M5 Stuart

[PanzerLoco]

Keilau, the plastic on these tanks is much strongger than, say, a display model, and a lot thicker. Scoring with a blade will take forever. Is it worth removing the M26 skirts? You judge:

Someway, somehow ; the plastic of the Coolbang models didn't seem to react the same (when cutting side skirt) as the HL Tanks.
At least i had this impression.

[Chris curran]

Someway, somehow ; the plastic of the Coolbang models didn't seem to react the same (when cutting side skirt) as the HL Tanks.
At least i had this impression.

Yeah, It melts easier. It's a bit more flexible than the HL plastic.

[keilau]

Keilau, the plastic on these tanks is much strongger than, say, a display model, and a lot thicker. Scoring with a blade will take forever. Is it worth removing the M26 skirts? You judge:

Yes, I like the look of your Pershing without the skirt and want to do the same. No, I am not sure I am ready to do it after your comment. I treasure my 2005 HL Snow Leopard to Pershing RC tank with many upgrades and want to keep it look good for many years to come.


I have noticed that Heng Long use thicker and harder plastic than Tongde since I got the M60A1. It seems that the Stuart plastic is the same. I would like to hear from tank_me on using scoring on the Pershing or other HL tank before I try.

I like the way that tank_me braced up his TD M60. I have been thinking about a easy way to copy him on the M60 but have not tried yet. Your work on RC tank upgrade gave me many inspiration too. It is fun.

[SoCalBobS]

Chris, a question. You removed the machine gun shield on the right side of the turret. It appears to be a separate piece, attached to the turret with two posts going to sockets on the turret, plus the one for the machine gun mount. When you removed the shield was the turret smooth other than the sockets, or is there a ridge or something along the line where the shield meets?

[Chris curran]

Chris, a question. You removed the machine gun shield on the right side of the turret. It appears to be a separate piece, attached to the turret with two posts going to sockets on the turret, plus the one for the machine gun mount. When you removed the shield was the turret smooth other than the sockets, or is there a ridge or something along the line where the shield meets?

No. There were the two plugs for the MG shield, plus a troth that the shield sits in. Once you cut the two pegs, the shield pulls out. Then it's fill and sand. The troth, where the shield meets the turret is shallow, except for one small area that allows for a plastic plug.

[MaverickTank]

No. There were the two plugs for the MG shield, plus a troth that the shield sits in. Once you cut the two pegs, the shield pulls out. Then it's fill and sand. The troth, where the shield meets the turret is shallow, except for one small area that allows for a plastic plug.

This is sooooo tempting. Thanks for the info.

Edit- with the shield gone, you could add a pistol port from a Heng Long Sherman! Make it look like one of the early M5's.

[Chris curran]

This is sooooo tempting. Thanks for the info.

Edit- with the shield gone, you could add a pistol port from a Heng Long Sherman! Make it look like one of the early M5's.

Yes you can, But I believe that turret was different. More akin to the early M3.

[tank_me]

Yes, I like the look of your Pershing without the skirt and want to do the same. No, I am not sure I am ready to do it after your comment. I treasure my 2005 HL Snow Leopard to Pershing RC tank with many upgrades and want to keep it look good for many years to come.


I have noticed that Heng Long use thicker and harder plastic than Tongde since I got the M60A1. It seems that the Stuart plastic is the same. I would like to hear from tank_me on using scoring on the Pershing or other HL tank before I try.

I like the way that tank_me braced up his TD M60. I have been thinking about a easy way to copy him on the M60 but have not tried yet. Your work on RC tank upgrade gave me many inspiration too. It is fun.

Believe it or not I happen to have a Pershing I'm considering cutting the skirts off of...

[keilau]

Believe it or not I happen to have a Pershing I'm considering cutting the skirts off of...

It must be my lucky day. I do not remember reading how @SoCalBobS cut off the skirt from his Pershing. But I really love how his Pershing look and want to duplicate it. Your write-up will be a good guidance for me for sure. It might give me the courage to try it.

The Heng Long Pershing skirt plastic is too thick for the modeling plastic clipper. I bought the most expensive modeling plastic clipper that remains sharp after many years of use. But it has its limitation in cutting thickness. I consider using a thermal plastic cutter but decided against it.

[MaverickTank]

I was planning on using a straight edge hobby saw, to cut off the skirts in a series of pieces, then sanding to refine the cuts.

[SoCalBobS]

It must be my lucky day. I do not remember reading how @SoCalBobS cut off the skirt from his Pershing. But I really love how his Pershing look and want to duplicate it. Your write-up will be a good guidance for me for sure. It might give me the courage to try it.

Thank you for the nice compliment. I remember when I finished the modification and looked at it, I said that's cool! My process was pretty standard; I used a rotary cutter with a cutting wheel specifically for plastic. You can make nice straight lines with that. If you're worried, make the cut maybe a 1/16" away from the desired line. Multiple shallow passes reduces the melt of the plastic. Then use a sanding drum to get the line you want. Next, use a sanding block to get the line even and finally use a fine grit, 600 or finer to finish it. Sounds like a lot of steps, but it goes easy, and the plastic is rugged enough that it won't split or otherwise fail.

That said, I waited until others did their Stuarts before I dove in!

[Chris curran]

I was planning on using a straight edge hobby saw, to cut off the skirts in a series of pieces, then sanding to refine the cuts.

You may need to remove the top of the tank from the chassis to use a saw.

[keilau]

Thank you for the nice compliment. I remember when I finished the modification and looked at it, I said that's cool! My process was pretty standard; I used a rotary cutter with a cutting wheel specifically for plastic. You can make nice straight lines with that. If you're worried, make the cut maybe a 1/16" away from the desired line. Multiple shallow passes reduces the melt of the plastic. Then use a sanding drum to get the line you want. Next, use a sanding block to get the line even and finally use a fine grit, 600 or finer to finish it. Sounds like a lot of steps, but it goes easy, and the plastic is rugged enough that it won't split or otherwise fail.

That said, I waited until others did their Stuarts before I dove in!

I like your idea of cutting off the front skirt portion completely. I still need to navigate the curve of the skirt over the sprocket. I am still in the middle of the mess created by the Torro metal wheel for HL Leo2A6. The Pershing skirt removal project is not a top priority.

I no longer have a low speed dremel due to battery got old and fail. I can get high quality rotary tool at fraction of the dremel price. I have a 4volts rotary tool for plastic and an 8volts one for aluminum and brass. All the dremel bits work the same way.

[MaverickTank]

I feel compelled to mention that Coolbank has made an excellent model for the price. The more that I work on it and run it, the more I appreciate its features.

I like the toggle switches and appearance of the transmitter. My only complaint about the model is that the transmitter loses connection intermittently, even at short distances (under 10 feet).

[Chris curran]

I feel compelled to mention that Coolbank has made an excellent model for the price. The more that I work on it and run it, the more I appreciate its features.

I like the toggle switches and appearance of the transmitter. My only complaint about the model is that the transmitter loses connection intermittently, even at short distances (under 10 feet).

Yes, it's quite the bang for the buck.

[SoCalBobS]

Maverick, your range issue may be individual, I've run mine 60 feet away and behind obstructions with no problem. I'll be testing longer distances today.

[Tang - RC.Senshado]

I feel compelled to mention that Coolbank has made an excellent model for the price. The more that I work on it and run it, the more I appreciate its features.

I like the toggle switches and appearance of the transmitter. My only complaint about the model is that the transmitter loses connection intermittently, even at short distances (under 10 feet).

What does it do when that happens? I got good range from mine, however it kept beeping despite a fully charged battery and new batteries in the transmitter. Performance was not affected in my case. Just constant annoying beeping.

If you think the transmitter is at fault or want a new board and you are in the USA, I just gutted my Stuart to put in a Clark and my parts are now spares.

[MaverickTank]

What does it do when that happens? I got good range from mine, however it kept beeping despite a fully charged battery and new batteries in the transmitter. Performance was not affected in my case. Just constant annoying beeping.

If you think the transmitter is at fault or want a new board and you are in the USA, I just gutted my Stuart to put in a Clark and my parts are now spares.

I am having issues with the tank abruptly hesitating and the lights flickering off. I believe that it is the radio because the hesitations occur at ranges > 10', or a few meters. The farther away it is, the greater the number of abrupt stops.

I think it's time to pull it open and see if the antenna is mashed between wires or some other problem.

[MaverickTank]

Maverick, your range issue may be individual, I've run mine 60 feet away and behind obstructions with no problem. I'll be testing longer distances today.

I have not had any radio issues with Heng Long tanks on my property. However, both my Tongde tank and the Stuart have radio issues. I wonder, could local wifi noise be an issue?

[SoCalBobS]

Cell phone tower transmissions can swamp 2.4 g radios if they're close enough, but I'm talking 100 feet or so, maybe more with these simple radios.