taliesin

I've got a decent used TG if you're interested.

Yup, like others have said. Here in the US it has just gotten stupid regardless of whether it goes UPS, USPS, FedEx, etc. At least it takes longer and the packages - if they arrive at all - arrive damaged. So we've got that going for us.

Sounds like a bad motor. Might possibly be the first 380 motor in the history of the universe to have actually worn out or broken. Good news is motors are inexpensive and you can choose what you want in there. Have you considered a Conrad 240826 which would give a big increase in power?

Blow the motor out well with compressed air (either from an air compressor or canned air for cleaning keyboards and such) and apply a drop of oil to each bearing front and back of the motor. Hook the motor up directly to a battery while out of the car. If it still makes a grinding noise it is probably bad. There might be debris inside the can or perhaps part of the rotor is broken or damaged, etc. Either way, if it makes noise after a good cleaning, I'd bin it. The above will tell you if it is the motor or some other problem. If the motor is okay and the gears don't look damaged, look inside the gearbox to see if the pocket where the metal shaft fits is damaged or even if the gearbox itself is cracked. I've had a Hornet show both these problems and it can be hard to detect unless you're looking for it.

In all likelihood it was actually guilty of injuring someone, just not as you would expect. When I used to supervise a large warehouse and shipping facility it wasn't uncommon for one of my staff to get clouted on the head by a falling box (or a small avalanche of them) while unloading tractor trailers. The cargo would shift in transit and suddenly collapse once the doors opened, or less often, but just as dangerously, when the surrounding boxes exposed a poorly packed area in the center of the trailer. Broken noses, heads and other injuries weren't uncommon. All of this was made worse by the negligence of the underpaid chimps who packed and loaded the trailer with insufficient training, poor loading techniques, failure to use enough shrink film, etc. Naturally, the fools and idiots who created the problem weren't the ones who got hurt. And the boxes often looked worse than the poor worker sitting on the ground wondering what hit him. So, yeah, your box was probably the unintentional assault weapon in a crime.

I don't read lips, but I think perhaps that grin says it all. Something like, "Neener, Neener, Neener" or perhaps, " All Mine! Bwahaahaa." Either way, I like it.

I did recognize a number of those trucks on the site from youtube vids though, so I know those are the guys who inspired my interest in a GF-01 scaler. I agree it was a very clever idea and that's what makes this hobby so interesting. You just never know what somebody will think of next - certainly this chassis never crossed my mind as a scaler/crawler until seeing what they had done with it.

I was going to try a set of those Dirt Grabbers on my M1025 but was worried about clearance. How do they work?? Looks great and nice detailing!

Which wheels & tires did you use? Did you have to trim the wheel arches at all to fit the larger tires? It looks fantastic! Very scale and true to your inspiration I think.

Hoppers and Hornets run quite well on Brat rear wheels and tires. I've even got one with Brat wheels & tires on all four corners for tarmac running. Looks to be a pretty good buggy and an easy resto. Everyone should have at least one Hopper!

I think the worst is Axial - especially if you buy an RTR. Each model comes with an extra pound or two of spares that I've yet to ever break or need any of. And when something gets customized or upgraded it's usually with an aftermarket part so none of the plastic bits ever gets used.

Every kit has them on the parts trees, those extra bits that aren't used, don't seem to be useful for any other kit ever made, and will never ever (ever) be the parts that break. I've never caught them at it, but I strongly suspect they multiply whilst unattended. So, what do you do with them?

Yes, I'm beginning to see the appeal actually. I recently bought a lot of Grasshoppers and Hornets and they all were fitted with 380 motors (maybe for a novice or younger group of drivers??). I figured on replacing them with 540s but actually they seem to run forever on a modest battery and are plenty fast enough for the rather poor suspensions. Have to say, I enjoy driving them with the 380 motors and the bodies and tires are still in pristine condition - which is a first for me and Hornets that's for sure. That's the reason I'm considering the same for the vintage Brat. I've got plenty of go-fast runners - a few go-slow runners seem to be what's needed at the moment.

Got an original Brat manual by any chance?

I should actually get an old manual for the original Brat. I've got the re-re with a manual but I know there are significant differences and just like having the correct manual. Yeah, it's an odd thing....

Yeah, those wide ribs look good, but perform miserably. I've never liked them. The deep lug pattern on the Carsons help the understeer quite a bit on the harder surfaces that I run on, but not sure what they'd do on clay...? I shoehorned a set of old Traxxas Bandit spiked fronts onto a set of DT-02 wheels once and they did surprisingly well - but they were pretty ugly TBH. They were a bit of a stretch to put on too, real thumb killers.

The ribbed fronts on the DT-01 are part # 9805552 but of course they don't fit on the standard Bear Hawk front wheels which are smaller diameter. Near as I can tell nothing that is currently available will fit those standard front dish wheels. I've run Carsons and various DT-01/02 wheels and tires on my two Bear Hawks and actually prefer the looks and handling a bit more than the originals.

I was contemplating putting either a vintage or perhaps a newer kit take-off 380 motor (like from my HB2010) in a vintage Brat to preserve the hard body for some gentle running - rather than relying on my throttle control. Just wasn't sure if there were any differences to think about. Hadn't really ever paid much (as in any at all) attention to 380 motors before. Good to know. Thanks gentlemen!

Was there ever more than one variety of 380 motor & pinion combination or just one general purpose setup that was used in everything. Even today there are examples of the 380 being used in the Street Rover & Holiday Buggy, Grasshopper, etc. So is it the same motor and brass pinion today in the DT-02 as it was back in the day for the first Brat - the one without a differential - or the original Grasshopper? Same pressed on brass pinion gear, same endbell, number of turns, etc.? Were there two suppliers - i.e. Mabuchi and Johnson like with the 540 motors? Never paid much attention to the lowly 380 before, but now I'm curious. Anyone know the answer?

Pure genius, that.

Nice! Post some pics or better yet some video links.

Those look like a good replacement for the unloved Agrios tires & wheels without being the standard predictable Clod shoes.

Now that is interesting. Hmmm, might need a set of those. Wonder what the cost is?

Or "Landfreeder" with a picture of something vaguely puma like....

40mm