Patski

everybody seems to be very anthousiastic about the Taigen brand of tanks....I checked those on ******** website and didnt really saw a huge difference between them and the Heng Long ones...I checked the Panzer III and it seems basically the same tank to me...even the moldings are the same...Ok the Taigen are hand painted but for the rest...is the electronic the same? I saw the Panzer IV and I kinda liked the paint job but other than that...big difference?

B.A.D.A.S.S.Force

This has been dragged around & debated many times in various tank forum threads already, including here on RCU.

It could be that Heng Long tools the tanks for many "subsidiaries" that just re-brand their tanks & possibly add some different parts or custom paint ... but they're still HL brand tanks in the end, though some of the "subsidiaries" do upgrade them to be better than a basic HL tank. Companies may or may not include ... Matorro, Torro, Taigen, Heng Long Premium, Waltersons ... etc ... etc ...

Read some of the comments in the below thread about what people believe who makes what.
www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_11189439/anchors_11189439/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#11189439

~ Craig ~

Patski

do they use RX-18 same as Heng Long?

B.A.D.A.S.S.Force

The new Taigen electronics are, I believe, nothing more than basically a beefed up RX-18, with added fan, & now changed over to 2.4GHz for control. They also add in a better speaker than Heng Long currently uses in their tanks. So not a Heng Long "typical" RX-18 electronics package.

From what I've read elsewhere, these new Taigen systems with IR versions are not compatible with the Heng Long IR versions or anything but those 2.4GHz Taigen tanks.

~ Craig ~

Baron Fel

Taigen is a independent company from Heng Long. A family member left the Heng Long Co. and started Taigen. Using the Tiger I for example, you can see just how different the kits are. I started a list of what was added to the kit.<u5></u5><o></o>

- Metal reinforced hull<u5></u5><o></o>

- Torsion bar suspension<u5></u5><o></o>

- Quick release upper hull for internal access (no more bottom screws)<u5></u5><o></o>

- Improved rear tensioner<u5></u5>

- Metal Main Gun Barrel<u5></u5><o></o>

- Metal Machine Gun Barrel<u5></u5><o></o>

- Turret and Hull mounted S mine Launchers, MG for commander, periscopes and the ever present bucket. <u5></u5><o></o>

- Redesigned Plastic Track<u5></u5><o></o>

- Fully Functional Driver, Radio Operator, Loader, and Commander Hatches<u5></u5>

- Completely Redesigned Turret and Hull, improving Previous Defects<u5></u5>

- Improved Speaker<u5></u5>

- Improved"brain",fan cooled

- 2.4 Ghz controller.<u5></u5>

A little over $400 of extras that you would have to get if you upgraded your Heng Long to this level.

Tony
<u5></u5><o></o>

<u5></u5>

Baron Fel

You are correct Craig, on all points.

Tony

FreakyDude

I agree with Badass, from everything I know Taigen is a BRAND and not a manufacturer, The electronics are RX18 boards with Fans from Heng Long, The Tank itself is mostly Asiatam product which as everyone knows is another brand. I have no idea how they are interlinked but I do know or at least I think I know that Taigen or Aisatam actually do not manufacture product.

Patski

I kinda like the fact that they come 2.4Ghz from factory...but as many of us do, we have many tanks...and having 3 remotes is a pain in the @$$...and I kinda like the hand paint as well...specially the one on the Panzer IV (probably because I suck at painting) Let see which other models they will get out...

YHR

I wouldn't even touch the Taigen 2.4 ghz system. You are far better off to go with a Hobby King or Spektrum 2.4 ghz system, with a Clark, DBC3, Mako RCHL.

wsn123

What type of gearboxes are in Taigen tanks - the same as in HL?

Baron Fel

Yes and No. The HC & Pro series are Like the full metal Heng Long Gear Box. HC Full Metal Have 3:1 Gear Box.


Tony

Baron Fel

Patski, What YHR is tiring to say is that if you intend to be completive, you might want to upgrade to a better battle system. But out of the box and playing in the yard, they work great.<o></o>

Tony

Patski

thanks Tony   i'm actually working on my KV-1...I got a mako board from a friend and I will see with Freakydude for the HL2RC and other parts from them...but I like the look of the Taigen tanks, most of them are sold with airsoft tho...I think the Mako V3 will also transform the Taigen system to be compatible with Tamiya, henglong and the others...that might be interesting...

Peiper

Bumping an old thread. I read that the Taigen and HL IR-systems are not compatible but would it be possible to convert a Taigen Panzer IV airsoft tank with RX18 and 2.4gHz to a Heng Long IR-system? Do I need to buy another board?

Strato50

Yes physically you could put an original HengLong RX-18 in there, and use a HL radio to operate it. It would be inexpensive.

Or just go all out and upgrade to hobby grade components that you can read about on this forum too. It all depends on what you want to do! Nothing wrong with the HL gear for making your tank go.

BludoTheSmelly

I've bought 3 heng longs which are the metal or pro versions. All have been excellent and would equal one taigen with some extra goodies in cost.

Peiper

Thanks Strato! After reading a bit more maybe I'm best off with a MAKO board. They seems to be pretty reasonably priced.

Max-U52

I looked closely at the mako board and the only thing that kept me from getting one is that it doesn't have the speed reduction when you take hits (if used with a Taigen tank - it does with Heng Long, but all my IR tanks are Taigen). That seems to be important for most battles. I really want to upgrade at least one of my tanks to hobby grade so I can battle Tamiya tanks using all the bells and whistles but I'm trying to hold out till Curtis gets his FPV package together. I've been looking at clark packages, but it seems like that's gonna cost at least $175 to $200 and Curtis has said here on the forum that he's trying to put together a good FPV package for around $300 and if that's the case I think it will be worth waiting for. Realistically, I won't have a chance to battle till next spring anyway, so that makes the wait easier.

For airsoft tanks the dragon, made by the same people as the mako, is really cool. I bought one for under $20 and put it in a Taigen T1 and it's much, much better than having that silly track recoil. I already ordered another dragon and eventually all my airsoft tanks will have one. I really can't see any reason to go hobby grade with an airsoft tank, as the Taigen 2.4 GHz system works just fine for that.

YHR

My signature has a link to my site, that tells my story. Damage is only important if you are playing against Tamiya. You have a lot of choices.

Can some one confirm this rumor. Do the Taigen and Heng Long have different battle systems that don't play well with each other??

cb671

From what I've been reading, the Battle Systems are not compatable with eachother...Mako makes an add on that makes the HL, Taigen and Tamiya capable of batteling eachother(Not all 3 at the same time). (HL vs Taigen or Taigen vs Tamiya etc.) Just have to get the one made for your model and what you want it to battle with. They also have an upgrade were it can simulate the damage like the Tamiya's.

philipat

The original thread is incorrect on several accounts. I have HL tanks that are "converted" Taigen tanks. Similarities between the brands differ depending upon the tank.

Electronics (Note: I have both the HL 2.4 GHz and Taigen 2.4 GHz)
- The Taigen electronics are not the same as the HL. They look similar in setup and have similar sound, but they have proportional speed controls and handle bigger motors better than HL's.
- The HL 2.4 GHz is more like a converted RX-14 in that it is more stable than the 13, but less featured than the 18.
- Both come with fans.
- I don't use IR; so, I can't confirm the differences. But, I'm pretty sure that Erik has stated a few times that the two battle systems are not compatible.
- Note: I love my Taigen electronics for two reasons: they are simple and support airsoft. Most of the other systems rely on half-stick/full-stick tricks that are too complicated, especially if I want to let my kids drive these things. There is room for improvement (re-programable sound, proportional turrent rotation, reversible gun elevation, and eliminating the track recoil). But, overall they do the basics well and are simple enough for kids to learn.

Some of the tanks are very similar (read: almost identical) between HL and Taigen. Some have definite upgrades.

PzIII, PzIV, PzV (including Pantiger): same as HL with a paint job and Taigen electronics. The hulls, road wheels, etc are the same. The gearboxes are the same (both make plastic and metal gearboxes). The sprockets and idlers are the same.
Note: PzIII hull and metal upgrades are available as separate purchases. These are essentially the same things as what Asiatam sells. (I don't know the linkage between these companies.)

PzVI: You can get a very upgraded one that includes the metal hull, road wheels, gears, etc. This is essentially the Asiatam lower hull (late road wheels), metal turret, and late hull with a paint job and Taigen electronics.

Sturmtiger and King Tiger (Henschel): Torro metal/plastic tanks with a paint job. Good kits from the posts I've seen.

King Tiger (Porsche): same as HL with a paint job and Taigen electronics.

T-34/85: all Taigen...great kit from the looks of it.

KV-1, Pershing/Bulldog: same as HL with a paint job and Taigen electronics.

Sherman: all Taigen...looks like another great kit from the posts I've seen.

In short, there are a lot of minor upgrades to HL's old lineup, including much improved electronics and a paint job. Toss in some Asiatam upgrades (including all of the same metal lower hulls) and you have some things consolidated under a single roof. From there, they've started to branch into their own things.

Unless otherwise stated, the Taigen metal gears that come with their Pro lineups are the same pot metal, 3-axle gear boxes as the "super" HLs.

Max-U52

According to Kevin at rctanksaustralia the upgrade for battle damage ONLY works on HL systems, NOT Taigen. He told me there is currently NO WAY to get battle damage with a mako and a taigen MFU. To get battle damage against Tammy tanks you have to upgrade to a clark or something similar. That was a big disappointment for me because I thought I had found a way to make my taigen tanks completely compatible with Tamiya but it turned out not to be. But like I said earlier, I plan to upgrade at least one of my heavy tanks to tammy compatibility just as soon as Curtis gets the FPV system online. Can ya hear me, Curtis? By spring, maybe?

algisn

I've sold hundreds of HengLong and Taigen tanks and I can assure you they are exactly the same tanks. Taigen and Torro are just brand names, but they can have slightly different modifications comming from HengLong factory. Torro has wooden packing for their PRO versions, Taigen tanks you will only find with hand painted body and metal tracks. I guess it's more like Toyota and Lexus. They added Taigen name to get more money form more expensive versions and differenciate from cheap HengLong branded models.
Torro is purely branding company, they are having few chinese makers under Torro name.. For example all construction wehicles are made by Hobby Engine.

FreakyDude

MAXU52 Kevin from RC tanks does a have a product that you can add to your tank that will allow your Taigen to battle with a Tamiya See Mako 2 connected to an RC5HL via a Mamba board. Talk to kevin about that and tell him I said hello.

YHR

Really? Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a Clark board, and end up with a better IR system and better sound.