I just ordered two sets this evening;

http://www.shop.immortalhobbies.com/Gearbox-Tiger-Pantiger-Panzer-IV-32101210601A.htm

One for my Panzer IV F2 conversion to IR

One for the Taigen Tiger that is on the way.


I will report on them, with pictures, once I receive them.

i'm up for adoption Glen....lol

I wish I had something better to report however, here's the developments;

- received the gearboxes today, well packed, packaging intact.

- one gearbox had a bent output shaft even though the packaging was totally undamaged

- IMHO, these will not fit the Panzer IV, see pictures. Basically, there is a spacial conflict between the gearbox assembly and the two posts in the front of the Pz IV hull.

I have sent this off in some emails, we will see how this works out, I will report on what transpires.

The vendor has got back to me quite quickly and is working to address the issues. I will report when I have more info.

We have confirmed that Waltersons was in error, when they said the gearboxes fit the Pz IV.

Curtis at Immortal Hobbies has stopped selling these for the Pz IV.

Wlatersons will be coming out with a PZ IV gearbox, but like other new releases, we cannot be sure when, until it actually arrives.

Curtis has offered to replace the defective set with another set of my choice, Pz IV or Panther. Since the exact delivery for the Pz IV is not certain, I am opting for a Panther set for the JP.

Curtis has offered my a set of 480's at a good price as a good will thing due to my troubles, that is why I had a post about 480's.


IMHO, Curtis is dealing with this whole thing quite well and appears very interested in straightening things out.


And, the gearbox quality looks to be quite good.

Glen, did you get a chance to hook up a battery to the gears, just curious if they run quieter than the Mato 3:1's?

Stince wrote:

Glen, did you get a chance to hook up a battery to the gears, just curious if they run quieter than the Mato 3:1's?

I hooked the undamaged set up to a pair of D cells to try; this is the set I am keeping for the Taigen Tiger (the Christmas present )

The comparison is strictly by my observation and opinion;

1.) They are not silent but IMHO, the noise level is much lower; and this is without a load on them, I think when they are broken in, lubed and powering the tank, they will be even quieter. I like that.

2.) The gears are very precise and cleanly cut.

3.) They are very free-running, in both forward and reverse, there is no hesitation in starting when the D cells are hooked up (some on my Matos have not done as well in this caqtagory.


So far I like them and am looking forward to getting some for the JP. When they do come out with a set for the Pz IV, I could see that happening, too.

Glen B wrote:

I wish I had something better to report however, here's the developments;

- received the gearboxes today, well packed, packaging intact.

- one gearbox had a bent output shaft even though the packaging was totally undamaged

- IMHO, these will not fit the Panzer IV, see pictures. Basically, there is a spacial conflict between the gearbox assembly and the two posts in the front of the Pz IV hull.

I have sent this off in some emails, we will see how this works out, I will report on what transpires.

COMMENT

I was disappointed when I received these initially, however, here are my comments to date;

1.) Have bought a lot of leisure activity/hobby stuff over the years, some of it quite expensive.

2.) I don't care what the company, product or supplier is, from time to time they ALL have issues; it would be nice if that was not true, but it is.

3.) The importance to me how the manufacturer/supplier deals with the problems.


My experience has been that Curtis at Immortal Hobbies has been extremely helpful with this experience, including fielding my NUMEROUS questions, ultimately, I believe I will wind up with a good product.

It appears we have a new supplier that is interested in good customer service.

I noticed the gears look more precisely cut, just from the pictures. I'm curious if there are any videos of just the gearbox's running out there.

I like them, from what I've seen. I suppose if any of my Mato's self-destruct in a violent fashion, I'd be interested in these!

I have not seen any videos, they so run pretty smooth and true.

UPDATE

I will be receiving replacement gearboxes next week that will fit my Jagdpanther (another project I have planned), these are to replace the Tiger set I cannot use in the Pz IV.

Curtis, at Immortal Hobbies, has been very pleasant and accommodating to deal with. There is a real desire there to take care of the customer, something I appreciate.

I will most certainly be placing further orders with Immortal Hobbies as the need arises, this includes the new gearboxes for the Pz IV, when they do become available.

I tried the gear pulling/setting tool, that came with the set, on the Tiger I gearboxes this evening, it is easy to use and works quite well.

could you show some photo on "gear pulling/setting tool"?

I have ran into a gearbox problem with my Jagdpanther.

The left gearbox motor is higher than the one on the right, it is the cause of the fit problem because on my JP the shape of the upper hull varies from the Panther G and the top of the motor, 480 or stock Waltersons makes contact with the upper hull.

The first picture shows the mounting of the left motor (pinion missing, this was a test fitting), it has the stock Waltersons motor.



The second picture shows the gap in the joint between the upper and lower hull that cannot be closed.



The third picture shows "Blue Tac" usd as a fit indicator.



The fourth picture shows the Blue Tac compressed from contact with the upper hull.



The fith picture shows some Blue Tac with ink on it.



The sixth picture shows the upper hull where the ink was transfered to it from making contact with the top of the motor.




As I see it, there is not much to be done to correct this and so I will cancel my JP IR conversion.

I have established that the Waltersons with 480's will fit a HL Panther G so this will be going in one of my existing Panthers.

real_hulu wrote:

could you show some photo on "gear pulling/setting tool"?

Pulling function;




Setting function;




Works quite well.

Aww, Glen, that sucks! I really wanted to see a MEAN jagpanther out there tearing up the grass...

Any ideas if Waltersons will be selling that gear puller on its own? Looks like it'd work perfectly with Mato gears too.

Strato50 wrote:

Aww, Glen, that sucks! I really wanted to see a MEAN jagpanther out there tearing up the grass....

Yeah, it has been a dissappointing season so far for my future builds and I have had to change my plans numerous times and I'm not finalized yet.

1.) The Taigen Tiger I came from the AFF Shop with a broken right Idler Arm (cast metal) broken, it is part of the track tensioner system. The AFF Shop os working on getting me a replacement, which is nice of them, since they have dropped the sales of Taigens.

2.) My IR conversion of the Pz IV was cancelled because I could not get an upgrade gearbox to fit. Waltersons is supposed to have one out soon, but we all know how 1/16 tank products often take longer to come out than anticipated, regardless of the manufacturer/supplier. So that may happen at some time from now.

3.) The JP was an idea I revived with the new gearboxes arriving on the market, they will fit an HL Panther, but on my JP they won't fit. Curtis at Immortal Hobbies said on RCU that he would work to get something to fit, however, that left motor needs to be about 1/8" lower than it is and I don't know how that can be achieved without a re-design and new product, there is simply too much stuff to jam in a given vertical space.

So, my build plans have been scaled back to;

Hope for a part for the Taigen in the next couple weeks, and shelve the others and likely put the Waltersons Panther gearbox in Panther 103.

Strato50 wrote:

Any ideas if Waltersons will be selling that gear puller on its own? Looks like it'd work perfectly with Mato gears too.

I haven't seen them offered separately, but it would be handy if they were.

I ordered another set of 400 motors from Immortal Hobbies for the new Tiger Build

... the shipping fee is pain.... Almost 35$ just for gearbox.