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Bluefoot

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Posts posted by Bluefoot

  1. Nitro fuel is the best stuff to use on lexan. Brake fluid might damage the shell. Whether it works or not will depend on the type of paint that is on the shell. If proper PS type paint was used then it won't come off.

    Use brake fluid on hard shells, although caustic oven cleaner is easier to use and often gives a better result.

  2. I have a "Baja Growler" made by Bluebird - it's an Optima clone. You can see it here:

    http://www.tcphotos.com/showroom_model.asp...ecid=154&t=

    Bluebird were/are a Taiwanese manufacturer who seemed to make copies of other makes and I suspect that they may have made cars for Traxxas - I used to have a Traxxas "Wildcat" which had the Bluebird logo on the box (was also made in Taiwan). The Wildcat was a Hotshot clone and Traxxas never admitted to it's existence (I contacted them about it). They said it was an unofficial release by one of their suppliers:

    http://www.tcphotos.com/showroom_model.asp...ecid=343&t=

    BTW: I think this thread will probably be moved to the "other makes" forum.

  3. Hi.

    These tanks have a very rudimentary level of control. Pretty much "go" and "Stop", foward and reverse, and steering is achieved using a clutch setup. There was never any means of moving the turret or cannon. If you want to preserve it as a piece of Tamiya history - it was their first ever RC vehicle - then I'd leave it as it is. However they are great to drive if you install an ESC - lovely slow crawl. You can install an ESC without removing the original electrics (just disconnect the speed 'switch' )

    I have an original Sherman set up with an ESC that I run, but I also have a full-option Sherm which has all the movement, sound and light which the original will never have:

    http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...=02112008093109

  4. I have a Blizzard... but the nearest snow is a couple of hundred miles away! :wub:

    I also have a vintage set of skis that fit to the front of a Grasshopper. This was part of a kit made by Snowtime Accessories in Canada. It includes coupling nuts to convert the rear wheels to a dually arrangement. I guess they made these to enable you guys in the Frozen North to run cars during the dark season. The instructions say to avoid loose, unpacked snow, and that the "winter conversion kit" was designed for best performance on groomed racetracks of snow and ice.

    I bought these things so that I will be prepared when global warming fouls up the seasons and it starts snowing here in the sub-tropics. :blink:

  5. Hard to say. There is not a lot of demand for them, and the bodies are next to impossible to find. This one looks like it is in reasonable condition with not a lot of use judging by the look of the tyres, however I understand that the gearboxes are fragile so no telling what the internals are like.

    I'd say it is worth what you are willing to pay for it - $50 maybe?

  6. I believe the Taisan Porsche is the only car to use the "wide" chassis, and that it is "short" as well. It is designated the TA02SW. I don't have one to play with, but having a quick look at the manual I reckon it is really a TA0 1 1/2. It has TA01 rear suspension, and TA02 front arms with TA01 knuckles(uprights), it uses the TA02 tub. The 01 rear arms make the wheelbase short, and the front arm/upright set make the front wide. As IrenL says - the rest of the width is made up by offset in the wheels.

    You can see some more info on the differences between the TA01 and 02 here:

    http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...=02052008124432

  7. Love my Shermans! Excellent fun and would recommend them to anyone. They are the smallest of the 1/16th Tanks, and the electronics are a tight fit, but then so they are in the Pershing as well. The one thing the Sherman lacks, is the main gun recoil which the Pershing does have. However I still prefer the look and feel of the Sherm.

    The German tanks are bigger and easier to fit internally. I don't have a new Leopard, but I hear that they are the sports-car of the Tank world. All the bells and whistles and go like rockets.

  8. Bash, with whatever I have handy and in running condition. At home it's mainly my Blazing Star, Avante (Dynavante), TLT Rockbuster, Chevy S10 or TA02 Integra Rally (our road is pretty rough). Out in the open I run my E-Maxx, and at work I run the Wild Willy 2 and, more recently, a couple of drifters - TA03F Skyline GTR and TA05 Mercedes DTM.

    I also spend a lot of time keeping the kids cars running - Grasshopper (my original one!), Hornet, Baja Champ, Clod, VLB, or the TL01 Scooby-drifter at work.

    Sometimes I run a Tank or two, my King Hauler, or whatever I have recently restored, bought or unpacked out of storage - the most recent being the Solar Eagle.

  9. Well I'll run with whatever sort of speedo is in any car - mechanical or otherwise. These new-fangled electronics make things too easy. Where's the challange if you know exactly what the thing is going to do at any given moment? Ok, so I don't race - I just bash about with my cars, but there's a lot of fun to be had coaxing an ornery critter to do your bidding... Anyway I never had much trouble with an MSC that could not be easily fixed in a short period of time. I can't say the same for ESCs, when they go bad it's terminal.

    I've done my fair share of sprinting after runaway cars (don't do it now - that's what kids are for ;) ) and I've only ever had one serious consequence as a result of MSC failure - and I ask you - what sort of an idiot leaves a large glass mirror leaning against a wall at the edge of a carpark!?

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