Some Tiger questions from a newb for the "scale" guys?

[jumpugly]

Hello Gang:
I have been a member on this site for a few weeks now and after 50 years of building F1 cars, WW1 Aircraft, and sailing ships, both static and r/c, stand-off and scale and I have definitely have gotten the large scale 1/16th "tank bug." To put it mildly, I just cannot get enough of this site and the extraordinary level of accomplishment displayed within!

Having recently kit-bashed a static Merit (WSN/Trumpeter?) Tiger 1 with some Mato and Heng Long parts and seeing some of the scale detailing on the site my natural question (moving forward) revolves around the best available Tiger 1 or 2 that is closest to scale? It can be either r/c or static, but r/c is preferred.

Does Tamiya (a company I have dealt with for eons) offer the best all-around Tiger kits? It seems, that with a little online research the Tamiya's are considered the best, but are they way beyond the Hobby Boss and Trumpeter kits? And do any of the dedicated r/c kits be they Mato, Taigen (Imex), WSN, or Heng Long approach the level of detail in any of the static kits? For example; it seems as if the Heng Long kits require a bit (maybe more than a bit) of work.

For the sake of my own sanity I have not included the "Forces of Valor" die casts in this discussion.

Be that as it may, I may have given you multiple questions to ponder, but hopefully you'll forgive me for that.
As I research like mad on any of my projects any comments or opinions anyone would like to offer is greatly appreciated.

Kindest regards, Guy

[jumpugly]

Hey Mick!
I too am concerned with the asking prices on the Tamiya's...
I am keeping a close eye on the Taigen Tigers...Mato's too although the Heng Long's fit the immediate budget and can be "sharpened-up" with some work. Also wondering if all the metal upgrades available are as important and necessary as some folks say? As you know I'm new to armored r/c like this so it's a huge question mark for me personally.
Thanks agin for the help!
Cheers! -- Guy

[Soeren]

The Tagen turret and upper hull have the same issues. But there is a Hobby boss kit at the price complete below the price of a separate upper hull and Tagen turret. Offers separate tools and a 10 version decal sheet. Just some more work to make it match.

[jarndice]

Hallo Guy,
Tamiya are over priced but they were the ones who first went to Bovington to record "131" Engine sounds which they downloaded into their sound card, Also unlike Heng Long and Taigen they only fitted one "Spare Aerial Holder" on the Tiger 1 as of course they should have,
The Panzer 4 of both Heng Long and Taigen has a flat engine bay from the Turret to the Rear exhaust, Tamiya have incorporated a 5 degree slope which the PZ4 actually had,
Peeling/Cutting off the excess Spare Aerial Holder from a Heng Long or Taigen Tiger 1 is not too taxing BUT most people will baulk at rectifying the wrong angle on the PZ4 engine bay,
There is a lot of detail that is just plain wrong on the two Chinese designs whereas the Japanese is usually the way to go,
The turret side hatch retaining stops are correctly mounted on Tamiya's PZ4 and the Main Gun Mantlet again is correct unlike their competitors,
All of these details are fixable but considering that the design of these WW2 vehicles are over 70 years old and that fully detailed drawings are readily available the Chinese models mistakes makes these failings almost unforgivable.

[jumpugly]

All very useful Mick!
It seems every kit may have their quirks, but the Heng Longs would be a good choice if you're willing to do some extra running gear upgrades.
Soeren's right about the Hobby Boss...they can he had VERY cheaply. And considering the overall workmanship with their other kits they may be a great candidate for a kit-bash.

Although my love for Tamiya is justified with Jarndice's observations. It's all in the budget and how far anyone would like to go.
Keeping all that in mind I found the detail work on the Merit static kit well executed, but as far as "scale" correct I am not sure.

[Raminator]

It depends on what you're after, Guy. Do you want something affordable, do you want something accurate, or do you want something detailed?

The Heng Long/Taigen/Torro versions have the inaccuracies that Mick talked about (and more), but they're cheap. Everything's in the right place in the Tamiyas, but they're expensive, not particularly detailed out-of-the-box, and their electronics are dated and don't sound very good. The Hobby Boss kit is well-detailed, has things in the right place, but requires a little extra work to get it RC-ready. Take a look at Soeren's Taigen/Hobby Boss hybrid Tiger for a great example of how it could be done.

[jumpugly]

It depends on what you're after, Guy. Do you want something affordable, do you want something accurate, or do you want something detailed?

The Heng Long/Taigen/Torro versions have the inaccuracies that Mick talked about (and more), but they're cheap. Everything's in the right place in the Tamiyas, but they're expensive, not particularly detailed out-of-the-box, and their electronics are dated and don't sound very good. The Hobby Boss kit is well-detailed, has things in the right place, but requires a little extra work to get it RC-ready. Take a look at Soeren's Taigen/Hobby Boss hybrid Tiger for a great example of how it could be done.

Raminator! You have described me to a "T" with this one, indecisive! I suspect I may go the Heng Long route and bash it with aftermarket parts from other manufacturers (which I did with my initial foray into this scale, albeit static) and spend a ton of time on Zimmeritt. I appreciate your input as it serves to open my eyes to a type of modeling/rc that I am new to and happily there are tons of options to work with. Also thanks for the lead to Soeren's thread.
-Best, Guy