Slow car needed with a go anywhere attitude

[Nobbi1977 1793]

I am new to this world but I picked up a pre built unused Hornet cheap.

I am finding the hornet is pretty much useless for me. Grass too thick for it to run at home and paving and sports hall to slick to run it at work. Also far to fast to let my 4 1/2 year old son play with.

So what do I buy as a second car? A slower 4x4? What bits can I share if I just use one car at a time? Radio gear, battery's, I have a couple of spare motors that came with the hornet.

Any ideas / suggestions? I am a competent mechanic so can do just about anything and would rather play and keep costs down rather than splash out on new.

[GregM 1109]

I haven't tried these so far, but when you say go anywhere, then the Super Clod Buster or to a slightly lesser extent any WR-01 Chassis car (e.g. Dual Hunter) come to my mind. Both are dual motor 4WD monster trucks so they have massive torque but are not too fast in stock form. Both are larger than your Hornet, but the Clod Is a real Powerhouse.

[Nobbi1977 1793]

I guess I went a bit far with "go any where" more use anywhere we happen to be.

More multi purpose rather than single minded

[Sandster 285]

How about a lunch box? The kits are pretty cheap you can use your existing radio gear and batteries. If you want it to go slow for your 4 year old buy a cheap 55T motor for it. I asked a similar question recently and that is what I am planning to do.

[GregM 1109]

Good thing on the Lunchbox is that it shares many parts with the Hornet, so you don't need to hoard spares for two completely different chassis types. It's 2WD, but the large wheels should help a bit on grass.

[XV Pilot 1936]

If your Hornet is struggling on grass, how about doing a big wheel conversion?

[GregM 1109]

This is sooo cool.

Parts needed:

Lunchbox wheels & tires

Lunchbox motor adaptor

Lunchbox 10T brass pinion

Lunchbox front steering knuckles

[Leonardas 3]

CC-01 should work well in any conditions too.

[MadInventor 3884]

A clod buster / super clod buster would be a good choice with the power / economy switch. In economy mode it will be slow enough for your son to play with without damaging it, and in power mode it's fast enough for dad to enjoy as well. It's also pretty much a go anywhere vehicle, especially with locked diffs. The enclosed drive shafts and high ground clearance also make it great for beach running. You can also re-use batteries / radio gear, etc with it as well.

I do like the XV Pilot big wheel conversion for the hornet, but I'd be very tempted to go for a 4wd vehicle.

[mr crispy 2293]

I would suggest one of the WT-01 chassis based cars like a Blackfoot 3, Blackfoot Extreme, mudblaster 2 etc. These cars are very capable in their standard 2wd setup and handle better than the Lunchbox/Midnight Pumpkin. Mine handles long grass with ease on a standard silvercan motor, swap that for a crawler motor (so anything from 55 turns upwards) to reduce the top speed and get more low speed power. They'll already come with better friction shocks but these can be upgraded to oil dampers and if you really want to go off road you can add a 2nd gearbox to make them 4wd. Their wide stance help with stability too.

I think they make a great "starter" car that has a lot more upgrade potential than other basic cars.

[waterbok 1282]

Greg that might be a bit much for the conversion, think he only needs a set of wheels and a 540 size (slower) 55T motor.

[GregM 1109]

Well, from my point of view it's an easy conversion. The front knuckles are needed anyway if LB wheels are used. A high turn motor motor might get away with the stock 18 T pinion on LB wheels, but the kit supplied 27 turns silvercan won't. Especially on surfaces like grass where high torque is important.

[Nobbi1977 1793]

If your Hornet is struggling on grass, how about doing a big wheel conversion?

Now I do love the look of that.

I will look on EBay for lunchbox parts and see what I can do.

I will look up a couple of the other models mentioned too. Thanks all, looks like bargain hunting time

[mr crispy 2293]

You'll benefit from upgrading the steering arms to Lunchbox style rods too as the wire Hornet arms can bend easily and they're gonna be under more stress from the bigger tyres. Had a lot of fun when I tried it though, behaves a lot like a Madbull

[SteveU30 1011]

If your Hornet is struggling on grass, how about doing a big wheel conversion?

Tamiya take note of this, the 'Mad Watanabe'

[JeepnMike 150]

If you are looking for durability, I would avoid a 4WD car, they have more complex drivetrains that are more prone to breaking and wear.

[Nobbi1977 1793]

You'll benefit from upgrading the steering arms to Lunchbox style rods too as the wire Hornet arms can bend easily and they're gonna be under more stress from the bigger tyres. Had a lot of fun when I tried it though, behaves a lot like a Madbull

I have some work to do on the front anyway so this might sway me.

If I got a 4v battery pack would it work but slower?

[taliesin 260]

How about a Mad Bull? Big tires, fun buggy look, durable, goes anywhere, lots of fun to drive. You could slow it down with a crawler motor or swap back to a faster motor in a few minutes.

I run mine on dirt, grass, parking lots, whatever. Kids seem to love the big wheel look of them too.

[emory70 153]

A clever plan would be to get the clodbuster, and leave it stock. Then when the kid gets bored, yall can work on it together to make it better.

[Nobbi1977 1793]

I am having fun googling all these options

I will put them as listings on EBay and see what comes up cheap first

[Nobbi1977 1793]

So it lunchbox my hornet I need

Front axels

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/381035668629?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Wheels

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tamiya-58063-Lunch-Box-Lunchbox-Midnight-Pumpkin-9335036-19335036-Wheel-Bag-NIP-/381003289765?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item58b590d4a5

[XV Pilot 1936]

I do like the XV Pilot big wheel conversion for the hornet, but I'd be very tempted to go for a 4wd vehicle.

Much as I would like to take credit for the Mad Watanabe Hornet, this example was the work of one of the chaps across on the MSUK forum. My Jun Watanabe Hornet is still on its normal wheels.

My nephews and I are however in the process of doing a similar conversion to a Rising Fighter, which works extremely well as it uses the same gearbox pod as the Mad Bull, which is already well-suited to big-wheeled action.

We are using a 80-turn Ansmann 540 motor that is pretty slow but very torquey and also quite affordable. It copes easily with the big wheels and makes the car slow enough for my 5-year-old nephew to drive safely. Maybe a good choice for a Lunchboxed Hornet?

[Zac_F83 117]

I agree - buy the large tires/crawler motor for the Hornet AND buy a Mad Bull or even better a Blitzer Beetle for yourself haha

[GregM 1109]

Owning both, I can say the Hornet can be geared for large tires AND fast motors. The Mad Bull with is very limited gearing options can't.

[mongoose1983 3335]

I doubt anything Tamiya would do better for that than a Wild Dagger truck.

Or if you want something indestructible, then you'd maybe might want to turn to the HPI's Wheely King.