Comparison Taigen KV-1 Metal Edition 1:16 vs Heng Long KV-1 1:16

The minimum age for which this radio-controlled model is suitable. These recommendations are rather conditional, but it is still not recommended to deviate from them. "Adult" models 14+ with many adjustments, moving parts and power simply will not be able to master the baby. At the same time, models for the younger age category may not be interesting and boring for older children.

The longest range a tank cannon can effectively fire.

For air guns (see "Shooting") this parameter is usually indicated by the maximum range of the projectile. This allows you to evaluate not only the range as such, but also the power of the gun: the greater the range (and hence the power) — the more attentive you need to be to security measures.

For infrared (see ibid.), the firing range corresponds to the greatest distance from which a “shot” can be correctly recognized by an IR sensor of a similar model (or a second tank included in the “tank battle” kit, see “Type”). This information is useful when choosing tactics in a vast area, where the distances between opponents can be quite large.

The capacity of the battery supplied with the electric motor model (see "Motor"). Indicated only for variants using original batteries (see "Battery type"), measured in ampere-hours: 1 Ah corresponds to the capacity at which the battery is capable of delivering a current of 1 A for 1 hour.

The higher the battery capacity, the longer, usually, the tank is able to work without recharging. However, the practical time of operation on a charge is largely determined by other characteristics of the machine — scale (see above), weight, model and engine power, the presence of additional features such as turret rotation or various effects, etc. Therefore, in most cases, this parameter plays a purely reference role and in fact can only be useful when buying a new battery as a spare or replacement — capacity data will allow you to evaluate the characteristics of the new battery and its general suitability for this model. By this indicator, only models that do not have any significant differences in other characteristics can be compared with each other.

The type of power source required for the operation of the tank (the power supply for the remote control is indicated separately, see below). Note that such sources are required not only for models with electric motors (see "Engine") — any radio-controlled car needs electricity at least for the operation of the radio signal receiver.

— Li-Ion. Batteries made using lithium-ion technology and not belonging to any of the universal standard sizes (like AA, see below). This technology makes it possible to create batteries that are smaller and lighter than the "nickel" varieties described below; in addition, lithium-ion batteries are practically not subject to the “memory effect”, are easy to use and charge quite quickly. Their disadvantages include a higher price and less resistance to high and low temperatures than those of the same "nickel".

— Li-pol. Further development of the lithium-ion technology described above. Lithium-polymer batteries have an even higher charge density, which made it possible to achieve compact dimensions; on the other hand, the disadvantages in the form of high cost and sensitivity to extreme temperatures are more pronounced in them.

— Ni-Cd. The oldest of the technologies used in the batteries of modern radio-controlled tanks. Nickel-cadmium batteries have low cost, good reliability, resistance to low and high temperatures, and high charging speed. All this makes this option well suited for radio-controlled cars — es...pecially large-scale, with an abundance of additional features that require a lot of power. At the same time, such batteries are not without serious drawbacks. Chief among these is the "memory effect"; it manifests itself in the fact that when charging an incompletely discharged battery, its capacity decreases. However, subject to the rules of operation (quite simple), this effect can be reduced to almost zero.

— Ni-Mh. Technology designed to overcome the disadvantages of nickel-cadmium batteries (see above). Nickel-metal hydride batteries have the same advantages as their predecessors — reliability, resistance to adverse temperatures, high charging speed; at the same time, they are practically devoid of the "memory effect" and are considered safer from an environmental point of view. Of the shortcomings, only specific storage requirements can be noted: such batteries cannot be kept completely discharged for a long time.

— AA. Unlike all previous designations, this one does not describe the technology for manufacturing batteries, but the standard size. AA is a small battery, colloquially referred to as "finger-type". Their key difference from all the types of batteries described above is their versatility: such batteries are replaceable and are widely used in a wide variety of electronic devices. At the same time, not only rechargeable batteries are produced in this standard size, but also disposable cells, which gives you the choice: either to buy batteries every time as needed for relatively little money, or to pay a large amount for batteries once, but not to spend money in the future. Further expanding the choice is that AA elements have different characteristics and price, but are completely interchangeable. The main practical advantage over the original batteries is the ability to quickly replace dead batteries: they are sold in almost all stores with “household trifles”, and the process itself usually takes less than a couple of minutes. On the other hand, the power of such a power supply is quite modest, so it is found in models of a relatively small scale, and the batteries themselves usually need quite a lot — about 6 – 8 pcs. In some models, AA elements may be included in the package, but most often the owner of the machine has to buy them on their own.

Operating time of a tank with an electric motor (see "Engine") on one battery charge or on one set of batteries. Usually, this parameter is indicated for perfect operating conditions: on a flat surface, at low speed, without using additional functions (shooting, turret rotation, effects, etc.), and for models on AA batteries (see "Battery type") — also with high quality and good capacity of these batteries. The conditions of actual operation are different, respectively, and the operating time may differ markedly from that stated in the specifications. Nevertheless, this parameter characterizes the battery life of the car quite well and quite allows you to compare different models with each other.

The frequency used for communication between the tank and the control panel.

— 27 MHz. One of the frequencies used for radio remote control for a long time; in some CIS countries it is even reserved by state regulatory bodies for this very purpose. Uses analogue data transmission. Such transmitters are relatively inexpensive, but suffer from one serious drawback: they do not provide channel separation when several consoles are operating in close proximity to each other. In other words, if the tank stays in the coverage area of two transmitters, the signals from them can be mixed, which is actually tantamount to a loss of control. This problem is most relevant in the organization of battles. Therefore, specialized "tank battle" kits (see above), using analogue transmitters, are usually equipped with consoles with different radio channel frequencies (for example, 27 MHz and 40 MHz). And if you want to arrange a duel between cars from different kits (or sold separately), you should make sure that they use different standards (otherwise you will have to use interchangeable crystal oscillators to switch channels, which is not always realistic). The situation is somewhat simplified given the fact that the same model using analogue control can be produced in versions for different frequencies.

— 40 MHz. Analogue standard, completely identical to the 27 MHz described above, except for the actual operating frequency. It is used as an alternative to 27 MHz, whic...h makes it possible to avoid mixing signals from different consoles.

— 49 MHz. Another analogue remote control standard, like the 27 MHz and 40 MHz described above; There is no difference other than frequency.

— 2.4 GHz. One of the most advanced and at the same time common communication standards today. It uses digital data transmission, which gives a number of advantages over analogue standards (see above). One of these advantages is the ability to bind a specific remote control to a specific machine — due to a special channel separation technology. Thanks to this, 2.4 GHz remotes can work in close proximity to each other without creating problems. In addition, the same range is used in Wi-Fi wireless technology, which allows such models to be controlled by a smartphone (see below).

-5.8 GHz. A digital standard similar to 2.4 GHz as described above. One of the key differences is the higher bandwidth, which provides additional reliability and control responsiveness. On the other hand, such consoles are quite expensive, and therefore they have not received much distribution.

The presence of a metal gearbox in the design of the tank.

A gearbox is a device responsible for transmitting torque from the engine to the driving wheels of the tank. Usually, the operation of such a device is based on the use of gears. Gearboxes are also called metal, in which the working gears are made of metal. This provides high strength and reliability of the design compared to another popular material — plastic — and allows you to work with high torque values, which is especially important for massive large-scale models. The main disadvantage of metal parts can be called high cost.

The material from which the body of the model is made.

The vast majority of modern radio-controlled tanks use plastic. This material can easily be given any colour and shape, including quite complex; and even imitating a metal surface with it is usually not a problem, which allows the use of plastic in models of any level, including collectible (see "Copy of the original"). At the same time, plastic has a small weight, which has a positive effect on the speed and manoeuvrability of tanks. Its strength is considered relatively low, but it is quite enough for regular use — even a shot from an air gun of another model (see "Shooting") plastic "armor" usually endures without consequences. However, there are also metal tanks, which are much more solid than plastic counterparts.

General dimensions of the tank. Note that the length is indicated taking into account the cannon pointing forward (this clarification is relevant for rotating turrets, see above). But the height may not take into account a bendable antenna or removable design elements (such as a tanker figurine in a hatch).