TD M60 A3 review.

[Grandpa53]

Ok, it's July 7th, and no M60 from Amazon yet. I ordered it in May 11th and they said it would be here between June 2nd -26th. That's a pretty big window for delivery. I'm calling Amazon customers service to see if they can shed sny light on where thr hell is my M60.

[Grandpa53]

I just talk to Amazon customer service. They ssid my M60 has been lost in shipping and they refunded me the full mount. So as soon as I get the refund back I'll try to buy it from a legitimate seller.

[MrChef]

I just talk to Amazon customer service. They ssid my M60 has been lost in shipping and they refunded me the full mount. So as soon as I get the refund back I'll try to buy it from a legitimate seller.

I've been following your issues with this purchase. It sucks but it's likely the best way for it to have turned out. Now order your new tank from where the rest of these guys got theirs. Keep your head up. At least you got your money back, You'll enjoy your tank even more when it does finally arrive.

Better luck sir,

Chef

[Olddowl53]

I've been following your issues with this purchase. It sucks but it's likely the best way for it to have turned out. Now order your new tank from where the rest of these guys got theirs. Keep your head up. At least you got your money back, You'll enjoy your tank even more when it does finally arrive.

Better luck sir,

Chef

Thanks MrChef and the others who have been taking note of this saga. As you said, I'll get the M60 from DLKM as soon as the refund show up on my card...Thanks Again Tankers!

[Grandpa53]

[QUOTE=Rubicon99;n380961]

TD is listening and they are making changes. But until the changes actually start to show up and build a reputation of reasonable reliability we will not see a US supplier.

The all plastic suspension is being deleted and TD is going with the all metal suspension with plastic wheels as standard from what we have been told. All that is needed is swapping out the plastic wheel and suspension arm bushings to bearings which I did on my M60A2 build. Once that is done you have something now on par with what Tamiya does in their tanks.

The metal suspension arms are on par with HL arms in quality and overall the steel gearboxes are superior to the HL steel boxes except for the motors pion gear mesh and maybe the mounting screw. Although out of the four M60 I have seen locally no one has had issues with the screws.

The metal track are superior to HL metal track used on their modern tanks. TD tracks have fully supported pins and are not hallow. This make them extremely strong, but it also makes them VERY heavy and does cause the motors to work harder then they should. I dumped my metal tracks in favor of plastic tracks for this reason on my M60A3 and ordered my second M60 without them(custom request which TD was willing to do).

The metal M60 sprockets are not as good as HL sprockets in design and fit, but they do work well. If any metal part I had a real complaint about it would be the metal sprockets for their fit. They seem to all need a bit of attention to make them fit well.

Over I am really happy with my TD M60A3 and A2 they are both excellent running tanks that have been proving rather tough and capable. Sure they needed a little tweak here and there but then so do all the HL tanks I have owned and in fact the TD M60s have required fewer tweaks overall then some of the newer modern HL tanks need to run as well as the TD M60s.

[/QUOTE

[Grandpa53]

Hi all you great M60 experts. As you know I went thru a very frustrating time trying get a an M60. Amazon is in the process of refunding my $369 for the M60 that has fallin into a black hole somewhere. Reading and following all the comments in this thread I'm convinced that this is a good thing. Now...my question is when would it be a goodtime to purchase the M60 thru the reputable dealer. There is a lot of "squawks " about TD improvement of the design and manufacturing processes. I'm really not in that big of hurry if I wait until the next generation of the TD M60 are available. I have 26 other tanks of most of the major players, so I have plenty of tanks to keep me busy. ...So my knowledgeable friends, when do you think TD will have their s#%t together. And do I buy version M60A1, M60A2 or M60A3. At this point I dont care if the varions cost is different by much. I just want to tap into the collective consciousness of you M60 tank wizards.

Respectfully and appreciated,
Grandpa53

[MrChef]

Thanks MrChef and the others who have been taking note of this saga. As you said, I'll get the M60 from DLKM as soon as the refund show up on my card...Thanks Again Tankers!

I'm confused. Who are you? Grandpa 53? You have 2 accounts or SN's?

Maybe they sent your tank to Grandpa or his to you?

[Rubicon99]

Hi all you great M60 experts. As you know I went thru a very frustrating time trying get a an M60. Amazon is in the process of refunding my $369 for the M60 that has fallin into a black hole somewhere. Reading and following all the comments in this thread I'm convinced that this is a good thing. Now...my question is when would it be a goodtime to purchase the M60 thru the reputable dealer. There is a lot of "squawks " about TD improvement of the design and manufacturing processes. I'm really not in that big of hurry if I wait until the next generation of the TD M60 are available. I have 26 other tanks of most of the major players, so I have plenty of tanks to keep me busy. ...So my knowledgeable friends, when do you think TD will have their s#%t together. And do I buy version M60A1, M60A2 or M60A3. At this point I dont care if the varions cost is different by much. I just want to tap into the collective consciousness of you M60 tank wizards.

Respectfully and appreciated,
Grandpa53

Buy the "metal" version from DKLM RC. Don't wait for the improvements, the "metal" version is good to go and even has more that makes it worth the price difference such as bearings throughout, metal sprockets and the metal gearboxes. The updated basic version will only have metal suspension arms and none of the above.

Buy the model you like the most all are equal in the "metal" version.

Shipping is a bit high and it does take up 30ish or even a little more days before it arrives, but you will get.

[RichJohnson]

Alot of changes have already taken place on the M60 series. I bought mine a couple months ago now and in comparison to Rubicons first one mine is a version 2 model.
I did not have to open up my transmissions and change the motors because it ran fine. Recall his had square pinion gears misalligned in his first tank. I dont know if mine has sqaure gears but it runs fine.

[Grandpa53]

Thank you for all the advise and insight all of you have learned. It has been more than helpful. In ready to pull the trigger and place an order to hopefully have a metal version M60A3 heading my way. In the mean time I'll be swapping tracks to metal ones on my M4 and re-visit my M1A1 that I haven't touch for nearly a year trying to get the 360 degree turret to work. Thanks much and I'll let you know when M60 shows up.

[HDMM]

Reviving the thread a bit....just ordered myself a M60A3, basic version from Aliexpress. I got charge sales tax too which is kinda weird since they are in China, but anyway was $260 to FL Would have leaned towards a metal version, but I really dont like those kind of tracks in metal, they typically don't have great traction on rougher terrain, so I'll upgrade the bearings myself and see how the stock gearboxes and plastic tracks fair for now. Would have saved closer to $50 from DKLM if it wasn't for the sales tax, so it was worked out to $30 less overall. Hopefully I don't have any issues, never ordered anything big from Aliexpress, just small pieces and parts here and there.

[Rubicon99]

Reviving the thread a bit....just ordered myself a M60A3, basic version from Aliexpress. I got charge sales tax too which is kinda weird since they are in China, but anyway was $260 to FL Would have leaned towards a metal version, but I really dont like those kind of tracks in metal, they typically don't have great traction on rougher terrain, so I'll upgrade the bearings myself and see how the stock gearboxes and plastic tracks fair for now. Would have saved closer to $50 from DKLM if it wasn't for the sales tax, so it was worked out to $30 less overall. Hopefully I don't have any issues, never ordered anything big from Aliexpress, just small pieces and parts here and there.

Hope TD has changed over already from plastic suspension arms to metal. If not the plaster are kinda weak if you make adjustments to the torsion bars.

The plastic track is pretty tough and at least as durable as Tamiya tracks. The plastic sprockets work but wear fast.

The plastic gearboxes work but are not durable in the long term. Fortunately all the upgrade parts are available from DKLM.

Overall the plastic is a far different tank then the metal version in durable, reliability and run performance. So keep in mind about the upgrades.

[HDMM]

Hope TD has changed over already from plastic suspension arms to metal. If not the plaster are kinda weak if you make adjustments to the torsion bars.

The plastic track is pretty tough and at least as durable as Tamiya tracks. The plastic sprockets work but wear fast.

The plastic gearboxes work but are not durable in the long term. Fortunately all the upgrade parts are available from DKLM.

Overall the plastic is a far different tank then the metal version in durable, reliability and run performance. So keep in mind about the upgrades.

Hoping I get the metal arms on it atleast, I think it's been long enough since they were supposed to change over. May look to upgrade gearboxes at some point that's easy enough. I'm skeptical of the new tank, so I also didn't want to spend a lot lol.

[RichJohnson]

Several of us have it and have put it through its paces and have found they are pretty good with a few minor modifications on the metal version. Most of all we prefer to run the plastic tracks over the metal as they give a little better performance.

[keilau]

Thank you for all the advise and insight all of you have learned. It has been more than helpful. In ready to pull the trigger and place an order to hopefully have a metal version M60A3 heading my way. In the mean time I'll be swapping tracks to metal ones on my M4 and re-visit my M1A1 that I haven't touch for nearly a year trying to get the 360 degree turret to work. Thanks much and I'll let you know when M60 shows up.

Did you order the Tongde M60A3 metal version yet? You can get it for under $300 with air shipping from Coolbank Model Store on AliExpress.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804964194804.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.2383F7WUF7WUL0&gps-id=pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.40050.362094.0&scm_id=1007.40050.362094.0&scm-url=1007.40050.362094.0&pvid=1b4c9e01-55c8-4aef-9c26-5f9eb2ffa0df&_t=gps-id:pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller,scm-url:1007.40050.362094.0,pvid:1b4c9e01-55c8-4aef-9c26-5f9eb2ffa0df,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238110%231995&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%21274.26%21164.56%21%21%211999.00%21%21%402101fb1016980772468338483ef3cb%2112000031937011709%21rec%21US%211761413604%21

Coolbank Wang was the consultant when Tongde first launch the RTR tank line under their own name, but he is no longer associated with TD. I am not sure if he is still affiliated with the Coolbank Model Store either.

[Rubicon99]

Some cool new detailing parts for the TongDe M60 coming out.

A new "M68 A3" barrel for use with barrel flash, IR battling or simply to improve the static look of the TongDe M60A3. The barrel even has "scale rifling". No it does not support airsoft.

The barrels just finished production and will be available soon I am told through RichJohnson models.

Show below is one of the prototype barrels during development.

[Rubicon99]

Seems TongDe is listening to customer feedback on details. A change was made recently to the "hexagonal" style of M60 track. They are now more correct. Its a small change in detail, but overall it does make for an effective visual improvement.

Old style hexagonal tracks.

New style of hexagonal tracks.


There has been more changes to the internal turret part which make the tank easier to add a servo recoiling barrel as well. Sorry I did not take photos of those parts.

[RichJohnson]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIpb0AFFo5k&t=16s

[keilau]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIpb0AFFo5k&t=16s

I have the M60A1. For all practical purposes, the parts are interchangeable with the M60A3. I have to agree with you that the weak, brittle torsion bar suspension bracket is the number one problem. Hope that you get the upgrade bracket back for sale soon.

The problem is not limited to there. Tongde use soft plastic and mold in thinner chassis wall that need braces. Tongde use soft metal screws that strip easily. I replaced all of them with hard steel screws, most of them are metric M3 size. The plastic gearbox came with a 1" long crack on the case. I ordered a metal gearbox from dklmrc.com and mount them using steel screws.

I upgraded the plastic suspension arms to metal arms. I replaced all the nylon bushings to standard ball bearings. 2 bearings on the metal arm and 2 on the plastic road wheel. The Tongde chassis has perfectly molded channels for the bearings. It is not cheap to do this upgrade, but it greatly improve the running and durability. It is possible to build a strong, good running and durable M60, but not necessarily cheaply.

Overall, the Tongde M60 series of RC tank is an excellent choice in subject, very good design, but extremely poor in manufacturing execution. I heard that they are improving. I will need to read a little more in review before I order the TD Centurion V.

[Rubicon99]

I have the M60A1. For all practical purposes, the parts are interchangeable with the M60A3. I have to agree with you that the weak, brittle torsion bar suspension bracket is the number one problem. Hope that you get the upgrade bracket back for sale soon.

The problem is not limited to there. Tongde use soft plastic and mold in thinner chassis wall that need braces. Tongde use soft metal screws that strip easily. I replaced all of them with hard steel screws, most of them are metric M3 size. The plastic gearbox came with a 1" long crack on the case. I ordered a metal gearbox from dklmrc.com and mount them using steel screws.

I upgraded the plastic suspension arms to metal arms. I replaced all the nylon bushings to standard ball bearings. 2 bearings on the metal arm and 2 on the plastic road wheel. The Tongde chassis has perfectly molded channels for the bearings. It is not cheap to do this upgrade, but it greatly improve the running and durability. It is possible to build a strong, good running and durable M60, but not necessarily cheaply.

Overall, the Tongde M60 series of RC tank is an excellent choice in subject, very good design, but extremely poor in manufacturing execution. I heard that they are improving. I will need to read a little more in review before I order the TD Centurion V.

I don't necessarily disagree agree with you. There is room for continued improvements and they are showing up. Examples are the improvements to the hexagonal track detailing, mantle/breach mount, tougher black "plastic" and backing issue which is not present in my newest M60 (below) so something was (?) changed.
(TongDe M60A3 converted to a Magach 6B with custom 3D printed ERA, accessories and proper M68A3 barrels.)

The return roller issue is not exclusive to the TD M60 and IS a problem on Heng Long modern "plastic" tanks like the Abrams, Leopard 2, T72 / 90 and Challenger 2. All have the same issues as the TD M60 rollers. The difference is TD is listening to customer input and has been made aware of the problems. They have said it will be addressed shortly, something Heng Long would never say or do.

Now I do have to disagree "sort of" with your assessment of the M60 needing hull supports. This is absolutely NOT the case if the stock mounting screws are used to hold the upper and lower hulls together. In fact I have run my M60s (four of them) quite a lot without the upper hulls attached and done so over rather rough terrain with absolutely no issues. That does not mean support are not helpful, they can be especially if the end user converts the hull mounting method from screws to magnets and is also running the extremely heavy metal TD tracks.