Unofficial Tongde Churchill Mk VII 1/16 Scale Battle Tank Discussion Thread

[SoCalBobS]

Mine just arrived from DKLM today, after a voyage from Hong Kong to Anchorage Alaska, Ontario California and San Diego. I've taken it out of the box and conducted the customary 2-minute function test, outside of course!



Here's a closeup of what I consider the most unique feature of this model, the suspension. On just an admittedly short run it ran very well! It will be interesting to see how it holds up under use.



It's going to be a lot fun becoming familiar with it. One quirk that I'll want to look into further: The battery is accessed from the front glacis, so either one charges it in place with the USB charger, or one has to open up the hull.

[SoCalBobS]

OK boys, red light for now. Various functions simply do not work. I'm contacting DKLM regarding this. Here's the deal:

First, there is a servo operated barrel recoil mechanism, which doesn't work at least on mine. The servo tests ok. I plugged it into four TD boards and none of them activated it. I plugged into a HL 7.1 board and it works fine. There is power in the TD circuit, but no signal.

Second, the hull machine gun is supposed to move when the MG button is pressed. The LED flashes correctly but the MG doesn't move. It's supposed to move by a motor and a reduction gear swirling the gun mount. Where is this motor plugged in? The MG circuit! It simply doesn't run from that intermittent circuit.

I intend to make the Churchill run on a HL board anyway so that it is IR compatible in our club tank battles, but it is a disappointment that the features of the TD electronics don't work. More as I delve further into all this.

[Rubicon99]

Great to hear you got the new tank in and dove head first into taring it apart👍👍👍👍👍. So since you have it apart where are the photos of the insides......It's not nice to tease us.

[SoCalBobS]

An update regarding the servo recoil situation; it's not clear if it's my individual board or not. It is being looked into immediately and I will relay any developments. When others receive their tanks, it will be good to hear their experiences.

EDIT: It appears the recoil situation may be resolved. The servo recoil may or may not be active from the factory. If it is not, press V + B. This is listed in Step 14 in the manual. It's listed as "Tanks/Infantry Fighting Vehicle Switch". There is also on Step 6 of the IFV Operating Instruction section; press T + B "BB/Recoil Mode". Don't do this one. For the Churchill, it's V + B. My troubleshooting was complicated by two older boards that I was using for testing were not functioning well.

In other news, I'm told the IR bulb is stronger than in previous tanks. I know the recent M60A3 I bought had an increased IR range. I'll do some comparison testing with the high power bulbs we've been putting on tanks. I'll also check the hit compatibility with other tanks.

[Carson DKLM]

An update regarding the servo recoil situation; it's not clear if it's my individual board or not. It is being looked into immediately and I will relay any developments. When others receive their tanks, it will be good to hear their experiences.

EDIT: It appears the recoil situation may be resolved. The servo recoil may or may not be active from the factory. If it is not, press V + B. This is listed in Step 14 in the manual. It's listed as "Tanks/Infantry Fighting Vehicle Switch". There is also on Step 6 of the IFV Operating Instruction section; press T + B "BB/Recoil Mode". Don't do this one. For the Churchill, it's V + B. My troubleshooting was complicated by two older boards that I was using for testing were not functioning well.

In other news, I'm told the IR bulb is stronger than in previous tanks. I know the recent M60A3 I bought had an increased IR range. I'll do some comparison testing with the high-power bulbs we've been putting on tanks. I'll also check the hit compatibility with other tanks.

Hey Rob,

Was told by TD this case may happen while in the production line when doing the final packing, The worker sometimes picks the radio that is not the one who tested with the tank.
As that radios are originally set up with BB mode. that's why this case happened to you, I'm happy we all sorted that out. and TD will improve the packing procedure to make sure not happen in future production.

Carson L

[Rubicon99]

Hey Rob,

Was told by TD this case may happen while in the production line when doing the final packing, The worker sometimes picks the radio that is not the one who tested with the tank.
As that radios are originally set up with BB mode. that's why this case happened to you, I'm happy we all sorted that out. and TD will improve the packing procedure to make sure not happen in future production.

Carson L

Off topic, but welcome Carson it's good to have someone close to TD like you here.

[SoCalBobS]

Per request, here are some open hull shots. I've already begun switching over to a HL board, but you get the idea. Lots of cool opening hatches and other details.


Here's the stock battery location. An Admiral brand 3500mah pack fits. There's plenty of room in the hull for a large pack if you relocate components.


This is the only cosmetic issue I'll be addressing right away; two holes on each turret side for an external store. I would have preferred no holes and to be able to add stowage where I wanted. It may make sense for others to have the convenience of pre-positioned holes, but a smooth side makes it easy to attach items, with tape or glue in custom locations. A minor matter.

[Rubicon99]

Per request, here are some open hull shots. I've already begun switching over to a HL board, but you get the idea. Lots of cool opening hatches and other details.


Here's the stock battery location. An Admiral brand 3500mah pack fits. There's plenty of room in the hull for a large pack if you relocate components.


This is the only cosmetic issue I'll be addressing right away; two holes on each turret side for an external store. I would have preferred no holes and to be able to add stowage where I wanted. It may make sense for others to have the convenience of pre-positioned holes, but a smooth side makes it easy to attach items, with tape or glue in custom locations. A minor matter.

Great information! Keep it coming....

[SoCalBobS]

Ok.

One thing I was curious about is the strength of the relatively small road wheels. Will they hold up under side forces or compression? These are very different than most of our tank models. My recommendation is to buy the metal suspension!

Disclaimer: none of the issues I mention here have happened. It's just something I would look out for.

Notice the rub mark where the wheel met the frame. This is towards the rear, occurring while going uphill so the balance of weight shifts rearward. Metal wheel vs. plastic frame, no problem. Plastic wheel flange might chip under extreme circumstances.


This shows how the track can sag away from the wheel. Normally the wheel overlaps the track, see the photo above. Here I had it on a pedestal so the track hung freely. There's maybe a possibility a plastic flange could chip when it returns up.


Very complex suspension. I applaud Tongde for taking this on.

These are some rugged treads!


Here's a closeup of the adjustable idler. It appears to be a worm gear type.


I'm having some fun now!

[SoCalBobS]

I remember....

[SoCalBobS]

A couple more photos, this time of the turret interior.



Something I like about the newer TD products is that they secure all the wiring with zip ties and such. Of course, as soon as I get into it I yank it all out and redo it!

[DavidN]

Does the barrel recoil accordingly? Right when you fire with the Tongde board? Or it recoils first before the sound of fire? What Tongde board does it come with? I know that you have the HL 7.1 in there now. Will you bring it to our event on 4/7/24? Thank you!

[SoCalBobS]

Both TD and HL boards recoil correctly, snap back, return slow. It’s a standard servo operated setup, just like many aftermarket modules. The TD board is 2.0. If it’s ready, I’ll bring it.

[SoCalBobS]

Paused for now. Looking for the best decal set - maybe Canadian? Until they're on weathering waits. I've repainted it a UK Bronze Green, from a large rattle can by Vallejo. Darker than the original. I used Perma Blue on the tracks. Those came out well, almost rusty in patches. Then I drove it around on concrete to highlight the proud bits. First time I used it.



The muzzle flash is a orangey yellow LED.


The exhaust smoke comes out in the correct location.


A tidbit of information: You'll be cleaning out dirt and debris from your Churchill after every session! There's a support shelf above the road wheels. The tracks pick up junk then drop it on that shelf.

[tank_me]

The Vallejo bronze green is a nice color. I got some of it for the Tortoise and Comet projects for my airbrush. Already looks much better than stock.

[SoCalBobS]

A short clip of my Churchill firing and climbing:

[Rubicon99]

Can you post a side by side with another well know tank to show a size comparison?

[SoCalBobS]

Next to a Mato Sherman.


Next to a King Tiger:

[tank_me]

I don't thing track retention will ever be an issue with the Churchill. Seems like a solid tank so far.

So, do Churchill road wheels use bushings or bearings?

[Kaczor]

Hi everybody, I'm new here but not new to RC tanks ;) Thank you for the great review. I'm waiting for mine for another few weeks.

Can hull recoil be turned off on Tongde?