The only Tiger in the village....

[43rdRecceReg]

Just raided my piggy bank, and picked up this Taigen late model Tiger from RCtank.de. I've notice a few newbies asking about brands and models, so I thought I'd mention the Taigen brand. This one,though described as being 'plastic' is one of their entry level models, yet it still offers 2.4Ghz electronics, a metal chassis, a metal gun barrel, and an invaluable quick release to separate the upper and lower hulls. This particular model also has an airbrush job, with zimmerit, from Rctank that I couldn't match with my current ham-fisted splattering skills (working on it, though). I thought I might add an IBU2 to this, after the recovery from Christmas bankruptcy, and leave it pretty much as it is, apart from tracks, decals and weathering. Ok, they cost more than Heng Long, but give you a better 'authentic' look to start with, I think...and put you on the right track (crap pun intended) if you're unsure about modding..and just learning.
This model, by the way, will represent an Alpine Division, because of its obvious mountaineering prowess....

[Max-U52]

Good looking tank. My S33 started out as a Taigen all plastic TAG12010 and now it's pretty much full metal and tonight I might finally finish the installation of the new turret with airsoft barrel recoil. You'll find lots and lots of how to videos on this tank at my youtube channel. From slip rings to airsoft recoil. And of course I'm always here if you need any help.

[43rdRecceReg]

Yep, It'll be the next project. I'm still working on my ultimate bangs and whistles Early Tiger; that's the metal bits one destined to have the Clark board, and already has the heavyweight, gear grinding Taigen turret, and sports the airsoft recoil system. ON reflection, the turret is probably a tad heavy for the Taigen upper hull; but I'm committed to finishing it, and plan some deck reinforcement with 1.5mm plasticard. (Cut carefully to fit existing inner layout). Thus, the early tiger project is a beast, weighing in at over 15 pounds, and yet with the new Taigen (v2) steel gears, and 380 motors, it can almost climb stairs without having a coronary. So far..

[Max-U52]

I think I'm all done with metal turrets for Tiger tanks. I just went back to plastic for the S33 with the airsoft recoil and it makes a huge difference. The turret spins better and the top is considerably lighter. Even stock a full metal Imex/Taigen Tiger is a real brute. Watch this

[43rdRecceReg]

Ha, ha! Amazing. Eine Frage: Can you get it onto the second shelf? I like the proportional movement a lot, and wonder what gear you have inside it? It's not stock stuff, is it? Anyway, it seems as if some tanks can run on steroids. I was amazed by the pulling power of
my 15 pounder, but haven't yet tested the (Taigen) board to destruction. That is, I don't know if it can maintain that performance without a burn out...over time. I also wonder how much abuse the Clark board can take before fizzing to a stop.

[43rdRecceReg]

Hi again, Max
Just looked at your Youtube piece on testing the Airsoft recoil system in the S33, while connected to the Asp board. Good inspection ramp your have there, man. Improv is good for the old grey cells.I've invested in a battery pack too: a cheap but really effective tool. Still have a variable DC power supply (with octopus connectors) from my pc building days; that's come in very handy for running motors in. You've probably got S33 sorted by now, so can I ask whether you think the Aussie ASP is easier to set up than the Clark board? That is, does it involve any rewiring? Must check it out. Out antipodean cousins seem to produce some great products.

[Max-U52]

The Asp does require a bit of rewiring as it has separate ports for both rotation and elevation, but it's nothing real difficult. I'm still having trouble with the airsoft recoil. I think it's in the trigger switch but I'll call Erik later today to see what he thinks. At this point I'm thinking the best route would be to just lose the recoil board in the turret and just wire the servo directly to the Asp, since it supports servo recoil. I'll have to ask Kevin if that feature works in both airsoft and IR or if it's just IR. I'm pretty sure it will support both, Kevin's too smart to overlook that little feature.

On the whole I believe the Asp is the best airsoft board on the market today, but I haven't tried it in IR mode. Yet. The tank you saw climbing the shelf is about to become a tammy compatible battle tank running on the Asp and the 9XR. The Asp is currently on route and should be here next week. When paired with the 9XR it is a bit pricey, but that's mostly radio and I think it's well worth it. This video wouldn't have been possible without the Asp. Here you see two tigers, the gray one (332) and the S33, the 332 runs on the IBU2 and the S33 has the Asp. All the sound effects except engine start on the 332 are provided by the Asp. Even just sitting there it makes video so much cooler with all the features it has. I'm especially anxious to try out the Tamiya two-shot kill code. The guys up here aren't gonna know what hit them and I'm curious to see how long it takes them to realize their heavy tanks are being killed after just two hits! Anyway, here's a video showing how A sp can make any video better, just with its sound features.



Highlander, if you want to see video of the recoil problem send me a PM and I'll give you the link. Right now it's unlisted so you won't find it on my youtube channel and you need the link to see it.

[jarndice]

I have been reading about the "ASP" and I am certainly tempted to give one a try on one of my Tigers, I like that there is choice of boards between "Airsoft" and I/R.
Given the conversion rates between the Australian $ and the UK £ it is most attractive financially,
Including postage it comes in at about £100, fitting nicely between the CLARK Board and the IBU2.
I do like it when a strong currency meets a weaker one.
Does anyone know the size of the "ASP" board compared with the "Clark" and the "IBU2"?
shaun.