When?

If you want a JS-2, I'm afraid Tamiya is the only answer!!!

Short answer.... eventually
Got the Leopard first, then JS-2
Only for a short time longer my friend!!

Hinged arms to hold the hull open?

That Berlin scheme looks awesome!

Metal hull, turret and running gear. How much does it weigh and what transmissions and motors are stock?

What quarter of 2019 will it be available?

I like that paint scheme! I might need to buy more than one, soooo...Will there be an option to buy it unpainted?

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Not a fan of the casting texture effect--looks out of scale and too uniform. But at least it differentiates it a bit from the Tamiya offering it's aspiring to become.

After all these years, it is still some crazy coincidence that Tamiya releases offer a kit, and out comes a simplified clone?

Mike.

Yes, actually that was an idea taken from here on RCU I can't remember who I saw it first on but I mentioned then in that thread I was passing along the great idea to the factory. Glad they finally used it!
Weight was around 16lbs but I'll have to double check that one. Motors will be 380s due to the lack of space for 390s but the gearboxes will be 4:1s or at least use the High/Low motor mount type so you can use either if you wish. We are aiming for Q1/Q2 for the JS2. Honestly it was supposed to be here right after Xmas but with all the new tariffs and restrictions we got a bit behind this year. We are a pretty big importer (IMEX) and tanks are just a tiny fraction of the business. There were 28 pages of NEW tariff codes I had to sort through and apply. If you guys get a chance take a look at what is actually being tariffed, it isn't so much the products themselves but also the machinery that US companies would purchase to make the items here in the US. Kinda strange really but anyways.....
For the paint I actually am having the factory swap to an acrylic based paint for the JS-2 and possibly future models. The new acrylic paint they showed me was much more scratch resistant than the current in use paint so I am looking forward to seeing how that turns out. It should be released in kit form as well, not at initial release but soon after I'll put something together for the IR battlers in our kit section.

You got to remember there are only a few big requested tanks (around 10-15ish that you can actually sell in enough volume to make your investment back on the molds) so there isn't too much stuff you can really produce and make money on in large numbers without huge risks and/or slow returns (to develop a Taigen tank is not cheap at all). The JS-2 got the most requests in a small amount of time and so it was even put ahead of the Abrams if that tells you anything. We also got a special one coming up soon that had TONS of requests and I bet will catch a few off guard here for sure as it did myself when I was informed earlier this year. We make the tanks we get the most requests from, it also might be that people don't want to pay $1000+ for a kit too, the hobby industry has been slowly dying over the last few years as more and more RTR items are being produced. I've been pretty deep in the hobby industry now for around 6 years meeting lots and lots of big wigs over the years and if we don't step in and support our local shops there will be no hobby shops in the next few years and even less people selling them. I've seen the DIY part of the hobby die in RC cars over the last 10 years or so, planes are almost non-existent anymore, and even drone DIY'ers are starting to go RTR. I personally hate it and love to build but I understand not all have the time or experience to do so. RTR is here to stay I'm afraid.

Any news about avilability in Europe?

Russian review video on YT:
youtube.com/watch?v=yd2tsPHeRMk (sorry I don't have permission for proper URLs)

It seems sounds are Clark copy (but worse ) and paint job is terrible I hope there will be kit avilable.

Yea it was a great idea actually. I remember posting in the thread actually I was gonna nab it He has such great ideas, I would love to work with him on a few things actually coming up....

Taigen ??-2 (JS-2), ??????? (??????) 2.4G TG3928-2G HC-BB - ??????? ?????? ? ????????? - ???????? ???? "??????"

Very nice model. But in live seen - painting is awful.... simple green w/o rust would be much better

Luckily paint is something simple I can order a custom paint scheme, do you happen to have some suggestions? I personally like the green (as well at the majority of the market) though just like the T-34 I can do winter versions and more if I feel there is enough demand. The paint is actually pretty nice too. You may have seen it, but you haven't driven with it The new paint is much better all around and more resistant to scratches too. Trust me, the paint change is definitely a good thing. But I am always open to suggestions so show me what you got!

Here is my tam js2 I work on now

Crazy as it may seem, the clone makers have of recent years released some tanks that Tamiya didn't make first - ZTZ-99, Abrams, Challenger and Type 90 come to mind.

Not every IS Dva served in the Berlin fight, in fact percentage wise it's no more than T34, Sherman and such. Something besides the Berlin stripes and bear would be a welcome change, with some tasteful weathering.

That on T-34 was great - it's nice and simple. I also like green colour too, but I have both green and white JS-2 just ahead of me, and IMHO it is not good, as not good green KV-2, that meat to be soviet version, but it is trophey german version in green colour, that was dissapointed me very much.

Unfortunately, I cant post images yet, if moderators can fix that - I can show you, what we do in our workshop.

We take your green JS-2, scrab it with solvent (hope it is the correct translation of this item), and finally get very fine green colour.
So - what I mean is painting is basically very good, but rust is not what meant to be there.

By the way, do you plan to produce KIT version of JS-2? In Russia it would meet good demand, I would order them also.

Give me some examples guys, show me what you want to see. Pictures really work the best when I go to bossman and the factory with requests like this. Thanks for those Sollie, I like the heavy weathering myself too.

I chose the paint scheme here in the US if we wish to change it. Right now I don't see much demand to do so but that doesn't mean I wont in the future if we get enough requests For kits most likely not in the Tiger 1 form but in the minimalist form we offer the other kits as. The Tiger 1 while being a great kit was a lot of time invested when the kit market is pretty small. However rounding up all the parts and making simple kits I can do here.

Hi,
Really enjoyed all three Tamiya JS 2 builds. Suggestions: A Taigen JS2 RTR wearing a WWII simple finish would be my choice.
That would allow for easy paint modification, such as added color modulation and weathering atop the factory finish.
Maybe, try adapting and running Taigen KV1 drive sprockets and tracks, the Soviets did do that modification to their JS2s during WWII.
John


Red Army JS2 running larger Tamiya KV-1 Kit Tracks; nasty looking..

Czech JS2.

JS2 in Tamiya box art finish.

Very helpful advice, thanks! I actually already have a set of early and late KV1 road wheels stashed away to test. The late version KV-1 wheels are close but no cigar but if this is compatible on our model I'll make sure extra tracks and such are ordered so you can do so.

And good on them for doing that. It seems like an excellent business strategy--fill the voids that they feel are out there, rather than simply pursue the models that Tamiya has already marketed...and satisfied many people looking for that tank. WWII British, Italian, Japanese types are still absent except for a couple from the small-run specialty makers (at understandably quite high prices). Taigen might do quite well with their IS-2, but a mainstream M-60 might've really rocked any maker's financial world.

Mike.

Please, PM me your e-mail, I'd give some painting examples, maybe something could interest you.

You, here is simple business - KIT is less expencive, that RTR tank - no need to assemble and paint, no elecronics and so on. Also, there are really many people in Russia, who like to build models by themselves, but, as you said - Tiger1 very good kit, but I recieve T-34 KIT's and I dont understand it meaning - you need only put together lower hull+turret+upper hull+wheels+tracks. Tiger1 need to screw all from scratch. For me, I could have some meaning to start new model in KIT version also.