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The IV, as the last of the "narrow bodies", did look awesome, especially with the "fangs" they added to the front radiator intake. At the time (1997) there was almost nothing like it on NZ roads and the term "boy racer" didn't exist so no disparaging comments or looks, mostly "WOW!! What is that?!?" - I had cops pull me over just to look at the car, multiple times. About 33 seconds after the warranty expired I threw $5k at it (boy racer! 😂) and put in a Link G4 with anti-lag and water injection and got a 2 Bar tune (FFS 🙄). It did 11s quarters... Edit: I actually owned a 4G63 Galant VR-4 before the Evo's, also quite rare in NZ. I still have the M3 (3.2 6-speed) but it's a weekend only car now, my current daily is a BMW 130i E87 (5 door) auto with a 280hp tune and some other bits to keep it fun, and it is a lot of fun (last of the BMW straight six NA RWD's, more info here). Another car I would have owned at 18, could I afford it, I'd still own today (could I afford it) is an R32 GTR... Godzilla proper. Just impossible to find an unmolested one these days.

A lot of my cars sit around me in my home office (which is getting regular use whilst we're in lockdown down here) and I added a cheap new shelf today and promoted my Taisan Porsche and Hilux Hi-Lift to prominent positions which makes space elsewhere for my yet-to-be-built Fighting Buggy. As you might be able to tell from the foreground boxes I still have some RC unpacking and arrangement to do. I certainly don't have enough space to display all the cars I want to! I really like the Porsche up top here, photo is deceiving, the top shelf is about 5 foot high.

Yes, because of this I would never pre-order one unless it was for the shelf... I need to see how it actually goes before I commit to an entirely new (and adventurous) design. If it keeps breaking front shock components (for example) after a few jumps then it will be useless and either dropped by Tamiya or significantly redesigned.

I paid over €1000 for each of my 511's when you factor in all of the parts required and the upgrade kits. 😲 The SA is a relative bargain! 😂

I owned the only "NZ new" Evo IV, imported (with delivery miles only) specifically for the CEO of Mitsubishi NZ. When I purchased it it had done only 18,000kms and was still under warranty but even Mitsubishi themselves couldn't service it for me, I had to take it to Ralliart NZ (Road, Race & Rally in Penrose) for that. When that got written off (ugh) on Mount Eden Road one day I was at a loss... ended up getting an insurance payout of $500 more than I paid for it 3 years earlier (!!!) and picked up a red TME (6.5) and pocketed $8,000 in change. Fun times. Sold the TME eventually and got an M3. I never really liked the 7-9 but loved the look of the X, would probably own one of those if the right opportunity came up.

Why not just get a XT30 -> XT60 and a Deans -> XT60 adaptor? Saves changing a bunch of connectors.

I missed this earlier, that's real pretty. 😎

That's brave with the solid curb! Hold the phone the right way next time, we see the world in widescreen after all. 😉

That looks very good indeed.

You'd add a terrible amount of drag and a multi-viscosity 1:1 oil would never get up to operating temp in a 1:10 (~100*C). The additives might also break down some of your internal components. It you wanted to go wet (which I don't think is a good idea) you'd be better off using very thin RC diff oil.

Put it on TradeMe for $1 reserve? 😉 The super expensive eBay ones, like other vintage buggies, simply don't sell, they're speculative posts waiting for a new lottery winner. Most of these get passed on by private treaty and for a lot less than those headline prices. My NIB vintage Egress is probably worth about US$1000 via non-commercial channels if it were for sale, my Top Force Evolution about the same. I'd put a vintage Avante in that ballpark, possibly a bit less because the Egress ultimately eclipsed it. A Techigold would bump it back up. The fact that their values have hardly changed in a decade is telling, they're not a lucrative investment.

Good question, you could exchange the entire chassis if you wanted, front and rear gearboxes are interchangeable across vehicles. But it would be a pity to ruin the Evo. You'd need those TM chassis plates plus re-re Top Force/Evo J parts and an E bag, plus some general hardware, to convert the TC to carbon double deck.

This one: https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/toys-models/radio-control-robots/parts-accessories/chassis-frames/listing/3257256202?bof=6m8jL82p But I've just realised it's not the full conversion, only the plates so it's not going to be enough, you'd need a bunch of Top Force parts (namely J parts and alu chassis posts) which I'm sure you could pick up on eBay these days but that's probably becoming uneconomic. Sorry to mislead!

OMG, those beautiful vintage blisters... and an included 01R!!! Even the Egress, Top Force, and Evolution didn't come with a motor, let alone a legendary motor and Tamiya's first ever numbered Hop-Up! Did you realise there's a NIB DF01 carbon chassis on TradeMe at the moment? It's not cheap but a vintage Terra Conqueror might actually deserve it.

This seems most likely. If the bolt (it's not a screw) spins freely as you say then it's not binding on the shank. You should be able to press it out from the back with some pliers... one of the tips on the end of the bolt and the other somewhere where you can get purchase (perhaps on the inside of that alu part, lower than the bolt) and squeeze. As long as the purchase point is secure you can't break anything.

Actually, if they did either of those things it would be great.

That's not cool, I'm sorry you had that experience. Don't be dissuaded and you don't need a club to have fun when you're starting out, stick in there.

Yes, don't cut up any wheels! I should have noticed they were clamp type, sorry, forget my idea. I'm starting to think that not screwing the chassis together properly has allowed one of the internal (1150) bearings or even the diff to dislodge causing an internal misalignment, possibly exacerbated by tightening up the wheel (which draws the UK out further)... otherwise pretty stumped. When I'm stumped I normally tear it down.

Snap...

A sound process of elimination typically bears fruit, good work. Since the 7mmm hex didn't fix it then it's not the wheel, or wheel/hex interface, it's most likely to be the hex to hub interface or something contributing to that interface. If you have some clamp type hexes, perhaps on a different vehicle, you can do them up tight with no wheels and retest with a clear line of sight.

Don't buy any new parts until you know what the problem is, especially a gyro which is surely unnecessary on a M chassis with a reasonable motor. As somebody mentioned on the first page, put it on a work stand and eyeball it under various throttle conditions, if as you say it happens regularly you should be able to see it happen. Prop the suspension arms up to normal ride height. Set your phone up to video the front wheels (on the stand) at 60+ FPS so you can slow it down if necessary. Swap everything left to right and try it again, does it veer left instead now? Everything that's not asymmetric e.g., shocks, links, bearings, wheels, tyres, everything. An unbalanced wheel might be impossible to diagnose unless you swap it to the other side and observe erratic behaviour following it (for example). That will eliminate said components which will allow you to narrow your focus. What about slop? Is it the same on both sides? Can you add shims if you do have some slop (which is almost inevitable on an M05)? Don't buy any new parts until you know what the problem is.

Hmm, I'm not convinced Super Glue is the best option although I'll admit to not having used it for this purpose. I would have thought it was either too permanent or too brittle. I'd use an epoxy putty such as JB Weld (Plastic Weld) which is pliable upon application but then hardens so you can drill/tap it. Because it's an epoxy it forms a polymer bond with the surrounding plastic so it effectively becomes one solid piece of plastic. You could use it with one of two methods: Fill the hole, let it cure, drill a pilot hole then tap the 3mm hole and insert the screw. Fill the hole, before it cures screw in the machine screw then remove it (forming a threaded hole), after it cures inset the screw. Super Glue sounds like an unnecessary and potentially inferior (if not convenient) way to address a problem for which a proper solution already exists.

Yes, every motor is also a generator. Spin the shaft fast enough and you'll be able to measure output via the power wires... you might be able to get away with clamping the shaft in the chuck of an electric drill but you'd want to make sure everything was axis-aligned properly, you'd want to clamp down the motor somehow.

I started with a 2 channel AM stick (Accoms) and still have it. I picked up a basic multi-model 2.4GHz wheel (Sanwa) early 2000's and it's my go-to now. I also have a 4 channel 2.4GHz stick Tx (Futaba) for my Hi-Lift. Either/or I say but I find my 511 is a bit too quick for stick, I'd probably need to add a gyro to tame it down a bit.

Yes, @Juhunio that's pretty much correct... well at least I agree with you about the shell and demand for the conversion set. The cynic in me says that Tamiya are only releasing the carbon plates as part of a full conversion set so they can charge more. Which really is terrible for my brand loyalty. Yes, you're better off buying the modified, shorter, carbon decks for less than the conversion set and a better fit! The shock towers are, and always have been, fine in FRP.