been out of the tanks for awhile, I currently have 2 henglongs a stug and a jagdpanther. both just plastic versions. They were both decent runners for a short while, although the jag almost destroyed the plastic gears instantly, the stug was good until the idler wheel just got too sloppy, so I am in the middle of trying to figure out what to do with that. both were plastic versions.


I also have a newer tamiya kt with metal everything, but the tensions are complete garbage, so it is basically undriveable until I figure out a fix for that, and I also have single motor kt, and a bottom chassis of a leopard. They are not the best drivers due to the clutch system.


Anyhow, I was looking at some of the taigen tanks today and a lhs. They had one pIV with metal tracks that I was tempted to buy, but I have not been able to find any info on if it is even a good runner or not. I'm tired of modding stuff, and I just want a runner that doesnt need a bunch of fixes right off the bat. Frankly I was unimpressed with the tamiya kt,

I'right now, tanks I am considering, kv1 hl metal, a p3 from hl, original m4 full option sherman from tamiya, maybe something different. I'm not looking to spend more than about 500, and I dont care about accuracy, want durability and ability to actually drive it offroad.

I have read a bit about the taigenm stuff, but I am insure how they compare to metal hl versions since they all seem to be made in the same place.

If the metal tracked taigen pIV is a good runner I would happily go pick it up locally right now,. but I dont wanna jump into anything.


Thanks

IF you want a good runner with high durability and dependability a HL is not the best route. Tamiya is the most durable and dependable. The KT idlers are not a big deal to upgrade. Daryl tuner has fine upgrade and home made ones are cheep and easy to do. The KT It is a very durable tank but very big. The best Tamiya tank are the M26 or Panther G. Sell that KT id you like and get the tank that will NEVER disappoint you. Taigen is the best of the toy tanks...Tamiya is still in its own class a fine RC model. Although the margin is narrowing. How do you want to use it just to drive or for IR battle. Good Luck, Bob

Well if you want one thats a good runner out of the box...its going to have to be a HL or a taigen.

Because a Tamiya (a model kit) or one of the all metal stugs or something (no electronics) wont be running anywhere out of the box.

If I was you....Id order a HL from one of the smaller dealers and try and get them to test it/service it before shipping or whatever to make sure it runs well.

And then pay a few dollars more for careful shipping.

p

Here's my 2p, if you were in the uk I would say buy a used tamiya. In the us it seems to be a little different. Used tamiyas are far more and new kits slightly less. The Taigen tanks with metal chassis are good out the box but you will still need to upgrade the electronics to battle with. There a mod for the king tiger idlers basically replacing the springs with putty, dead easy and works well. Schumo do some replacement inserts too which are fairly cheap. Darrel Turner does amazing work but IMO a lot of it's overkill unless your doing Danville style IR combat.

Listening to what you have said, I would recommend the HL KV1. Decent runner with a lot of upgrade parts you can add as required. Taigen in my opinion are Heng Long Tanks modified for you. So you have to look at what you are getting and compare that to what you would spend buying a plastic Heng Long and adding what you want for metal upgrades.

If you go for the 2.4 ghz electronics in the Mato, HL or Taigen, be prepared to throw them away if want to battle or add sound. You will then have to decide and purchase what electronics you are going to need, If all you are looking for is a tank to run around, and don't care too much about battling or Sound then the stock electronics will work for you. I am working on an interface to add the Benedini to these factory 2.4 ghz offeriings if you want better sound, but it is not ready yet.

i would say tamiya also,only the king tiger idlers need some upgrades the rest is as good as the other tamiyakits. Live and learn i would advice ,

the sherman , pershing and the panther are first class kits no upgrades needed, tamiya don't need upgrades for its soundsystem , its digital recorded with a descent speaker, you won't be disapointed

also my leo 2A6 is also a very good runner but it isn't cheap, its the expensiviest of all ... or you must be lucky like me i bought him for 580 dollars from a guy

A good runner out of the box.... The Taigen full metal Tiger 1 cant be beat for 400 bucks. Mine bashes through the yard like no ones business. It's a solid tank and runs great.

I agree with mcm308. I have the Taigen Full Metal Tiger as well and it is an excellant out of the box runner. It makes me want to buy another Taigen tank.

I still can't understand why people would buy a Taigen full metal tiger for $400 when the tamiya Sherman is $90 more and the Pershing under $600!

tomhugill have you personally owned a Taigen tank? It is probably my favorite tank that I currently have and is a bargain at $400 to me. Also not trying being a ***** but the title of the thread is "looking for a good runner out of the box". So clearing anything Tamiya is not an RTR tank and will have to be assembled and painted not to mention doesn't come with a controller or battery from what I remember. So that $400 sherman and $600 Pershing is going to be a even more after you buy those things.

"Out of the box" he said! Tamiyas dont do much out of the box! P

other people beat me to it...

Question being " OUT OF THE BOX RUNNER" A tamiya isn't runnin anywhere outta the box..lol

Some people either don't want to or don't have the time to build the Tamiya. And then factor in the radio, battery and charger costs to operate it..
That Sherman that costs 490 is now 650 to run it..

A Taigen... you open box, remove tank and accessories, charge battery, install AA batts into radio and then head for the hills...
And the full metal versions with all the asiatam upgrades already installed is a bargain! I did all the research when I got mine.

I would buy another Taigen in a heartbeat.

I have 2 Taigen full metal late tigers and one early which I've modified heavily. I consider them great value; in the uk new they're equivalent $300, I paid maybe $170 for mine. But in the uk you can get a used tamiya for $300 easily, as much as I like all the metal bits I would consider a tamiya better value.

Out of the box does not mean Ready to Run. SO A Tamiya can be built out of the box to be a good runner. My Tamiya Sherman is a perfect example of an out of the box stock Tamiya that runs great.

However my HL Panther and KV1 have also been great RTR tanks that come in for a heck of a lot less then a Tamiya, and those have proven to be good tanks. So to be fair and clear, ready to run was not a requirement.

I did assume he was leaning more to RTR, but the fact remains he has had a Tamiya so a Tamiya Sherman would be a great out of the box runner, once you build it.

Well, my opinion was that op said a good RUNNER out of the box... that to me is RTR.

And there in lies the debate. To me an OTB runner, means you don't have to buy any additonal parts or pieces, and that the stock box parts are adequate to build a decent tank.

HL has been getting better as they come along....so the later designs are better....I think this is true with tigen tanks as well....never been a fan of the tiger, they seem to lose tracks a lot. My advice....panther, kt,kv1 and pz3 in that order

Build yes..but still can't run it without buying additional equipment.

100% agree with this!

wow the term out of the box certainly means a lot of different things to different people.
I assume out of the box to mean it runs and you do nothing but plug in batteries.

I don't think you can go wrong with most tanks today unless you buy some really old HL tank off of flea bay.
All of them break - ALL of them, Tamiya, Taigen and Heng Long, Hooben, Mato, VS WSN, Trumpeter/Merit. Even shopping around you can get a deal or you can get burned, Buy new unless it is someone that has a reputation they don't want to lose and for god sakes use Paypal to pay for it so you at least have some protection.
Buy what you like, what looks cool or what Tank you would want to run. NOBODY here can tell you what you want, just prepare yourself for minor repairs and look up the "how to do its" for the modifications you want to make to your tank.
If you have a question like "this part broke", we have all been there and can offer advice on the repair. Don't be afraid to ask.

OTB in the kit world, means you put together the model using only the parts supplied in the box

In Japan Tamiyas come with Radios

A fully agree. Here Here. Tomas.

I think the test of time and wear will show that Taigen are not as durable as the Tamiya...not no mention the resale value....Tamiya really hold resale value. How long will Taigen parts be available for who will stock them? Tamiya again has that fully covered. I will buy and try a taigen for myself.

But Tamiya is still firmly in a class all its own.

Like I said...that margin is narrowing.

"out of the box" may mean a number of different things.....but combining "good runner" and "out of the box" in the same phrase/breath must lead one to think he means that its going to run (well) upon removal from the box. Not that he's going to have to build it (especially as its being a good runner or not is surely dependant, in the case of a kit, upon his having built it correctly.

His criteria seem a little mixed (he doesnt rate the Tamiya KT he has, yet then mentions a sherman from teh same manufacturer - maybe he means second hand?).

His three criteria - doesnt care about accuracy, wants durability and wants genuine off road capability - would seem to lend themselves very well to either the all metal tiger or stug from Mato.

At any rate, the OP can probably come back and explain exactly what he was thinking of....

p

i have 4 taigen tanks the mostly metal tiger 1 being one of them it is a great runner i have the airsoft version as there is really no one i know of to "battle" . Out of the 4 the panther is the only tank that still has a operational air cannon the rest stopped working within the first week of owning them i would say out of the box the bulldog and tiger 1 are tied for best runners!

Just to chime in, in the armor modeling world, OOB (out of box) is a category used in both description and competition. It means building as is without alterations or aftermarket parts except for glue and paint. In competition, the directions need to be displayed with the model.

In the RC world, it's RTR or RTF (ready to fly) There's also BNF (bind and fly) that comes without radios. As Dan said, in Asia, Tamiyas come stock with Futaba Attack Tx/Rx, that's why it's featured in the directions.

So if you're buying an HL, Taigen or Tamiya and swapping out for or adding a Clark, Benedini, different gearboxes, servo elevation, it's no longer OOB.

I'd go with Tamiya myself. I love my HL Stug, but it took ordering from about 6 different sources to get it there, plus a ton of modifications and work. OOB, it ran for a hour or so and crapped out. My first Tamiya (Tiger I) is still a flawless runner after 10 years, no work, barely even maintained and that's after my son has been rolling it off walls and down stairs this past year. My most recent Tamiya (pz IV) was built and running in little time with zero hassle.