Official Tongde US M60A3 1/16 Scale Battle Tank Discussion Thread

[jbaartz]

US M60A3 Upgrade Edition 1/16 Scale Battle Tank - RTR from Tongde - TDE1001-001

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.

Originally designed as a replacement for the M48 Patton, the M60 series became a primary MBT during the Cold War, with more than 15,000 units manufactured. The M60A3 was a significant improvement over the A1 variant, featuring updated turret configuration, crew comfort and safety enhancements, improved propulsion systems, and more powerful and accurate weapon systems. Italy, Austria, Greece, Morocco, Taiwan, and other countries upgraded their existing M60A1 fleets under defense contracts with Raytheon and General Dynamics during the mid to late 1980’s, while surplus Army M60A3 MBTs were sold to Oman, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

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!

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

LED Lights and Scale Details The ideal balance of scale detail and practical RC Tanking, each Tongde model has LED lights and arrive factory painted and includes accessory detail parts to further enhance the tank's realism.

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!

Airsoft BB Launch In addition to IR battle capability, the M60A3 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.
• Independent suspension on all road wheels

Includes:

• Tongde US M60A3 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	59.5cm / 23.2in
Width	23cm / 9.0in
Height	20cm / 7.8in
Weight	4,350g / 155oz
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	Torsion bar
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

[tdriver113]

Just received a plastic version M60A3 yesterday. It arrived in one piece, nothing broken. It has the metal suspension arms, washer behind the return roller mounting screws, and the plastic tracks with the bigger track pads discussed in other threads. Fit and finish is good, no gaps along any seams. Very smooth runner and everything functions as it should. Impressed me enough to order the upgraded turret and hull detail parts. More to follow.

[Rubicon99]

Just received a plastic version M60A3 yesterday. It arrived in one piece, nothing broken. It has the metal suspension arms, washer behind the return roller mounting screws, and the plastic tracks with the bigger track pads discussed in other threads. Fit and finish is good, no gaps along any seams. Very smooth runner and everything functions as it should. Impressed me enough to order the upgraded turret and hull detail parts. More to follow.

Couple of other things to keep in mind. The TD plastic gearboxes and sprockets have a very short life especially if you want to have fun driving the tank outdoors.

I would recommend adding the metal gearboxes and metal sprockets as soon as they become available through Motion RC. Adding bearings to the suspension arms and wheels is also really easy and makes the M60 drive even better.

The plastic tracks are actually pretty durable and can take a fair amount of abuse compared to Heng Long plastic tracks but again I recommend picking up a spare set when they become available.

[RichJohnson]

I make alot of accessories to detail and improve the look of the M60 series tanks.
A nice paintjob can go a long way. The stock plastic color is very close to the 1980s standard forest green that the tanks were delivered to the Army with its just shiny and looks obtuse and toy like. I recommend at least spray the whole tank with a clear flat spray or dull coat or matte over spray to flatten it out and give it more of the appearance of the color. There are also plenty of paint jobs one can do on it as well.

My upgrade parts also make a big difference in appearance enhancement as well.
I make a scale gun barrel for the m60a1 and the thermal shielded version for the M60a3. They come with a recoil unit and a servo to connect to the TD or other after market controller for gun recoil.

I also have the spot light kit available and a supply of henglong proper US jerry cans in their carrier tray to replace the euro jerry cans that TD included with the M60 tanks. (Why they put a euro can on the tank is beyond me.)

I also have correct radio antennas called an AS-1729 for the VRC-12 series radios that were in these tanks. It is a perfect reproduced model that JVM3d concepts made up for me from the real thing that I provided them to create from. It has a rubber like base and flexes at the spring and can be left vertical to wiggle a little or tied down and will look proper when done so.

Another visual improvement can be done to the lights. For the rear lights these scale tail lights are available from shapeways and they slip right over the LEDs and they look great. I have them on many of my cold war era tanks.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/M4QH3JWNV/1-16-m41-bulldog-rear-lights?optionId=301090638&li=ostatus

For the front head lights I pushed the tiny led out from where TD installed it, cut the wires off and pushed it back in to fill the hole, then I soldered up wires to new LEDS that fit in the proper head light sockets and put shrink tubing over one of the leads for electrical insulation and bent the wires and maneuvered it into place and fed the wires back into the tank and resoldered them. Once tested I then cut the wires off two more new bulbs, painted them gloss black and filled the sockets next to the lights to represent the IR projecting night driving lights. It makes the front of the tank really come together.

A few other things I did was to make a more scale looking canvas mantlet cover. This was a real challenge to do and the project is defineately not for everyone.
One that is though is angling the smoke launchers further forward. TD has them pointed sideways at such an awkward angle. Just drill out the front mount hols a little bigger and at an angle and cant the launchers forward to the point the rear tabs dont go into the holes. Then glue in place and back fill around the holes with some putty if you have to before the paint job.

https://www.RichardSJohnson.net/id28.html

[tdriver113]

Couple of other things to keep in mind. The TD plastic gearboxes and sprockets have a very short life especially if you want to have fun driving the tank outdoors.

I would recommend adding the metal gearboxes and metal sprockets as soon as they become available through Motion RC. Adding bearings to the suspension arms and wheels is also really easy and makes the M60 drive even better.

The plastic tracks are actually pretty durable and can take a fair amount of abuse compared to Heng Long plastic tracks but again I recommend picking up a spare set when they become available.

I did pick up a metal gearbox. The suspension bearings are ordered. Then it's strip down and rebuild time.

[Rubicon99]

I did pick up a metal gearbox. The suspension bearings are ordered. Then it's strip down and rebuild time.

👍👍

[tdriver113]

I make alot of accessories to detail and improve the look of the M60 series tanks.
A nice paintjob can go a long way. The stock plastic color is very close to the 1980s standard forest green that the tanks were delivered to the Army with its just shiny and looks obtuse and toy like. I recommend at least spray the whole tank with a clear flat spray or dull coat or matte over spray to flatten it out and give it more of the appearance of the color. There are also plenty of paint jobs one can do on it as well.

My upgrade parts also make a big difference in appearance enhancement as well.
I make a scale gun barrel for the m60a1 and the thermal shielded version for the M60a3. They come with a recoil unit and a servo to connect to the TD or other after market controller for gun recoil.

I also have the spot light kit available and a supply of henglong proper US jerry cans in their carrier tray to replace the euro jerry cans that TD included with the M60 tanks. (Why they put a euro can on the tank is beyond me.)

I also have correct radio antennas called an AS-1729 for the VRC-12 series radios that were in these tanks. It is a perfect reproduced model that JVM3d concepts made up for me from the real thing that I provided them to create from. It has a rubber like base and flexes at the spring and can be left vertical to wiggle a little or tied down and will look proper when done so.

Another visual improvement can be done to the lights. For the rear lights these scale tail lights are available from shapeways and they slip right over the LEDs and they look great. I have them on many of my cold war era tanks.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/M4QH3JWNV/1-16-m41-bulldog-rear-lights?optionId=301090638&li=ostatus

For the front head lights I pushed the tiny led out from where TD installed it, cut the wires off and pushed it back in to fill the hole, then I soldered up wires to new LEDS that fit in the proper head light sockets and put shrink tubing over one of the leads for electrical insulation and bent the wires and maneuvered it into place and fed the wires back into the tank and resoldered them. Once tested I then cut the wires off two more new bulbs, painted them gloss black and filled the sockets next to the lights to represent the IR projecting night driving lights. It makes the front of the tank really come together.

A few other things I did was to make a more scale looking canvas mantlet cover. This was a real challenge to do and the project is defineately not for everyone.
One that is though is angling the smoke launchers further forward. TD has them pointed sideways at such an awkward angle. Just drill out the front mount hols a little bigger and at an angle and cant the launchers forward to the point the rear tabs dont go into the holes. Then glue in place and back fill around the holes with some putty if you have to before the paint job.

https://www.RichardSJohnson.net/id28.html

I've got one of your spot light kits. And I definitely recommend those M 41 Bulldog rear lights. I used those before on an M113 fixer upper I did. After all the planned upgrades a complete repaint to MERDEC winter verdant is in the future.

[SoCalBobS]

A question for Tongde owners; is there anyone out there who has tested the TD IR capability versus another TD tank? Many of us have replaced TD boards with Heng Long's, and we know that TD and HL are not completely compatible, but I'm curious whether TD plays well with itself.

[SoCalBobS]

Another question for Tongde M60A3 owners; I received my A3 from Motion RC today, the "Professional (metal running gear) Edition". It was painted in a 3-color camo. On Motion's site, the "Upgrade (plastic running gear) Edition" is shown as a single green color. So to any Upgrade M60A3 owners out there, how is it painted? Just curious.

Some initial observations:

Mine came with a battery installed. Some international sellers can't do this because of shipping restrictions.
The transmitter (so presumably the main board) is version 2.0. This allows some additional features, but it still does not play with Heng Long well. A Tongde shot will register on a Heng Long tank but a Heng Long shot will not register on a Tongde tank. I'm going to set up a Tongde vs Tongde match to see if/how it works.
Lastly, the M60 suspension is "dippy"! Out of the box, a stop will cause the nose to drop then bounce, a start will cause the tail to drop then bounce. I know drive characteristics can be adjusted, but it's pretty cool for now!

[Max-U52]

Mine has the camo paint job.

[Rubicon99]

Another question for Tongde M60A3 owners; I received my A3 from Motion RC today, the "Professional (metal running gear) Edition". It was painted in a 3-color camo. On Motion's site, the "Upgrade (plastic running gear) Edition" is shown as a single green color. So to any Upgrade M60A3 owners out there, how is it painted? Just curious.

Some initial observations:

Mine came with a battery installed. Some international sellers can't do this because of shipping restrictions.
The transmitter (so presumably the main board) is version 2.0. This allows some additional features, but it still does not play with Heng Long well. A Tongde shot will register on a Heng Long tank but a Heng Long shot will not register on a Tongde tank. I'm going to set up a Tongde vs Tongde match to see if/how it works.
Lastly, the M60 suspension is "dippy"! Out of the box, a stop will cause the nose to drop then bounce, a start will cause the tail to drop then bounce. I know drive characteristics can be adjusted, but it's pretty cool for now!

Motion is only sell the "metal" A3 in the camo version. Guess they did not want two of the "same" "metal" tanks if only in different colors for their first order.

The dipping is caused by the extreme weight of the tracks(If you take them off you will see). The dipping is fairly realistic of the actual M60. The only draw back of the heavy track is they really work the small 380 motors and suck the battery dry in no time at all.

[SoCalBobS]

First mod:

The on/off switch, although on top not like Heng Long, is nevertheless very awkward; under a hatch on the rear deck, obstructed by the turret bustle. I used a different switch and relocated it. The switch is a mini push on/push off button that I've used on nearly all my Heng Long tanks, and any tank that I transfer a HL board into. I placed it under the Gun Traveling Lock. When it lays down, it blocks any accidental button push. One just has to glue it in securely; CA to start, then some hot glue around it.



I also modified the ring gear by eliminating the rotation block. Now the turret can face backwards during travel.

R99, I installed my plastic track. Wow, quite a difference! It runs so smoothly now. It still rocks slightly at stops and starts, and main gun firing, which looks good. I did loosen the idler, to reduce strain on the track itself.

[RichJohnson]

There ya go, plastic track makes them perform so much better.
The problem though with the location of the switch is the travel lock is supposed to typically face the rear.
I placed my switches on a brace strip of plastic I drilled holes in and set it across the front screw posts so the switch in in the drivers hatch, which I typically leave open.
would also be easy to mount a switch in the rear after making the rear panel mod to charge the batteries too.

[ArmorBolt]

Does the Tongde M60A3 Professional Editon comes with canon barrel recoil, or just hull recoil only.
And also, is it better to get the Upgrade edition or Professional Edition. As Richard mentioned that plastic track run better?? Thanks.

[Max-U52]

Mine does not have barrel recoil, but at least it's possible to deactivate the phony track recoil. There might be someone making an aftermarket barrel recoil system, but I don't have a link.

[SoCalBobS]

No barrel recoil. Get the Pro version for the metal running gear and gearboxes, then get the plastic track later. Rich Johnson sells a cannon recoil mechanism.

[keilau]

Does the Tongde M60A3 Professional Editon comes with canon barrel recoil, or just hull recoil only.
And also, is it better to get the Upgrade edition or Professional Edition. As Richard mentioned that plastic track run better?? Thanks.

For whatever reason, Tongde put a stopper in the mantle to disable the barrel recoil. Rubicon99 described the surgery needed to free the barrel in his excellent TD M60A3 review. The TD M60 can perform the trigger motor barrel recoil with no additional parts. If you want the servo barrel recoil, RichJohnson has an aftermarket unit for servo recoil and a correctly scale M60 barrel.

https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc-cars-tanks-trucks-and-more/rc-tanks/375114-td-m60-a3-review

[RichJohnson]

Thanks for the mention of my scale barrels and servo recoil unit guys. They are shown on my website www.richardsjohnson.net/id28.html message me or call for a PayPal invoice to purchase.

Regarding the track recoil, I am going to comment on what an M60 tanker told me. I’ve gotten to talk to and make acquaintance of many great people since I started my business. One m60a3 tanker told me the track recoil is quite accurate. He said firing from a stationary position that the front two road wheels would lift off the ground, taking the track with it upward 2 inches off the ground, with the violent rock of the recoil on the tank when firing the sabot APFSDS rounds.

Quite an interesting bit of info. It looks so unreal when your tank does that looking down on it but can you imagine actually seeing that from ground level?

[SoCalBobS]

Here's a "progress report" clip of my M60A3, showing two customizations. One is the NATO beacon, a Heng Long product switchable on the wifi port. The other is an RC Geek "Random Servo Motion Generator" that moves the commander's cupola in a, you guessed it, random manner. It's switchable on the smoke heater circuit. The LegoDEI IR receiver is mounted on Tang's custom five pin socket. No paint yet, don't want to mess it up while I'm working on the mechanics.

[SoCalBobS]

Essentially done. Too clean, like just after depot maintenance. This is what I've done so far:

Tongde M60A3 metal version with metal tracks replaced with plastic ones for smoother and quieter running..
Heng Long 7.1 main board, to access additional features and smoother control.
NATO camo scheme repainted with Tamiya lacquer and acrylics
Amber NATO Beacon, switchable through CN5 wifi circuit.
JVM barrel recoil.
Increased barrel elevation and depression.
Yellow muzzle flash LED.
Servo animated commander's cupola, switchable through CN11 smoke heater circuit.
Upgraded IR LED.
Five pin socket on cupola for LegoDEI IR receiver.
Tail lights reconfigured as brake lights.

My next step will be weathering and the addition of a JVM M60 spotlight. The supplied decals are pretty accurate. They are a direct copy of Tamiya's 1/35 model, and photos of real M60's in Germany