Tongde Churchill MK VII

[jhamm]

Hi,
some additional information..
The turret should be raised by 1mm otherwise it will drag on the upper hull...

The decals are for a vehicle of the 6th Guards Tank Brigade
3rd Tank Battalion Scots Guards Regimental HQ "Ben Nevis"

[Panzer Fenris]

Picked up mine at the post office today and just took it for a quick test-run.

Initial impressions are mixed but overall positive.
For the bad, as others have said, Tongde is at least currently a step below even Heng Long on quality. Both perceived and measured.
Small details here and there that makes just a little bit cheaper and nastier.
The road wheels, I bought the metal edition, looks like they have been cut off a sprue with a hacksaw. You could amputate a child's fingers with this if you wanted to give it a go.
The gun impacts on the fenders at full depression, and can be knocked off the elevation rack if dragged across the fenders with the turret traverse. Easy to fix however, as jhamm stated above.

As for the positive, everything works and it runs well. The low speed control is somewhat rougher than Heng Long's, but not by a lot, and it's manageable with steady fingers if you plan to keep it mostly stock and don't fool around with board swaps.
From quick tests, it does seems like the Churchills legendary cross-country ability has transferred well.
It climbs well. Quite possibly better than all my big cats which by all rights should do great given that their wide tracks and numerous road-wheels are not hampered by their humongous scale weights.
I look forward to taking it outdoors this weekend and give it a proper test.

Regarding extra features, the rotating MG doesn't do anything for me. Looks too bulky and the movement is hardly noticeable.
The muzzle flash and barrel recoil though, while pretty basic compared to the advanced aftermarket solutions, I do like though. Nice to see it in a tank in this price range.

Initially I plan to keep mine mostly stock. At least until I work over my King Tiger fully. After that I think a neat paintjob, weathering and some 3D-printed front fenders will be my first step.

[Kaczor]

I'm impressed with the hill climbing ability, just like the original.

[tankme]

I've also been impressed with the tank and I was never a fan of the Churchill. It runs really well so far.

[Kaczor]

I wonder if it's possible to connect the barrel smoke kit from Heng Long to the Tongde board? It seems their board is a clone of the HL 7.1?

[Exhibitedbrute]

I’m puzzled by the mg motor but otherwise it’s pretty good so far. Next to the Stuart at least. Says me who said I wouldn’t buy one

[tankme]

I've been puzzled by the MG motor also. I didn't have any desire to buy one, but when I saw it on sale for over $100 off in that scratch 'n' dent bin I had to give it a good home. I'm a sucker for pathetic things...just ask my ex-wife.

[Exhibitedbrute]

I think the motor will be removed on mine as it seems pointless to have an mg that move but doesn’t flash

[Model Builder 4]

I think the motor will be removed on mine as it seems pointless to have an mg that move but doesn’t flash

Does your mg not flash EB ? I'm pretty sure it does on my one

Cheers, Lee.

[Kaczor]

Yes. Both MGs on Churchill flashes. But I threw away the gimmick motor and made room for a bigger battery