i_am_scarecrow 913 Posted July 5, 2015 Hey chaps, after receiving this beasty today for absolutely nothing I thought a nice little restoration thread was in order. I'm the first to admit that the Falcon is one of those Tamiya buggies that I have, until now, very much overlooked. It has never jumped out at me as a pretty car, nor was it a buggy that I ever thought I'd own and I never would have had this not been free! It was advertised on an rc Facebook site as a Hornet, free to collector. I messaged the guy and not only did we live in the same town but on opposite sides of the same road! As it turns out a Hornet it is not, a Falcon is what I have ended up with so let the rebuild begin! It has been sitting around for quite some time and still has (or had) it's original electrics fitted. I'll be replacing all of these but I'm torn as to what to do here. Do I replace them with a modern esc and 2.4 radio or do I replace the old electrics with new old electrics that I also have to give it that period feel? I'll not be using it a great deal so I'll have to think about that. The chassis itself could do with a new tub, it has been repaired at some point but I couldn't restore it knowing it wasn't perfect so that will be replaced along with the tyres, these I have already. The shocks look tired so I'll strip them down and see about rebuilding them. The body is in good condition however the colour isn't great. Not sure what I'll do here. Kamtec make repro shells for them so that's an option if I can find some decals for a good price. Here she is anyway. I have striped the electrics out and that's about it so far! More to come! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy pants 4485 Posted July 6, 2015 This a great little find, especially as it was free and literally across the road. Like you The Flacon has never hit that sweet spot with me, but they are do seem to be popular and well thought of so I am looking forward to seeing your restoration on this one. One thing that did strike me was that if you replace the tyres, electrics, chassis and the body.......it will be more of a new build using this car as a donor car and what was a free car could end up costing you a fair bit of time and money. I think it would be more of a resto if you are able to reuse as much of the original car as possible and part of the challenge. I'm happy to donate any bits I have in my spares if I've got useful parts that you can use. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Newsh 111 Posted July 6, 2015 Nice find, small world too! I would also say to try and use as much of the original as poss, unless the parts are knackered, such as the tub Will you be painting up as box art colours? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fried Tyres 48 Posted July 6, 2015 One thing that did strike me was that if you replace the tyres, electrics, chassis and the body.......it will be more of a new build using this car as a donor car and what was a free car could end up costing you a fair bit of time and money. I think it would be more of a resto if you are able to reuse as much of the original car as possible and part of the challenge. I agree with this. Nice find but I'd be trying to use as much of the original as possible, or it's just a parts car. Chris. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scapelnz 204 Posted July 7, 2015 Looking forward to see how this turns out as my falcon waits in the wings Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Effigy3 1267 Posted July 7, 2015 Wow, Falcon fever here on TC lately. These resto vs rebuild quandaries are always tough. Restoration is time consuming and can get expensive. In the end, you might not end up with a car that's particularly drivable thanks to aging plastic and rubber. I think a proper restoration is a labor of love in which you try to salvage as much of the original as reasonably (and in some cases, unreasonably) possible. Since there isn't a re-re Falcon (I don't consider the Neo Falcon in this conversation) I would encourage you to keep it as vintage and original as possible. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWarty 1325 Posted July 7, 2015 Uh...how did I miss this thread? Looking forward to seeing updates Scarecrow! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
i_am_scarecrow 913 Posted July 11, 2015 Update time! I have a box of ancient parts! Sadly the tub is well passed it's best but I have been reliably informed the tub is the same as the Blitzer Beetle, the very same Blitzer Beetle that awaits restoration in my parts cupboard, can you see where I'm going with this? That's pennies saved already! All the plastic parts are in a bucket of soapy water having many years of dirt washed off, I need to find some replacement screws and bits now. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Falcon#5 594 Posted July 16, 2015 That's a lot of glue! Pretty good score for free. I actually don't mind the yellow. Hard to tell with all that grime, but looks like it's in good nick. Have to agree with the other posters, keep her original and love her for what she is! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mynameisdannyowens 61 Posted July 19, 2015 I gotta say that as the front shock towers look to be in one piece that you got the main Falcon issue sorted already. DT02 drive cups/gear box joints, Team CRP dog bones and front brace were all I added to mine along with a Torquetuned motor and though it's only seen light use it's nippy and never let me down yet. Keep on going and bring this one back to life amigo!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
i_am_scarecrow 913 Posted July 19, 2015 I'm still going! Sadly the tyre's I thought I had were a little too big for the original wheels so my options are either find replacements or use a different set of wheels. As one of the standard wheels is a little mangled I think I may just swap them for something else. I have ordered some replacement decals already, new paint will be picked up tomorrow so we're getting there! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
i_am_scarecrow 913 Posted July 24, 2015 Decals are here! I'm quite happy with these. I bought them from a guy in Canada via Ebay. The colours look sharp and the red is a good match for the paint I have. Just need to strip that nasty yellow paint. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy pants 4485 Posted July 24, 2015 I'm not sure if it helps, but I used some nitro fuel to clean up some over spray on a lexan shell last week. I was quite nervous about it, but it worked a treat. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWarty 1325 Posted July 26, 2015 Scarecrow, Curious to see how your decals turn out as I went with the English seller instead of the Canadian as the logos were more accurate. I might have to mix and match them on mine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mynameisdannyowens 61 Posted July 26, 2015 It kinda baffles me that original Falcon decals are so scarce, with it being one of the cheaper kits you'd assume loads must have been made and sold and that as a result there'd be more decals left in existence than seems to be the case. Last time I saw any on ebay they were fifty sheets! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
