smiffffy

Hi all, I have finally got to a milestone birthday and am not really in need of anything, but family are determined to get me something. i have always longed for a Lowlski custom weathered shell for a sandscorcher/ monster beetle. I am trying to contact Jean who goes by the username rastafarjean on the bay to discuss a bespoke shell. Would anyone know how to contact him? I have tried on the bay , however the bay won’t allow me to enter a phone or e-mail address in the messages system to discuss a bespoke order as he currently has no shells or driver teams for sale. i have also left messages via his you tube channel under his Lowlski profile. Can anyone tell me? If Lowlski replies to a contact him message from me on Tamiya club, will this come through to my own registered e-mail address in my mailbox or does it flash up as a message to my profile page? Cheers in advance also left a message on the contact Lowlski on the Tamiya club showroom pages. has anyone purchased from him and have his e-mail used for his shop purchases ( not any personal e-mail as I understand data protection ) I am so looking forward to hopefully discussing and buying a bespoke pro weathered shell.

Hi all, I have finally got to a milestone birthday and am not really in need of anything, but family are determined to get me something. i have always longed for a Lowlski custom weathered shell for a sandscorcher/ monster beetle. I am trying to contact Jean who goes by the username rastafarjean on the bay to discuss a bespoke shell. Would anyone know how to contact him? I have tried on the bay , however the bay won’t allow me to enter a phone or e-mail address in the messages system to discuss a bespoke order as he currently has no shells or driver teams for sale. i have also left messages via his you tube channel under his Lowlski profile. Can anyone tell me? If Lowlski replies to a contact him message from me on Tamiya club, will this come through to my own registered e-mail address in my mailbox or does it flash up as a message to my profile page? Cheers in advance also left a message on the contact Lowlski on the Tamiya club showroom pages. has anyone purchased from him and have his e-mail used for his shop purchases ( not any personal e-mail as I understand data protection ) I am so looking forward to hopefully discussing and buying a bespoke pro weathered shell.

Well the quickest fix, was definitely the squeezing of the two diff plates with a pair of grips. Instantly fixing my clacking box, bit as said above , not sure how long this will last. I also took an old pair of frog dog bone drive cups and attempted "old frogshots mod". Well I can't believe how quick and easy it was when I had found a suitable tap to create the thread for the new machine screw. after using a Dremel to take off the long locating pin, a quick centre punch on the end gave me a bit of confidence at keeping a vertical hole dead centre as I drilled through the narrow drive cup. this hardly took any time, with the remainder of the pin just falling out after a few turns of the drill bit. now to do the same on my other Orv's. also saw a gearbox online that had had a similar machine screw through the centre of the higher drive gear in the box.

Hey guys, I am suffering from the clacking gearbox on my Blackfoot and have always been intrigued by old frogshots fix which shows drilling one side of the diff cups to 2.5mm and tapping the other diff cup to receive a 2.5 mm screw to maintain a width on the side plates. https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=24674&sid=3142 my question is ? When this fix is done am I right in saying that one cup is fixed hard and fast to the screw. Whilst the other cup is free to spin on the shaft of the screw passing through it. if this is the case, is the hole that is increased from 2mm to 2.5mm actually large enough for the screw to freely spin. has anyone tried the 5mm shims to obtain a fix , and if so do you think it is a good enough fix. I do know that MIP now do a ball diff, but am a little shocked at the cost of it. It seems to be so much more expensive than many of their other ball diffs that look to be pretty much the same but in slightly different sizes. So with 4 ORV bashers I am looking for a less costly solution than 4 MIP diffs. cheers Smiffffy

excellent , many thanks, now i know what i was looking for have just found a set on Amazon, everyone else says the item is discontinued At the link you sent it shows the rear adaptors but at the bottom of the page under the comments section it says "For the front adapters, use HPIC6115" Cheers

Ps obviously I ask this as my HPI fronts for two wheel drive trucks didn't come with any adaptors. Cheers

HPI SS MT have different reference for Front and Rear; you MUST have the front rim if you want to fit bearing inside. Hi mastino you say that the fronts mount directly on an MB front axle via HPI adaptor that comes with the rims, do you have a picture of this adaptor , I have purchased a set of superstar MT from HPI, and the rears fit fine with the frog aluminium adaptor. But the fronts are much narrower on the axle so obviously need more support, they fit the same bearings as the MB 2.2 wheel but the centre of the MT superstar is too narrow and flop about with the axle now not being threaded far enough along to fit a wheel nut up against the bearing. Any pictures of the front adaptor or suggestions on where I can get one greatly received. Many thanks in advance. Smiffffy

Hi All many thanks for the previous feedback, can anyone tell me please. A 2.2 wheel / tyre, is the 2.2 part a set industry standard so if a tyre states it is 2.2, should it just fit a 2.2 rated wheel. So can i be sure that if i choose a tyre that states fits any 2.2 wheel it would fit. Where is the 2.2 measured? as i assume it is an imperial inches measurement whereas most tyres are now in metric. You have the very inner bead of the tyre that fits into the groove on the wheel, or is it the width of the tyre as this appears to be 2.2 on a monster beetle pin spike as well. cheers Smiffffy

Many thanks guys for the feedback on the hpi ss mt wheels, it's given me something to aim for if I want to get some nicer looking wheels on my bug . My overall goal though is to get a bit more push and grip on sand and am really wondering whether the sand thrower and sand runners would look ok on a monster beetle chassis and more importantly perform ok. Similar to the sandscorcher but in a monster truck style. The monster beetle pin spikes are about 124mm in diameter but the hpi tyres I like above are 102mm, so I would be losing 20mm of diameter. Any info on what this size of wheel would look like would be appreciated, anyone got an MB picture with smaller tyres around the 102mm mark. Also what difference would putting 20mm smaller tyres on the MB chassis and standard gold 2.2 wheels have on performance, will it work with the gear set up that I assume is designed for use with large wheels, or would it just run like a frog?. Would the MB gear box handle the extra force of a paddle tyre which I am thinking will put more of a strain on the gears. Cheers Smiffffy

Does anyone know if the hpi superstar mt will fit the monster beetle axles, have tried hpi and now several model shops that sell the wheels but all say they don't know. Don't really want to buy a set and then have the , is it the offset problem, where the wheel isn't deep enough and touches the steering knuckles. Has anyone fitted them to an MB , do the 2 wheel drive wheels normally fit the tamiya axles? Cheers

Hi Billyg are the wheels you have the hpi superstar mt wheels. I have just posted a question in vintage about alternate MB wheels available and specifically hpi superstars. The answer talks of offset and he deep dish that the tamiya MB has, and questions if the superstars will fit ok. I am really looking for some monster truck equivalent tyres in style to the sandscorcher, a smother style true at front and some sort of paddle trye on the rear. The only problem is the hpi ones are 103mm and may look a little too small given the MB spikes are 124mm. I Am just wanting a little extra grip and push in sand, any ideas

Hi guys can anyone tell me if the 2.2 hpi sand thrower rear tyres #4412 will work ok on the MB I notice they are only 103mm whereas the MB pin tyres are about 124mm. Also the # 4453 front line tyres or the #4457 sand runners. I know these will fit the 1/10 superstar MT hex rears and front 2 wheel drive wheels from HPI but would they fit the standard MB or BF wheels. Anybody tried for alternat tyres on their MB a from hpi. I am assuming the hpi superstar fronts will fit the MB front axles ok? Have asked hpi directly but they say they don't know if they will fit and be ok on a tamiya model and to ask local model shops? Not sure they would know either so it leads me to the experts on Tamiya Club. I am trying to find any tyres for the MB that give a similar look to the sandscorcher but obviously bigger tyres and give a much better sand handling Cheers in advance for any advice.

Hi guys, well I have had another bash at sorting the popping out dog bones. Firstly- putting a washer on the inside of the swinging arm driveshaft still allowed me to put the pin through the driveshaft and fit the rear wheel locator over the pin, but upon fitting the wheels it locked them tight to the outside of the trailing arm, obviously no good. I am using this type of dog bone set which seems to suffer the same popping out as the one in a frog rerelease transmission gear bag which is a loose double ended dog bone. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111000655297?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 I still haven't received my 70 mm shocks so took your advice and placed a spacer in the Blackfoot black style shocks ( no shock oil), I did this by using one of the small guide sleeves that goes through the shock fixings eyes, placing this inside the shock on the shaft, this has worked brilliantly and seems to have solved my problem, well done guys and thanks for the heads up. As an aside I did also notice that ther was slight sideways play on my trailing arms , so I have replaced the plastic P shaped cover that holds the trailing arm in place, one on either side . I have used the metal Ali ones that also come in a frog rerelease transmission bag http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151022368378?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 This seems to have taken all sideways moment out of the equation and seems to help, think I will have to add the third hole in the metal bracket though, as it only has the top two holes and not the three that the plastic bracket has. Thanks again and I'll see how the drives fair under a beach bashing next week . Smiffffy

Hi ,mark and Kev, yes this is one of my posts but for some reason i didnt get the e-mail alert that it had any more replies after my last one on this subject. Have got the alerts for my other post though and it has led me here. Anyway thanks for the info it is greatly received and it has given me a few more things to check out. When you say that there are two different length lower eyes, do you mean that at manufacture by Tamiya there are two different types and that i may have the longer ones on the model i have whilst others may have a shorter set? or is this something that is done in model build stages i.e when we put it together originally out of the box, you have a choice of set up? I will hunt down the manual for the beetle and blackfoots and have a good bedtime read or a quick glance of the piccies should i say. I am assuming that if i am fitting some 70mm ali shocks i have just bought this may solve my problem once and for all without the need to place the spacers in (unless i want it to look as it did for a shelf model) mines a runner for sure so not a problem in fitting the smaller shocks.

Still getting the dog bones popping out on one side, I have changed the re re frog double ended dog bones for a set that is fixed at one end in the drive cup via Allen key, but is dog bone at the other end off of e-bay. Still the same, I am now awaiting a shorter set of shocks at 70mm the same as my MB ones as I see this as the only way to resolve it . The frog double ended dog bone seems just a little too short at 40mm from outside edge to outside edge ( 36 mm bar to bar). Have been trying to find a set that are maybe 42 or at a push 44mm long in total that will fit the frog re re drive cups. Another suggested solution was to get a wider bearing in the swinging arm, they are currently 5x11x4mm wide but I cannot locate a slightly wider than 4mm bearing so was also going to try a washer at the risk of the axle pin hole then not being visible enough to put the pin in. Will await the shorter shocks and see what happens I think.

Sadly the 4mm rubber O -rungs arent part of the transmission bag and it is only after reading the threads on here that i downloaded a frog manual and can see the two o rings at one end and one at the other end on each shaft. Looking at the manual it seems they are part of the "rod bag" with the drive shaft gator . oh well back to the shops looking for a 4mm o ring - does anyone have one they can measure, the ebay seller i am looking at does them in packs of 10, the o-rings seem to be measured from inner surfaces across the diameter of the ring and then are measured across the thickness of the rubber itself. i can get a 4mm x 1mm. hang on just found these there must be one in here to fit http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180pc-Small-Mini-Rubber-Washer-O-Ring-Seal-Set-/271162029641?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f22843649 The frog packet just states a 4mm o-ring with no thickness.

sorry guys this is the one i purchased 2 of and is in the BF and MB currently http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TAMIYA-SUBARU-BRAT-FROG-Transmission-Bag-NIP-/150999849741?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item23284adb0d

I have now just bought these to see if they are any better http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111000655297?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 these were what i purchased previously http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Tamiya-Frog-Subaru-Brat-Gear-Box-Joint-Dog-Bone-Drive-Shaft-and-Axle-Part-/221186644794?pt=US_Character_Radio_Control_Toys&hash=item337fc05b3a

hi guys having terrible trouble getting files into this thread, have made them as small as possible but still wont attach ok they have gone in now. right the MB is the chassis with the drive shafts almost in a straight line and the BF is the one with the shafts almost at 45 degrees. Both cars are at rest with no batteries in them. The MB yellow shocks are at full extension and actually stop the swinging arm from hitting the red stopper on the underside of the chassis by about 5 mm. The yellow MB shocks measure 70mm centre to centre when on the car and also when off, this is the same for the front shocks and also the back shocks, so i thought hey presto buy a set of MB yellow shocks and problem solved. But nope the yellow shocks have arrived off the bay and they measure exactly the same as the BF black shocks 80mm. The BF black shocks actually allow the swinging arm to go full distance by stopping at the red stopper on the chassis. these shocks as previously mentioned measure 80mm from centre to centre. exactly the same chassis but the MB drives sit almost straight when at rest but the BF are at 45 degrees and i assume the reason why the right rear pops out every now and again. The re-re frog dogbones i have used have the fixed dogbone shape at each end of the shaft and the cup obviously at the gear box and swing arm ends. i will try the washer at each end as suggested in some forums. I have also looked at other threads that suggest the frog requires 5 rubber grommets in the cups of the drive shafts, 3 on one side and 2 on the other, but it looks to me like this would only push the do bone further out of its cup and make it more prone to popping out. the washer on the other hand may restrict the axle pin from being pushed through and thus not being able to keep the wheel on. I am looking also at why i have 70mm centre to centre on my MB shocks and the ones off the bay are 80 mm, I am wondering if the piston rod in the shock is threaded within the shock allowing it to be restricted to 70mm overall length uncompressed instead of the 80mm of the ones i have bought. i am also wondering if the dogbones could be purchased slightly longer which would make them sit inside the cup a little further at rest and not long enough to restrict the compression of the shock when the swinging arm rises. very confused ???? and not sure why one sits lower, i can only assume it is the 10mm extra length of the shock on the BF and MB ones off the bay. Again any ideas greatly received. Smiffffy

Hi guys, I have a MB that i have successfully used a frog re release dogbone set to upgrade the drive shaft and move away from the hex drives. So i thought i would do the same on a BF i recently purchased, the problem i am having though is that it seems the drives are at too steep an angle when at rest compared to the MB. It looks to me that the 80mm black shocks on the original BF are pushing the suspension arms too low for the dogbone shafts and the dogbones when being driven keep popping out and twisting the rubber drive shaft boot, sometimes locking one wheel up altogether. The MB with its 70mm yellow shocks seem to be at a more straight / level angle, and by comparison from the rear looks like a low rider. i have bought some MB 70mm shocks off the bay to see if this resolves my problem when they arrive (yep i know i could try them off of my own MB but heh we all need spares to fill the tool box). My question is, should i have bought a longer dogbone drive set and if so does anyone know of a set that would fit that are slightly longer. is this a known issue when trying to upgrade the drive shaft of a BF. I assume all i will be doing by reducing the shock length is giving the BF a slightly lower ride. All thoughts greatly received. Many Thanks in advance SMIFFFFY