RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Hi To Everyone,

This is a new build log leading on from my earlier posts (June 2020) — Taigen Panzer III - Fitting The Igarashi (Lower RPM-Higher Torque) Motors For More Realistic Scale Like Speed.

Link: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=30035

Starting The New Build Log: 1/16 Taigen Metal Edition Panzer III

I have a new unmodified 1/16 Scale Taigen Metal Edition Panzer III Ausf L (metal chassis, steel gearbox’s, tracks & running gear etc.

My aim is to do a complete rebuild of the tank hopefully ending up with a fairly detailed model, more realistic in it’s appearance & the way it performs when it’s running, but with some necessary compromises due to it being R/C.


I’ve run the tank as supplied with its original Taigen motors & the Taigen 3.1 gearbox’s, it moves way to fast, no smooth transitions between speeds, it run’s more like a toy tank.

I’ve decided to do some experimenting with different gearbox’s & motors


I first tried it out with the Taigen 5.1 gearbox’s fitted with the original Taigen motors, big improvement with the Taigen 5.1 gearbox’s, but still moving very toy like, so still plenty of room for improvement.

I’ve now removed the original Taigen motors fitted to the Taigen 5.1 gearbox’s & replaced them with the Igarashi 5 pole N2738-51 Motors (Higher Torque-Lower RPM) in order to try to achieve a more realistically running tank with a better scale like speed.

I’m very pleased with the results, what a difference, very smooth with loads more torque, great transition between speeds & very a realistically moving tank. I’ve decided that these motor’s & gearbox’s are one of the best choices for this tank.

It’s now possible to drive the tank easily at very slow speeds & it’s now moving more like the real tank & less like a toy or a scalded cat.


Fitting The Igarashi 5 Pole (N2738-51) Motors To The Taigen & Tamiya Gearbox’s:

The Igarashi 5 Pole Motors (Higher Torque - Lower RPM) are more or less a straight forward swap with the original Taigen / Tamiya motors. (Shaft size is the same diameter on all motors)

I re-used the original Taigen motor pinions on the Igarashi motors, these are held on by grub screws, so quite easy to remove & re-fit.

For use on the Taigen Panzer III 5.1 gearbox’s I had to shorten the Igarashi motor shafts by a few mm, the shaft diameter size is the same (2.3mm) on both sets of motors.

On the Taigen Panzer III solder the Igarashi motor wires at 90deg to the solder lugs on the backs of the motors to keep the motor wiring as close to the back of the motors as possible, as the backs of the motors are very close to each other when the Taigen gearbox’s are fitted into the tank.

Also on the Taigen gearbox’s fit the Igarashi motors so the backs are rotated at 90deg to each other so the soldered wiring lugs don’t touch, I used heat shrink sleeving to insulate them. It’s tight but they do fit ok & well worth the effort.

The Igarashi motors & Taigen 5:1 gearbox’s make the Taigen Panzer III move much more realistically.

On the Tamiya Sherman motors (See Later Post Below-28 Nov 2020) I used an RC motor pinion puller, these are available on the internet from places like Amazon & eBay Etc. I used a vice to press the pinions onto the new Igarashi motors.

Lots of helpful “how to” videos on this forum & places like YouTube regarding the removal & refitting of the motor pinions. Also try a search for “removing RC car & truck motor pinions” those guys are always changing pinions.

The motors came from Conrad in Germany link below:
https://www.conrad.com/p/igarashi-n-273 ... rpm-244520


Next Up - The Lower Hull

That’s All For Now …………
Happy Tanking.
Cheers Martin

Looks good, have you a link where you got your motors from please.

Hi Ludwig
The motors came from Conrad, link below:
https://www.conrad.com/p/igarashi-n-273 ... rpm-244520

Thank you, I have several sets of these Taigen premium Gearboxes so I will try a pair of the motors.

Re-Post:

Fitting The Igarashi 5 Pole (N2738-51) Motors To The Taigen & Tamiya Gearbox’s:

I’m still getting quite a few questions regarding the fitting of Igarashi Motors so I’ve copied the following from my earlier post (01 August 2020) & re-posted it here, hope this helps.

The Igarashi (Higher Torque - lower RPM - 5 Pole) Motors are more or less a straight forward swap with the original Taigen / Tamiya motors. (Shaft size is the same diameter on all motors)

I re-used the original Taigen motor pinions on the Igarashi motors, these are held on by grub screws, so quite easy to remove & re-fit.

For use on the Taigen Panzer III 5.1 gearbox’s I had to shorten the Igarashi motor shafts by a few mm, the shaft diameter size is the same (2.3mm) on both sets of motors.

On the Taigen Panzer III solder the Igarashi motor wires at 90deg to the solder lugs on the backs of the motors to keep the motor wiring as close to the back of the motors as possible, as the backs of the motors are very close to each other when the Taigen gearbox’s are fitted into the tank.

Also on the Taigen gearbox’s fit the Igarashi motors so the backs are rotated at 90deg to each other so the soldered wiring lugs don’t touch, I used heat shrink sleeving to insulate them. It’s tight but they do fit ok & well worth the effort.

The Igarashi motors & Taigen 5:1 gearbox’s make the Taigen Panzer III move much more realistically.

On the Tamiya Sherman motors (See Later Post Below-28 Nov 2020) I used an RC motor pinion puller, these are available on the internet from places like Amazon & eBay Etc. I used a vice to press the pinions onto the new Igarashi motors.

Lots of helpful “how to” videos on this forum & places like YouTube regarding the removal & refitting of the motor pinions. Also try a search for “removing RC car & truck motor pinions” those guys are always changing pinions.

The motors came from Conrad in Germany link below:
https://www.conrad.com/p/igarashi-n-273 ... rpm-244520


Cheers Martin

Hi, i fitted a pair into my Tiger 1, a inexpensive mod and well worth it

Fitting Igarashi 5-Pole Motors (N2738-51) To My Tamiya Sherman:

I’ve also fitted a pair of the same Igarashi motors to a Tamiya Sherman that I’ve recently rebuilt & repainted, what a difference when compared to the stock Tamiya motors.

On the Tamiya Sherman motors I used an RC motor pinion puller, these are available on the internet from places like Amazon & eBay Etc. I used a vice to press the pinions onto the new Igarashi motors.

Lots of helpful “how to” videos on this forum & places like YouTube regarding the removal & refitting motor pinions. Also try a search for “removing RC car & truck motor pinions” those guys are always changing pinions.

The motors came from Conrad, link below:
https://www.conrad.com/p/igarashi-n-273 ... rpm-244520


Happy Tanking

I wonder how they would compare to say an RS-390 motor. I was looking at my Tamiya KV-2 and it seems I could fit a 390 motor in there with no issues.

I haven’t looked into the full specs of the RS-390 as it’s a physically larger (longer can) motor & won’t fit into the Panzer 3 chassis with 5:1 gearbox’s, also I don’t think it’s available in a 5 pole.

Taigen Panzer III - Progress Update - Starting On The Lower Hull:

I stripped down the hull/chassis, cleaned & painted all the parts before re-assembling & applying lubrication where needed.


I’ve added some detail to the chassis such as weld seams & the front hull spare track holder etc.


The tank sat rather higher than it should so I’ve lowered the ride height by adjusting the torsion bars etc, it now sits a lot better.


The small Taigen supplied battery fits into small space, but I couldn’t fit a larger battery so I decided to repositioned the internal components to accommodate a range of larger batteries.


As mentioned earlier in this build, I’ve replaced the original Taigen 3:1 gearbox’s & motors with the Taigen 5:1 gearbox’s & fitted them with the Igarashi 5 pole motors.

The gearbox’s have been run-in, I ran them for many hours using a thin machine oil, then I stripped them down, cleaned & re-lubricated them, they are now very smooth & a lot quieter. I’ve made & fitted some removable gearbox covers to keep everything clean.


I’ve invested in a new Radiomaster TX16s transmitter that I’m using for this tank & have also set it up for use with my other tanks & models, what a great radio.

A special mention at this point & thanks to Rad Schuhart, I’ve been following your input & advice on the forums for some time now regarding information on radios etc & decided to go with the Radiomaster TX16s, I’ve not been disappointed, such a versatile radio.


Below is some information on using your own transmitter & receiver with Taigen Tanks.

I’m using a FlySky 10 channel receiver in my Panzer III with the TX16s Transmitter.


The Tank’s Smoke Unit is controlled from the Transmitter using a R/C Remote Switch (With Manual Override)

link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RC-Transmitt ... SwT7Nd-jP3


The only thing I’ve lost is the machine gun sound, but I feel it’s a small compromise to be able to use such a programmable radio with so many features & options.

Next Up - Making A Start On The Upper Hull.

Till Next Time Happy Tanking