Bluefoot

I need the front gearbox cover off one of those. I'd be interested if you were thinking of selling it.

There are a few members who are into these in a big way ( I only have a few, not all in my showroom). Check out member Simensays : http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom.asp?id=610

This might help you get your head round it..... http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...983&id=2193

The dimensions of the decals on the sheet are: From the Bottom left (#5): 41mm Middle (#9,#4): 138mm next (#8): 197mm #10: 150mm #6: 126mm Is that what you need?

I'd say the Midnight Pumpkin. It's been in the shops continuously since the late 80s, the original form has only recently been discontinued, but it is still available now as the chrome edition. It is instantly recognizable as "Tamiya", and there is nothing else quite like it (except the re-re VLB). Its is a very fine call between this and the Clod, which has the same track record, however the Pumpkin is much cheaper that the Clod and would have sold in far greater numbers.

You can see the differences here: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...983&id=2193

You can mount them on the rim with the good side facing out, but the tread will be backwards. You would then have to fit them on the other side of the truck. If all four are like this then there is no problem. Glycerine is good for preserving rubber tyres (available from chemist), but it won't fix the cracking. Don't use any petroleum based products.

The main difference between the old and new tanks is that the modern ones are crammed full of electronics. The Sherman and King Tiger have been produced in numerous versions, with the body sets of the originals being almost identical to the ones still in production. The biggest advance is that the drive systems now have separate motors and gearboxes for each track, and the drive is controlled electronically through the DMD unit. The old tanks had a single motor and a dual clutch system to allow steering (Sherman was different in that it had two motors but they both drove a single spur gear). There have been some improvements in the running gear, and the Shermans no longer come with metal tracks. The DMD (Dual Motor Drive) in the newer versions is controlled by a MFU (Multi Function Unit) which does all sorts of tricks with light and sound, and provides realistic movement such as recoil when firing the gun. They can be further connected to a "Battle System" to allow you to have battles with other tanks.

Well Hunterzero pretty well summed it up as far as my idea of "collecting" goes. And just to clarify: I do run a lot of my cars (around 50 or so are runners), and I also have a lot that just look pretty. I don't do this to make money. I have a real job and other investments for that, so I'm not concerned about any perceived drop in the value of my cars. This is just a hobby. And yes, I do like the idea of owning something rare and exclusive, something that no-one else has. That is one of my main criteria for assessing the collectability of anything - be it RC cars or bottle-caps (no I don't really collect bottle-caps!) Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to participate in this hobby, and each to his own I say. There is no right or wrong, just lots of fun to be had....

Well I'm not a big fan of the re-res either. For me they take away the "collectability" of the model. If you can just pop down to the shop and buy one at any time, then there is no point in "collecting" it. Each re-release removes another model from my list of cars to collect (which might be a good thing [] ). However it's not all bad. As many people have pointed out, the re-res give us the opportunity to have a play with some of the classics without the worry of trashing something special. I like the Brat, and the Mud Blaster, but I'm glad I never got round to restoring my old Brat. It will probably become a basher now. My guess is that Tamiya will continue to trot out re-res over the next few years until people stop buying them. They are a business, and they are only there to make money out of what they do, so why not? With a growing list of re-res, and hence a reducing list of collectables, I can only see the "collectables" becoming even more sought-after by those of us who actually "collect". I'm just crossing my fingers that they don't re-re any of my favourites.

The wheelbase is 280mm. You can find the specs here: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/car.asp?id=160

Spray a test patch on a piece of plastic first - the "chrome" paint is likely to look more like "alloy". That's not necessarily a bad thing. I did two of my Blackfoots using Plasticote "Chrome" and they came out like this: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...435&id=2193 http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...564&id=2193 Bear in mind that spraying with this type of paint will highlight any blemishes.

As Shodog said - use a piece cut out from a soft-drink or beer can to make shims. Make it long enough to make tabs that can be secured by the screws holding the king-pin plates on.

I'm in the re-builder camp. Most of my cars and trucks have come to me pre-built (in fact in 30 years of RC-ing I have only ever built one car new from the kit - my Blazing Star). Many of my cars get re-built and most of the cars I have bought as "parts cars" eventually get fixed up as well. A lot of my cars have radio gear in them, and most have been run at least a few times to see if they work, but only a few get regular outings. I find that if I spend a lot of time and effort on a car, then I don't want to go out and trash it. I really enjoy taking them apart and making them work again. And I also love having a good bash with some of them. But I also get enjoyment out of the more collectable ones I have that just sit there and look pretty.

Rad (Rad22rad) makes some excellent wheel covers - easily as good, if not better than the RCH ones.

Well for £40 I got a new-built Willy I (with radio gear), and the seller said she had a couple of other "toys" that she would send if I was interested - a new-built March 782 BMW and a Audi Quattro chassis (with radio gear). I got those for free. The seller said she was just getting rid of her brothers' old toys! Fortunately I'm on the other side of the planet.

Hey Joel, thanks for the offer, but I don't need it right now. I have it running properly now, and I should be getting the manual at the end of this month. If my copy doesn't come through I'll get back to you.

Just as soon as I get to grips with this new-fangled video-camera-connecting-to-computer stuff! Might do a quick one on my little digital cam.

I have the MC112B manual in my TCPhotos showroom here: http://www.tcphotos.com/showroom_model.asp...secid=306&t= I could scan it properly if needed (those are only photos).

I have it working! I took the recoil unit out, and there was no obvious problem with the way it worked - just the slider plate would not hit the switch enough. I gave it a slight tweak with a pair of pliers and voila! she works! I suspect that the gun barrel may have been pushed back during shipping, just enough to offset the plate.

Stefan, I was thinking it is something to do with a switch not detecting. I'll try the lube trick, and if that doesn't work I might have to see if I can take the mechanism out to check the switch.

That would be great! The guy I bought this off has told me that the manual is packed away at his fathers' house, and he won't be able to get it until the end of September!

I recently bought a second-hand full-option King Tiger. It looks like new and works fine except for a small problem with the main gun recoil. When it fires - the gun flashes, the tank recoils and the barrel recoils - but, the barrel recoil motor doesn't stop. It "recoils" about 8 or 9 times before stopping, and then doesn't necessarily stop in the extended position. I don't have the manual for the DMD & MFU yet (the seller has packed them away somewhere and will get them to me soon) so I don't know if it is just an adjustment required, or if something else is the problem. I'm guessing that there might be a limit switch in the recoil unit that is not doing it's job properly. Can anyone help me with this? Cheers, Don.

Well correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the features such as the blue bar and Most Active Users there to encourage people to post? Nothing more boring than a forum with no posts. However I agree that the quality of the posts is what counts the most.

My old Grasshopper is now run by my 7-year old. It looks like this now: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...138&id=2193 He started with an old Quickrive Thundershot and now also runs the "Buster Bunny" (Clodbuster). However so far he hasn't shown any interest in actually building a kit. I guess it is because he has always had a few runners around to play with. His 5 year-old brother is just getting into running cars with the radio, having been content with pushing them around as "roller" cars up til recently.