Crusader Mk III by Coolbank

[DavidN]

Just a philosophical observation. There is only one way Coolbank, or any other manufacturer, can continue to produce toys for our mutual obsession, and that is for us to buy their current products. "Vote with your money." For instance, on FB Coolbank showed a CAD development stage of a Matilda II. We'll only see if if he stays in business.

Yeap! As I had experienced and chat with people, I saw a lot of talkers and complainers. However, they did not purchase the products that they complained about. They wanted a perfect products. Good luck on that!

[keilau]

Just a philosophical observation. There is only one way Coolbank, or any other manufacturer, can continue to produce toys for our mutual obsession, and that is for us to buy their current products. "Vote with your money." For instance, on FB Coolbank showed a CAD development stage of a Matilda II. We'll only see if if he stays in business.

I stopped purchasing Tongde or Coolbank product after the Tongde M60A1 because their product are incompatible with other major brands of 1/16 scale RC tanks. My tanks are mostly Heng Long. I have Mato, Hooben, Taigen/Torro and Tamiya parts on them. The compatibility issue is a major consideration for me because of the small number of tanks in my collection (<10). It is a practical, not a philosophical issue. Coolbank is freezing itself out from small collectors like me.

Tamiya can afford to be different because they are the leader of the hobby. Their tank sells despite the $1000 price tab.

[keilau]

Yeap! As I had experienced and chat with people, I saw a lot of talkers and complainers. However, they did not purchase the products that they complained about. They wanted a perfect products. Good luck on that!

I do not purchase the products that I complained about, only those products I appreciate or recommend by experienced hobbyist.

[tank_me]

I can understand wanting parts compatibility, but in some cases it's just not possible. The large HL turret rotation, MFU, and gearboxes wouldn't fit into something like an Coolbank M5 Stuart. We tend to look at these tanks through our own set of priorities, but we are a small percentage of the people that buy these tanks. Even within our group, there can be different priorities as to what we want. Some want BB, some want IR, and some don't want either. There is no way to make everyone happy. I own Tamiya, Taigen/Torro, Heng Long, Hooben, TongDE, Haya, Coolbank, and a number of 3D printed tanks. I just appreciate that this is the best time to be a tanker as far as variety is concerned. If it's a tank you like (and I like them all), buy it, customize it, run it, break it, and repair it. Buy, build, or custom build what makes you happy.

[keilau]

I can understand wanting parts compatibility, but in some cases it's just not possible. The large HL turret rotation, MFU, and gearboxes wouldn't fit into something like an Coolbank M5 Stuart. We tend to look at these tanks through our own set of priorities, but we are a small percentage of the people that buy these tanks. Even within our group, there can be different priorities as to what we want. Some want BB, some want IR, and some don't want either. There is no way to make everyone happy. I own Tamiya, Taigen/Torro, Heng Long, Hooben, TongDE, Haya, Coolbank, and a number of 3D printed tanks. I just appreciate that this is the best time to be a tanker as far as variety is concerned. If it's a tank you like (and I like them all), buy it, customize it, run it, break it, and repair it. Buy, build, or custom build what makes you happy.

The compatibility issue is a major consideration for me because of the small number of tanks in my collection (<10). It is a practical, not a philosophical issue. When I get as diversified a collection of RC tanks as tank_me , my priority will definitely change. I am likely to cap my tank collection at 10. I will enjoy watching and admiring the major collectors who play a big part in advancing the art and engineering of our hobby.

[DavidN]

Back to the Crusader, my tank will be the one fighting in Africa. For the paint, I am in process of deciding....

[SoCalBobS]

Paint is done,ready for decals and weathering.

[DavidN]

Impressive! Thank you for sharing!

[SoCalBobS]

Work in Progress:


Why blue/tan/olive? Good for North Africa at distance, I'm guessing:

[tank_me]

It's looking great in that Caunter camo. I think I'll paint mine in the black/tan combo as my Matilda is slated to get the Caunter camo. I was putting all the bits and bobbles on mine last night as my British paint should be here today. I was amazed at how good the detail is on this particular tank. All of the little flathead screws and bolts are very crisply molded. The parts go together really tightly. I always glue the detail parts on regardless. Gluing the side skirts on actually pulled the front end closed so there is no more gap on mine. I'm sure I'll still adjust the mounting to be more solid, but it's nice to know it won't be an issue.

Bob,

Have you figured out how you are going to mount the battle receiver yet? The turret hatches don't quite open all the way. I'm either going to try and mod the hinge on one side to open flatter or maybe magnetize one of the hatches so I can remove it to mount the battle system like I did on my T34/76 hatch.

[SoCalBobS]

Thanks! At this point in time, I'm not setting it up for battle. I'm concentrating on the stock build and paint! I'm a little reluctant to subject it to the stresses of outdoor fighting just yet, at least until there are parts replacements available. A broken track link would lay it up indefinitely.

However, I have given thought as how to do so in the future. One way is to use the little mount that Motion RC includes with their LegoDEI receiver, place a magnet in it and another in the turret, forward of the hatches. I'd have to modify the wires so that they exited the mount to one side, and then just feed it through a hatch. There's very little room in that low turret. I'd mount the IR emitter in place of the coax machine gun if possible. I'd have to replace the stock electronics with a HL 7.1. I presume that the Coolbank motor and accessories use the same voltage as the HL, but I'd want to check first. I'm sorta planning on doing all of this first on Coolbank's HMC M8. That tiny tank with the stubby barrel would be a kick to fight with!

I do like the fact that the Crusader drives more sedately in its "simulator" mode. The extra weight and larger footprint tame it quite a bit. And I agree about the quality of the mold.

[SoCalBobS]

Here's a test photo showing the lights, including the searchlight and the muzzle flash. The test? Sometimes I have a VPN on, and that may have been why some people didn't see my earlier photos. Let me know.

Also, two more shots, showing the blue on blue to better effect. I haven't started the panel lining on the left side yet, so one can see the difference.

[DavidN]

My turn to start the work on mine....

[SoCalBobS]

Looking good. What putty are you using?

[DavidN]

A friend showed me this product from Walmart

[keilau]

A friend show me this product from Walmart

We have had this kind of mounting pad for a long time. What do you use it for on a RC tank?

[SoCalBobS]

We have had this kind of mounting pad for a long time. What do you use it for on a RC tank?

Look at post #33.

[DavidN]

My intention was to keep the yellow color, that came out of the box, on the tank. I did not want to mess up my camouflage application. I used this putty to ensure I would not have to touch up if I over spray the grayish black color. Here is the work so far.....

[keilau]

Look at post #33.

I use regular chalking cord available at any hardware store. It is much cheaper and equally easy to use. Trick from my plastic modeling day.

The only complaint is the color lines are too sharp.

[DavidN]