RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Hello everyone. Im Dan. From the United Kingdom. Thought i would sign up for this forum and introduce myself to the knowledgable people on this site. Been modelling in various scales for a couple years but I have just bought a Taigen 1:16 3 in 1 Tiger 1 mostly metal version. And what a beast it is. I literally have no experience with electrics but wanted a challenge tbh and was intrigued bybthe RC type and the level of detail. My main question is at the moment. Would i build the tank and its electrics and then prime and spray it covering any holes from spray getting inside or would it be better to sub assemble and then spray then put all the electrics in. Because there is no interior except electrics obviously i dont want spray to get onto any electrics or parts inside the tank or is there not many entry points for spray to get inside if full built and sprayed as a whole. I just wsnt to do it justice and get some knowledge. Cheers. Have a great weekend.

Hi, and welcome. Providing all hatches are shut and assuming youll be using rattle cans and/air airbrush theres no real danger of damaging the interior. That said, l prefer to strip and rebuild all rtr models to my own build standards and would spray the component parts in that process. Your choice then.

I know the members here like all newcomers to tell us your detailed life story so maybe you could expand a little on living in the UK, it'll help us help you too!

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Dannyboy Hi, Welcome to the Forum
Unlike static models that contain much interior detail all that is inside an R/C Tank is a smoker, a couple of gearboxes a battery and a control board +a reciever. Judicious use of Low Tac tape and scrap paper as a cover over these items will allow you to spray to your hearts content, I confess to never painting the inside of my Tanks because apart from when I am changing battery's I don't open them.
Being a Taigen/Torro product a lot of the detail parts will be moulded on to the Tank so you might like to spray the Hull, Body and Turret in Red Oxide (This being the standard German Vehicle undercoat) then using Low Tac Tape to cover the moulded detail spray the major components with the top coat/s of your choice then detailing the tools and fixtures when all is dry and you have removed the Low Tac from them.
You observe I do not use masking tape as it will inevitably take the paint off when it comes to removing the masking tape.
Enjoy the build, I find it is even more enjoyable if you do some research on your Tank first,
There is a surprising amount of detailed information about many individual Tanks and their crews if you bother to look.

Welcome to the forum DannyBoy, from New York. I wonder if you're the same chap I met on a Facebook group and showed you this forum? My RW name is Anton. I saw "Tiger" and felt the Force

At any rate it must be fun to build that kit from scratch. If you're building from scratch I'd at least prime everything without installing anything but you could still do it with components installed. I've just used plastic bags and masked stuff with painters tape. But I like everything to be even so I usually start painting in separate parts, then assemble, then apply camouflage and finish with weathering. Just so you know the interiors of these RTR tanks aren't primed or painted from the factory.

Oh DannyBoy, what a great choice you have made! My problem would not be buying the Taigen 3-in-1, but in buying three. If you have any questions, we're at the ready. (In fact, even I can answer a few about Taigen/Torro tanks, as I have a fe---well more than a few.) If you put up pictures, either to help with questions or just to show your progress, we find them helpful, and we are always eager to see other's work. No honest question is ignored, especially when the question comes from one who shows his or her work. And no question can be simpler than the ones I ask. So dive in! Enjoy!

Oh, if you are used to working with plastic and/or resin, the metal parts like to have a "metal etching primer" (in dull red) so paint can then stick. I use Duplicolor or Rustoleum, but I'm not sure these are available in the UK. A quick search of Amazon will identify them, and you can buy them off Amazon, at a car parts store, or a hardware store. Even a hobby store many have metal etching primer.

Hello and welcome, from Argyll and Bute. Just as it was going so well, without the mention of Tigers. It was to good to last. Anton has become our regular Tiger botherer.

DannyBoy: you've probably already figured out that knowledgeable and skilled Meter rat prefers Cold War and modern MBTs. He likes to gripe about the Tiger tanks, and we tolerate him because he's actually a caring fellow with a Scot sense of humor. I've been warned about the Scots' sense of humor.

Thank you everyone. I havnt been on here in a couple days as i have been working. I have read all your replies and want to say thank you. I plan to start after Christmas. Does anyone prime and paint the interior on this tank or because its full of electrics shall i leave it unprimed and painted? Also can a metal etching primer be sprayed over a plastic part or is that a no no? I have only ever used a spray primer for plastic and mr surfacer before. Thanks.

General Jumbo and Jarndice: Thank you for the knowledge i will use that going forward thank you guys.

Mr Chef: haha tbh im not too sure mate my memory is crap but it might be my twin lol.

Herr dr professor: Thank you for advice awesome stuff bud.

Meter rat: mate there is something about a tiger 1 i like that i cant put my finger on lol. Along with alot of others haha. Thanks for the reply bud.

Yay another tiger