simensays

Looks fantastic! I never bothered with these beauties, in fact I turned down buying a dozen of them for about $50 a pop when I first started hunting down vintage Tamiyas locally about 20 years ago - they were simply too new for me... I got a NOS Celica body, rims and tyres in a trade - I gave them away to a friend. Now, I regret it all, I want both the Porsche and Toyota, but realise I probably won't have either one any time soon... I know the Celica body I gave away still is in new, unpainted condition - but out of my reach at this point. I hope you find the parts you are missing to complete these awesome restorations.

After 20 years on TC I now mostly quietly observe, which I think goes for several of the members that have been on here for a while. I still work on my long list of vintage projects when time allows, competing with other hobbies and interests. The need for info is less, and thrill of the hunt for old "barn finds" was lost (for me) with the re-releases and modern day eBay - and possibly the fact that I obtained my "critical mass" of cars before this point - resulting in a less active profile in the forums. As with all generational waves of nostalgic interests, naturally there will come a time when vintage Tamiya RC cars also will age out - however, for many of the other reasons mentioned above I don't believe that time is now.

Yup, no need to get two kits. You can find some info in this thread and if you do a forum search, I started a dedicated thread a few years back.

Cool project, I did this a few years back... https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=127382&id=610

Making a custom scale surfboard is a fun project, I made this back in 2008 > https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=71581&id=610 I later made a 3D model... https://www.shapeways.com/product/JHK49C9S6/simensays-surfboard-1-10-scale

Double check if the motor is wrecked, or if the problem is something else. I can't see how you can wreck the motor. What batteries/electronics are you running? I'm continuously looking for WW motors myself, but have not found any (worth buying) the last few years...

Yup, the WW motor has a pressed on pinion different from most other models. Plenty of questions touching on this in these forums, but not really any good solutions or answers, and probably why WW motors sell for big bucks. It is hard to tell why this has happened to your WW, as this is not really a common problem. Accurate assembly and good gear mesh is key to prevent this.

What are the side rails you mention? If this is the rear frame/loop, see the illustration - it is attached under the rear roll bar loop. Pull the rear flap of the soft top down and sandwich it between the body and tailgate. Attach the tailgate as you would without the soft top. You will need to punch a small hole in the fabric where the mounting screw for the tailgate and the spare goes, but do this after things are placed (use an awl or similar).

One of the first and coolest Wild Willys I saw more than 20 years ago here on Tamiyaclub was by fellow member Kaindi - and it had a soft top. That inspired me to make mine back in 2004. Kaindis soft top Wild Willy I used the template pictured in the first post, but redrew everything in Illustrator and removed the extra material pictured between the roof panel and the rear wall panel (this part is suppose to wrap around and be sown in around the soft top frame (?) as per the illustration). I bought some thin canvas, as thicker materials will not looks scale. I used some thick clear plastic bag for the rear window, and sewed everything up. Materials (fabric and window) can be found around the house (an old shirt and plastic bag etc), and the actual soft top is very easy to make. I used some heavy duty steel thread to make the rear frame loop. The challenge was fasteing the front of the soft top to the rollbar. I drilled and screwd in some shortened screws into the front roll bar - this was the most complacated job. Attaching the soft top in the rear is pretty straight forward, as it simply slips down between the body and the rear tailgate and secured when the tailgate/spare wheel cover is screwed in. I worked everything out from the pictures, and improvised whenever I needed. I have played around with designing a front mount for attaching the soft top and 3D printing it, but have not completed the job as I've not planned on making another soft top WW, and the first one holds up perfectly.

Do you have the build manual for the Wild Willy? If not, you can download/view it here on TC > https://www.tamiyaclub.com/manuals.asp?cm=348

Aaah, tearing down an old car and cleaning all and every part is so satisfying. WD40 will make it all very easy, and is for sure my weapon of choice for cleaning, but not for lubrication. It will dissolve rust, old servo tape, grease and dirt, and I use it heavily on any old model. It will not harm paint or plastics, and it will not ruin your electronics. I wipe it off with some paper towels, then I'll use mild soapy water to remove the WD40. I also use break cleaner for a lot of general stuff, which will remove any greasy or oily remains. For metal parts I swear to steel wool. Any grade works, yes there are different grades available, but you can't go wrong with metal parts. It will give a clean brushed finish, which can be polished for a chrome look later if needed/wanted. I even use it on some plastics, but depending on the type of plastic and the part it self, this is just to remove grime and dirt. As mentioned above, I'll work ny way up from 240 or higher depending on the scratch/surface and work my way up to 3000 grid sand paper (dry and wet) - bur as this is not a question of finishing work, rather cleaning and prepping I will not go into detail. For rubber I use baby oil. It contains glycerine which is good for old drying rubber. I use it as a more concentrated form of glycerine is not readily available where I live. It helps, but is not a permanent fix. Screws are available on eBay if you don't want to clean, brush and re-plate them. I just made a list of all the screws for one of my vintage models, and searched and ordered every single one of them (100 of each) on eBay for next to nothing. The screw sets available for vintage Tamiya cars by aftermarket sellers will do the job, but are usually hex heads and not identical (for early Tamiya models with phillip heads in the mix) - yet again, not related to your question, but something to consider before spending hours cleaning single vintage screws. I've never used my dishwasher, as that's where I put stuff I eat from, although it's probably not really an issue I see no reason for it (and I think it is disgusting, but that's just me ). Some water, liquid soap, scotch-brite sponge (or similar), steel wool, lots of towels/paper and WD40 and you're all set for prepping and cleaning an old car. Take your time, and enjoy the cleaning process - I love this part of any restoration, and it for sure gives you a great opportunity to get to know the model and an idea of what you need to replace. Never rush to paint or finishing, you'll just look back at the process and regret not taking your time - believe me, I've restored a few of my restorations

Yes, that is the plan. I could simply make a complete front body mount, without the spring, but I have plenty of springs, and wanted to test how printing the bolt thread works (since it is a M10 thread I think it should be ok). As this is made as a plastic part, I've beefed it up somewhat, and included space for a lock nut.

Nothing very interesting, but essential for one of my projects. Front body mount and clip mount, designed to be printed in plastic (versatile processed nylon).

Shapeways have made a lot of adjustment in their material options - and pricing - since I last printed any metal parts. They offer an assortment of metal material, but most are not even feasible due to price. Check out their materials here: https://www.shapeways.com/materials. Nickle plated steel is the only one that offers a smooth silvery finish now. It is still expensive, and the price they give me for printing the arm stays is €45.95. I would not buy them, but rather pick up a set of the original ones on eBay. As mentioned many times before, I design these parts mainly for my own needs, and I can't justify the prices on SW.

Don't get me wrong, all the metal options Shapeways offers will probably work great - I just like to do a test print of evreything before I make a part available for others. In this case it is no problem aa a silver in the same material is available. I'll do a test print first anyway as I'd like a set for my Canvas Top Wild Willy