IMEX TAIGEN 3 in 1 Tiger 1

[MichaelC]

Looks great but it still puzzles me that you can get an assembled Taigen one cheaper than in kit form. Shouldn't it be the other way around ?

MichaelC

[billpe]

What is the difference between the Taigen hull and the Asiatam one? And what is the difference between the top and the HL one? I've got a Asiatam hull but it sags badly and I'm thinking of mashing together a mixture out of the parts with a new hull. Could you take some pictures of them? I'm very curious.

[PainlessWolf]

Michael,
Normally yes but this kit gives you the option to build either of the three types, Airsoft, IR and Static and swap between them (no extra components to buy) In addition, I paid 249.99 + 58.60 in shipping from a dealer on Ebay. He still has two left I believe and it is a pretty good deal.
regards,
Painless

[PainlessWolf]

Bill,
The Taigen lower hull is the same as the Asiatam hull. When you say it "sags badly", are you saying suspension or the hull is flexing? This kit's lower hull is the new type with a metal hull inside of a plastic outer hull like a Tamiya with a torsion bar suspension. It seems pretty beefy to me. I will take some pics of the lower hull out of the packing but I have not assembled the torsion bars yet and do not plan to start on this build until the end of this year. I bought the kit this early because I couldn't beat the price.
regards,
Painless

[MichaelC]

Painless,

I thought IMEX was charging close to $400 for the kit when you can get the Taigen tank for $350, so $250 for the kit would be a good deal, especially if you like to spend time building the kit. I just bought two of the Taigen lower hulls from rctank.de and the hull has a metal bar across the front of the gear/motor area to provide rigidity for the plastic part of the hull. The torsion bar suspension is on the soft side but I wouldn't say that it sags.

MichaelC

[billpe]

Its the flat areas above the tracks that sag - the plastic is warped and doesn't match up with the upper. With the screws in place to pull it up, it pulls down the top causing that to warp. Anyway, don't want to derail your thread, looking forward to photos when you take htem.

[MichaelC]

billpe, the Taigen one must be different than the Asiatam one since you don't use screws to mount the upper and the lower. There is a lip and a catch on the front and then two catches that mount onto the back two mounting posts and slides onto a notch on the lower hull. As I mentioned there is a metal bar across the front of the lower hull to make sure the plastic hull is not warped (it is really warped without the metal bar), but I think you can use the same idea for the middle part to reduce the warping of the plastic side hull as well.

MIchaelC

[PainlessWolf]

Michael,
Yes, indeed, I have been wanting to build a Tiger 1 from the ground up for some time. ;o) This kit offers the flexibility of a Tamiya kit with all of the metal added. I do have to provide the electronics and have a couple of RX-18 sets but with something this nice and with the money I saved, I could justify getting one of Tankbear's IBU-2's and a good TX.
regards,
Painless

[PainlessWolf]

Bill,
I will keep an eye out for any issues with the upper\lower hull fitment. As Michael noted, the Taigen hull uses a catch and latch system to lock the two in place. The new Asiatam type hulls do the same from what I have seen on the rctanks.de site. Now, having said all that, there are a couple of levels of Taigen Tiger 1 available. Do you have a thread or pictures of your lower hull from Taigen where I could see your type of hull and issue? Thanks in advance.
regards,
Painless

[billpe]

Actually on review, its a Taigan hull! I'll start another thread. Enough derailment!