Official Tongde UK Centurion Mk 5 1/16 Scale Battle Tank Discussion Thread

[jbaartz]

UK Centurion Mk 5 Upgrade Edition 1/16 Scale Battle Tank - RTR from Tongde - TDE1003-001

The specs and images shown are for the upgrade edition. The professional edition comes with metal upgrades and can be found here.


Motion RC is pleased to offer Tongde RC tanks and IFV’s to global RC tankers! Offering unique subjects, these models are available in similar versions to other familiar manufacturers. When combined with Motion RC’s industry-leading selection, parts support, and customer service, Tongde RC models deliver an unbeatable value for RC armor enthusiasts.

The British Centurion series of main battle tanks were originally designed and produced at the end of WWII. Widely recognized as a supremely successful design thanks to its mobility, effective armor, and powerful weapons array, these tanks remained in production into the 1960s and saw combat until the 1980s. More than 4,400 units were produced and equipped armies throughout the world. The Mk 5 variant started production in 1955 and featured Browning machine guns, a revised turret roof, and extra storage capabilities.

This upgrade version offers nylon tracks and road wheels for light weight and budget friendliness, while delivering an extensive feature list that includes LED lights, sound, airsoft BB launch, IR battle system (compatible with other brands), and more. All of Motion RC’s Tongde 1/16 scale tanks utilize the latest TD 2.0 MFCB (Multi-Function Control Board) for outstanding control, performance, playability, and upgrade potential!

Note: This model does not provide hatch access to the battery pack. Charging is done through a small hatch in the forward hull that contains the on/off switch and battery pack balance plug. Replacement of the battery requires removal of four screws to remove the upper hull/turret assembly.

Ready to Run Each Tongde model arrives "Ready to Run" (RTR) to allow enthusiasts to join the exciting world of RC Tanks quickly and easily!

Compact and Efficient Gearboxes Tongde Upgrade models feature lightweight, economical nylon gearboxes while Professional versions include a metal-geared unit

Realistic Exhaust Effect Tongde models feature a transmitter-controlled smoke generator for the ultimate in realistic operation, and each model contains a convenient bottle of fluid for convenient reservoir refills.

Airsoft BB Launch In addition to IR battle capability, the tank can safely fire 6mm plastic airsoft BBs at targets up to 10M (30’) away. Please always take safety precautions and wear eye protection.

Features:

• Latest generation TD 2.0 Multi-Function Control Board (MFCB)
• Proportional acceleration, steering, turret traverse, and gun elevation/depression
• Programmable radio settings for the amount of recoil, the sensitivity in turns, the overall sensitivity in acceleration, high speed/ low speed modes, etc.
• Cannon recoil system
• Adjustable track tension
• Smoke effect (on/off)
• LED lights (on/off)
• Sound effects volume
• Four different sound sets. Each contains a unique engine start, idle, accelerating, traverse, elevate, machine gun, cannon firing, and shutdown sound
• Track recoil
• Fires a 6mm plastic BB (10 meters with minimal accuracy and limited velocity, but should still be treated with caution and with adequate eye protection)
• Fires an invisible IR signal to be used as part of Tongde’s Infrared Battle System, which disables other tanks when hit five times during simulated combat.
• Rocker arm suspension system

Includes:

• Tongde UK Centurion Mk 5 Upgrade Edition 1/16 Scale Battle Tank - RTR
• 2S 7.4v 1800mAh Li-ion battery with Tamiya connector
• 2S USB LiPo/Li-ion battery charger
• 12 channel 2.4GHz radio transmitter
• Magnetic infrared (IR) battle system receiver
• Painted cosmetic accessory parts
• Adhesive decal sheet
• 6mm plastic BBs (50 Pack)
• Smoke oil
• Comprehensive instruction manual

Requires:

• Four (4) AA size batteries for the radio transmitter – we recommend Admiral NiMH AA Rechargeable Batteries (4 Pack)

Optional:

• Admiral 3500mAh 2S 7.4V Li-ion Battery with Tamiya Connector

Product Specifications:

AGE LEVEL : 14 and up
SKILL LEVEL : Beginner
BUILD TIME : 1 Hour

Scale	1:16
Length	47.5cm / 18.5in
Width	22.5cm / 8.8in
Height	19.5cm / 7.6in
Weight	4,075g / 145oz
Body Material	ABS plastic
Chassis Material	ABS plastic
Track Material	Plastic
Motors	Two 380 motors (28x37mm)
Bearings	Metal bushings
Gearbox Gear Material	Plastic
Adjustable Gear Ratio	No
Differential Type	N/A
Suspension Type	Rocker arm
Sprocket	Plastic
Road Wheels	Plastic
Idler Wheel	Plastic
Adjustable Idler	Yes
Turret Rotation	320 degrees
Lights	Yes
Sound	Yes
Exhaust Effect	Yes
IR Battle Ready	Yes
Airsoft BB Launch	Yes, 6mm
Track Recoil	Yes
Cannon Barrel Recoil	Yes
Required Battery	2S 7.4V 1800mAh Li-ion battery with Tamiya connector (included)
Required Radio	12 channel 2.4GHz (included)
Skill Level	Beginner
Build Time	1 hour
Recommended Environment	Indoor / outdoor

[RichJohnson]

So has anyone here bought one of these yet?

I ask because I had a customer of my M60 accessories that I have begun to correspond with on occasion beyond just sales, call me up and ask me if I have one. I do not.
But he relayed a tale of horror with his model.
He bought the upgrade metal edition here at Motion RC and in short order a couple wheels locked up on one side and burned up the TD mfu. He removed the wheels and pounded out the axles to find they have brass bushings in the wheels and not ball bearings. He reamed the bushings slightly to free up the rolling on axles ability and put it back together with a new 7.1 radio unit and then very quickly some wheels on the opposite side did the same thing and burned up that side track output on the 7.1 unit.
Same problem the brass bushings in the wheels seized up.

Pretty strange for TD to make a change like this in their tanks since the metal m60s actually have ball bearings, yet the Centurions came with crappy brass bushings that fail terminally?

[SoCalBobS]

I got one of the first through DKLM. It’s been working fine since. I believe mine may have ball bearings. Maybe TD cut a corner for MRC’s batch?

[hooked on hobbies]

Professional editions are equipped with BB, Upgrade editions have bushings. Rich, I would very much like to obtain pics from your customer to show TD.

[RichJohnson]

He called me again today and told me Motion went to the warehouse and pulled a metal edition centurion that is labeled to have ball bearings (as his was). A tank specialist is going to take it apart and inspect it.

[hooked on hobbies]

thank you for the follow up!

[keilau]

Israel's Legendary Tank Defence Against Syria at Golan Heights etched the UK Centurion tank into history. Often described as 700 vs. 12000 tanks battle. It may be a little exaggerated in number, but is an accurate David vs. Goliath story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okhd_ijkI6k

I have been waiting for the shipping for the TD Centurion to come down. The "upgraded version" with brass bushings for road wheels seems to be a poor choice from the story mentioned by RichJohnson unless the user can upgrade the bushings to ball bearings.

I have a TD M60A1 purchased from Nova Hobby in Canada in basic version. It came with nylon bushings on the road wheel and suspension arms. The nylon bushings worked fine with TD metal suspension arms, metal gearbox, metal sprockets and the nylon suspension arm brackets from RichJohnson. Later, I took Rubicon99 advice to upgrade the nylon bushing to 24 ball bearings. Quality ball bearings in retail are quite expensive. But the result is excellent.

[Rubicon99]

Israel's Legendary Tank Defence Against Syria at Golan Heights etched the UK Centurion tank into history. Often described as 700 vs. 12000 tanks battle. It may be a little exaggerated in number, but is an accurate David vs. Goliath story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okhd_ijkI6k

I have been waiting for the shipping for the TD Centurion to come down. The "upgraded version" with brass bushings for road wheels seems to be a poor choice from the story mentioned by RichJohnson unless the user can upgrade the bushings to ball bearings.

I have a TD M60A1 purchased from Nova Hobby in Canada in basic version. It came with nylon bushings on the road wheel and suspension arms. The nylon bushings worked fine with TD metal suspension arms, metal gearbox, metal sprockets and the nylon suspension arm brackets from RichJohnson. Later, I took Rubicon99 advice to upgrade the nylon bushing to 24 ball bearings. Quality ball bearings in retail are quite expensive. But the result is excellent.

The TD Centurion is not high on my list of near future tank purchases only for the fact that I already have the excellent Tamiya Centurion. If I was in the market right now for a TD Centurion I would push the buy button on one from Motion and would not worry about the brass bushings if it came with them, they can be easily replaced with bearings. What I would not be happy with is paying the price for a tank supposedly equipped with them from the factory and listed as such by the retailer. If the brass bushings turns out to be in all Motions stocks I would hope they adjust the price down accordingly.

[keilau]

The TD Centurion is not high on my list of near future tank purchases only for the fact that I already have the excellent Tamiya Centurion. If I was in the market right now for a TD Centurion I would push the buy button on one from Motion and would not worry about the brass bushings if it came with them, they can be easily replaced with bearings. What I would not be happy with is paying the price for a tank supposedly equipped with them from the factory and listed as such by the retailer. If the brass bushings turns out to be in all Motions stocks I would hope they adjust the price down accordingly.

I will like to see some closeup pictures of the brass bushings on the MotionRC upgrade version tanks. Half of the bushing thickness should be on the arm axle side and half on the road wheel hole side. It should have a polished interface with small clearance. I expect brass on brass to be a much better design than nylon on plastic. I am really puzzled by the trouble that RichJohnson friend had.

The TD basic version M60 road wheel is molded to accommodate the standard size ball bearings. I will wait to see if the MotionRC Upgrade version can be upgraded the same way.

[Rubicon99]

I will like to see some closeup pictures of the brass bushings on the MotionRC upgrade version tanks. Half of the bushing thickness should be on the arm axle side and half on the road wheel hole side. It should have a polished interface with small clearance. I expect brass on brass to be a much better design than nylon on plastic. I am really puzzled by the trouble that RichJohnson friend had.

The TD basic version M60 road wheel is molded to accommodate the standard size ball bearings. I will wait to see if the MotionRC Upgrade version can be upgraded the same way.

HL use brass bushings in the idler wheels on their non "metal" version tanks and these don't have any issues if they are kept even a little "wet" (oiled). Tamiya also uses brass bushings in their wheels that are oiled/greases during build up and they work well too, although not as good as bearing (all my Tamiyas now have bearings, only took me a few years to get around to replacing them all).

I suspect there is something else going on with Rich's customers bushings. Maybe they were not oiled or maybe how and were he used it debris to get inside the wheels / axle shafts causing the wheels to lock up. Hope Rich can provide us with more information as he receives it🤞🤞

[keilau]

HL use brass bushings in the idler wheels on their non "metal" version tanks and these don't have any issues if they are kept even a little "wet" (oiled). Tamiya also uses brass bushings in their wheels that are oiled/greases during build up and they work well too, although not as good as bearing (all my Tamiyas now have bearings, only took me a few years to get around to replacing them all).

I suspect there is something else going on with Rich's customers bushings. Maybe they were not oiled or maybe how and were he used it debris to get inside the wheels / axle shafts causing the wheels to lock up. Hope Rich can provide us with more information as he receives it🤞🤞

It is very basic engineering that you do not mate hard material to soft material, such as brass to aluminum. Brass on plastic is much worse. Oiling is not acceptable because it traps dust. Dry lubricant may work better, but still not a good solution. The hard metal causes soft plastic to abrase quickly and become off round. It is a sure way to binding. Nylon on plastic may last longer than any of the above and may be fine for light weight all plastic tanks.

For all metal or metal/plastic hybrid RC tanks, an all bearing solution is the best way to go.

[tank_me]

I've been building a Haya Centurion kit so I don't have a TD Cent. I know Louis over at RC Tank Warfare built a really nice Cent from a TongDE version, but he did extensive mods to that tank as he does with all of his excellent builds.

[Rubicon99]

I've been building a Haya Centurion kit so I don't have a TD Cent. I know Louis over at RC Tank Warfare built a really nice Cent from a TongDE version, but he did extensive mods to that tank as he does with all of his excellent builds.

Yep the Haya Centurion is a really nice tank. Probably the most durable of the three Centurion on the market.

[RichJohnson]

My customer told me he did lube all the wheels axles after the first ones locked up. Still many of them on the opposite side locked up. He told me they were so locked up he was able to unscrew the axles just by turning the wheels. Then he had to use a hammer and punch to drive the axles out of the wheels sets they were seized so tight.
Clearly the first issue is it sounds like the bushing material is not compatible for use with the axles. Second he thought he was getting a ball bearing tank as advertised.
It sounds to me like a serious design issue.
He is stuck with his tank because he painted it before he drove it so he cannot return it is what he told me.
he is now going to remove all the wheels and punch out the brass bushings and see if he can find bearings of the same size.

[keilau]

My customer told me he did lube all the wheels axles after the first ones locked up. Still many of them on the opposite side locked up. He told me they were so locked up he was able to unscrew the axles just by turning the wheels. Then he had to use a hammer and punch to drive the axles out of the wheels sets they were seized so tight.
Clearly the first issue is it sounds like the bushing material is not compatible for use with the axles. Second he thought he was getting a ball bearing tank as advertised.
It sounds to me like a serious design issue.
He is stuck with his tank because he painted it before he drove it so he cannot return it is what he told me.
he is now going to remove all the wheels and punch out the brass bushings and see if he can find bearings of the same size.

Your customer is stuck with the TD Centurion, but not the brass bushings. If TD makes the Centurion similar to the M60, a 4x7x2.5mm ball bearing fits the road wheel perfectly with a slight pressure fit. I am eagerly waiting to hear how your customer's upgrade goes.

MotionRC have the best TD Centurion price for US customers. I may order one if the MotionRC version is upgradeable to ball bearing.

[RichJohnson]

My customer sent me some pictures of the wheels tonight. You can see the brass bushings and the screw axle seized into it.
He said the bushings are 4x6x3 mm

[keilau]

My customer sent me some pictures of the wheels tonight. You can see the brass bushings and the screw axle seized into it.
He said the bushings are 4x6x3 mm

The 4x6x3mm bushing will not have enough wall thickness for a ball bearing. Standard bearing sizes are 4x7x2.5mm and 3x6x2.5mm. The 4x7x2.5mm bearing fits perfectly onto the TD M60 road wheels. Let me know if your customer find a solution to this problem?

I wish MotionRC would sell the basic version of Tongde Centurion Mk5 at lower than the Upgrade Version price. We know that the basic version uses nylon bushing on the road wheels that works fine.