Tongde Models

[tank_me]

Bob, I had to have the same conversation from the Torro guys when they shipped my R/C MRAPs. The doors weren't secured closed and they broke flying open during shipment. All it would've taken was a little tape to keep them shut. After complained I saw they started taping them shut.

Derek

[Vaseline]

Bob that is encouraging thanks for staying on top of this Maybe if they get there ducks in a row and they see they sell tanks there will be more down the line
We can only hope
Thank you sir

[SoCalBobS]

Gotta put in a plug for DKLM RC as a Tongde seller. He and I talked about the flaws I had encountered. Long story short, he has sent replacement gearboxes, sprockets and a gun pivot point at no cost. You say that's only what a seller should do? Yes, but I wouldn't count on AliExpress or Amazon sellers to do the same. He's also talked with the factory about the issues. I know this because they viewed my video clip I sent showing the problems. One result is that they will (I hope) be shipping the tanks with better foam packing, to withstand the impacts carriers inflict on packages. The original foam was the cheapest I've seen.

[megawatt40]

There is a M-60 tank for sale on Amazon

[SoCalBobS]

DKLM RC and AliExpress I think ship via air. DKLM was $175 + ~$130 shipping. $45 across the Pacific might be on a boat..? But if it's by air, great, we're seeing the effects of competition. Or maybe there's a shipment of them already in the US.

[Rubicon99]

Cool bank store is $293 plus shipping. But then the other store selling his products has the M60 listed for $179 + 45 to ship = $224. These guy don’t understand MAP pricing...LOL

Coolbank store listing.



The other stores listing? Or maybe it’s a marketing tactic?

[SoCalBobS]

Coolbank oopened his AliExpress store: Still expensive due to shipping costs.

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1102539217?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.8.15623207xrkLQO

[SoCalBobS]

DKLM RC on FB is showing an M60 driving on a table, with metal track and wheels. Prices will show up in a week or so.

[RichJohnson]

Experience With tanks that have plastic gear transmissions and plastic sprockets, that’s why.
the rest of the model is more or less ok. But those two features have been the kiss of death for prior released tanks.
Until we see upgrades in metal released, to those of us that have been there done that with those items we aren’t interested because self destruction is nearly inevitable.
Now that it looks like metal upgrades may be coming it makes the TD tanks more viable.

[SoCalBobS]

Talking with Carson of DKLMRC, he says he hasn't gotten any returns other than mine. It may be early yet, but I'm willing to reserve judgement until there are facts to base them on. I haven't yet heard of anyone else who has a Tongde, other than in some unboxing videos, so it's hard for me to understand why there is so much dismissiveness based on conjecture.

[tank_me]

They usually find their way when a bunch of the product comes back due to poor quality and then sales drop. I don't know why these business owners can't grasp the concept that a reputation for quality is easy to make in the beginning, but a reputation for making crap is really hard to dismiss....err IE: Hooben.

[SoCalBobS]

I'm not pushing anything, it's his company not mine. I'm sure he heard you, he just didn't agree with you at the time. Seems like he's finding his way.

[RichJohnson]

I would push the m48, the m5 would be hard to do because of its size, that’s why mato who made a prototype and displayed it as a China show, abandoned it.

Maybe Coolbank and TD will listen to Carson as he is in the same culture. Coolbank refused to listen to me and everything I warned him about has happened with your tank. He took my feedback to him as a threat and not as professional advice though I flat told him I wanted his product to succeed.

I hope TD updated their design and makes them better so that they will stand up to use and battling and not break. We will see.

[SoCalBobS]

Coolbank posted this, for you non-FB'ers:

A lot of words are distorted when they are spread all over the world. I think I must make a solemn explanation!
I assist Tongde Factory in developing new products because he has new themes, which is a good thing for fans. I started my own business with the support of the boss of Henglong, and it was never because Henglong's products were not good! Please don't misunderstand my original intention and cause me unnecessary trouble! At this price, what I want to do is to allow more enthusiasts to easily own their favorite tanks!
I will still maintain a very close cooperation with Henglong, and it is more likely to cooperate with other high-quality factories to develop various military remote control models. I believe this is not conflicting at all.

Also, he is asking if people would be interested in him developing an M3 or M5 Stuart. I took the liberty and said yes on everyone's behalf, and would also like to see an M4A3E8 and an M48.

[SoCalBobS]

I'm of the opinion that Toucan & Henglong are joined at the hip, so yea I seriously doubt it.

Toucan might in the future, they do carry other brands, Mato for instance. I had asked them if they would, back when we didn't have any seller. They said not for now. Again, there'd have to be a robust supply chain in place before any international retailer takes it on.

[Zippersnapper]

I wouldn't place any hope that Toucan will carry Tongde anytime soon.

I'm of the opinion that Toucan & Henglong are joined at the hip, so yea I serously doubt it.

[DavidN]

Thank you for the update!

[SoCalBobS]

Last night I talked to Carson of DKLMRC about the Tongde models, and my problems.

For me, he's going to have the factory replace my gearboxes as soon as they resume production after CNY.

For Tongde, Carson has become a "general agent partner" and an advisor. Rich & John, you'll appreciate this; he is convincing Tongde that at or above Heng Long hobby quality is a better plan than "toy-grade". Maybe you softened Coolbank up, and Carson affirmed it. David, I used you as an example, saying that a hobbyist is likely to have multiple tanks. I believe I used the number 100! as well as my 26. Metal upgrades are definitely coming after CNY.

I wouldn't place any hope that Motion or Toucan will carry Tongde anytime soon. There'd have to be enough factory stock to fill a Connex before there is product in the US. The term "factory" is a little misleading. In both tanks and r/c airplanes, the factories sometimes consist of a small shop with a bunch of shelf racks and boxes of parts to be assembled sitting on the floor.

[keilau]

Ran across what appears to be the factory for a bunch of our 1/16 scale models. Their website is under a "Made-in-China" wholesale company. It's "Shantou Tongde Craft Products". The Mato metal tanks are all listed there under their name, as well as the Tongde tanks and the metal upgrades. What does that mean to me? After CNY is over, I'll get my M60 running, maybe with metal gearing.

https://stplane-tongde.en.made-in-ch...catalog-2.html

I hope that the buyer at MotionRC will follow up on this.

[SoCalBobS]

Yeah, it's just a tidbit of information.