Coolbank Models

[DavidN]

I will definitely do so for both. My 2 HL Pershing really need the longer barrels with the correct muzzle brakes.

[RichJohnson]

I’ve now had some back and forth communication with Mr Wang privately.
he is very stuck on the toy market aspect of his m60s and a price point of $200 ish.
he has told me they are not hobby grade and based on what he says they are going to be all plastic and much cheaper in quality than the current line of henglong tanks.
Im starting to get a bad feeling out the M60 model quality.

[SoCalBobS]

I guess it depends on what he thinks he can market better, high end accuracy and cost or a functional but basic model. What a dedicated hobbyist and an entry level participant will want are different products. He has to make the calls best for his bottom line. Maybe once he is active, he will make upgraded versions. I wouldn't berate him for his present choices, any new producer in our niche hobby is a positive move.

[Rubicon99]

I read the response sent back to Rich from Mr Wang. He is missing an opportunity with the M60. In short the old saying in business “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression” alludes him. Maybe that is just a western thing. Once branded as junk or cheap that is a hard label to shake off.

On a positive note, he does hint at the ability of the tank to accept common aftermarket upgrades, but does not want to provide any details. Why? He has no competition and it would only add to the buzz of excitement around his M60 and put aside the concerns of the hobby market segment. He does not understand that the reviews from the hobby segment will show up far more prominently when people look at purchasing his products especially if he sells only to the US on Amazon.

Prior on his Facebook he says he left HL to make tanks they were not interested in. Why were they not interested in them? Because the market for those models were more hobbyists not toy tank buyer. Yet here he is falling back on the toy buyer market the same one HL saw no market in for the M60 as a toy.

CBs Facebook clearly shows his desire for hobby grade product improvement for HL tanks, but yet he is dead set in putting out a “toy” grade M60? Maybe it’s his plan to offer follow on upgrades he alludes to, but my experience in the tank hobby has been these follow on upgrades rarely ever come to fruition especially from small start ups.

Please contact Mr Wang and encourage him to put out a product that is at least on par with the 7.0 version of the HL product line. Otherwise we will end up with a neat looking display model vs a tank we can enjoy driving outdoors.

[RichJohnson]

Where my concerns come in is in comparison to the older henglong tanks, before the 6.0 that were all plastic. The wheels fell off the tracks came off constantly and the transmission broke down. It almost sounds like that is what he might be making since it’s quite a bit cheaper than the henglong. I have an m60, I know how hard it is to keep the tracks on the tank and how much work it took to modify the design to accomplish it.
if he sells tanks that loose tracks and break easily, word will spread fast and the tanks will stop selling, then he fails and we loose.
I would much rather see him produce 6.0 and higher henglong quality tanks than cheaper ones. The market desires that standard.
but he does not see it that way.

[tank_me]

I would've had interest in those things if I hadn't already made my own Pershing barrel and converted a Trumpeter turret... :)

[quitcherbitchen]

I will definitely do so for both. My 2 HL Pershing really need the longer barrels with the correct muzzle brakes.

Put a metal Hellcat barrel on it. That is what I did.

[Delta_19]

Going by his comments on Facebook and refusal to give any information about specs I would say it's guaranteed these tanks are going to be trash comparable to a $20 toy from Walmart. Won't tell us electronic unit specs, capabilities or, IR comparably and refuses to say anything about the gearbox.

Probably the only metal in this thing are the screws holding it together, if we're lucky.

[SoCalBobS]

Sorta harsh. Maybe wait until it’s in hand before denigrating it?

[Evan D]

Delta. Don't buy one, or any other brand for that matter. You won't be happy.

[Delta_19]

Delta. Don't buy one, or any other brand for that matter. You won't be happy.

Idk I'm happy with my 4 henglongs so far. But if you don't want to answer anyone's questions I'm gonna assume the worst of your product.

[SoCalBobS]

“Assuming the worst” is more a personal feeling than a statement of fact, don’t you think?

[Delta_19]

“Assuming the worst” is more a personal feeling than a statement of fact, don’t you think?

I would agree if it was just my question not being answered but looking at RCU this seems to be common place for them. Answer questions and then go ghost once any talk of specs comes up. If you're making a good product equal to what's on the market right now why hide it, makes me think something here isn't right. Makes me think it's not gonna equal atleast henglong levels of quality, which isn't a high bar but it's good enough.

[SoCalBobS]

Thanks for your civil reply, better than "it's guaranteed these tanks are going to be trash comparable to a $20 toy from Walmart". I'm not sure the owner needs to answer every question about a product that's not on the market yet, but I see your point.

[RichJohnson]

I have had a bit of communication back and forth with him and he has said toy transmissions, which I hope means all plastic henglong trannys but he still won’t say.
i begged him to give me a picture of the transmissions. I also asked if it had an adjustable idler like henglong tanks and mentioned how important the adjustable idler is to not loosing tracks but he won’t answer. Silence often indicates bad news.

[Delta_19]

I have had a bit of communication back and forth with him and he has said toy transmissions, which I hope means all plastic henglong trannys but he still won’t say.
i begged him to give me a picture of the transmissions. I also asked if it had an adjustable idler like henglong tanks and mentioned how important the adjustable idler is to not loosing tracks but he won’t answer. Silence often indicates bad news.

Yeah saw some of your post about it on RCU, this constant refusal to give us anything and like showed in my pics him laughing about people wanting to see wires and a pcb is really concerning to see as a consumer when talking about a new product we want.

Maybe more pressure from us will change his tune, worked with the Xbox one.

[RichJohnson]

Maybe more pressure from us will change his tune, worked with the Xbox one.

I doubt that. You cannot tell them what they should make or do. Also, he is firmly saying it’s a toy. It’s a toy market not hobbyist. I tried to describe the hobbyist market as being henglong and upgrades whereas Tamiya is premium grade high cost. But he does not unsweetened either intentionally or lost in translation but he acts like he does not want to know his customer base and what the hobby wants.
if it’s like a 7.0 henglong tank it will sell really well and succeed. If it’s like an old rx11 henglong of more than 10 years ago, it’s going to fail miserably. I’ve tried to point that out to him as a warning but he brushed it off since he is making toys.

[Delta_19]

More pressure changed his tune.

We have plastic gearboxes, plastic suspension arms, torsion bar suspension and, adjustable idlers.

still no idea what the IR battle system is and he also states that more metal parts will come out in "phase 2"

[RichJohnson]

After all the pms I had with him and then the very public banter that started with his shot across my bow, I think he changed his plans. Why would he have not told me dont worry those attributes are in our design or showed me pictures privately or publicly. Its because he just changed the design. Like he did last week with the rear of the tank when we told him it was ugly and not correct.
Despite the banter, he seems to be listening in his own way which is what we need for him to make a good product. I cant tell you guys how much he was stuck on toy tank its just a toy and how much I told him it needed to be at least as good as a henglong or the market would be very satisfied.

[Evan D]

So more “toyish” than hobbyish.