Killajb

I hope you're feeling better about RC now @skom25. We're all human, and prone to mistakes. What makes this hobby so fulfilling is the accomplishments we make after the struggle. The beauty of it all is that there is an absolute, each problem has a source to be found if we look hard enough. As I get older and my faculties erode, even simple things seem more challenging. What I lost in physical ability with age, I gained mentally in patience and understanding. Next time you find yourself frustrated, just take a little break and try to casually think the situation through in your mind to figure out what is going on. The end result will be that much more rewarding.

Nearly finished up with Part 2 of my TamTech gear stuff. (continuation of previous long-winded post on March 21). Figured I'd post a pic of the progress. I still need to paint the side mirrors and finish up some small details.

I've gone down quite the rabbit hole lately, but finally some light is starting to appear. It started when I picked up a 2nd-hand Tamtech GT-01 chassis from Yahoo auctions for a decent price. The chassis was in fact mint, with the Ferrari GTO wheels (also mint). From there I tried to source a new GTO body to complete the package but I couldn't find one at a reasonable price. Finally I saw a used one that looked good, fully painted with decals and picked it up. That body was bashed in the front, and had body post holes drilled in it, but it was good for a runner. I protected the chassis underneath with thick clear tape and enjoyed late night runs for a few days. The GT-01 in stock form for me is kind of "meh" as a runner. Plus, when compared to a real Ferrari 288 GTO, the TamTech looks slammed on tires with thin sidewalls. Not wanting to leave well enough alone, I wanted to fix all of these shortcomings. On the performance side of things, I decided to go all-out and picked up a rare Kawada 4wd conversion kit. Pricey but worth it in my opinion. I had to play around with the wheelbase to make it fit the Ferrari body. But then I noticed the front drive shafts won't fit properly. As well, there are no extra driveshafts in the conversion kit! That conversion kit only fits the Porsche 934 body, which has a shorter wheelbase. Snap! I could have stopped there, but I figured I'm already half-way into this so I may as well see my way through the rest. Picked up a NIB Porsche 934 kit and a new Ferrari 288 GTO body. Now I have two finished chassis. Furthermore, I went and tricked both out with oil dampers and blue bling. I still have yet to paint the Ferrari body, but the Porsche is nearly done. I have the runner body finished up, and got dish turbofan wheels to give it a look I liked. If you made it this far, bless you. I'll make a part 2 to this when I finish the Ferrari (instagram: captain_vordamir)

Rest in Peace brother.

Looks to have been well "loved"

I want a few of those walking swimming ducks

I do this but also use an additional set of magnets on the outside of the body to help "pull" the magnet stuck on with double sided tape underneath the body. I leave body in place for a day or so while studying the fitment from all angles while the outside magnets continue to apply force and squish the double sided tape ensuring a stronger seal. If I need to re-adjust I can remove it. But if it's a good position, after being squished constantly the magnets have never come off on their own while removing the body.

I have a Novafox with a 14T brushless Tamiya sensorless motor and haven't had any gearbox issues. Way too much power for this thing and on asphalt it can lift the front wheels off the ground accelerating. I did use anti-wear grease when assembling the gearbox. Granted, I do not run it much and certainly do not abuse it. I think having the receiver and steering servo enclosed within the chassis is a bit of a "thing" to deal with, so it's best to dedicate a receiver to this car and get your servo set up properly because you won't want to dive back in there.

https://tamiyashop.jp/shop/g/g22017/ Tamiya OP.2017 Tamtech Gear GB-01S 2.6x29mm aluminum turnbuckle shaft (blue, 6 pieces). They are fairly common here, but may be a bit more difficult to get there. Let me know if you have any issues getting any.

@glancyguy I completely agree with you about the Tamtech Gear being underrated. Tamiya tried to revive the product line with the Mini Grasshopper GB-01S and address the odd-sized servo issue for the original series. However, they also went with an anemic 4 AA battery set-up and placed the cost way too high (in my opinion). Brushless combos are very cheap these days and I think Tamiya should have included them. The plastic gear differential (which the Hotshot has already) can handle the power with ease. The plastic prop shaft however may be a weak point. The alloy prop shaft for the GB-03 is a rare find, but worth it if you can source one. The plastic suspension links on the Hotshot will wear and develop slop with time. Upgrading to adjustable turnbuckles requires ball ends(which come along with the suspension you ordered) but also requires an additional longer ball stud found here: https://www.3racing-parts.com/tamiya-gb01-gb01t-ball-stud-set-heavy-duty-3racing-gb02hd-p-10001284.html Finally, a big upgrade in steering would be to swap out the stock and somewhat anemic steering servo for this one:https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Corona-DS-–-319mg-Metal-Digital-0-06-Sec/dp/B073JCP9WX. Super cheap and it is the exact same size and the stock servo horn fits, but has a 0.06S reaction time vs the original Tamtech Gear TSU-02's 0.14s.

@glancyguy The Hotshot front damper uses long shock rod and a short shock body I believe. You'll have to reuse the stock front shock end (as opposed to a ball cup on the end like the rear shocks) because it is integrated into the front suspension pivot. Let me know if you have any issues getting it to work. I still have the stock friction dampers that came with my Hotshot and a spare set of the yellow cva's. I can try to mock it up along with you to see what makes sense.

I learned that you can soak nicely glued tires on wheels in paint thinner for over a day to erode the tire and re-use the wheel with a bit of tidying up.