MR4X4KING

Feel free to text.me at 610-577-6777

terminator3d3700

Sorry. I know this thread is old but is this the only thread for the 21st Century STUART Tank 1/6 Scale?
I am looking for a way to convert the electronics to modern day.

Crius

Okay, let's dig up this old fossil of a thread again. Mr. Terminator, how is your project going? Were you able to RC your Stuart? I have recently acquired one so I'm digging for info. Have you found any good threads? There might be one at rctw, but I haven't looked yet. I think I have my electronics figured out, but I still need a question or two answered. If the IBU2 Pro will run on 12 volts that's probably what I'll use to operate the tank. I also have yet to look into whatever is offered at East Coast Armory. I've heard they have some good parts.

Crius

So here's the one I picked up, I found a guy on ebay that bought several about 10 years ago and stuck them in the closet. I got a pretty good deal as the only bidder on a rather low opening bid so I went for it. Naturally after all this time the battery was shot, or possibly the charger, so in the video it's running on a 3S lipo. I also learned that the IBU will indeed go 12v, I just have to flip a dip switch, so my plans for this are: Ibu2 Pro on 3S lipo, lights, will investigate servo traverse and I definitely have to do something about that gun. Next I'll investigate east coast armory to see what they offer. If you still have yours perhaps we could share info.


I'm not trying to build a bulletproof tank here, just something to show off in the yard and perhaps at events. If I ever manage to get the Hetzer down to Danville for Master Sergeant Mike's 1/6 event I'll definitely take both the Stuart and the Jeep at the least. I'm starting to get a nice little collection of allied troops and support stuff in 1/6 scale so I'm hoping to have some cool photos by end of summer. When I saw this Tank Commander on ebay I couldn't resist. He was missing his stogie, but that was an easy replacement.

Tankhobby

Fun tank to run when you change the electronics. I put an airsoft AEG in mine. East Coast has a gun barrel and several other items for this. If you look on Thingiverse and search "tankhobby" I have an stl for the barrel and some other 1/6 scale items. I used a scorpion ESC for drive and converted servo electonics for traverse. Elevation is a large servo. RC engine module for sound. Currently working on accurate tracks. Keep an eye on the sprockets where they attach to the motor shafts, they tend to crack. A quick fix are cable ties or small hose clamps.

It should be a fun project.

tankme

The tracks have always been a sore spot for 21st Century M5 Stuart owners and it seems Spyker Workshop has them now, but they aren't cheap.

https://spykerworkshop.com/product-tag/1-6th-m5-stuart/

terminator3d3700

I started with the drive motors. I got 2 350A ESCs (Might have been overkill). I used a 2.4GHz radio and receiver. I put each motor on a different stick. This is because I wasn't sure it would steer with both on 1 stick. I am still trying to figure out how to take the turret off so I can see what I am looking at for the turret traverse and the barrel movement. That's all the further I have gotten.

terminator3d3700

FYI, I have the "Jungle Fever" version.

Crius

To get throttle and steering on one stick you would need something like a sabertooth, which would also eliminate the need for the ESCs. I'll post some photos once I get mine taken apart and get started on it. I think the most challenging part will be the Gun Barrel and even that won't be all that difficult. Plenty of others have been this route before so we should be able to copy from all their hard work. A friend of mine just did one of these and did a rather extensive build thread at rctw so I'll be looking closely at that one.

terminator3d3700

Can you give me a link to that thread? I looked at the sabertooth motor controllers. I am totally retired now. So, money is an issue. Sabertooth is kinda out of my price range for the RC compatible controllers. I am seriously considering just getting rid of this tank now. You lose all original sounds when you take out the electronics. Like an idiot, I believed my wife's cousin that it was functional when I purchased it from him. I also thought it was a hobby grade tank, until I got it. That is why I gave him $300.00 for it in the first place. It hit me like a ton of bricks when I received it and it was a "Toy". I guess he saw me coming. I actually gave him $300.00 for this broken tank. Not to mention the extra for shipping. It's a shame that family members will screw you for a buck. The fact that it didn't work is the main reason I was looking for an alternative way of controlling it. I was hoping to find an inexpensive way of converting it. The ESC's I got were only $15.00 each. I have a ton of radios and receivers laying around. I have been into RC for quite a few years now. Back when I was working I could afford just about anything.

Thank you so much for your assistance. I would like to take a look at your friend's build so I can maybe see how he took apart the turret and gun. I might come up with the money to get it functional again and then sell it to get my money back. One big problem with this is, it is just so damn large and heavy, it costs a small fortune to ship it.

Crius

I can get you a link to that thread when I get home from work tonight. $300 isn't a truly horrible price, I've seen them on eBay used for as much as $500, and I believe that tank did not come with a controller. If you get everything running you should be able to get about $600 for it once you paint it and make it pretty. And if you just want Budget Engine sounds, that can be done for about $40.

tankme

There are cheaper ways to mix than buying the Sabertooth. You can get a hardware V-tail mixing circuit or your hobby grade radio might support V-tail mixing onboard to the radio. In the second case you just program your radio to do the mixing. Yes you do lose the sounds if you go with a straight R/C conversion, but the sounds it had are not great anyway. You can also use a Benedini type sound card to regain sounds. Ultimately it's up to you, but it is definitely worth more in parts than as a whole tank so you haven't really been cheated. I made over $350 parting my Stuart out on Ebay like 5 years ago without selling the upper hull since it was cracked. The other good thing is you could sell it locally on FB Marketplace or Craigslist if you don't want to ship it.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Crius

I like the Sabertooth because it offers a lot lot more than just mixing, like a 5 volt BEC to Power your receiver.

I wonder how well one of these would run on the h l 6.0 Electronics. I understand those will handle 12 volts. Right now I'm running the stock Stuart with completely stock Electronics on a 3s lipo and it runs pretty good. No problems so far, but I'll definitely be changing over to an IBU, mainly for the extra features. It's got built-in sound for not just the engine but for Cannon and machine gun, it's already got the circuits for headlights, taillights, Servo operated turret rotation and gun elevation, and much more. I also wonder how well this tank would run on a 2s lipo. Then I could just slap in a V3 mfu and be done with it.