Unofficial Coolbank M5A1 Stuart 1/16 Scale Light Tank Discussion Thread

[MaverickTank]

Received my Stuart today! Everything powered up and worked correctly. What a nice model for the money...and it's a Stuart! I wish my other tank brands had a similar transmitter.

[F16viper]

I replaced the center suspension philips head screw with an M3 x12mm bolt, but the one that came out was an M3 x 10mm. I didn't have a 10mm bolt on hand, but the 12mm fits fine.

Others may have wondered this like me so I'll post my results. YES...the Classy Hobby upper will fit with very minimal fitting and it is better detailed. As shown I have done zero fitting and it fits pretty good. It seems the center section of the chassis on the Coolbank upper uses ball bearings for the turret rotation. It is removable and could be transplanted over to the Classy Hobby upper.

Try to remember how to put it back together:)

[tank_me]

I also removed a link from each side and the smoker as it had already broken loose from the hot glue. I never use smokers as I just think they are more trouble than they are worth.

[SoCalBobS]

A mechanical "bump" to share: My little Stewie began to NOT START! After running around the garage with my dress over my head for a few minutes, I took the little guy apart. The on/off switch wasn't functioning correctly. It fits though a very tight slot under the rear deck, and it was obstructed from going back and forth properly. I reamed out the slot and all is well.

While I had it on the operating table, I decided to remove a track link on each side. This eliminated nearly all the droop, but isn't too tight. It doesn't seem to make much difference in driving, except for one thing, a positive one. When driving up a step, there is no track slack from sprocket to the front road wheel, so it's less likely to jam. I also unplugged the smoke unit but didn't remove it.

Lastly, it was in the manual but I was able to confirm it personally. The transmission is one drive motor, one steering motor. Space saving setup.

[tank_me]

I replaced the center suspension philips head screw with an M3 x12mm bolt, but the one that came out was an M3 x 10mm. I didn't have a 10mm bolt on hand, but the 12mm fits fine.

Others may have wondered this like me so I'll post my results. YES...the Classy Hobby upper will fit with very minimal fitting and it is better detailed. As shown I have done zero fitting and it fits pretty good. It seems the center section of the chassis on the Coolbank upper uses ball bearings for the turret rotation. It is removable and could be transplanted over to the Classy Hobby upper.

[MaverickTank]

I know someone already replaced the electronics and the tank speed was easily controlled. It tells me that maybe the ESC portion of the stock electronics just has larger steps in the PWM code which makes fine control difficult. Kinda like the difference between the old HL 5.3 and the newer 6+ boards.

Or maybe the pots on the transmitter are poor quality.

[tank_me]

How about a variable resistor that can be trimmed to the speed you want, in case 100 ohms is not suitable.

I know someone already replaced the electronics and the tank speed was easily controlled. It tells me that maybe the ESC portion of the stock electronics just has larger steps in the PWM code which makes fine control difficult. Kinda like the difference between the old HL 5.3 and the newer 6+ boards.

[MaverickTank]

I've been wondering about how to reduce the speed of this little rabbit myself. I wonder what would happen if I put a 100 ohm resistor in line on each motor. I do that for LEDs and it brings the voltage down from five volts to a little over three volts. Unless anyone else comes up with a better idea I think I'll give that a try.

How about a variable resistor that can be trimmed to the speed you want, in case 100 ohms is not suitable.

[SoCalBobS]

Max, yeah that would work.

To complicate things a bit, I added a "Willys Bantam" trailer from Cults3D (or Thingiverse, I don't remember which). No backing up, no spin turns! I inserted a music wire hook onto the real one to secure the trailer.



No decals yet, therefore no weathering on the tank. I'm negotiating with "Company B Miniatures" to see if they'll enlarge some smaller scale M5 sets. Very expensive, but nothing's too good for baby!

[Max-U52]

Just a tip to share, for those who haven't yet removed their tracks. You will need to do so for painting or interior access. They're standard construction, with pins knurled on one end, easy to drift out and in. Also if you're looking for a paint that matches the body, Tamiya's AS-6 Olive Drab (USAF) is nearly perfect. You'll have to inspect your tank in a good light to ensure you actually covered it in paint! One negative issue; the tires don't come off the wheels, or at least when I put reasonable pressure on them, so they get painted too.

Back when I was building aircraft models I was always using liquid mask. I wonder if that would work for the tires?

[SoCalBobS]

Just a tip to share, for those who haven't yet removed their tracks. You will need to do so for painting or interior access. They're standard construction, with pins knurled on one end, easy to drift out and in. Also if you're looking for a paint that matches the body, Tamiya's AS-6 Olive Drab (USAF) is nearly perfect. You'll have to inspect your tank in a good light to ensure you actually covered it in paint! One negative issue; the tires don't come off the wheels, or at least when I put reasonable pressure on them, so they get painted too.

[Max-U52]

I've been wondering about how to reduce the speed of this little rabbit myself. I wonder what would happen if I put a 100 ohm resistor in line on each motor. I do that for LEDs and it brings the voltage down from five volts to a little over three volts. Unless anyone else comes up with a better idea I think I'll give that a try.

[PanzerLoco]

I didn't receive yet my Stuart from the AlieExpress Coolbank store.
Concerning the unrealistic ''rabbit like'' speed issue of the tank.
Since i am too lazy (desire) to change the electronic;
I considered to put a counterWeight/counterbalance underneath the tank and/or inside the hull.
By doing so; increasing the weight of the tank.
Searching the same result as putting metal tracks on a tank; more weight = more realistic speed.

Any ideas? and/or suggestions are welcome!

Thank you RC Tank Community for the reviews & pictures in the wake of receiving this little beast!

[tank_me]

Box opening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha7bdXnfxgw

Might get more views if you change the title to Coolbank as this isn't a TongDE tank. TongDE was the company that brought Coolbank's other tanks to market, but this one is being marketed under Coolbank with no middle man.

[Max-U52]

OK, you guys probably saw this coming, so here it is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbR7CIZ__qI

[SoCalBobS]

Max, glad to see you got yours! I agree that it needs painting to eliminate that plastic-y surface. So guys, to do a good paint job the tracks need to be removed, and it looks like the only way to do that is to drift a track link pin out. First person to do this let us know how it went! The road wheel tires should also be removed, but that looks easy.

Milspec, you may have done this already, but have you placed all the grab irons onto their spots on the tank? I didn't find any missing parts, in fact there are spares of many on the sprues.

Just a general observation for everyone. I've seen folks worry about the slack track. I did not remove any links and have driven mine a lot including on rough terrain and I've had no problems. Give it a try first before you mess!

[Max-U52]

Well, it's not a bad little tank and I'm glad I bought it but it does have its drawbacks. There are a lot of knobs and switches on the controller that I still haven't figured out and the manual can be challenging. Chinglish, dontcha know. It's also way too fast and very rabbit-like. I also had the same problem as Bob with the barrel being back at the recoil position and stuck in place, but Bob was right, you just reach in through the hatch and you can push the barrel forward and then everything is cool. The manual mentions a battle mode so I don't know if it actually has any kind of IR capability of not, but I doubt it. I need to get all of the accessories attached and eventually I will definitely paint it, but for now I'll just go with the accessories and once those are attached I'll post some still photos.

[Max-U52]

Box opening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha7bdXnfxgw

[Max-U52]

Tracking says mine is out for delivery so I should be able to get a box opening video posted tonight.

[Milspec1]

It's one of the number 8 grab irons.