Grastens

I would hope there are more, having just subscribed! They do look like they could be challenging to run, though. I do not know for sure, having not attended the event, but maybe the logistics for the big Nottingham meeting occupied the time needed to set up a photo competition, or nobody really seems that interested.

I will attempt to run it with the stock gears, but this Astute may be my first step into the world of high-powered brushless motors and Li-Po batteries so I would like to try and find a TTC gear train set first. I also tend to drive my cars hard and recently learned about the sorts of things I should be doing with ball diffs that I have never done (shimming, mostly)... Good to hear that the stock drivetrain is more solid than believed, however, and so while I will look for a TTC gear set I will give it some run time with a lower-powered brushed motor. It sounds like the Egress ball diff is very durable and I believe it; my Avante Black Special is equipped with the re-release part (not sure about the differences or similarities) and despite the punishment I put them through they still perform very well. I have had very good experiences with both Sport-Tuned and GT-Tuned motors so I may fit either one first, or even try one of those Super Stock motors and take a step into advanced motor maintenance (so far I have only been cleaning them; my GT-Tuned car will need new brushes and eventually a turning, but Super Stock motors are completely rebuildable...). Maybe I was thinking the Astute needed power like the Super Astute (TC member Hudson recalled how his Super Astute was sluggish with a Sport-Tuned), but that is not the case. Obviously Astute gears are much easier to replace/tune, and coming from the member with an Astute box as his profile picture I will trust all this advice. Thanks! Unless we did a bit of a swap - my Astute for that Super Astute, which would not work seeing as you need to fund racing - I cannot pick it up. A shame, as it looks like a fabulous car! I hope it finds a great home! So should I forward my payment now? Living in university means my budget is getting thin, but we shall see what I can pony up... I sent a PM to enquire. Thanks for all your replies so far! I am amazed that such a rare part would turn up so quickly!

New In Box? Unfortunately I do not, though I do have an assembled BMW GTP with the original box and all necessary equipment... At the moment there appear to be no complete sets of the Le Mans/GTP racers, though I do see a complete Lamborghini. I will let you know if I see anything turn up!

Team Losi Micro-T arrived yesterday... My study breaks will be getting more frequent!

Greetings: Having recently acquired an Astute, I was interested by the potential an upgraded transmission system would offer. The Super Astute TTC Gear Train Set is very rare but I hope to find one, starting with this thread. So please contact me if you do have a complete set around; I was considering purchasing the spare gear set but that does not include the plastic gear cover or any of the needed screws. The plastic gear cover in particular is exceedingly difficult to find. Thank you for your time! Grastens

I think you should be able to fit a mild brushless setup; those by Hobbywing are usually affordable; if not there are still some decent brushed motors, none of which I can name off the top of my head as this car needs a fairly-powerful motor. Pinions would be someone else's opinion! However, the kit gearing for a higher-speed motor should suffice and you should notice a difference in performance right away. Gearing would be harder to change anyways since the car runs 0.5 module gears instead of Tamiya's more-common 0.6 module.

I had a few days like that... Took my Avante out on campus; got a few stares from the other students... Then I decided to buy a nice-looking Astute. Thanks again, GTodd! Edit: Also purchased a subscription! Very excited for it!

PM sent. This car does excite me, but at the same time I wonder what I would be getting myself into. Edit: Looks good... I think I will make the purchase.

The Vajra does have those larger tires, however; with 2.2" wheels the ground clearance is less impressive. My Avante is run almost regularly, driving hard on all occasions. I can say that the re-release chassis is fairly durable, as is the bodywork, though the rear wing will take some serious damage in a flip. On heavy frontal impacts the metal ball ends at the very front can strip and the ones on the lower arms behind them can break. That was one full-speed impact, though it was fitted with a GT-Tuned 25T and a TEU-104BK. With a brushless system, I imagine a frontal impact would have more severe consequences. I do have yet to get onto a track, though there is a club not too far from where I am right now. If I ever get a chance to make it there, I can report on its performance.

I remember these links from when I asked about what sort of qualifications were needed to become an RC car designer. From what I have read, industrial designers usually end up in aesthetic design roles from other areas like household or electronic product design, but I would imagine that mechanical engineering is keeping more in nature with the hobby as many of these cars are penned for performance. If you wanted to work on chassis design, engineering would be a better choice, whereas automotive design is preferable for bodywork, but not necessarily, as engineers did design the Flo-Tek line of short-course truck bodies (and possibly the Bigwig; he was a 'race car designer' but engineering expertise is probably a given at his field). As I am currently studying engineering (though not mechanical - yet) and had a look at the options it gives, I do have an idea of what I am talking about, although I have no experience in the field.

Frogtape is excellent. I acquired some for a home painting project and had some left over, while coincidentally running low on Tamiya masking tape (also good). So I tried it on my Avante; the results were not the best but that was more due to my inexperience with painting polycarbonate shells than anything. It worked for both the house and the shell, though. I would highly recommend it.

Tamiyas, from what I understand, are not usually about outright speed. In the case of the Super Astute, though: keep in mind that racing buggies also used higher-powered racing motors and upgraded electronics; The Sport-Tuned motor is an upgrade from the standard Mabuchi/Johnson 540, but is not nearly fast enough to keep pace with the competition brushed motors of even that era. It could be that due to this, the Super Astute was never set up properly to make the most of a Sport-Tuned motor (including pinion gear choice), whereas the Bear Hawk, being entry-level, could accept it. I could be wrong, though, if the kit did include a motor or if the manual specified a Sport-Tuned as a specific hop-up part. I cannot answer the other question about the fastest vintage 2WD buggy, though I hope that insight could help.

That is one fine-looking Top Force! Great presentation!

That was more a reply to Finman, as I was agreeing with his identification of the Avante steering set. Does the understeer have to do with the design limitations of the installation or the electronics? Increasing the steering dual rate could add a bit more travel if it is the electronics.

That looks to be it. Nice work on the modifications. I thought the Avante steering system had a lot of slop already, though... Have you noticed any significant gains in steering control with this set-up? It always seemed to me that isometric(?) steering set-ups were more responsive than bell-crank types, though the Hotshot did have the 'hook-and-rod' isometric steering which was sloppy anyways.

Not sure why the Street Rover appears to have DT-02 front wheels on the back, but is that really a bigger question than the Bullhead? It looked like a lot of fun, regardless!

A bump to lower the price to $260 CAD before shipping, and an offer to also send all electronic files and photos I have saved of this car. Upon request, a summary of the car's history can be put together.

I am bumping this thread and will lower the price to $180 before shipping, which would actually be a bit more in line with the market value of these cars.

Interested and registered, although is this website more for the modern 1:12 and 1:16 chassis?

Yikes... But really, after your JPS Lotus project, nothing is impossible!

Morgan? Very nice... Recalling the discussion about the various colour editions of the Buggy Champ: I wonder if it really is grey plastic or just colouring.

Hung out with my Avante today: I did get to bash about with it, testing it after rebuilding both the differentials and almost the entire front end. I can see the car's tendency to oversteer now... Regardless of how it drives, hopefully it will be the car I will attempt my first circuit session with in a few weeks.

I can confirm that the rears can use 55mm shocks; fronts can vary. I have seen 80mm shocks from an RC crawler company used on the front end; my own chassis uses the GB-01 Aeration Damper set all around, which at the front is just a bit under 70mm. It all depends on how much travel you want in the front suspension. So: 70mm front/55mm rear shocks should work if you decide to use modern coil-over units. (If using ball mounts to mount them onto the chassis, make sure they can accept 5mm ends. However, if they can only take 4mm ball mounts they can still be bolted onto the chassis)

If they all did leave with white bodies, I kind of want to hold out just to see what other colours come next. I must be the only one thinking a 'Magenta Edition' would be really cool...

The car looks good! I am considering the Montero Wheelie for my next car, but thanks for warning about the stickers... Those are not my strong suit!