pitstain

Unboxing,

pitstain

Build part 1, going together well.

Max-U52

This is one of those subscription kits, right? Did you get all the Packages at once, or did you have to wait for them to come one each month? I looked at one of these kits one time but when I added up the price of all the separate packages I figured by the time I got the tank completely built I'd have over $3000 into what should have been a $500 tank. I certainly hope you got a much better deal than that. Either way it should be a very interesting build and I'm truly looking forward to seeing the rest.

pitstain

Hi Max,

This kit is actually available as a complete kit in one shot for $1,599 USD from Agora, most of the newer models com in monthly packs over the course of time in varying sizes. it is a bit unique as it has an integrated FPV camera with display on the remote.

Full disclosure: Agora models sent me this kit to do a series of build videos on.

Max-U52

It's all plastic, right? Don't you think $1600 is kind of high for that kit? I know you're building it because they gave it to you for free, but if you had to pay for it yourself would you have bought it at that price?

pitstain

There are quite a few metal parts, a large part of the upper turret, the barrel, tracks, sprockets, idler wheels, as well as some large aluminum plates under the facade of the upper hull and the transmissions, I go over them in the unboxing video. This shipping weight of the kit was a tick over 24 pounds, so the complete model will be somewhere north of 15 pounds i would guess.

Considering it includes the TX/RX with video which as far as I am aware is a unique feature for a 1/16 scale tank out of the box. The price while a bit steep seems justifiable in a subjective way and will always depend on the person, if I did not already have my Tamiya full option as well as a customized HL 2A6 I would give this one a good amount of consideration, the other part of the price equation is you can choose to subscribe to the 12 month option and not have to cough up all the money in one shot.

Max-U52

Well, thanks for posting this. I always like to see what's going on out there. Maybe when you're finished you can get some kind of cost comparison between this kit and the genuine Tammy leopard.

pitstain

Back when I bought my Tamiya Leopard 2A6 kit it was just below $1,000, add another $200 or so for a radio, then supplies, paints, etc. lets say another $100, then the time and skill to finish it you really cant put a price on. Nowadays if you can even find a Tamiya 2A6 its close to or over $1,500 for just the kit. I'm planning to do a comparison video at the end with both the Tamiya and HengLong

pitstain

Part 2 !

Durahl

The German Tamiya Site still lists the #56020 Leopard 2A6 Manual ( among others ) if you care to have a look into it to get the gist of the quality and complexity involved with building that one.

Owning one myself and having seen the technical compromises with the Agora one ( or any other "Competitor" ) I'd recommend going with the Tamiya unless you really do not care for painting the Model yourself ( and even then I'd go for the Tamiya ).
The difference in Quality is just too great for me compromising on certain features like a fully Analog Control Scheme ( the Agora controls the Turret exclusively with Buttons instead of Sticks - Like ***!? ), being able to use my own Radio, or having to deal with the noisy Gearboxes.

Literally the only long-term related complaint I have with the Tamiya one is the use of Plastic Swing Arms that can fatigue and break after years of use which is something that can be prevented / fixed with the help of the Aftermarked.

Durahl

The German Tamiya Site still lists the #56020 Leopard 2A6 Manual ( among others ) if you care to have a look into it to get the gist of the quality and complexity involved with building that one.

Owning one myself and having seen the technical compromises with the Agora one ( or any other "Competitor" ) I'd recommend going with the Tamiya unless you really do not care for painting the Model yourself ( and even then I'd go for the Tamiya ).
The difference in Quality is just too great for me compromising on certain features like a fully Analog Control Scheme ( the Agora controls the Turret exclusively with Buttons instead of Sticks - Like ***!? ), being able to use my own Radio, or having to deal with the noisy Gearboxes.

Literally the only long-term related complaint I have with the Tamiya one is the use of Plastic Swing Arms that can fatigue and break after years of use which is something that can be prevented / fixed with the help of the Aftermarket.

pitstain

Pack 4 parts assembled and really looking good, only ran into one small issue the dremel dealt with handily.

RichJohnson

Slightly off topic but I kinda wish that subscription service that offered that Japanese type 74 several years back would have just sold it as a kit. It looked pretty good for an rc model like between a henglong and tamiya but. subscription, bleh and it was already closed, if you werent in too late. Just release the whole kit and sell it outright and more people would buy them.

pitstain

Rich I was in contact with a rep at Agora and they could potentially get access to that model however the marketability of it at that price outside of the Japanese market is very dubious. They want to stick with sure things which is why a more likely one would be an Abrams of some form, I will ping them again though.

Fsttanks

Please do because I would love a Type 74 JSDF tank. Not as a subscription but as a all in one kit.

Their Leopard 2 is cool but is way overdone in the market. There are at least four companies selling Leopard 2s aside form Agora.

pitstain

Well Agora generally offers most of their older kits as full purchase option, I can mention the type 74 to them again as it was an old DeAgostini product but they would make the final decision on market viability as it is a pretty rare bird. I agree the 2A6 market is a bit flooded but it is still quite prominent in the current news cycles due to the conflict "over there".

I am one of their newest influencers but with me they get a ton of info on the pulse of the tanker world, personally I would give one of my toes for that type 74 kit.

Did you know DeAgostini Japan also has release a partwork model of the Type 90? https://deagostini.jp/90t/?utm_source=mypartworks

bowlman

Well if they don't want to do one you can at least print one .
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/type-74
Thanks
Jimmy

Fsttanks

Just my opinion from the few I have seen printed, those are low resolution print files (lots of print lines). Even when done in resin which should print much smoother (using engineering grade resin). Cheap files sure, but nowhere near what I would consider investing my time into to make run well and look good.

Fsttanks

The Type 10 is interesting, but nowhere as interesting as the Type 74. The 74 just has a neat "Cold War" era look to it kinda like a small M48/60.

pitstain

I am 100% on the same page with you, while I love my type 10 (even without a simulated hydro-pneumatic suspension) I actually thing the Tpye 74 is so much more interesting. Tanks overall are a tough angle for partworks companies, but if there is a decent resurgence with this 2A6 kit sales wise, we may see some more action in the subject matter.

pitstain

Pack 5 video is up! starting on the lower chassis.

pitstain

Pack 6 built, road wheels (upgraded with ball bearings), suspension, and some really cool side plates with movable parts.

pitstain

Pack 7 is done, all road wheels on and upper hull 90% complete. sorry for the delay, got alot of builds going on at the moment.

pitstain

Pack 8 done, idler wheels and a different type of track tension system as well as what looks like a HL smoke unit and some very nice tail light lenses.

pitstain

Pack 9 is done, FPV camera, speaker, wiring and the turret is now on the hull.