RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Good morning from Lakewood Ohio

UPDATE M10 VIDEO #1 I am driving with one hand and doing the video with the other so video is a little shaky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJq2jCwks8A
UPDATE M10 VIDEO #2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npLwA9QadWU
UPDATE M10 VIDEO #3 with body mounted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjPrjs5aVrw

My previous attempts at using this gearbox gained me experience in using these unique gearboxes and now I have a Tank with a MTM gearbox running using a M10 Tank Destroyer chassis which is very similar to a Sherman M4A4 long chassis Tank. The MTM gearbox is usually used with plastic ITL tracks. Using ITL tracks with the MTM GB has been a problem for me but I am still working on a application with ITL but in the meantime, I have a M10 in process using the stock poly tracks. I came up with a gearbox assembly technique that enhances the strength of the gearbox output axle, gearbox enclosure and finally mounting of the gearbox that allows easy removal for maintenance\repair of the gearbox.

The following application improvements make this a very interesting alternative to other gearboxes in this scale.

1. improved output axle strength via continuous metal rod through the axle.
2. mounting enclosure is secured with a tie strap that allows for disassembly\repair\motor swap etc.
3. Screw side mount using 1 micro screw with dynamic axis "floating track tension" allows some give under load and is used for default track tension setting via mounting hole location
4. MTM\Tamiya Drive sprocket compatibility. I am using stock Tamiya Drive sprockets with poly center bushing with the MTM white plastic axle tubes to form a removable Drive sprocket that is not modified and can be used with the MTM GB as well as a Tamiya GB. I will show more detail on this Drive sprocket aspect when building the next gearbox.
5. Tank chassis\sprockets only have minor modifications and are interchangeable so gearboxes can be swapped from Tamiya to MTM and vice versa

So a lot of time and development going on here as I see a lot of potential here as far as scale models being upgraded to RRC using this gearbox system.

So far I have 1 side done and testing reveals that it is a go!

Today was a good day as I got the other MTM built and installed and tested

I took a lot of pictures during the gearbox build and will post that info here as I get time.

Video of MTM gearboxes in the M10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npLwA9QadWU

MTM gearbox mounting details

During this build, I came up with a novel gearbox mounting method that makes this GB system relatively easy to install in small motorized 1/35 model TANK projects and easy to remove with no glue used in the GB assembly or mounting. The mounting screw location on the GB is critical as is the screw size as to prevent damage to the internals of the gearbox micro metal drive gears and metal housing. So it is a metal gearbox in a plastic housing.

I was able to mount each gearbox with 1 screw that allows a small pitch axis adjustment for fine tuning track tension and provides a dynamic variable tension. This allows a precise track tension for delicate ITL tracks and poly one piece tracks.

A wide variety of model Tanks (Tamiya\Academy as they both use the same drive sprocket interface with poly bushing that makes the sprockets removable and interchangeable with respect to GB interface mount) can be used with the MTM GB with the drive sprocket interface tube and nut which makes the drive sprocket REMOVABLE.

Interfacing any drive sprocket to any gearbox can be a challenge and is perhaps the most difficult aspect of a motorized model Tank conversion. This drive sprocket\GB interface directly affects alignment to the sprocket\track and is the key to successful conversion

You are the master of these micro machines very nice idea with the single screw!

c.rainford73 wrote:You are the master of these micro machines very nice idea with the single screw!

Yeah, I come up with a good one now and then

Ok I just did a endurance run of the M10 and got to 40 minutes of continuous bench track run on a 150 mah 1s Li-poly

This is the most efficient 1/35 Tank drive line yet. The M10 with this driveline is now my favorite "micro machine" as you put it c.rainford73.

I can not believe the low speed throttle resolution of these gearboxes, it ads to the model driving experience and I am totally impressed with how they work. I will be doing several more with this setup. I just ordered 8 gearboxes from the site. I don't get anything from this as I am just mentioning it in case anyone wants to know where to get them.

MTM website.
https://makethemmove.com/en/home/

Latest video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjPrjs5aVrw

Forty minutes is a lo-o-n-g run; at least it would be for me. That's impressive, and with no plastic melty-welty! By the way, it seem you are getting the MakeThemMove electronics and gearboxes from France surprisingly quickly. How long is it taking? (I noticed that last month a parcel from Germany came to me in less time than before Covid-19.)

Herr Dr. Professor wrote:Forty minutes is a lo-o-n-g run; at least it would be for me. That's impressive, and with no plastic melty-welty! By the way, it seem you are getting the MakeThemMove electronics and gearboxes from France surprisingly quickly. How long is it taking? (I noticed that last month a parcel from Germany came to me in less time than before Covid-19.)

That last parcel from France took about 2 weeks. Cush from MTM says my latest order will go out today so I will let you know when it gets here.

I ordered some N20 motors\gearboxes from ebay in various RPM ranges (~200-500) The default MTM is 150 RPM and will be experimenting with these to fine tune the speed range I am looking for. The M4 Half track build uses a 150 RPM MTM gearbox which works very well but I would like the M4 to go a bit faster on the work bench "micro track". I also will upgrade the M4 HT to 1 screw mount gearbox. As it is now, it is glued it place with POR glue, the MTM plastic gearbox housing halves are "taped" together at this point and I will be changing that to the "tie strap" mod as well. Meanwhile the M10 project with the MTM gearboxes is a total success and opens up future 1/35 builds that I have wanted to do for years but did not have the appropriate gearbox tech util now.

modler wrote: ↑Mon Aug 08, 2022 2:44 pm

Herr Dr. Professor wrote:Forty minutes is a lo-o-n-g run; at least it would be for me. That's impressive, and with no plastic melty-welty! By the way, it seem you are getting the MakeThemMove electronics and gearboxes from France surprisingly quickly. How long is it taking? (I noticed that last month a parcel from Germany came to me in less time than before Covid-19.)

That last parcel from France took about 2 weeks. Cush from MTM says my latest order will go out today so I will let you know when it gets here.

I ordered some N20 motors\gearboxes from ebay in various RPM ranges (~200-500) The default MTM is 150 RPM and will be experimenting with these to fine tune the speed range I am looking for. The M4 Half track build uses a 150 RPM MTM gearbox which works very well but I would like the M4 to go a bit faster on the workbench "micro track". I also will upgrade the M4 HT to 1 screw mount gearbox. As it is now, it is glued it place with POR glue, the MTM plastic gearbox housing halves are "taped" together at this point and I will be changing that to the "tie strap" mod as well. Meanwhile the M10 project with the MTM gearboxes is a total success and opens up future 1/35 builds that I have wanted to do for years but did not have the appropriate gearbox tech util now.

I will upgrade this thread with High resolution pictures and continue the build of this MTM equipped M10.

M10 video
https://youtu.be/DjPrjs5aVrw

Wow, great video, spectacular view out the window. I find it difficult at times to squeeze RC stuff in 16th, and yet you pull it of in 35th!?! Well done!

Ecam wrote: ↑Sun Jan 29, 2023 8:14 pm Wow, great video, spectacular view out the window. I find it difficult at times to squeeze RC stuff in 16th, and yet you pull it of in 35th!?! Well done!

Thanks for the reply I like the smalls because it allows me to have MORE models

Below are High Resolution pictures showing good detail.