DBoz93

Looking forward to the Optima being re-released. My friend got one in 1986 and it was something else. I had a Hornet and was used to plastic RC cars then the Optima came along and was mostly metal and it was 4WD. It was awesome and handled a thousand times better than my Hornet. I wanted one until I saw the Javelin so I hope the Javelin is re-released too. I did eventually get an Optima but it was an Optima Mid and is all original even the tires. I would like to see the Optima Mid re-released too so I can have one to run that I can get parts for when I break it. Here is my Mid. Links for bigger pics: http://s722.photobucket.com/user/dboz93/media/RC%20Cars/Kyosho%20Optima%20Mid%201a.jpg.html and http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww225/dboz93/RC%20Cars/Kyosho%20Optima%20Mid%201b.jpg

Looks great cosworthwesty!!! Its interesting seeing the differences between the different kits. Can't wait to see the paint job!!

I bought a couple of Tamiya screwdrivers prior to building my XV-01 and after using them realized that I should have purchased the screwdrivers over 25 years ago. They just work with the kit screws and don't slip. I got mine at Banzai Hobby and they were pretty cheap. The standard screwdrivers are 74006 - #2 Large for $2.21 and 74007 - #1 Small for $1.89 and the Pro screwdrivers are 74119 - #1 Small for $4.42 and 74120 #2 Large for $5.68 plus shipping which is not much if you use the SAL shipping option. I got the pro screwdrvers because I liked the handle shape better, I thought the handle on the regular driver would hurt my hand after a couple of hours building a kit and the scredriver tips are magnetic.

I had to buy the body shell separately, the kit is only for the chassis. It was hard for me to pay that much for an RC car body set and the cheapest I found it was on amazon for $38.05 with free shipping. I like the Lancia Delta Rally car and I wanted to put a Tamiya body set on my car. The XV-01 Lancia Delta kit is the standard chassis without the long damper stays. The rally cockpit is on my wishlist and I will get one in the future so it looks right.

I finally finished the body! The Lancia Delta Integrale body set has more decals than any other kit I have ever worked on but it looks good. http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww225/dboz93/RC%20Cars/Tamiya%20XV-01%20Long%20Damper%20Spec%20Build/WP_000596.jpg Now I want another body to use as a basher so I don't mess this one up. The instructions for applying the decals don't tell you which decal to start with, they just say appy the large decals first but that doesn't help much. For the Lancia Delta body apply the black side window decal first and then the decals for the driver and passenger doors. This helps line up the red decals on the front fenders and sides, after that the rest is easy.

I finished the chassis today and the body is ready for paint. I added the rest of the build pics. I started with the shocks today. Current setup is a Quickrun 1060 ESC and the kit silver can motor, I have a Duratrax Powerline 13T motor (49,000 RPM @7.2v) or a 3000kv brushless motor that I'm thinking of using after running the silvercan for a while. I had to add about 3 inches to the wires on the motor for them to reach the ESC. I used my Associated XP3D FM transmitter and reciever till I can upgrade to a 2.4GHz system. Overall the kit was fairly easy to build, I took my time and trimmed all the pieces where I removed them from the sprues and had fun building the kit. If anyone has questions about the build let me know and I will answer as best I can. Later, David

Hello, I couldn't stop building for long last night and picked up after dinner. Sorry, some pics are too dark. I added more build pics starting with the front suspension arms. When I was installing the front gearbox I found that the steering turnbuckle nut was rubbing/getting stuck on the edge of the chassis and needed to be turned around. The instruction manual has you install the steering arms like I did at first but it causes the one on the left to hit the chassis. I can't say enough about how nice it is to have the Tamiya screwdrivers, they make the screws work like they should. I trimmed the body last night too and will post a pic later. Thanks, David

Hello everyone! I finally got the rest of the parts and tools I ordered so I have started to build my car today. The photos of the build are on my photobucket page. The first pics are an inventory of the kit and the parts and supplies I recieved in the mail this week. This is the first kit I have built since 1995 so I am going to take time to do it the right way. http://s722.photobucket.com/user/dboz93/library/RC%20Cars/Tamiya%20XV-01%20Long%20Damper%20Spec%20Build I used 10K fluid in the front and 5K fluid in the rear differentials. I used the thread forming tap on the front gearbox screw and it made the hole feel too loose, so I have not been using it for the rest of the build. The Tamiya screwdrivers are an absolute must if you are building a Tamiya kit. I wish I had purchased these screwdrivers 25 years ago and not stripped as many screws as I have.

That car body looks cool! I just got the Lancia Delta body set today, I might be able to paint it this weekend if it is as warm as is forecasted.

That's cool, I got mine from a guy on craigslist that was moving and wanted to downsize his "needing to build" fleet. I will probably just rally bash too since I can't find many people that run RC cars in town. I wanted a DF-03ra too but hadn't found one before I saw the XV-01 for sale.

I have seen several threads with people speculating about the shocks on the Long Damper Spec and it made me curious about what the difference was too. In the instruction manual for the long damper it has the W parts listed for the shocks bodies. It too some searching and I found most of the kit pages on the Tamiya USA website for the XV-01's don't have a link for the manual. Kit # 58528 is a std kit and has the manual that lists the "Q parts" for the shock bodies. The info below is from RCMart. The "W parts" are the shock bodies of the CVA mini shock unit set II(part # 50519) and the "Q parts" are the shock bodies of the CVA super mini shock unit set(Part #50746). The super mini shocks are 50mm long and the mini shock unit II are 55mm, 64mm, 67mm and 70mm long. I will measure the ground clearance when I build the car. I'm also thinking about gwetting the super mini shocks so I can convert from the long damper to the std kit specs as needed but I will wait and see how it performs first. Sorry about being long winded. David

I just read this whole thread since I recently bought a NIP XV-01 Long Damper Spec for an outstanding price, so I have been soaking up any info I can find. There seems to be questions about which shocks come with this kit and the motor mount. The motor mount is aluminum and the one that came with my kit is blue. The shocks on the XV-01T and Long Damper are the same and use the "W-Parts" shock bodies where the regular kits use the "Q-Parts" shock bodies. Also my kit came with a silver can motor. I should get the rest of the parts I ordered this week and I will do a build thread when I start putting it together.

I don't have everything I need to build my XV-01 yet but I did get the tire foams glued and the tires put on the rims waiting to be glued. http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww225/dboz93/RC%20Cars/WP_000534.jpg

Looks good, I'm still gathering parts/upgrades prior to building mine. I have the XV-01 long damper spec. Have fun building the car!

The RC addiction has come and gone over the years as life has gotten in the way.