WillyChang

Sounds like Sjoerd is advanced beyond his (teen?) years, Jim. Heh heh, already into all these "old fogey" hobbies like nostalgic RC collecting... what next, stamps & knitting? []

Can try using the blunt end of a matchstick or toothpick for more control if the small brush is too unwieldy.

Would be much easier spending your own $$$ though... []GOOD LUCK[] justifying junk purchases to spouse/gf and parents/grandparents/uncles/aunts/relatives even when its not *their* $$$ one is paying with. Some kids might think their parents 'owe' them stuff and cash, but many others would abhor that; depends how they brought you up. I for one have never *demanded* that mine bought me any particular thing - dropped hints maybe, but that seldom worked. Todays I find it much more satisfying to be enjoying my own earnings.

Who's been waiting for these?? Offroad MiniZs!! [:0]

Err... not to burst your bubble but vendor says "has shocks". Try Tyco?

quote:Originally posted by SjoerdI think Willy is a good member to this community (where would we be without him? [] [] ) LOL [8D] id="quote">id="quote">Hmm... is that another joke at my expense?? [V] I watch Austin Powers too, y'know!! []

quote:Originally posted by chungleongIn the meantime, anything you might want from my sunny little island? id="quote">id="quote">Nothing much apart from the food, I'm afraid!! [] Is there much more old NOS Tamiya stuff still to be found around there? We cleaned out a few places the last time I was there. But a most of the shops now know how much to scru you for nowadays. [] quote:Originally posted by chungleongI'm also looking to head Down Under for a couple of years of undergrad studies. Exploring opportunities, but its probably going to be at Melbourne or Queensland. id="quote">id="quote">We were at GoldCoast over CNY2002. Not sure how it is to study there, but Brisbane is pretty boring... [|)] I flew up there again myself in March - did 220kms visiting 6 hobbyshops in 1 morning, nothing worthwhile found. BNE's Chinatown is *tiny*, I had to circle 3 times around it before I realised I was already driving right through the place each time. Melbourne's not a bad place to live; barring the occasional student shooting. [V] Oh well:- life is short, play hard. What course are you leaning towards?

quote:Originally posted by chungleongBits and kits. Basically looking for complete kits and/or bodies. Would be interested if there were ST185 Celica GT Fours as well. id="quote">id="quote">'Fraid not. All the local GT4 and Supras are all long gone, last time any kits of shells were seen on shelves were about 1997. I wouldn't mind a runner myself, love those Supra lightcups. [] Lots of used ones appearing though, but their bodies are usually shot. Can still find the occasional dusty Civic. If found they're usually at 'normal' Oz shop prices of approx A$290-350 on the shelf (imho you can probably do better in eBay). I stopped looking for them after I found my Mugen trio, but if you're interested let me know which one and I could go scouting.

quote:Originally posted by chungleongI've been working on a RWD drifter based on the TA03F chassis that runs RWD but gets all four wheels to help in the braking. id="quote">id="quote">Hmm... interesting concept... but a bit contradictory. If its an 'f' then its motor in front, with belt to behind. If you put a 1-way on *backwards* on the front layshaft then you can disconnect the drive to the front whilst still having 4-wheel brakes. Dunno how it'll perform. The belt's gonna have a hard time though!! How about getting a M04L. Then put an additional chassis spacer to make it longer, then put TL01 arms on instead of the Mini ones. Imho this would have a most interesting drifter!!? [:I]

Yes, that would be mega-spendy... []

Whaddya do when... your gears looks like this?? [:0]

quote:Originally posted by weedarlinOne last question, do you just fix it into the Radio box (If you use one) with double sided tape or similar id="quote">id="quote">Yup, that's the easiest way. I'd steer clear of the original Tamiya white tape though, its too much of a pain to remove afterwards!! I prefer to buy black tape (urethane?) made for sticking on 1:1 car badges - this stuff is weatherproof, sticks well and is easier to remove cleanly later on.

quote:Originally posted by chungleongSay, any luck on those Tamiya Civic and Supra? id="quote">id="quote">You still after some? Bits or Kits? I thought you had gotten everything you wanted already.

quote:Originally posted by DJTheoNow I remembered, Willy you didnt explain the ultrasonic welding of the battery pack in the other topic?[?] id="quote">id="quote">From what I can deduce, its just a big industrial machine that uses microwaves to spot meltweld the plastics together. I have not seen any in action.

What about the duplo wheels... are they "mesh" enough? (Not sure how the rubber would fit on the ridgeless wheel though)

quote:Originally posted by JimboI think you’ve all gone MAD, fantasizing over a cartoon woman in a manual. Playing with toy cars can seriously damage the mind. id="quote">id="quote">oooh! Sounds like Jimbo hasn't discovered Jap manga yet..!! []

Hard to say - Tamiya is a private company and never published any figures. As we all know, these things don't have serial numbers either. Then there is also kits VS spareparts... early on I'm sure many kits were scavenged for spareparts; conversely many cars today have since been built from spareparts alone. There are also the odd "commemorative" cars that Tamiya did to celebrate certain production records... although I doubt if these numbers were ever independentally audited. (Enron? []) But just talking to the oldtimers who were in the trade back then, the sales numbers bandied around are massive - especially in the 'developed' countries that had strong Tamiya representation.

This is the 'odd' cover that I had, Jezza:- Same as what you have?

Thanks Stu. Sounds like the euro boys found out the same thing re steering improvement with the extra link. Yeah, the 04 is an amazing steerer; am hoping the toe-in rear might help things a bit. Might even go soften the shock spring or oil in the back too when I get back to the track again. Here t'is prior to bolting on the steering set:-

I soak rubber bits in ArmorAll; it won't fix cracked rubber but it does seem to make rubber a little softer & spongier. Time will tell. I don't use it on racing tyres to improve grip though. [] These days with the modern 27/32/35 compounds, they'll give your tourer enough grip to traction roll anyway so that's more than enough without needing additives.

... they always seem to come in 3s, don't they... [V]

quote:Originally posted by ShodogBasically it means that someone has the patience to sit there with a tiny brush and some white paint. Not impossible to do but very painstaking. id="quote">id="quote">Not as painful as Jim makes out, its actually easier than doing it to your 1:1 tyre. With RC size - you can plonk on the couch and do it on the coffee table in comfort whilst watching TV. [] When painting real 1:1 tyre lettering, you can either:- 1) tyres left on car, squat down real low (oww) and paint on vertical surface 2) take tyres off (oof), too heavy for lap so gotta put it on a workbench (oof) then bend over it at a funny angle (oof) Either way its a real pain. [V]

quote:Originally posted by ShodogLike willy said, it's only money, you can't take it with you. id="quote">id="quote">That's right folks... don't forget to WILL it all to Willy, won't y'all? []

Don't drop that pack on your foot, Al - guaranteed Five Star bruising. [] (don't ask) Hmm... imagine if McD's gave Tamiyas away with McHappy Meals... [8)]

Cool, will have to add it to the "must visit" list... right after Shizouka. []