TONGDE TANKS

[RichJohnson]

I have built the DKlM okmo M60a3 7 or more years ago when it was released. It’s a very nice kit but took a while of tweaking to make it run well.

I have many DKlM kits, and am sort of in the middle of building the A2 starship turret kit for my next m60, although I had to pause the project to work on customer models this summer.

I will warn you, if you think installing my recoil and scale gun barrel is a job, the A2 turret is a much more involved modeling project. Rubicon has built one amd there are a few glitches in the turret kit, I have taken his feedback and made some modifications to my turret kit as I build it and I provided feedback to DKlM as well just as ways to improve the turret for maintenance and repairs etc as well as assembly.

[Rubicon99]

Ok gang,

I need your input here. DLKMRC has the turret kits for the A2 as well as the A3. They look so cool and this will allow me to solve the issue of missing parts as well as upgrading the tank. I emailed DLKMRC and was advised the A2 turret is designed for the Tongde M60A3 chassis. I like the A2 turret kit. I want to confirm with you all before I place the order. I know TD puts out 3 types of M60 chassis (A1, A3 and A3 ERA) so I need to make sure. This order is not cheap. Thanks all. Dai

Honestly it is absolutely more then you can handle right now if you are having pause installing a simple recoil system. I have the DKLM A2 turret and so does RichJohnson.

Its a great looking turret but it is very much a hands on build with NO instruction.

A few photos of mine.

[dai phan]

Hi all,

I also build and fly scale R/C planes so I have some experience with mechanical stuff. The kit comes with photos so I think that will help me through. Dai

[dai phan]

Ok,

So I need these parts. The only place I see it offered is from MRC but out of stock. No where else in the world has for sale. I contacted Tongde but yet to have an answer. Any where else where I can look? Dai

[Rubicon99]

Hi all,

I also build and fly scale R/C planes so I have some experience with mechanical stuff. The kit comes with photos so I think that will help me through. Dai

NO it DOES NOT come with assembly photos. Trust us if you are having difficulty attempting a simple recoil install you WILL absolutely have a very hard time with the A2 turret. Largely because you have to install and "time" the recoil system in the turret. The DKLM recoil is a bit more complicated (understatement) than the one Rich sells. Not to mention the A2 turret has limited room to work with inside.

If you have built RC planes that is great, but RC planes are not RC tanks. A better cross over is RC cars/trucks. And if you have the RC building experience then way are you so hesitant to try an install of a basic recoil in a rather large easy to work with turret. My suggestion is to use the M60 turret you have now and gain some experience installing the servo recoil you have That way you will have some basic understanding of what will be needed when you attempt the far more complex A2 turret build.

We aren't trying to bash on you, we are trying to help you NOT make the same mistakes we and other have made when starting out with hands on modifications and building. But it seems you don't want to hear what we are saying. It's free information that is come from decades of combined experience with RC tanks.

[dai phan]

NO it DOES NOT come with assembly photos. Trust us if you are having difficulty attempting a simple recoil install you WILL absolutely have a very hard time with the A2 turret. Largely because you have to install and "time" the recoil system in the turret. The DKLM recoil is a bit more complicated (understatement) than the one Rich sells. Not to mention the A2 turret has limited room to work with inside.

If you have built RC planes that is great, but RC planes are not RC tanks. A better cross over is RC cars/trucks. And if you have the RC building experience then way are you so hesitant to try an install of a basic recoil in a rather large easy to work with turret. My suggestion is to use the M60 turret you have now and gain some experience installing the servo recoil you have That way you will have some basic understanding of what will be needed when you attempt the far more complex A2 turret build.

We aren't trying to bash on you, we are trying to help you NOT make the same mistakes we and other have made when starting out with hands on modifications and building. But it seems you don't want to hear what we are saying. It's free information that is come from decades of combined experience with RC tanks.

I saw this on their website and that is why I ordered. I will check with them and if there is NO photos then I will cancel the order. Dai

# The model kit comes with assembly pictures but not an instruction manual, the user is required to have modeling experience to build the model by following the photos we provided. not suitable for novice modelers.

[Rubicon99]

I saw this on their website and that is why I ordered. I will check with them and if there is NO photos then I will cancel the order. Dai

# The model kit comes with assembly pictures but not an instruction manual, the user is required to have modeling experience to build the model by following the photos we provided. not suitable for novice modelers.

They say that but in all four turrets conversion kits I have (T23 , A2, Leopard 2, and Centurion) purchased from DKLM and those other have purchased, photos of assembly are almost nonexistent.

You can press DKLM for photos, but don't expect a quick response or a guarantee they will come in the box with the turret.

DKLM make great stuff, but it is made for those with a lot of scratch and or hands off building experience. You have time to gain the experience by working on your current tanks installing servo recoils and servo elevation units. With that knowledge you will have an easier time building the A2 turret and installing installing it on your tank.

[RichJohnson]

It seems Carson is now including a photo instruction series based on his website. This is good as this turret is a bit difficult to assemble working blind.

[dai phan]

NO it DOES NOT come with assembly photos. Trust us if you are having difficulty attempting a simple recoil install you WILL absolutely have a very hard time with the A2 turret. Largely because you have to install and "time" the recoil system in the turret. The DKLM recoil is a bit more complicated (understatement) than the one Rich sells. Not to mention the A2 turret has limited room to work with inside.

If you have built RC planes that is great, but RC planes are not RC tanks. A better cross over is RC cars/trucks. And if you have the RC building experience then way are you so hesitant to try an install of a basic recoil in a rather large easy to work with turret. My suggestion is to use the M60 turret you have now and gain some experience installing the servo recoil you have That way you will have some basic understanding of what will be needed when you attempt the far more complex A2 turret build.

We aren't trying to bash on you, we are trying to help you NOT make the same mistakes we and other have made when starting out with hands on modifications and building. But it seems you don't want to hear what we are saying. It's free information that is come from decades of combined experience with RC tanks.

I agree 100000000% with you. I will for sure install Rich recoil to gain the experience. Such a waste of fine parts if I do not install them. This weekend I will disassemble the tank for painting and I will attempt to install the recoil. Will keep you all updated. Once I feel comfortable then I will go ahead with the A2 turret. Dai

[Meter Rat]

I also order the rotating light for the Challenger. Dai

They are over scale and look horrible. You also need to work out where the beacon goes on a European (British) Tank.

[Rubicon99]

I agree 100000000% with you. I will for sure install Rich recoil to gain the experience. Such a waste of fine parts if I do not install them. This weekend I will disassemble the tank for painting and I will attempt to install the recoil. Will keep you all updated. Once I feel comfortable then I will go ahead with the A2 turret. Dai

I just don't want to see you be disappointed, I want you to succeed.

Hopefully as Rich posted above DKLM has now just started to have some online build photos. Check the link out and make sure it's what you feel will help you.

[dai phan]

I just don't want to see you be disappointed, I want you to succeed.

Hopefully as Rich posted above DKLM has now just started to have some online build photos. Check the link out and make sure it's what you feel will help you.

The reason I am hesitant on installing the recoil is because I do not have any photos to go by. Rich did sent me detailed instruction and I have seen some recoil installation here on HS. I will go ahead and get help here if I get stuck. I will scan and enlarge the decal to 1/16 scale and print out on decal paper. If anyone here would like a sheet or two, let me know and send me a prepaid envelope. I will send out free for my appreciation for all the help. Dai

[dai phan]

I just don't want to see you be disappointed, I want you to succeed.

Hopefully as Rich posted above DKLM has now just started to have some online build photos. Check the link out and make sure it's what you feel will help you.

I do not see any links you mentioned? Dai

[dai phan]

I found this link by Rubicon! Thanks Dai

https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-tanks-369/11706991-tongde-dklm-m60a2-starship-build.html

[Rubicon99]

I found this link by Rubicon! Thanks Dai

https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-...hip-build.html

That was a very "watered down" review, I kept it simple.

[dai phan]

More good links. Dai

https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc-cars-tanks-trucks-and-more/rc-tanks/380650-new-recoiler-unit

https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc-cars-tanks-trucks-and-more/rc-tanks/377982-tongde-m60-barrel-recoil-modification

[dai phan]

Hi all,

I found this YT video where the Merkava's turret is opened and the parts examined. It has the recoil unit so that will allow me to see how it is connected and operated in the turret. That will help me greatly when I assemble Rich's recoil system. Dai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY9dOBPUKco

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

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

[keilau]

Hi all,

I found this YT video where the Merkava's turret is opened and the parts examined. It has the recoil unit so that will allow me to see how it is connected and operated in the turret. That will help me greatly when I assemble Rich's recoil system. Dai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY9dOBPUKco

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

The information is in your Heng Long Merkava manual too. You use the transmitter to change the recoil from body shaking to barrel recoil. Make sure CN6 is connected.

The built in barrel recoil is called "trigger motor" barrel recoil. RichJohnson recoil system is a servo recoil with dampened barrel return to make it more realistic. The recoil servo is connected to the CH1, a 3-pin servo connector. Watch for the orientation when connecting.

[dai phan]

The shipping cost is well over 100 USD but I went ahead and order. I do not think I can get this any cheaper elsewhere. Here are the details of my order:

1/16 M60A2 starship turret Kit featuring:
- Complete high res 3D print M60A2 Starship turret.
- All hatches are openable.
- Included cannon recoil unit and servo pre-assembled.
- Included cannon elevation unit and servo pre-assembled.
- Included mantle raincoat
- Included IR/Spotlight unit, synchronize with cannon elevation
- RC machine gun turret rotation unit. (Require ESC to operate, can be purchased in our store)
- Removable machine elevation with servo pre-assembled.
- Rear rack with metal grill.
- Come with 2 pcs spring-loaded antenna.
- Come with accessories mounted on the turret.
- Preserved weld-bit on the turret for more realistic.

Featured M60A2 chassis Highres upgrade, selectable from pull-down manual.
- Set of high-res parts to detail up the chassis.
- included a lot of parts in gray color (primed parts).

Carson sent me an email saying the recoil and elevation unit are ALREADY installed in the turret. That is good to hear. Dai

[Rubicon99]

Carson sent me an email saying the recoil and elevation unit are ALREADY installed in the turret. That is good to hear. Dai

Yes and NO. But you will see during the assembly. Also I highly recommend upgrading the supplied Emax recoil servo as they have a long history of burning out. To do this you will have to remove the recoil until. You can do this during the build which is easier then doing it afterwards when the servo burns out. Trust me it will burn out.

Also you will need to set the recoil stroke so the barrel fume extractor does not slam into the mantlet. This will cause stress on the Emax servo and is what causes it to burn out. The servo cannot be changed easily without removing the recoil until. You will understand the complexity of what I am say when you see the assembly process.

I pointed the issues out to RichJohnson before he started building his A2 and he has "reworked" the record servo mounting method to make it serviceable without the need to completely disassemble the turret and remove the barrel . This was passed onto DKLMRC and they said they would look at a possible redesign in later production runs. Unfortunately that was only fairly recent and any redesign has not been implemented as of yet.

I write all this as a heads up warning as to what you might expect to see. I was one of the very first to acquire a DKLM A2 turret and had to discover all the little nuances that popped up without any fore warning.