Ok I had a older HL Tiger briefly. Plastic tracks and stock motor. Now I am looking at the new metal hull Tangein Tiger 1 or the Panther. Looking for reliable suspension. Does the metal hull make that much difference? You know normal which is better stuff.

Appreciate any input. Thanks.

David

I have a Taigen full metal Tiger I. It weights in about 17-18 lbs stock. It's great for realistic moves as the weight adds to the momentum in the turns and speed. I have the early version with IR, the paint job is nice and customer service from Erik at IMEX is awesome. Hope this helps a little, I'm really happy with mine and am looking forward to getting the full metal King Tiger when it's released. Enjoy!

Yes one of the newer metal or even composite metal/ plastic hulls and suspension do make a great deal of difference in the drivability and reliability in these models. I have the asiatam lower on my HL/Tam Tiger and it works excellently.

Any of the Asiatam / Taigen metal lowers turn a clunky plastic toy into a scale-driving model almost instantly. The difference is night and day and totally worth it.

Rctank.de currently offers the only HL-compatible Panther metal hull, and I believe they also have had the Torro Tiger II for quite some time as well.

I have the metal Tiger, KV, and Panzer 3 hulls & they are excellent.

Thanks for input. The Tiger I was thinking of was teh one with plastic upper and metal lower it is said to have improved access to lower hull. I also wish to try a different electronics system. I have a SLU in my metal KV 1. I want something less expensive. Clark, DB3, Metal tracks if the stock ones are not good. Decided on the Tiger.. Will research the electronics.

Thanks again tankers.

Just be sure that which ever hull you choose is the type that has a torsion bar suspension. I believe there is a hull out there that uses the stock HL type spring suspension and that defeats the purpose of the up graded hull.

Thanks panther I will make sure. I will also deal with the dealers suggested by this forum. Thanks again.
David

I happen to have the Tiger you are looking for already equipped with the Clark TK22 if your interested. Its listed in the classified section.

looking now

If I may, I believe cost is a concern to you as it is to most of us. So I will discuss that and the cheaper alternatives.
That metal hull sure is a neat thing to have but let's face it costs as much as the tank itself. If you mean to use steel wheels and tracks simply buy it that way and reinforce the hull. Another forum member posted a video of a tiger with a cracked on the hull and showed how he braced the frame to eliminate future cracks-aluminum bar brace across the hull top. He turns the tank over in the video to show something and what do you know, this tank with the cracks has a steel hull. Make of that what you will, the point is a plastic HE tank hull can be braced very cheaply. A steel plate transmission mount helps quite a bit, one can also be made using styrene sheet laminate while adding very little weight. Add a cross bar across the hull, preferably removable, plus maybe some styrene gussets wherever it looks like it will do some good, and you will have a more rigid hull With Less flex.

Many people also add styrene "ribs" in a box shape under the turret; it's heavy and this is a weak spot of the upper hull so every little bit helps. If it's done right the upper and lower hulls when joined become very strong, resist flex and perhaps less likely to throw a track or develop cracks later. The factory obviously isn't going to do any of this, so it's up to the modeler to mod the tank to eliminate it's weak points (re-engineering is most of the fun of the hobby, to me).

One of the most important questions is what do you want to do with your tank? Just drive it around the back yard on weekends, use it with the kids, display on a shelf and take it out on holidays or run it in IR tank battle? Purpose built is the best route to go.

Thank you for your insights and suggestions. It will be used off road, not for battles. I want something that will be realistic as it will be operated this way and for videos. As far as add ons I want the 3 to 1 drive system. I am not familiar with the plastic tracks.

I have heard the Tangien had addressed most of the problems with the HL Tiger. Even track tension etc. Cost is an issue. I had not thought of doing the hull myself. Not too experienced in this.More to think about before purchasing. I do want the torsion bar suspention.. It looks like it operates better.

Thanks I have time to consider everything.

If you want realism then most likely a 4:1 gearbox will be better. It will be a bit slower but will have more torque. It will also be a bit slower which will match the realism you are looking for. Yes, the Tiger 1 has had a major overhaul and is quite nice. There are two track tensioners and there is a lot of adjustability, and the torsion bar suspension is very nice. We also offer the Tiger 1 in metal or plastic versions so pricing is a little flexible depending on your spending range. We also offer multiple colors, the plastic gets either desert yellow or a flat grey while the metal version gets an airbrushed grey (early version) or a brown camo (late version).
I hope all this helps, please let me know if you would like some pictures or more clarification on our Taigen tanks

Thank you Eric for getting involved with my posts, I will have to use the plastic tracks for awhile as well as the wheels. Have these parts been upgraded as well? Have to do this in steps.
Thanks for all the replys.

The drive wheels and idler wheels have been upgraded, but the tracks are still the same. Tracks is a 50/50 kind of thing. Some people like metal, some swear on plastic. I personally like plastic myself as I can drive inside with it (the gf would kill me with metal tracks and hardwood floors) and the weight savings is good during my shows. Otherwise outside I like the metal tracks.

Will Taigen come out with a 2A6 Leopard?

Most probably not, there wasn't much interest in the Leopard. Right now we are trying to finish up with the T34s and starting new projects. I wont say no, but most likely not.