Dyna Storm Evolution

[94eg! 834]

Recently I made the mistake of taking the family to the local RC parking lot races. It was nice to see old friends and watch cutting edge models in action again. The kids enjoyed running around, and bugging everyone as they worked hard testing and tuning. This was a great evening, and even my wife and my mother came along to chat and tend to our newborn son.

The problem is after I left I got a serious itch for RC again. Not long back I purchased a set of Tamiya star-dish wheels in black color (I think from a DT02 of some kind), thinking they would look so nice to dress up my old Dyna Storm runner. This really got the desire to build/restore a car churning within me. Before I knew it, I had spent countless hours internetting to source parts for "A SIMPLE RESTORATION". Here is a photo of the car as it sat shortly after building it back in 2005. All I wanted to do was restore it to it's former glory...

Before I knew it, I started looking at hop-ups. Remembering all the different vendors I've purchased from over the years, I knew right were to go to find odd parts. This has become a truely international build with parts sourced from many different countries.

Greece:

- Dyna Storm Carbon Chassis Plate

- Dyna Storm K Parts

- Dyna Storm E Parts

- Dyna Storm Press Parts Bag

- 53011 Titanium Screws

- 53083 Rib Spike Front Tires

USA

- Dyna Storm Carbon Front Upper Deck

- Dyna Storm Carbon Rear Upper Deck

- Dyna Storm Y Parts

- Dyna Storm Ball Connector Bag

- Dyna Storm Gearbox Parts Bag

- Dyna Storm Shock Towers

- 6mm adjusters (gray)

- Black Star Dish Wheels

Japan

- 53008 Sealed Bearings

- 53017 Titanium Screws

- 53018 Titanium Screws

- 53030 Sealed Bearings

- 53084 Square Spike Rear Tires

- 53124 Tungsten Carbide Diff Balls

- 53162 4mm Aluminum Lock Flange-Nuts (black)

- 54043 Titanium Coated Piston rods

Singapore

- 53066 Sealed Bearings

- 53095 Titanium Screws

UK

- Dyna Storm A Parts

Oman

- Various Titanium Screws

[94eg! 834]

Here we can see the transmission internals fully assembled with Tamiya sealed ball bearings. The 3x6 Titanium screws have not yet arrived, so the original steel screws still hold the spur gear to the MDC housing.

For those that are not aware, this is the only area of the car where I have found any substantial differences between the 1992 58116 original, and the 2001 49190 re-release. If you look at the instructions below, you can see the original car came with ALL rubber seled bearings (re-re had all metal shield bearings)....BUT....used a plastic bearing BG4 on the front of the clutch housing. When Tamiya added a ball bearing support in this position for the re-release, they turned around the BH4 spacer to point toward bearing (instead of into the spring), possibly to allow more clearance as the clutch discs wore down. As a result the setting for the slipper nut is different on both cars (see lower left of each image)

1992 version (plastic front bearing)

2001 version (shielded front ball bearing & flipped spacer)

Another interesting note is the differential. While it appears very modern in it's design, it is still just shy of modern ball diff perfection. The 1992 version used a bronze metal bushing BM2 in the center of the diff gear, while the 2001 version upgraded this to a shielded ball bearing. That sounds excellent until you look closely at the design of the diff itself. For whatever reason, BOTH outdrives are supported by this same bearing. The problem with this is that any time these outdrives turn relative to the main gear, they will be spinning opposite of one another. Unfortunately a ball bearing cannot possibly spin in two different directions at once. I think the bronze bushing actually makes more sense in this position, though it will certainly be more sloppy. A modern ball diff always uses two separate ball bearings (one for each outdrive) to fully support this movement with zero friction. So close Tamiya....So close.

1992 version with bronze bushing

2001 version with shielded ball bearing

[94eg! 834]

Up next is the Chassis. Here we see the optional carbon chassis plates assembled with new plastics and titanium screws. Also visible are the sealed bearings in the tops of the gearbox. These images remind me of a black star destroyer. I think Darth Vader would give this a thumbs up.

Interesting note: Each of these carbon plates has a "C" machined into it on one side. I've installed the rear upper deck with it facing up for the photographs. I don't remember seeing this mark on any of the Avante carbon chassis plates I assembled back in 2000. Pretty neat.

[GTodd 1350]

Very nice!!!!!! How the heck did you find those carbon chassis plates. I spent years trying to find them, with no luck. You spend one day at the track and a night on the old interweb and you find them! Jealous!

[Plopes 138]

I'm watching this with interest.

Looking fantastic.

[94eg! 834]

Thanks for the kind words guys! I had my eye on those carbon parts for years. It was just those events that pushed me over the edge...

Up next We have the front end which consists of the following:

- original uprights

- original steering knuckles

- original 6mm ball studs

- original damper spacers, sleeves, hinge-pins & e-clips

- New arms from my old stash

- New bulkhead from my old stash

- New gray adjusters

- New 6mm ball sleeves & 6mm ball nuts (steel)

- New 53022 aluminum lock nuts from my old stash

- New Titanium screws from my old stash

I really LOVE the Dyna Storm suspension arms. I think they are one of the most uniquely designed parts in the RC industry. You can really tell someone put serious time into them. I wonder if there is some sort of back-story associated with them. Does anyone else get the feeling H. R. Giger was involved? Come on Tamiya.....fess up!

[kontemax 1725]

A serious Dyna Storm Evolution would have all TR15-T gray reinforced parts...

Max

[94eg! 834]

Lol yeah....not a fan of they crusty grey plastic.

[94eg! 834]

- Black Star Dish Wheels

- 2WD Rib Spike Tires

- Rear Square Spike Tires

- Rubber Sealed 1150 bearings

Can't wait to see these on the finished chassis.

[94eg! 834]

Updated instruction images above with highlighter to better illustrate the differences.

[kontemax 1725]

I'm searching for these wheel like a crazy.

Are them dyed or native black?

Max

- Black Star Dish Wheels

- 2WD Rib Spike Tires

- Rear Square Spike Tires

- Rubber Sealed 1150 bearings

Can't wait to see these on the finished chassis.

[94eg! 834]

Native black plastic. They are from some recent DT02 special editions (Violet Racer & Red Holiday Buggy). The problem is you will only find them as part of a kit part-out since the manual's part numbers point to the yellow version (with pre-mounted tires). I got lucky a few months back and caught a part-out on the F&M Hobbies website. They have since taken down all their parts pages (but they still sell on ebay).

[kontemax 1725]

I perfectly know it but I never found them as a spare and don't want to buy a complete kit for some wheel...

Still searching for them if somebody sell them.

Max

[kontemax 1725]

And you need carbon shock towers and bits.

The gray parts are nice in live. My Dyna Storm runner is full of gray parts. They are stronger.

Max

Lol yeah....not a fan of they crusty grey plastic.

[94eg! 834]

Tamiya didn't make carbon towers, as I'm sure you know. This particular build is all OEM. I might be tempted if someone made carbon parts with the same weave, finish and rough-edges as the early Tamiya stuff. But even still, not being OEM is enough excuse to keep me from blowing $$ on a retired shelf model. Finding all the OEM hopups available back in 1992 is more than enough fun (and $$) for me. Cool idea though.

[94eg! 834]

My Dyna Storm runner is full of gray parts.

Do you have any nice photos of it? If so, post them in here!

[GregM 1109]

This is sooooo cool! Especially your pics of the gearbox internals hovering over the ground... fantastic. I wonder how you made them look like that for the camera. Lots of patience and steady hands, I guess?

[94eg! 834]

Thanks! Glad you enjoy that. It's a trick really. I put a 3-ring binder underneath the white-paper background to make the table-surface sloped in the direction needed (the slipper is heavy on the spring side). Then I stuffed the binder with magazines to adjust the slope until the parts would stand on their own. It was actually accomplishing this feat on my kitchen table (for fun) that inspired this whole photo chronicle.

I think I may re-take those photos once the 3x6mm titanium screws and Tungsten carbide diff balls arrive. I'm definitely gonna get shots of the diff prior to finally lube & assembly.

[z00ter 392]

Drooling.

Awesome.

jealous.

[kontemax 1725]

Do you have any nice photos of it? If so, post them in here!

[kontemax 1725]

I'll try to make them asap.

Max

[kontemax 1725]

As promised here some pictures of my retired Dyna Storm under restoration.

I apologize for the low quality pictures.

The Dyna Storm. It was a runner and had several modifications to improve the performance and the strenght of the model.

The carbon chassis is from Fyber Lite, UK, and is the narrow version:

All the screws are titanium or ergal.

One of the more important modification was the aluminum rear blocks. I forgot the failures forever.

This is one of the major problem of this model, one rear arm is broken and repaired. Actually the repair is ugly but strong but I would like to find another arm, also used, to replaced this one.

The rear shock tower support is the reinforced gray part from the TR15-T. With this part again I forgot the failures.

The rear wing is lowered and the external corners of the rear shock tower had been cutted.

Another gray part, the rear gearbox and gearbox support, from the TR15-T again:

You can also see the blue DF-03 heat sinks.

Here another important modification. I replaced the rear universals with modern DF-03 CVDs, splined and with aluminum exes.

The part disassembled. I had to modify the rear hubs to used these CVDs.

The battery tray has been butchered to save weight:

Another gray part and titanium screws:

The more prone to breackage part, the front C-hub. The gray part from the TR15-T solves the problem forever.

Here another important modification. I made a carbon front brace between the front arms. This saved the front bulkhead.

Actually not all parts displayed are the gray parts (the bulkhead, the rear hubs) but I already own them.

Sorry for the dust.

Max

[94eg! 834]

Wow I love it. Almost a shame to try restoring it. The wired rear arms are ingenious. So much character. I love the front carbon brace, and that photo really highlights the hop-up hi-cap "square-wire" springs. You rear driveshaft mod is also fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing that. If I were you, I would just buy a NIB Dyna Storm to build for the shelf, and leave that one as-is to sit next to it (for the memories).

[GTodd 1350]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr now Im looking for another DS!

[kontemax 1725]

I wouldn't restore to new built but just repair it.
For example the clutch cup is broken and the spurgear cover has been modified to use DF-03 clutch cup that unfortunatelly is too short for the Dyna Storm main shaft. In this way the model is not complete. I already have another vintage NIB Dyna Storm to put in the future on the shelf. This Dyna is retired but the temptation to bring it back on the track is great.
My only fear is the lack of spare parts. The re release of some year ago left no trace of itself and of the spare parts. Tamiya would rerelease again this model I believe. The first re release has been too limited in production numbers.

Max

Wow I love it. Almost a shame to try restoring it. The wired rear arms are ingenious. So much character. I love the front carbon brace, and that photo really highlights the hop-up hi-cap "square-wire" springs. You rear driveshaft mod is also fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing that. If I were you, I would just buy a NIB Dyna Storm to build for the shelf, and leave that one as-is to sit next to it (for the memories).