RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

43rdRecceReg wrote:Thanks for the detailed heads up. The left track issue could be connected with weak suspension on the 'undescended' roadwheel and/or track adjustment. Let's hope these 'teething' problems can be resolved quickly (no pun intended).
I imagine the barrel was bent in transit..even though it was in that handsome case. Maybe that's how the other rogue roadwheel became wonky. I'm sure whatever you learn- good and bad (let's hope good ) will be of use to prospective buyers here. Also, thanks for the inside info on the upcoming Tiger 1...
Have a Merry and flaw-free Christmas

I like the Tiger I very much but I prefer the late production than the earlier one. I was about to buy the Mato's Tiger I when many members here stopped me from doing so. So I turn to the Panzer III that it's a later design of Mato and have torsion bars. Actually, from the external looks of the tank, it impresses me a lot. The battery and electrics are also very nice. Far better those you'd find on H/L. The only thing that disappoint me is its suspension system including torsion bars and suspension arms. Suspension arms should be easy, replace them with good ones and they're done. Torsion bars would be a headache.

The Panzer III is a nice looking tank but what I don't like about it is its narrow tracks. Narrower tracks mean less traction and it would be a problem when running extreme offroad.

One question, the tank comes with a 7.2V 3300mah Ni-MH battery. I think it's a high quality one. The battery has a separated charging connector. Can I just keep the battery inside the tank and charge the battery while it's still connected to the mainboard? Would it hurt the battery or the board?

Never thought that after spending $700 I still have to fix tank, and I almost give up on this lower chassis!

SteelBird wrote:Never thought that after spending $700 I still have to fix tank, and I almost give up on this lower chassis!

Im sorry to read this. Some time ago I was really tempted to buy one of those metal Panzer III, or at least the lower hull, but after reading only nightmares about the full pot metal Mato tanks, I think is better to kee`them as far as possible.

Unless you want to keep them as a self queen.

Its a shame.

After my experience with the Mato Tiger 1, I will never buy another Mato tank.

When I spend £600 on a tank I expect everything to work properly and have a high build quality.
Once I got the refund back from the Mato tank I spent it on a Torro Tiger 1 with a TK22 sound board and suitable 4 channel radio - everything works properly and the quality of build is first class.
I can make it turn on the spot like a demented Dalek - no problem with the metal tracks coming off.

Thanks for the tips. Won't be spending my hard earned on a Mato tank - they've still got a long way to go to keep up with tamiya by the looks of it.

The story never stop here. Last evening I disassemble the whole tank and try to fix the torsion bars. That's where the nightmare comes. Some of the torsion bars are not straight and the (torsion bars) holders are not smooth and very fragile. The holders are secured by only one screw and the screw holes are very easy to be spoiled (you'll need a bigger screw ). Here what the tank look like on my table.


Once I take the tank offroad, one of the track is easily thrown off. I checked it and found the track is loose compared to the other. So I disassemble the tracks and put them flat. Guess what! one is longer than the other. I don't know if this is normal. This can be offset by the track adjusters?


OK, so far I've found the nightmare of my Mato Panzer III is its lower chassis only. The upper hull work perfectly. So I'd never complaint about it. The TK22 board is also awesome though not perfect. Including the radio, in short, everything works fine as expected except the lower hull, and the worst thing is the suspension system.

Just take one link out of the longer track mate.

Wonder if you can adapt this beautiful upper hull and electronics to a Taigen or Asiatam metal lower? Hate to spend more money (someone else's) but sounds like its going to take a lot of machining and time to correct.

If it's like my Mato Tiger lower hulls the metal is not of the best quality and I had to drill and tap some of the hull. And in some cases drill through and run nuts and bolts

I am sure someone on here has run into a similar situation and has some great ideas for you... There may be a post on here that details a repair or something. There's always someone willing to help