise displays VS
Tank's usual high detailing
standards, utilising separately
moulded detail parts, tow cables,
working hatches and side panels,
along with rubber rear mudflaps.
TRACKS AND
SUSPENSION
The
Leo 2A5 comes with rubber tracks and I found
that they stay on the tank well with no track
throwing or jams experienced, I'm sure the side
panels also play a role in keeping them in line.
Suspension arms are variably sprung and are made
of plastic, as are the roadwheels.
LIGHTS
Working rear and front lights are provided which
function when the tank is being operated by the
controller. As a suggestion for VS Tank I
believe it would be a good idea for the
headlights to come on when the power is switched
on. This would let you know that the batteries
are installed correctly instead of having to
test that with the controller.
IR COMBAT
The IR LED emitter is located inside the
recoiling barrel whilst the clear pop up
receiver is underneath the scope situated behind
the commander's hatch.
The positioning of the IR receiver target is
quite high and fairly free of any items which
can block incoming hits, making this tank a fair
target from any direction. If you want detailed
information about how VS Tank IR Combat gaming
works, you can find that covered in other VS
Tank reviews here.
RC FUNCTIONALITY
As well as the new recoiling barrel function,
the Leopard 2A5 also has a rotating turret, gun
up/down function, 3 forward and 2 reverse
driving speeds, main gun and machine gun firing
functions.
CONCLUSION
I'm thoroughly impressed with the VS TANK
Leopard 2A5 and have no problem recommending
both the tank and ArtisticHobbies.com as a
vendor, whom I'd like to thank for making it
possible for RC Tank HQ to get closer to our aim
of reviewing all the VS Tanks made, to serve as
a reference for hobbyists around the world.
