Fsttanks

Heng Long Leopard 2 vs Challenger 2

Part #1 Introduction to Trials

Since so many of you asked for it, here it is... the comparison trials test between the Heng Long Leopard 2 and Challenger 2. This is one of the most balanced match up trials I have done between Heng Long tanks. Both these tanks are evenly matched in that they are running all plastic tracks, full metal suspensions/road wheels, steel 3:1 gearboxes, 390 motors, powered by the same brand/amps 9.6v batteries, rear through hull drive axle bearing supports, spring rates are set the same, both have similar wheel travel range of movement and weighing within 2oz of each other.

The Challenger 2 holds a slight edge going into the trials in terms of higher ground clearance by ~2mm. It also has the benefit of over a year of head to head trials and its driving "quirks" being well known and how to anticipate them.

The Leopard 2 is a rather fresh tank in my troop though not the first Leopard 2 I have run or owned. Prior to conducting this trials test I did spend a fair amount of time with this Leopard 2 getting the feel for it and making reliability tweaks that all new tanks seem to need.

Ok, enough said now on to the trials testing to follow over the next week. So please check back and feel free to add your constructive input.

Here are a few teaser photos from phase one of the trials.

Heng Long Leopard 2 on simple rock obstacle.


Heng Long Leopard 2 in "between the rocks" tight turn.


Heng Long Challenger 2 on simple rock obstacle.


Heng Long Challenger 2 on "climb and turn" rock obstacle. This proved too easy for both tanks so it was made more difficult on later run throughs.

RichJohnson

Fsttanks

Part #2: Short and sweet......(I made the decision to make this head to head write up more condensed than originally planned and just focus on the highlights)

Well it turned out to be an interesting match up. The Heng Long Leopard 2 showed its strength and weakness against the Challenger 2 rather quickly.

The Heng Long Leopard 2 main strength is in the area of high speed cross country travel over smooth to light rocky terrain. The Leopard 2 does not "bounce" around as much as the Challenger 2 and is easier to driving in a straight line or while attempting to maintain a smooth turning ark. I wound rate Leopard 2 in this area as "excellent".

Although the Leopard 2 excells in the above area it has more weaknesses than strengths against the Challenger 2. First is in the all important ground clearance. At first glance they appear to be the same but as stated prior in this thread the Leopard 2 has ~2mm less clearance under the main hull. To make matters worst the molded in suspension mounting points (see photo below) protrude out further under the hull creating a number of points that like to catch on rocks and other terrain features (which they did several time) more than the ones on the Challenger 2.

The Leopard 2 approach angles are another area that fall short against the Challenger 2. The front fenders are lower and protrude out further from the track. This causes them to hit/wedge against rocks and other obstacles (see photos below) causing difficulty in driving over them. The forward hull on Leopard 2 is more forward of the idler wheels and lower. This causes issues with hitting the front of the hull and again wedging it into obstacles make for issues with driving over them.

Because of these short falls in clearances I would rate the Leopard 2 as "moderate" in extreme terrain with large "step" (not steep) climbs/rocks.

The area where both the Heng Long Leopard 2 and Challenger 2 are equally good is in wheel travel / suspension flex that provides the ability to keep their tracks in contact with the terrain. Both excel in moderate terrain where approach and ground clearance is within limits and where their suspensions provide for a reasonably smooth ride and good traction. This is the area most users will be driving and as such I would rate both the Leopard 2 and Challenger 2 as "excellent" in moderate terrain.

So after a fair number of hours driving both side by side over various terrain, which in my opinion is the "better" tank while running similarly outfitted? The Leopard 2 is smoother driving, but the Challenger 2 is better in the extreme terrain. Both are great looking and overall fun to drive hard. So it will depend on what the user wants and puts value on. I tend to lean towards the extreme terrain performance in my tanks.

Next up I will be matching up the Heng Long Leopard 2 with upgraded metal/rubber tracks against my Heng Long Abrams with same.

Here are some of the photo outtakes from the head to head test between the Heng Long Leopard 2 and Challenger 2. As always your constructive input is welcome.

Heng Long Leopard 2 on rock climb obstacle.


Heng Long Leopard 2 attempting a simple step climb. Poor approach angles made this simple climb more difficult for the Leopard 2.


Heng Long Leopard 2 on "break over" obstacle. The Leopard 2 is an easy tank to achieve a good 50/50 front to back balance on.


The major issue with ground clearance the Heng Long Leopard 2 has is with its cosmetic molded in suspension mounts getting caught on terrain features. The molded mounts can be seen here with noticeable impact damage from terrain hits.


Front fender clearance causing issues. Note the paint chips missing from fender indicating a number of impacts on obstacles.


Heng Long Challenger 2 on large rock climb.


Heng Long Challenger 2 showing its excellent approach clearances.


Heng Long Challenger 2 on simple step climb. The forward clearances of the Challenger 2 make this obstacle easy to overcome.


Heng Long Challenger 2 on one of the rock obstacles.



In the end the choice of either is a good one

Dreadnaughty

Did you have metal road wheels installed on the Challenger 2 during this test?

Fsttanks

Both tanks had HL metal road wheels and suspension arms. Overall weight of the tanks was about the same with less then a few ounces different between them.