Grastens

The chassis looks great! Is the car running original tires or the DF-03ra block pattern types?

Dark Impact wheels and tires arrived today; just figuring out how to install them...

That is one fabulous Super Astute! I am sure running it in anger will only bring joy.

TS-13 no longer in stock? Glad I could find one... I just put up two of my cars for sale in the Sales/Trades/Wanted section after finally working out the problems with the third one. I am looking for some money for university - or another Tamiya!

Hello: Alongside my Tamiya Buggy Champ 2009 is a never-run F103 15th Anniversary Special kit. This car has had a GT bumper, antenna mount and plastic battery holder added to allow it to run a Le Mans-style body. Included in the sale will be the original aluminum battery posts and antenna mount, as well as instructions and (if possible) the original box upon request. The rear damper is used but working well, though it can be excluded if desired from the sale for a $25 CAD discount should all-new parts be a priority. The car features new Tamiya foam tires and an original Toyota GT-One bodyshell. This body has been painted to depict the #1 Zent GT-One that ran in the 1999 Le Mans 24 Hours as opposed to the #3 Esso Ultron car that finished 2nd in the event. The body has been reinforced at the nose and is duct-taped at strategic points. It looks nice but is not concours-winner quality, with some overspray and poor masking as visible in the photos below. The car requires an ESC/MSC unit, a radio, receiver and a battery to run it; the basic steering servo and a standard Johnson 540 silver can motor are included. I will be asking for $220 CAD before shipping but am again open to negotiation on the price. Some images are present below. Keep in mind that the car will essentially be sent as a rolling chassis and will not feature the ESC, battery, radio or receiver unit seen in the chassis picture, and the black Sport-Tuned motor will be substituted for a silver can: Thank you for looking, and feel free to ask any questions you may have regarding this chassis. It was originally going to be my indoor racer until my current F103RS acquired most of the hop-up parts this kit contained; there are also no Le Mans-style events running in my area anymore. As a result it has never turned a wheel on the ground, and it shows in its good condition. I can provide additional images upon request.

Greetings: It has been over a year since I first built my Buggy Champ. In that year it travelled to the beach, to the schools, to cottage country and dozens of other places, leaving trail marks from two heavily-cambered rear wheels everywhere it went. However, this hobby is cyclical, and so I am exploring the possibility of putting up my beloved machine for sale. This car has been very well-used. The bodyshell is broken at the front rollbar - the top left corner (when viewed from the front) and the right base. The rear brace is also broken and held with glue and electrical tape. There are tears in the decals at the top of the body and a chunk missing from the front left quarter. The body is also chipped in several places, has had abrasions on the inside and the driver is rather weathered as well. No light buckets remain on the car; I only have three of the four and all are broken at the base. The chassis is solid but far from show condition. Aftermarket parts include a custom aluminum chassis painted black - it is all marked up with silver dots where paint has chipped - and GB-01 Aeration Oil-Filled Dampers, bolted on using non-stock screws and O-rings. The rear gearbox has four seized screws and is quite dirty. The bearings were rusted solid a few months ago; they were restored with lubricants and light-machine oil, and the gears are all greased with molybdenum grease. However, I cannot comment on their current state other than that the gearbox runs well. The car also has the Tamiya SRB Ball Differential which is not as effective as the Thorp unit but it still provides some differential action and can be adjusted. The right rear arm (viewed from the rear) is slightly-deformed lengthwise but still works. The radio box has been modified to omit the rubber steering sleeve; instead the sleeve holder has been sealed to the radio box and the steering shaft runs through it. This setup has worked for some time. The car was recently equipped with the aluminum chassis plate, new torsion bars and rear shafts. Despite what its appearance suggests, this car can and does run; I tested it with excellent results just yesterday as of this post. I will include all spare and used parts for this car except for the original dampers which are completely broken. These spares include the original FRP chassis plate and aluminum stiffening plate. The car will also feature all electronics required to run it, including the three Ni-MH stick packs that I converted to hump packs to fit the radio box, a 2.4 GHz radio and receiver, a modern Acoms servo, the kit-supplied Tamiya TEU-101BK ESC and the kit-supplied silver can motor. The stick packs are rated at 2400 mAh, 2400 mAh and 3300 mAh and all hold charges quite well. This car could make for a decent restoration project, or it can be left mostly as is and be used a full-on basher - just as I had used it. Feel free to request additional pictures or to ask any other questions about the car - I have tried to give a detailed report but I have not described everything about it. My asking price is currently $275 CAD before shipping or your best offer if I approve of it. I will also consider a straight trade for a new-in-box Mitsubishi Montero Wheelie, Fast Attack Vehicle or Hotshot. Please let me know either on this thread or a PM. As I am leaving for school on September 4th, I will be shipping it before then if a sale is made quickly or a deal can be negotiated for the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend when I am back in town and thus with my car. Some pictures of the car; this is more or less its current state: The car as it is today (albeit a bit cleaner). The newly-installed aluminum chassis plate. Cap screws hold the well nuts which hold the radio box in place. The result is a much-stiffer chassis than the original. The front bumper gives an idea of the kind of wear and tear this car has undergone. It was not used lightly... The car's nose... The crack in the rollbar is evident here. But this car can still take a lot of what you can dish out to it! If the price seems a bit high for the car, maybe I am just a bit sentimental... I have been through a lot with this machine, including this photo shoot with a Ford Model A. This car has memories. Remember that I am open for negotiation! Thank you for looking! You can also find my F103 15th Anniversary chassis for sale or trade on this forum.

Looks very clean; quite a find indeed.

"mr.retreader" sent me a metal chassis plate for my Buggy Champ today. The rest of the day was spent in a Herculean struggle to undo the stripped screws to separate the gearbox and radio box from the chassis... Edit: Finished the installation- The previous chassis plates... ... gave way to this... ... and now the car's stiffness approaches that of my Avante. Should be fun to drive it again, though my batteries need conditioning. Instead of the whole front half of the chassis flexing on impact, only the bumper does like it should!

Since the five teeth difference applies to both the pinion and the spur, I am told it actually does make a noticeable difference. Running my Buggy Champ with the TEU-101BK and a silver can with a NiMH battery, I noticed a lot more wheelspin with the 15T/70T combination than the 20T/65T setting, though top speed was not as easily noticeable. Eventually I did find that the lower ratio was faster overall, if only by a few km/h, A great reason if I ever saw one!

Looks fast! And fun, of course. I can see why Wild Willy is so popular.

I think the 15T pinion is steel and the 20T pinion is aluminum; both are in the kit. My 20T pinion definitely wore faster than the 15T...

You could probably follow some tips from static-model builders seeing as the Blitzer Beetle has a hard plastic body. The models in question are usually 1:25, however, so a 1:10 hinge may require more work or larger parts. I may remember a technique using piano wire... If I can recall any of these techniques I will be sure to let you know. Edit: I am currently watching a video on how to make working hinges for models. Not that far into it yet but despite poor focus it may be worth viewing: [media=] [/media]

That they did. They felt it was a good deal since BMW had a strong corporate image with their environmental sustainability and other things. Makes me wish I had watched more discus and javelin events...

Having recently visited this thread and looking at everything, I am simply astounded how well the restoration went. Excellent work; it must have been fun to have it run again!

Went out for a drive after replacing a burnt-out servo and an improperly-secured servo saver: It drove beautifully today; last time it screamed on the throttle due to the motor pinion being set too tight against the spur gear.

Time and maybe resources; I only have four cars but they compete directly with tuition, rent and food...

Thanks! I know I recommended two cans when painting the body inside and out, but in reality you should be fine with using the first can and only part of the second can. Best of luck with the bodywork!

If I had not gotten into hobby-level RC cars, I would have definitely bought something like this. I wonder what the finished model weighs...

A great seller, Jason. Today he sent me some replacement Hotshot decals, a set of ball ends for my Avante, a Buggy Champ torsion bar bag and two universal joints.

Some great-looking cars on this thread! Love the colours!

Good evening: From my experience- 1. If you are sanding the body then always wash it afterwards; that will remove the plastic particles from the sanding. 2. The surface primer is not necessary for a presentable finish but is recommended to get a top-notch finish. 3. You should be able to use one can of TS-12 Orange and get a good finish on the outside of the body; if you want to paint the inside as well for presentation then use two. 4. TS-13 Clear does actually give a nice finish. I used it on my Buggy Champ; while it is beyond filthy and well-worn now, in photographs it turned out quite beautifully after I had completed it: (note the white plastic showing on the inside rear quarter in this picture; this was using one can of paint. If you want to cover the inside use two cans) 5. Up to you! TS-12 Orange is easier to spot when running, though. I hope this helps; I had experience painting only one Buggy Champ body (and a few static models) though it is experience nonetheless. Looking forward to seeing the finished body!

On Canadian eBay right now, there are two, and both appear well-used. Being very rare and sought-after motors, you will usually find them in classic shelf queens, like new-built Porsche 959s, original Avantes or Bigwigs. I would say they are rather difficult to find. While being no expert, I have noticed them coming and going online for about $80 for used ones and as high as over $200 for brand-new examples. Best of luck finding one!

They do resemble 3Racing brand shocks for an unspecified model...

Nice to have a figurative blank canvas to work with for this new release - especially after seeing some of the neat paint schemes on past Accord touring cars.

It has a good "test-car" image going, and is actually a good-looking car. Very purposeful... The front bumper is a nice touch.