Champ85

Thanks for the notice! I forgot about it since it was out of stock for so long. I think I ordered the last one from Amain.

What are your opinions about the Yeah Racing Aluminum Pulley set YKDF-004GM? Do the stock plastic belt pulleys wear out over time? Would metal pulleys wear the belt out faster? Trying to decide if they are worth buying. Link to product: https://www.yeahracing.com/yeah-racing-aluminum-pully-for-yokomo-870c-super-dog-fighter-ykdf-004bk-00131753

Just noticed that AMain has it for pre-order. $469.99 and coupon eligible. https://www.amainhobbies.com/yokomo-834b-dog-fighter-reproduction-1-10-4wd-offroad-electric-buggy-kit-yokyz-834b/p1572301

Yes, Kyosho has come out with new part numbers for some of their kits, like the Turbo Scorpion, Optima, Javelin, etc. The kits started ending in a B at first, and now they in in C. The same is true for spare parts. So for example the new Turbo Scorpion is 30616C. On AMain, it's KYOC30616C and is pre-order status. That's the correct one to order. The other kit numbers are similar. I also read here that the supplier of chains for the Optima/Javelin/Turbo Optima went out of business which is why the kits with chains went out of stock. Apparently they have now found a new supplier since the Optima/Javelin are coming back in stock now. For spare parts, I've found Banzaihobby to be good and reliable.

4 of the 6 pending charges did drop off, leaving the remaining two to finally post. And I received both kits last week. I thought everything was finished. But then on Monday March 4th Tower added another $364.99 charge and that has now posted today, so I just sent them an email to remove it.

The hilarity of Tower Hobbies/Horizon Hobby order system ineptness continues..... I have two (2) Kyosho Optima Mid 60th kits on pre-order for US $364.99 each after coupons (remember those? Yeah, I pre-ordered before they killed those). This is what my credit card has for pending charges: I ordered two. Not six. Just two. Yes, all but two of these should drop off after a few days, but still... what if I had a low credit limit on my card? I could be maxed out and not be able to make another purchase due to these "pending charges". Total stupidity. Tower, if you ever see this post and want to know why I won't be ordering from you ever again, this is one reason why.

Well, I freely admit it may not be as easy as I wrote it. It's likely taken me many years of building shocks to refine the exact movements that I do and it is hard to write it down on paper. The nuances of it are hard to recognize and then explain to another person. I may be doing things I do not even realize I'm doing and then failing to write those things down. Believe me, I'm not trying to say it's a simple thing to do. The e-clip hate is strong with many people and I totally get that. On the other hand, I have no problems with e-clips in kit builds because my technique (whatever that is, heh) makes it a non-issue in most cases. The part that shocked (maybe too strong of a word but I can't think of another right now) me about your original post was the mention of mangling of the piston itself. You really shouldn't be touching that at all while removing the e-clip. Just slip the tip of the screwdriver into the tiny slot that exists between the e-clip and shock shaft and twist. The e-clip should pop off with no drama. Last year I bought 16 vintage Kyosho gold shocks from eBay (4 complete sets) and rebuilt them all in one sitting. That was 16 circlet clips (anyone remember those? I use the same technique with small flat blade screwdriver to remove them too. They can ping really well too if not restrained and you'll NEVER find it on the floor) removed from the bottom of each shock to remove the bottom o-rings and spacers, then 16 e-clips removed to be able to remove the red pistons from the shafts (I left the 16 other e-clips on the shafts since they did not interfere with the cleaning process), then re-assembled them all with new o-rings and fresh oil. The worst part of rebuilding Kyosho Golds are the white plastic spacers in the bottom. Often they get stuck in the shock body and won't come out. I've mangled many of these over the years, much to my frustration. I've found that patience and a wooden toothpick is the best way to preserve them.

I've never used an e-clip tool. To remove e-clips, I use a very small flat head screwdriver. The e-clip pops off easily when you put the tip of the screwdriver into one of the e-clip slots and lever or twist it while smothering the e-clip with my fingers on my other hand. No damage to the piston or shock shaft, ever. To put e-clips on shock shafts, I use a small pair of pliers with fairly aggressive but tiny teeth on the jaws. I use my left hand fingers to hold the e-clip on the shaft and then with my right hand using pliers squeeze the e-clip onto the shaft. The teeth on the pliers prevent the e-clip from sliding up or down the jaws as I squeeze. This makes it impossible for the e-clip to ping off somewhere because my fingers are smothering the e-clip and plier jaws on the shaft as I squeeze. If it slips, nothing happens and I re-align the e-clip into the slot in the shaft and try again.

@Willy iine I've bought from Marwan many times over the years and he has always come through for me. His tires are excellent quality, and his bodies and decals are great as well. I've used both. He ships quickly and has excellent customer service. The one time he missed the quantity of tires I ordered, I emailed him and he sent the remainder instantly. He is based in Kuwait, but shipping is very fast because he uses DHL or FedEx, not slow-boat. I will be placing an order soon.

Should be released soon according to Youtube channel TRUE VINTAGE RC. Marwan's site does not yet have it up for sale as of this posting. https://marwanrc.com/shop/ols/categories/tires Video credit: TRUE VINTAGE RC (https://www.youtube.com/@Bormac073)

Breaking news: Marwan has recreated the W5031 tires, if you are looking for that true vintage tire look. Release date not known yet, but should be soon(tm). Not quite up on his website yet as of this posting (https://marwanrc.com/shop/ols/categories/tires): Video credit: TRUE VINTAGE RC.

Totally agree with you. If I didn't have the car, I wouldn't buy them. Pink isn't really my color, heh.

Yeah but they are cheap enough to get just for the label difference. I preordered them from Banzai for US ~$19 each. Shipping costs as much as the motors.

Great to hear. Your diffs are awesome.

Good question @tamiya3speed. I want to know WHAT spares I should be buying, too. I know nothing about Yokomo so I have no idea what might break or wear out.