gp100

Well,

As a first timer into the hobby and tanks, all I can say to this, is that I wasn't impressed with Taigen.. I paid $530 for a tank that should have worked right, out of the box.. Almost everything was wrong with it..

Crappy electronics that are second rate at best.. A motor that pulls to the right because it's defective, and the recoil on the barrel didn't work either..

I replaced the little controller board in the turret twice with brand new electronics, and they didn't function out of the package.. Yet the V2 board, and the micro servo were working just fine..

I have enough electronics degrees behind my name, to put a PHD to shame.. So I know electronics..

I wound up having to gut everything, and doing a full rebuild on all the electronics just to get a decent tank that works..

When I made a complaint to Erik about this, his reply was, "every time I use my tanks I have to fix something." Not an acceptable answer to me.. Here's a thought, if you have to repair something every time you run it,

then I would seriously consider the quality of the item you are using.. Unless you are beating it to death with a hammer..

I have an issue with ANY company, that sells a customer a $500+ tank, then the customer has to put $300 into it to get a functional tank with electronics?

Sorry, but that will drive any parent, or newcomer out of the hobby quick.. How many parents are going to blow hard earned money like that? it's called, "throwing good money after bad."

I own my own business, and if I put out product like that, I wouldn't be in business very long..

My tank wasn't a kit.. It was a RTR with upgrades.. Never should have happened.. IMEX/Taigen NEVER bothered to send out the so-called replacement board he promised on this chat board.. So, I finally said screw it

and went with after market.. Which has been very good.. No issues at all..

Finally, add to the fact, that after a customer spends $500+ dollars on your product, and you tell them to "send e-mail" because you don't do phone calls.. And that's a major issue to me as a consumer..
Even Erik admitted that they are not taking calls much anymore in the thread I started..

I realize there will always be a few "fanboys" with every product out there, that will feel that the company can do no wrong.. It's all over the hobby sect.. But not everybody will be impressed, and they have a right to voice it without fear

of being ripped apart for it by the fans..

As for me, I tend to vote with my wallet.. And I wouldn't own another Taigen if it was free.. That's my opinion, for what it's worth.. If that makes me a troll in some people's eyes, so be it..

I can live with that..

LiveFreeOrDieTryn2B

I am looking at Imexs site I really want the 76mm Sherman tank wish it was in a kit I also wish you could pick up if you're local like I am or have a store heng long tracks and wheels would be great as well. I will be making a purchase in the next few weeks of an all metal Sherman. It pleases me that Imex is on this forum that will help me make a decision on purchasing. I'm a huge fan of customer service.

RichJohnson

Taigen shermans are the best. Ive owned all brands. And still do.
i wouls say GP100 that you got a lemon, and are probably the customer that fell through tbe crack and got burned and will never touch a taigen again.
Ive had a couple problems with taigen on my sherman kit but they were solved.
on the other hand Bachman trains pissed me off so bad I will never buy their products again and I own alot of of them and infact i was so mad i left the On30 scale only to have them finally publicly admit their problem a few months later and open the flood gate, when previously they would not take care of me as a customer.

Any way, sorry to hear your decision. Your left with mato all metal which have bad qc problems with their products and poor designed drive trains, henglong that are very cheap, and tamiya which is high grade perfection we all aspire to build and own.

Erik is way over burdended and ive heard they hired him a compadre. They do need to do tech support on the phone, otherwise determining the problem could take forever and frustrate the customer.

FreakyDude

Defective motor because it pulls to the right... There is always a reason why this happens. Either something doesn't run freely- check your gearbox first then work backward onto the road wheels and suspension, everything should slide or rotate without much effort. remove the gearbox from the tank by the way and test the suspension ( idler and all road wheels, track tensioners if you have them) key here is free movement. If the motor turns when not under a load maybe your motors are mismatched and you need to get some 400 or 480 motors that run at the same speed. I have seen many motors that one is just considerably quicker than the other and the only fix is to get a set of motors and replace them.
recoil in the barrel could be a ton of things, be more specific with your problem
As for the crappy electronics - well you found your forums here, why couldn't you follow all the advice here and just upgrade to a Clark or something? Just wondering did you ask for some help from the forum members?
You say you replaced the turret control board twice yet it didn't work straight out of the package? whats that about? why would you replace the same board twice yet still think this was your issue?
you ended up doing a full rebuild, in your post you say your total cost was about 800 bones to get a working tank, your lucky. When I started doing this I bought a heng long Tiger, freakin thing must have cost me about 1200 bucks.
this is a radio control vehicle, everytime you take it out you risk breaking things, get used to it. That is part of the hobby, you run it you will break it period.
with regard to the support, well to be honest for every bad thing people say there are 20 good things.
Me thinks your just a little steamed that you think you didn't get what you paid for. 800 bones for a decent tank is a fair price especially if you consider upgraded electronics etc
I wonder how you will feel when you buy a Heng Long? Your post is quickly seen for what it is, a guy bought a tank and you are steamed about it.
Your post is not a troll post because its based on opinion not on personal attacks. your not going to be the last person that bought one of these vehicles just to have it arrive in not so great condition.
i am glad though you vote with your wallet, lets see what your next purchase will bring, Good luck getting any kind of support from any other supplier. Tamiya is the only one to back their product at any level.
I guess I am a fan of Taigen though and its not the 15 tanks I own that did it. Its the experience of building every brand and every tank made

FreakyDude

Thanks Benny.

gp100

What will my next purchase bring? Nothing.. I'm out of the tank hobby.. Once burned, twice shy I always say..

And that, is why first timers walk away..

I replaced the recoil control board twice because the board had voltage in, but no power out to the servo.. The controller was dead.. As I stated, I know electronics.

As to the motor, it gets hot while running out of the gearbox.. Very hot. And it binds a bit.. So there's that..

Instead of calling it a ready to run tank, just call it a "ready to upgrade".. At least that's more truthful..

Nobody in the hobby should have to pay a "premium" price for a tank, then have to replace electronics on it because of issues that should have been done right to begin with.. And if the hobby community is willing to put up with that, more power to them.. That is certainly their choice. But I'm not one of those people.

While the cosmetics of the tank are excellent, and I concede that point, I'm paying for more than just good looks.. I want something that runs perfectly for that kind of money. We aren't talking a cheap $50 piece of junk here that is a throwaway. They call this a "hobby" grade, or whatever. It is not "toy" grade you get at Walmart for $20

For $50-$100 bucks, I don't expect much.. But for 500 bones, I expect better out of a "mass produced" product made in China by cheap labor that is used to make bigger profits.

As consumers, we should demand better. We work hard for our money. Why settle for less than what we deserve?

Now, if a person is rich, and could care less, well, go for it.. Those type of people have more money than brains anyway. But some of us have more brains than money.

All told, between repair parts and everything else, I have over $1,000 in this thing.. For that price, I could have bought the Tamiya.. And probably should have.

But yeah, forget it. I'm done.. Never again.. I'll stick with this one now because I'll never get out of it what I have into it if I tried to sell it. But I'm done.

And yes, I did ask for help here. And the folks here were great. I replaced everything with an IBU2-Pro unit, and the tank is actually reliable now due to that. Quality always makes a difference. Now I just have to fix the motor issue. The recoil issue wasn't the servo. I bypassed the control board and went direct to the IBU2 board, and it works.. Proving my test that the control board is defective. (which I knew thanks to my test equipment)

No disrespect intended sir. But you, me, and everybody else deserves better for our money.. You and me earn our money.. Maybe the companies out there should start earning theirs, instead of thinking they have a right to pick our wallets "just because."

Have a nice day sir..

Arctic Cat ZRT

I've been in the RC hobby for a few years now, its not easy or cheap, nor do you ever get back your original investment (I've spent more money on RC's than I ever want to admit). I found I often work on my RC's more than run them, part of the fun IMO. Mainly started with crawlers, now I have branched into road cars, and tanks. In every case if they were RTR's I've upgrade the electronics either due to failures or the pure necessity. I've learned that you are way better off getting kits and building it the right way the first time with the electronics you want and know that work.

Shame you have given up on it. From the sound of it you got the Taigen Mid-Production Tiger Airsoft with recoiling barrel. I ended up getting the same one. I knew from the get go I was going to replace the Taigen Electronics with a Clark board I previous bought for a project that didn't work out. While getting things to work as I wanted, I.E. servo elevation, the stock recoil system stopped working correctly too. It was a disappointment but in the ended I just hooked the servo up to the "real recoil" plug on the clark board. Also if you motor is heating up and "hangs up" means there is some type of resistance or jam in the drivetrain/track or even and issue with the motor. Honestly that issue should be fairly easy and cheap to fix, especially considering how cheap gearboxs are for tanks if you even had to go that far.

My advice, don't give up so quickly!

RichJohnson

Man if I have up every time i hit a road block or failed i wouldnt have succeded at anything.
if your tank had that many problems, you gave trying to get taigen’s attention to easy. They are busy, yes, sometimes they are slow to return inquires for help, yes, but they have always come through for us. If they hadnt we wouldnt keep buying them. I only had one problem and it was a kit that was missing parts. Easy to happen. They got them to me. I have 5 taigen based shermans now.
You gave up too soon, too easy. And you should not have spent money on replacing the taigen system when it didnt work if that is what you wanted. You should have had them help you and change out the system or ship the tank back for service.
if things were that bad thats what I would have done.

gp100

Yes,

You are correct sir. It is the mid version all metal Tiger 1 with airsoft.. And yes, I should have bought a kit and did it my way to begin with.. But I only have one arm, so didn't have two hands to build a kit really.. And I suck at using a airbrush.. I cannot paint to save my life.. So I thought a ready painted, ready to go tank was the better option for me..

The motor even binds when I took it out of the gearbox.. Must be a brush issue.. It gets hot with no load on it other than voltage.. Bad winding perhaps.. That does happen..

The gearbox and all wheels roll VERY freely without the motor in it.. I checked everything with a fine tooth comb.. The linkage and wheels are drop dead perfect.. Couldn't ask for better alignment to be honest..

Trust me, I already tried it.. I bought a new set of 390's from Taigen.. Cost was around $24 for them.. Then I had to press fit the pinion gear a bit down the shaft to get them to line up correctly.. Which they are now.. But it's a question of just getting the replacement motors installed in the gearboxes now.. Tiny little screws holding the motors in.. And doing it all with one hand.. While fighting a magnet..

The gentleman above is correct.. I'm frustrated that I spent $500 clams, just to be disappointed in the craftsmanship of it.. He's 100% correct.. I'm angry I didn't get what I paid for.. Had it not been for the IBU2 board, I would have chucked this thing in the trash, and walked away.. The IBU2 board, is a major difference.. For the better.

I'm sorry if I seem upset over this.. But I've gone through hell with this tank.. This hobby is supposed to be fun.. When a hobby becomes more frustrating than it should be, it's time to get out of it.. I want to have fun.. Not constantly pulling my hair out..

Hell, my neighbor bought a used car for $600.. My tank costs more than her used car.. What's wrong with that picture?

Signed,

Frustrated.

gp100

Hi Rich,

Actually, I didn't give up easily Sir.. I did talk with Erik here on the board, and he made a big deal about sending me a new V2 board.. But I never saw it.. I e-mailed him about it and never heard back on it.. I got fed up with it all and figured it was far easier to just eat it and buy something better electronics wise.. I also called Taigen and spoke to a woman there, who I was VERY nice with, but did express my dissatisfaction about the product to her.. I spoke to her about the issue, and she told me they wouldn't charge me for any repair parts I needed to make it right.. Or, I could send it back to them on my dime and they would refund my money for the tank.. She said they had never had a complaint about a tank with "so many issues" before.. Uh huh.. That's not what I've read recently on the internet, but okay.. Whatever..

I did refuse the refund, because I would have had to take the loss of the IBU2-Pro board, 4 brand new batteries at $32 a piece, not to mention all the repair parts I put into it out of my own pocket.. The original refund of $539 wouldn't even come close to covering my losses on the tank.. I wasn't about to eat over $400 in parts and electronics that they said they wouldn't cover.. And I fully understand that.. So, I elected to keep the tank.. When I went to purchase replacement parts, they charged me anyway.. Even though she said they wouldn't.. So, strike number 2 was unreliable promises they made and never kept..

Trust me, I did try to work it out with them.. To no avail.. So yes, I was disappointed in the lack of customer service on the product.. Now I grant you, my experience may not be typical or the norm.. But it left a sour and bitter taste in my mouth, and wallet..

Had it not been for this forum, and the decency of the people here, I would have shot this thing straight in the trash bin.. But they turned me on to a company that sells after market electronics for it.. I have nothing but pure praise for that company, and the product they sell.. Between the IBU2-Pro board, and the wonderful customer service I received from a more than stellar individual, He single handedly turned a Zero into a Hero.. This tank has now, performed to my expectations.. And beyond..

Minus the motor issue of course..

To say that I have high praise for this man and his products, is an understatement.. Buying from him has been nothing but a pure joy.. He takes the frustration out of buying, and makes it a pleasure to buy from him.. I would never hesitate to purchase anything from him in the future.. And have purchased several items from him since..

And even today, I bought another product from him.. Money well spent..

So please believe me, when I say that I'm not down on the entire hobby as a whole.. But yes, I do have issues with certain things.. But I also express the good with the bad.. I'm a fair man.. I do not criticize anyone or any company without just cause.. If I feel I'm right, I will say it.. If I'm wrong, I'll admit it.. I'm not to proud to admit wrong..

But in this case, I feel justified..

Having said this, I wish to let it be known sir, that I respect your opinion, and the opinion of others here.. And I offer that my experience may not be the norm.. But for a first timer into the hobby, it didn't make the tank company look good to a future re-purchaser.. I actually was going to purchase a Panther G all metal version, but after this nightmare experience, no thanks.. Not worth the money to me.. I'll stick to what I have.. If it goes belly up, I'm done with it.. I'll never own another..

Honestly, I just got done paying a hospital bill of 75 thousand for bone cancer treatments.. I can't waste money on stuff like this..

I purchased new motors, and will wire them out if I can.. Small screws on this to handle with one hand..

By the way, in the thread I started, I was talking to Erik, and he offered me the V2 board replacement, I was even willing to pay for overnight shipping on my dime as a good faith gesture.. It was important to me to get the tank working.. I was trying to be nice, and I figured if they were willing to replace the V2 board, I would be willing to pay for shipping.. I stated that on this very board..

He refused. Saying that's not how IMEX/Taigen did business. If I bought the tank from them, which I proved I did on this forum, that they would replace it.. I never got the board.. Even after an e-mail a few days later..

This tank is all I have in enjoyment factor.. I'm in a wheelchair and cannot walk.. It was important to get it working so I could have some fun in my life.. I don't have much time left.. I would like to enjoy it.. I don't say this to garner sympathy.. I simply desire to let you understand why I was willing to pay a high price for overnight shipping.. It was important to me..

And it still is.. This motor issue has been an irritation.. It's personal now sir.. I must fix it.. I refuse to let a stupid piece of metal get the best of me.. This tank will be perfect after I'm done.. God knows I've thrown enough money at the problem..

Anyway, have a good day/night sir..

jarndice

Mike I hope you will forgive a cynical old man,
I have been in this program of instant bankruptcy for too long, In the old days the only maker of quality R/C Armour in 1/16 was "Tamiya" they were then as they are now expensive products but are acknowledged to be high quality in both design and product specification,
With the Chinese adopting the Capitalist economic system they looked to Japan to see what there was that they could "COPY",
"Heng Long" have always denied copying "Tamiya's" products,
BUT they managed to produce a Tiger 1 Tank (Full of inaccuracies) at rock bottom prices and they sold as they still do like hot cakes, They achieved this by having access to cheap labour and dirt cheap third rate electronics,
It was not a problem for "Heng Long" because they have always sold the Tanks not as historically accurate models BUT as TOYS!!
Children and their parents do not expect Toys to last very long so quality control is on the back burner at Heng Long" and will remain so for as long as they sell product,
Now here's the rub,
Other Chinese companies saw how easy it was to make money and jumped on the band wagon only they declared themselves as "Model makers" But the problem for them is that to make money they have to sell the product under the price of the "Tamiya" item and that means lower specification and less attention to detail.
And that is why as a Builder I avoid "Taigen/Torro" like the plague and buy "Heng Long" and use that as a template for my build rather than waste money on something that uses similar low quality fittings as "Heng Long" at "Taigen/Torro" prices.
Shaun.

gp100

I agree with every word you say Shaun..

I actually did take a look at the Tamiya offerings, but went, "OUCH!" when I saw the prices.. My eyes bugged out.. But truth be told, Tamiya is the gold standard..

However, Taigen is almost to the Tamiya price.

Another reason I went with Taigen RTR instead of a kit, was because building a tank, was out of the question for me.. I can't use an airbrush if my life depended on it, and the very tiny pieces of detail is tough to do one-handed.. The Taigen kits are cheaper, but I felt a tank that was already painted and built, and metal was the deciding factor for me for ease of getting into the hobby.. And of course, able to supposedly run right out of the box.. A huge plus for me..

However, I must also take responsibility for being ignorant of this stuff.. I've never been involved in tanks before.. So, my ignorance got me on this one..

I admit, I should have done far more research before buying.. Now I know better..

By the way, your not being cynical.. Your just being truthful.. It is, what it is.. And you are 100% right.. In my business, I see cheap "copies" of electronics all the time..

I know crap when I see it.. I've been trained to see it.. I also know high quality as well.. When I put the IBU2 board under the microscope we use in electronics repair for motherboards, so we can solder SMT parts, (surface mount technology) I see high quality components.. There were places they could have skimped on, but didn't.. It is highly obvious to me, the builders went through a tight process to make sure the board was built to exacting tolerances.. Nothing cheap about the components on that board.. And if not abused, it should last for years.. Probably outlast the damn tank..

I don't heap praise on the IBU2 lightly.. Trust me.. I've worked in electronics since 1989. I've seen it all.. If I tell people a product is pure gold, it is.. I have no reason to lie..

I don't get payed for my testimony.. By the same token, if I tell you a product is third rate crap, you can believe that to.. My integrity cannot be bought at any price by free stuff.. I tell the public the truth, so they can have the ability to make an informed decision on a product.. They work hard for their money just like I do.. They have a right to know where to spend it, and what they are buying.. And sad to say, most of the stuff coming out of China today is pure junk with low quality parts that don't pass quality control standards.. I say "most" because I have seen some good work come out of Chinese factories.. But not much.. Depends on the company and what they demand..

I hate to beat the drum here, but I wouldn't own a tank without an IBU in it at the very least.. I cannot speak to Clarke boards or others, because I simply have never seen them.. they very well might be great. But I cannot say having never seen one in person.. I just know that for my money, I'll go with IBU every time.. I see the board.. I know what's on it.. It truly is an excellent and well thought out design.. And let's face it, Ian is 100% excellent to deal with.. His honesty, and integrity is beyond impeccable..

And trust me, I don't give praise easily.. It must be earned.. There is nothing here, I can say about Ian, that hasn't already been said by the members..

I am truly grateful to the membership here, that recommended him to me.. They made a huge difference in this tank.. And so did he.. He truly gave a damn to assist me with anything I needed to make an informed choice on what to buy.. And he didn't pressure me into buying anything I didn't need either..

You live and learn in the hobby I guess.. Boy did I get a lesson.. I have to rewire a motor tomorrow.. Have to change the wiring on the motor to reverse the motor, then install and see if this fixes my issue.. Should fix it.. Nothing else wrong with it.. Hopefully, I can enjoy it fully then..

But yep, everything you say is spot on..

Cruiser133

I like Taigen as they offer this hobby more variety, but in my experience, you usually spend more money to bring up to Tamiya grade then simply buying a Tamiya to begin with. I only buy non-tamiya for those models they don't offer but I end up installing Tamiya electronics anyway for the reliability. I bought a Super Pershing from a member who is an artist. He did a beautiful job, but it is built on a HL so it had the stock crappy drivetrain and electronics. I am now in the process of converting it over to a Tamiya by replacing almost everything except for the modified turret and upper hull. Even those parts I am bashing in Tamiya offerings like recoil, rotation, barrel assembly, ect.

Shorty54

This is a great forum. Its too bad that a new tanker cant spend a week here first asking for advice. Some do, I know, but the ones that don't end up gp100.
This forum and others have seen this same issue over and over again. Tamiya was too expensive, but now I have more in it than a Tamiya. I would've been
better off with a Tamiya" I also was there over 3 yrs ago, didnt listen to what the "vetran" guys told me on the forum. I had an issue with all 3 of my new Taigen tanks that were all bought within 1 week of each other. Back then Erik was a phone call away and handle issues on the spot, he actually overnighted a tank to me on his dime, and in good faith asked me to send the other one back when I had time. Anyway, after failed electronics, I searched again and didn't really listen to the "vetrans" and ended up with 3 very difficult to use boards, but cheap. After months of frustration, and constantly being told to upgrade this and that to get it to work better, I bought a used built Tamiya. After running that tank, I sold all my Taigens and HL/Taigen and walked away with a pretty big loss of money, but a lot of knowledge. Now I just bought another built Tamiya, and have ordered a new one to build and modify myself, with the help of some great "vetran " tankers here. I am not biased on tank brands, everyone has different skills and expectations. Some can build and fabricate, but cant paint or solder, some just the opposite. There are some awesome builds on here, way beyond what I could ever dream of building. They are not easy and some take years to perfect, some of us new guys see those and think "oh thats what I want here is a RTR I'll buy that its cheaper and I'll just quick add some mods to it" only to get frustarated and throw so much $$ at it we walk away.
Anyway, I have read a ton of threads on a ton of forums, not just RC, and this happens a lot. I also run 1/32 digital slot cars, and those forums are the same. People give great advice, newbies dont take it, they get frustrated and either walk away of spend twice as much as what they should have just bought in the first place. Its common and always will be.

I am a Powersports Technician, have been for 21yrs. My major repairs are done on Polaris, Arctic Cat, Ski Doo, Yamaha, and John Deere. Its the same there,
these companies are failing to take care of the customer and are building machines with cheaper components. Some of the side by sides are as expensive a pick up trucks
and have major break downs within 1000 miles of use. Its very frustrating.

I did some business with Taigen back in December, I will say the customer service is now what it was 3 years ago. I was not impressed at all.
I know its not Eriks fault, he is a good guy with good intensions. Taigen is growing, they are selling a ton of tanks right now. They dont have the support they need.
It can be tough for them right now. They are understaffed to take care of all the issues they are having with all the tanks they sold during the holidays. A lot of you guys are "vetran" tankers and its no big deal to fix your own stuff, you have been doing it for years. But most of Taigens sales, I bet, are sold to people who just barley know how to plug in a battery, turn it on and drive. Many struggle to bind the controller to the tank. I cant imagine how many phone calls and emails are related to stuff like that. I am not saying its right or wrong, I am just saying, if Taigen want to keep its "customer service" up, like we have seen with Erik here in the past couple years, Bossman better step up to the plate and get some quality help. Otherwise, this forum is going to see alot threads like gp100.

This is still a great forum, I have PMd several of you on here and you have all been a great help, I also have talked on the phone with several of you.
We all have different "Tanking" needs. Some want shelf queen paint jobs, some want perfect sounds, some just want a Sunday afternoon drive around the house tank, and some want a hard core Danville battler. None are right or wrong. The hardest part I have, is what I want, and how much money do I want to spend to get there, lol.

I will add 2 cents to what I have learned in my "newbie" experience. If I could go back, I would buy a Tamiya Tiger or Sherman roller and check out every available aftermarket board, and see which one had what I wanted, and then talked to the company and picked the one with the best customer service. I have seen many rollers sell for $300 or less,
and we know what the aftermarket electronics cost. Then look at a RTR Taigen, not to far off, but better quality and good electronics. For me, this would work.

For gp100, I read his story, his heath issues, and his past. I wish him the very best. I hope he doesn't let something like this (toy tank) get in his way of enjoying what he has left.

Good luck,
Shad

RichJohnson

Of all my tanks most are Taigen because they make the best VVSS Sherman. Not one is is stock, all are some type of build and all have IBU2 base boards in them. I do really like the IBU, but we have had our issues with the, too. I had one that after a day took off in reverse as soon as it was turned on. A few of my friends had some with other weird issues. Like one that will not light up the tamiya IR apple when it gets hit in battle. It still counts hits and dies but no LED lights. Another just last month in batttle some how stopped powering one track motor.
All things can fail and these are cottage production though i do think they are great and i will keep buying. One friend is giving up on ibu because he had so many fauilures with 4 boards. Hes going to clark. But, i have yet another friend that had a clark non op on some channels. Nothing is perfect and I have troubleshot my way through a hand full of bad ibu boards for the guys but im still an ibu champian. Same as Taigen. Mato however, well when i get around to it that mato chasssis under my jumo sherman is going away and it will get a taigen lower.
I dont like the tamiya systems for my tanks because the recoil is stupidly slow and lags behind the gun fire sound. I can build better with an ibu and servos, its all about what you like. Most people do replace their systems with aftermarket just for that reason. I know a few guys that build tanks with taigen and henglong but put tamiya electronis in them that make them happy.
i would urge you not to give up on the hobby. Tanks are fun. Soemtimes frustrsting but fun. Unless tamiya makes the tank you want, then taigen is the next best mechanically.

gp100

Hi Rich,

Good to hear from you again Sir..

Yes, you are right. There will always be a certain amount of bad electronics that manage to make it through to the end user.. I've read about some of the bad IBU units that made it through to people.. I don't care how great any system is, the reality is, there will always be defects in any system from time to time.. So yes sir, you are very right..

But, like you, I'm a person who loves the IBU. I honestly do think for the money, it's a fantastic system.. Of course, a lot depends on how a company deals with those defects as well.. From what I read, Ian and another gentleman did stand behind it though, and replaced the bad ones.. That says a lot to me.. They stand behind what they sell. Always a winner in my book..

Even though the IBU2-Pro that I purchased has top notch electronics built into it, doesn't mean it couldn't fail.. It could.. But I will say that the chances are far less when you use high quality parts.. On the flip side of that though, the chances of failure are far greater with sub standard parts that can't tolerate the stress placed on them..

You are right again in what else you said that most people do change out the stock stuff for aftermarket.. From what I've read, that seems to be the norm in this hobby..

I guess I was unprepared for that as a first timer.. I simply didn't realize this part of the hobby.. I took the "ready to run" part literally. Honestly, I would have rather bought the tank with everything, but the electronics.. Perhaps a static model for say, $100-$150 cheaper maybe? Then I could have added an aftermarket system to it myself..

Would have been better in my opinion.. The tank is excellent in cosmetics.. It's just the electronics that are an issue.. So making a model that looks the same, without the electronics, and not charging for them, would be a great way to go.. (I'm not sure if they do that.)

After researching this a bit, I find you also bring up another good and valid point.. You say unless Tamiya makes what you want, Taigen is the next best from a mechanical standpoint.. Again, there is truth to this..

As to the Clark boards, I can't say anything about the quality of the boards, never having seen one.. Although, from what I've read on the boards, the Clark board seems to run well for people.. So yes, it all depends on what people want in a tank.. I myself, truly would buy the IBU again if I wanted another tank.. I just cannot ever see myself owning a tank of any brand, without it..

Of course, I'm always one to take suggestions from people on upgrades. And was extremely grateful to those that suggested it to me.. I didn't waste any time buying it when people said that was the way to go.. And I went with the full package.. Radio and everything.. To me, it was well worth the investment of $300.

It took a tank, that was truly on it's last legs, and brought new life to it.. So I'm impressed with the IBU..

I have one more issue mechanically to fix on the tank, and it should be done..

By the way, nice picture.. You sure do like the Sherman..

As always Sir, I appreciate and respect your opinion..

Mike.

Arctic Cat ZRT

I ended up going with my Taigen over a Tamiya for a few reasons:

1. I wanted an airsoft tank, something that Tamiya doesn't offer. I can even get a second IR turret assembly from Taigen if I wanted to battle at some point with my current Tiger. Clark board makes it easy to switch between IR and Airsoft functions
2. I wanted a full metal chassis/running gear for durability/reliability.
3. I couldn't afford a Tamiya kit, even with the Clark TK60 I am under what I would have paid for a Tamiya.

They only thing I wish Taigen did different was offer more kits or have the option to buy "rollers" with out control boards fitted. Would I like to try and get a Tamiya kit at some point? YES. I have some of their road cars and they are always a joy to build and well thought out kits. For now though my Taigen does the job.

Shorty54

Airsoft is a cheaper way to go. No emitters, no battle units, no damage status, no re-gearing for final hits so you can still move much cheaper!
You can buy the latest version Heng Long for $169 with free shipping! I myself found it was not much cheaper to buy the Taigen Tiger all metal and
change out the electronics to be Tamiya certified, actual Tamiya Emitter and Battle unit. Once I bought the Clark board, Tamiya battle Unit, larger battery,
programming remote, 4:1 gearboxes, and a cheap radio, not a good one, a cheap one, there was only about a $100 difference. I gave away most of the crappy Taigen stock electronics, and the rest went to the recycling because with shipping I couln't give them away, and no one wanted that stuff. I think a guy could sell the stock Tamiya electronics to easily pay for a new Clark TK60 and put some change back in your wallet. Then you could build your tank and know everything a bout it. There are a lot of Tamiya Tigers on this forum still running that are very old, very very little issues. Plus fitting those Clark boards was kind of a pain, and getting them to work properly everytime. I did think the same thing when I started to, oh I cant afford the Tamiya, well for about a $100 more, I wish I wouldv'e went with so many peoples advice and just bought the Tamiya Tiger I as my first tank.

Again, I am not bias, and this is my personal experience. I'm sure I will get another Taigen in the future, but this time hopefully a kit, with no paint and no electronics.
Just for fun I added a Tamiya Tiger to my cart with, Tank, Futaba radio, Battle unit, and battery, plus shipping, $915. I did not figure in paint, glue, or grease.
My Taigen Tiger I all metal came to $882.

I wish I was an airsoft guy, lol, I could have 5 tanks!

Shad

j61944

Is there a taigen discount for forum members here? If so, how would we apply for it on a taigentanks.com purchase? Or would we have to call an order in with our RCU user name for the discount. Thanks in advance.

RichJohnson

Not that I know of. Ive bought a few tanks off their site.

j61944

YouTube channel Gary Hoff mentioned members here can get 5 percent off is the reason for asking. Thanks.

winonagr

Winona Garden Railway gives a 5% discount to RCU members, plus if you create an account you will get $10.00 off your first purchase.
Prices are in CAD dollars so the US price is quite a bit less than what you see online.
Whats not in stock is usually no more than 2 weeks away
USE coupon code "tankers" on the check out page.
Refunds are given on shipping overcharges
https://wgrr.ca/Radio-Control-116-Sc...nks_c_115.html

Fookison

Living in Canada, the US dollar exchange right now can be a killer when considering purchasing Taigen products from outside Canada, but thanks to John at Winona Garden Railway, we can purchase Taigen products in Canadian funds and at comparable prices. Thanks John for making this hobby affordable to us Canadians!!!

Imex-Erik

John is a great guy, I've had the pleasure of talking with him a few times actually. It is nice to have another hobby shop with not only experience but knowledge as well, definitely stop by here or contact them if you are in Canada!

j61944

So I guess the consensus is there is no taigentanks.com discount for forum members here. Cheers