I'm still up in the air on the hull vs cost. The Asiatam PzIII hull is an absolute work of art, completely changing the performance and enhancing the PzIII in every way. I honestly cannot imagine a 1:16 tank platform that is built better. Worth every penny. The KV-1 hull both improves upon and slides backwards in comparison and costs about $50 more.
Obviously the KV hull by Asiatam is stunning, you've all seen my pics. I am unable to compare performance to the stock KV because I ordered it all at once and when the KV arrived, an idler was torn off it's mount. It shares the same suspension as the PzIII hull, but because the last roadwheel suspension spring is before the gearboxes and you have all that motor/gear/hull weight behind it, the last 2 wheels basically sat bottomed out. I fixed this issue very easily by cementing a spring into the hollow underside of the last wheel stop and now she sits perfectly level and the spring is not noticeable. The downside is now the butt gets a bit bouncy if running quickly over rough pavement. The other huge concern is the plastic sides. The PzIII has the same setup with the return rollers attached only too the plastic and it has had no drawbacks over the past 8 months, but the KV plastic seem brittle. It arrived with cracks from over tightened screws and I cause a few trying to get the sprockets on the axles. The mudscraper thingy that sticks in-between the inner and outer halves of the sprockets are not removable and the are anchored only by plastic. This would be fine, but it is basically impossible to get the sprocket onto the axle without putting outward force on the scrapper, causing the plastic to pull away from the hull. Is this Asiatam's bad design or the Russians? The rough ride is certainly the Russians fault because they use tiny roadwheels that are spaced far apart. This allows any stick or gravel piece around 3/4 of an inch in diameter to get between the roadwheels when fully extended, meaning each wheel hit's it individually like hitting a speedbump in your car going 40mph.
On the inside, these hulls are designed beautifully. Plenty of space, removable metal mounting plate for gearboxes, removable plastic tray for electronics and an elastic band to hold the battery secure. Well refined and polished, no rough edges like a computer case. I would never worry about anything breaking inside or wearing out, except for the torsion springs, maybe. The hulls are tough as nails, I have no fear of dropping them onto concrete from a few feet in the air. I know that contradicts the above complaint about the plastic sides, but no stress is placed on the plastic while driving, it's only when assembling or performing maintenance to the drivetrain that causes concern, never seen the return rollers wiggle unless you grab them and wiggle them. The improvement over the HL hulls is never in question. Asiatam takes your toy and turns it into a real machine with real suspension. It’s the difference between a Yugo and a Mercedes.
Is it worth the $250? The machining is amazing and looks better than the pictures of the Tamiya hull I’ve seen. Remember, EVERYTHING is thick metal. The plastic is attached to the metal walls to add details like the armor. The swing arm stops are metal as is the return roller arms and mudscraper thingy. I really do not know why the plastic is even there, but it’s on both the PzIII and the KV. I am now building a Panther G and am purposely dragging my feet, buying everything except the lower hull in hopes Asiatam announces one soon. If they don’t, I’ll just fill the Tamiya hull with every Asiatam part I can bolt to it. I have heard that Tamiya’s torsion system is better, but the actual hulls are not. So back to the $250 question and if it’s worth it. Ask yourself how much would it cost to upgrade every part of a Tamiya from the fender down to metal, not forgetting the cost of the hull itself? The cheapest I could build a stock Tamiya Panther G with all the bolts and and parts was over $150. You might have seen the $97 estimate, but I took the instruction book and the parts list and the $97 list was leaving out several items. So yes, if you want a 14lb metal monster crawling around your yard, this hull is worth $250. Sorry, the PzIII only weighs 11lbs.
I guess the reason I even question it’s worth is due to the performance of the tank itself and this is not Asiatam’s fault, it is the Russian designers. The German tanks just perform that much better with the front sprocket and the roadwheel design. The KV is made to plod along, scaring the excrement out of anyone in front of it, just like the Tiger. I really hope Asiatam produces a Panther G hull soon and then follows it with a T-34 so the Russians can redeem themselves.
Improvements over the PzIII Asiatam hull:
-Wheels and idlers have bearings in them
-Has a external location for the powerswitch
-Rear is a solid piece of metal with amazing curves so you don't have a stupid plastic part to add detail
Cons VS the PzIII hull:
-Uses 2 bolts to hold hulls together instead of the snazzy spring-loaded quick release tabs
-Idler adjusters are horrible and unintuitive in comparisson
-Design of the mudscraper when installing sprocket
-Rear suspension needs stiffer springs
