RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Hello all.

I've got myself confused trying to work this out.

Who is who and what is what? Are they all the same as each other? Is Taigen a higher quality version of HKL? Is Torro a higher quality version of Matarro? Are they all third party improvements to HL??


If someone could explain it all a bit that would be brilliant!

Thanks

Kye
Kye

Good Morning,
Good Luck whenever Chinese manufacturing is thrown into the mix. Heng Long (or HL) started out with their inexpensive 1\24 scale tanks which were direct and poorer versions of Japan based Tokyo Marui 1\24 airsoft and IR tanks over a decade ago. Then, HL started to copy Tamiya which for years had been pretty much the only 1\16th RC Tank manufacturer with a few models out there. ( If anything, HL's direct competition to Tamiya has spurred that Japanese firm to come out with new and better models of tanks ) Matorro is Chinese based like HL and sort of copies HL but their tanks have different ( not necessarily 'better' ) drive systems and electronics. They have Tigers, King Tigers, T-34s ( molds which they got from WSN (WASAN, another Chinese manufacturer) apparently ) and such. Torro is the European distributor of Matorro products as noted in this blurb from their web site:
Torro GmbH is the official European distributor for MATORRO. Thus, we are responsible for distributing throughout Europe tank models like the “Storm Tiger” (“Sturmtiger”), the “King Tiger” (“Koenigstiger”), and other future models.
: Torro also offers their own upgraded versions of Matorro products using bits from several excellent German manufacturers of parts to upgrade these machines. Matorro, HL, WSN and Tamiya also benefit from having upgrades performed by using bits from these German sites, ( Asiatam, Schumo, Tank Modelbau, RCtanks.de, etc..) In the end, all of the Chinese manufacturers copy each other and seem to sell their competitors' products on their own websites. MATOMART.com is a great example of a site where you can buy both the Mato Sherman and the HL one as well as the rest of the HL line. Before I forget, Taigen is probably in bed with HL somehow since they use the molds from HL tanks to produce their own superior versions of the HL line. Lately they have branched off into making their own kits to build as well as offering a complete line of parts upgrades including 2.4GHz radio sets which are better than the HL sets. To make it a little bit more confusing, HL seems to be in direct competition with Taigen now because they are producing an upgraded version of their tanks called the 'Pro' Line which offer better components, moldings and separate tool sets which are like the ones Tamiya has been offering for years. HL also offers a couple of all metal tanks, something which Taigen is now copying just with the paint applied and electronics installed. Whew! *takes a breath* In the end, don't let the confusion get to you. We all benefit from it because of the immense availability of tanks and upgrade parts now. Just buy the tank you want, hop online to one of our excellent parts suppliers like Forgebear or Welsh Dragon or one of the German sites like RCtank.de and upgrade it to your heart's ( or wallet's ) content. Run and enjoy, repeat as needed. ;o)
regards,
Painless

Thanks for the breakdown, Painless. It is something that has corn fuzed me a bit as well since jumping into the hobby. I have not been able to figure out what goes with what, and with ease. I am finding out the hardway all the time.

Pale

Pale,
A pleasure. It's kinda nutty but we are benefiting as a Hobby from the unbridled consumerism which currently has China in it's thrall.
regards,
Painless

That is a wealth of information you have shared Painless. Like the OP, I was also confused as to the myriad of brands and manufacturers out there and the fact that they all seem to share common parts and accessories as I have only experienced buying HL RC tank.

Just throwing a little additional info into the frey ...something good to keep in mind when purchasing a tank from any manufacturer ...it's good to know who is on the pulse of the Hobby
Right now... I would give the ribbon to HENG LONG... as they seem to be improving their old models...as well as creating new ones.... The next would be Taigen... as painless said... as they are following Heng Long... but with more deluxe models with metal parts..Torro ( upscale) is more comparable to those by Taigen... Torro (low scale) is meant more for general consumption and need a lot of work to get close to low end models of other manufacturers ...Tamiya is still the standard setter... though they will cost you an arm and a leg just to get started ..not to mention all of their tanks are in kit form.. so assembly is required

On a personal note... I've been tempted by Taigen of late... but will probably stick with HENG LONG... as they have many times over proved their worth and reliability

ALPHA