Namerifrats

Ordered my first 2 tanks yesterday from Imex before heading to work. Really looking forward to getting them and checking them out. Got a Taigen Panzer III (metal) and a Taigen Tiger I (late metal).

sergeantseabass

nice welcome to the fold.

Max-U52

Airsoft or IR?

Namerifrats

Airsoft

Max-U52

I have two Panzer IIIs but neither is the Imex so I'm really looking forward to your review. Video would be excellent (hint, hint). You let the cat out of the bag on your other hobby so you could combine for this one, show us the tanks and also tell us a lot about the set-up used to show us (equipment, lighting, technique, etc). I'm finding preparation makes a huge difference, and no detail is too small. Even being smart enough to always remember to loosen the clamp on the tripod before panning makes a huge difference in "smoothness". I definitely don't want to turn this into a photography forum, but anything that will enhance my tanks or the presentation of my tanks is always of great interest, and I like to believe others are interested besides just me. Paco still blows me away on video skills so it's about time I got on the stick.

Namerifrats

I'll see what I can do! I'll def make a couple videos, showing details and operation. Not sure that it will be an.actual review though as I'm new and don't really know enough about it yet to know good vs bad. Looking forward to getting them though! Hopefully middle of the week sometime.

Max-U52

A review is just you telling us what you see and what you think about it. Being new has nothing to do with it. It's actually better sometimes, as you don't have a biased opinion. Just seeing you open the box will tell volumes. Imex has gotten seriously conscientious about packaging, leading to much less shipping damage and subsequent returns. Being able to see how they corrected any particular problem area will teach me better ways to pack my tanks for transport to the battlefield and give me a heads up on spots to look out for. That's just one of zillions of benefits a video review has for your fellow tankers.

I review my own videos and I see nothing but flaws, but guys are always telling me what they gained so I keep sluggin' away, and any chance to learn from someone with more experience in photography is always appreciated.

Tanker 10

A couple of good choices. I've got the Taigen Panzer MK IV and the late Tiger. The P IV was my first tank and is still going strong. I like my Late Tiger more due to the fact it has those nice wide tracks and seems to do much better, even though it's heavier, in the loose dirt. Either way, you should be happy with your choices.

ausf

Not to get off track, but that's not entirely accurate.

You're talking about an opinion, not really a review, but that's kind of where the world seems to be headed anyway, so it's acceptible. Consumer Reports is a product review. The star ratings left on Amazon are opinions.

In static modeling, there are reviewers who are trusted, give serious consideration and exhaustive research into the product they are looking at and gauge it against all the similar products in the range. These guys spend a lot of time on this and it takes quite a while to gain both the experience and reputation that they do.

Look at Terry at PMMS. He's been servicing the hobby for years and years, and his opinion can make or break a kit, probably the most trusted reviewer out there. He'll compare with photos, every single resource he has and compare the product to all others.

Example:

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.co...cal/30cal.html

If you had a Tamiya, Torro, Taigen, WSN and HL Tiger I sitting in front of you, a camera, multimeter and micrometer, then you are equipped to review them. Anything else is an opinion. If I never saw a 1/16 RC tank before, I may think that a HL is the neatest thing since sliced bread, but that bit of information is useless to anyone else.

That doesn't mean I don't enjoy your videos.

Tanker 10

I have to agree about Taigens packaging these days. I feel the biggest improvement that they have made is move the gun barrel off of the top of the transmitter. My first couple of tanks from them had barrel scratches and IR unit damage due to this in my opinion. they now ship the tank with the turret turned slightly to allow the barrel to sit in it's own valley and not on top of the transmitter carry handle. I've had no barrel, IR, or recoil problems since they've started this new way of packaging their tanks.

sergeantseabass

If he were to simply pull out the product and tells us what he likes and doesn't like about and his overall satisfaction of it then it is a review.

If he pulls the product out and says this is the best without any reasoning or comparison then yes it is an opinion.

Just because he isn't well known doesn't mean that he can't give a review of his experience of a product. Ausf if you say that he needs a micrometer and and multimeter to evaluate his product to make it a review.

i don't think so. As long as he is honest about his thoughts on the tanks is what matters. You might require that and if he goes into scale authenticity or he starts talking about power draw from different pieces on the tank then yes.

But if he pulls it out of the box, tells us about the tank, points out features he likes, points out some areas that confuse him or that he doesn't like than it is still a review. Whether it is one tank or all the tanks from every manufacturer it is still a review. It might hold much weight for you since he isn't considered an expert in RC tank or scale modelling but it is still a review.

That's all reviews are, an evaluation of a product with both the good and bad pointed out and the overall view the person giving it has on the product. Some people are listened to with more weight behind their words. But anyone can give a review.

But hey thats just MY opinion

Max-U52

Peace, Brothers. I wasn't trying to start a discussion on the term Review, I was just telling David that his opinion matters to me and I'm interested in hearing what he has to say. Whether it's a review or an opinion never entered my mind, but I think I would classify what you're talking about, Jeff, as a Critique and the guys that do them as Critics, but all that stuff is just semantics to me, I just want guys to (back to that bald chick) Divulge The Information!

So David, whether it's a review, an opinion, or cherry pie, I'm looking forward to seeing your tanks and I'm hoping your experience will be educational for me and help me to make better videos.

But that's just my opinion, and I think we covered opinions, didn't we? How they're like butts? Everybody has one and most of 'em stink? Mine are no different.

Namerifrats

To me, there are different types of reviews, basic and detailed. The basic is more of an opinion.....but I guess could still be called a "review" to an extent since they are discussing various features of a product. I watch both kinds, but I usually prefer a detailed review, especially when considering making an expensive purchase. I plan to make a couple videos, not sure what all they will consist of yet. Personally, I don't like to hear myself talk on video, lol.....so I don't usually do reviews. I will do something in the near future though! As far as equipment/setup....for something like this it would be basic. I have a HD camcorder, 2 DSLR cameras that shoot HD video, as well as a couple GoPro cameras. I do a lot of stock photo/video, storm chasing, etc. Hoping to be able to do some detail video of the tanks operating, maybe try some other interesting stuff as well.

Merganser

My two cents worth: the nit pickers with their engineering rulers and research materials do put pressure on the manufactures to improve their products. We can all see that HL and everyone else have picked up their game. That said, the most important people we need to grow this hobby are the new people just opening that first box. I have read many customer reviews on a large on-line retailer's site where their new tank has arrived broken or stopped working in two or three days. That person will probably never find us and will never buy another tank. The first impression and first experience of a person running their new tank is key to our expansion. Imex and Eric's work on quality control and customer service have, in my opinion, lifted the whole hobby up a level and added thousands of new tankers to our ranks. I look forward to the coming review and know that the experts among us will help the new owner iron out any problem. jot

Namerifrats

This is exactly what I'm counting on! A lot of helpful and knowledgeable people use various forums. I've received help and advice many times in the past from forum members. I've even been able to help others (hopefully) in other forums where I was familiar about the subject.

Augustus1967

Welcome to Another Addiction Namerifrats!

RC Tanks are like Girl Scout Cookies "Thin Mints", it's hard to stop at a Couple...
I look forward to seeing your Progress, Mods, Photos and Videod.

As far as Videos go, Measuring Devices, Camera Settings or Composition not withstanding...
I've always felt that a Good Musical Score can make or break a Video Clip...

Bring On The Tank Porn........ Music!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=flVpg9D9GQg

-gus

Imex-Erik

Thanks guys! Yes since I got some help here I now make sure that ALL tanks are checked again by myself or my newest tech (which sits beside me for training) before they go out. He has been a large help around here at IMEX/Taigen which allows me to do things like Scratch and Dent sales, aftermarket reviews, more videos, etc. for you guys. I hope you can pick it up tonight my friend! Congrats on the new tanks, the S&D sales are a great deal for us tankers can fix things.