Fuijo

I was under the impression that grease was not necessarily a good idea as it might make the gearchange a bit sluggish. Tamiya recommends light oil, but I'm going to use graphite powder on my 4x4 pickup so I don't have to use silicon sealant on the outside of the gearbox.

They say you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. It would appear they are wrong. Remarkable! What a good job you have done. Love it!

@Willy iineThanks! They are standard Tamiya hop-ups, see here - https://tamiyablog.com/2018/12/optional-parts-catalog-for-tamiya-t3-01-chassis/ The only issue is that they use a much smaller hex wheel hub than standard, so you can't use the Tamiya hop-up driveshafts. But GPM do some steel ones that can be used instead.

I finished my trike. I've been waiting about six months for good enough weather to paint outside with my not-very-good airbrush to do the driver. I've been having some fun driving it around the garden.

@TamiyaMan Yeah, I saw that a few weeks ago and assumed the same as you. Then a few days later it was back up and I ordered my stuff, all ok. If it's gone down again it may just be a temporary issue.

They are readily available. Where to get them from depends on where you are. I think these are correct. Check the part number in the manual to be sure. https://tamico.de/navi.php?a=10140&lang=eng You could also try searching for the part number on ebay. Manual here if you don't have it - https://www.tamiya.com/english/rc/rcmanual/tt02d.pdf

@steponit!Thanks! The shocks look to be constructed in a similar way to vintage SRB shocks, at least externally. I probably wont take them apart unless they give me a reason to. They feel smooth and fairly soft and they aren't leaking so far, but I haven't yet subjected them to any abuse.

Thanks Superluminal. I've no idea about a diff, sorry. I've never looked into it.

I have fitted the RcChannel metal kit to my XR311. This is the kit that includes the gearcase and bulkheads. The options are the larger of the two undertrays that closes the gaps to the sides of the chassis, and incorporates a different, aesthetically pleasing but less useful front bumper. The stainless steel screw set, and the shocks with springs. I wasn't sure whether to put this in the re-re section or not, as it fits the vintage model too. But mine is a re-re so here it is. I'm starting with a lightly used XR311 that is mostly in as-new condition. Anyway, I thought people might like to see. This is the chassis I started with. The only problem taking it apart was the grub-screws in the drive cups were very reluctant to come out, but I heated the area with a soldering iron first and managed not to strip any. The kit comes with metal-sealed ball bearings for the front and rear hubs but not the gearbox. I used the supplied ball bearings for the front hubs but substituted Tamiya rubber-sealed bearings for the gearbox and rear hubs. Overall I'm very happy with it. I had read about problems with the ball-cups breaking. I took extra care, and because of either that or luck, I didn't have any issues. The only problem I had was the front right lower-wishbone rubbing on the inside of the wheel, so I had to file away a little material until it rotated smoothly. Here's the bit I filed. And here's where it rubbed on the wheel.

If it feels rough when you run the tips of your fingers lightly over the surface, then it needs flatting until smooth. If you want the window rubbers to be flat black, then clear coat before you do them. You can apply X22 clear with a brush over silver trim details right at the end to add a bit of shine.

Wire wool works very well on metal parts too. Much easier than abrasive paper for non-flat surfaces.

He he! My cat is quite pleased that your cats now have to put up with this loathsome abomination. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

The original Bruiser knuckles fit, but the arm that goes to the track rod is much thicker and the threaded hole for the ball joint is larger so the original ball ends wont fit. So you can make them work, but they're not pretty. I don't know about the other parts.

I'm not so sure about this. Short-term possibly. But if it's a nice example of something reasonably popular or desirable, either new-built or in the patina catagory rather than the scruffy catagory, things are selling fairly well just now. And absolutely everything, including RC, is going to get much, much more expensive in the not-too-distant future (long overdue interest rate increases, paying for Brexit, paying for Covid, many countries printing cash like it's monopoly money, the fact the 2009 fanancial crisis just had a sticky-plaster rather than a fix, etc etc). Unless you are desperate to raise money right now, I would simply keep advertising at a small profit and don't accept less than a break-even price. Then it's just about patience. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I imagine they were thinking that they like them. I like them too. Very different from anything else. Which I also like.

Tamiya do one, but it's probably more expensive because it says Tamiya on it. https://hobbystation.co.nz/tamiya-87190-r-c-model-polycarbonate-body-reinforcing-cement/ I know NZ isn't exactly local, but maybe you can find it in Aus.

Oh I really want one of these. If only I hadn't just blown the next 3 years RC budget on vintage stuff, I could buy one without the Mrs selling me to a glue factory. Risk vs reward.......Hmmmm.....

I mounted mine the correct way up because my OCD wouldn't allow otherwise. I only half fill them with oil, so that there is plenty of room for the piston/rod without forcing oil out. I also use TRF blue o-rings. They haven't leaked at all in getting on for 10 years, so I'm assuming they're ok.

I never doubted that they would. But unless they seal it up like a biohazard lab, there's always room for things to go wrong. Particularly as Japan has a lot of coastline and salty air. A laminated cardboard box might well be the best solution for allowing a little breathing, a bit like the cork in a wine bottle. As long as it's stored in a sensible place. For example after I've run my SRB's at the beach I strip and clean them completely. Washing and relubricating everything as thoroughly as I can. Afterwards, when dry, I used to then put them in a plastic bag for storage. But after a few weeks faint signs of corrosion would appear, regardless of what I did. Now I just store them loose in their kit boxes and it's not happened since. Anecdotal and speculative for sure, but that's my experience. So I always keep the boxes now, regardless of condition, and don't wrap anything except tyres in plastic. Thanks! I'll need it. A whole lot more scary than painting a re-re, and confidence is important with painting. Gulp!

Personally I'd like to see kits wrapped only by request, rather than an extra charge. That way the majority of customers wouldn't bother which would help reduce plastic waste. Those that do request it probably do so for a reason that's important to them. Shrink wrap obviously not only seals air out, but also air in. If Tamiya USA were to wrap their kits in Nevada it would likely give better results than if they were wrapped in Florida. Tamiya don't do it because maybe sealing in humidity would be a risk in Japan. Having said that, I've started building an early vintage Sand Scorcher kit that had suffered flood damage. Whoever managed to dry it out without opening any of the plastic bags did an amazing job. I had 3 lightly rusted washers that cleaned up easily, and a bit of surface corrosion on the front body post that cleaned off with a bit of metal polish on a cloth. Everything else was unaffected. I don't know about the stickers yet because I haven't got that far. If they've lost their stickiness after 42 years I wouldn't be too surprised, but I wouldn't necessarily put it down to moisture either. I don't really see a valid reason for routinely shrink-wrapping kits. I do see a valid reason for you personally preffering yours to be wrapped.

Absolutely not. I think Tamico are ace. Never had an issue with them, and I've spent thousands there, although I'd prefer not to dwell on that too much.

I would sincerely hope not, given that single-use plastics are being heavily discouraged, or in some cases even banned at the moment for seemingly valid environmental reasons. Most kits are very likely going to be opened straight after purchase, and all the packaging discarded. There is no need to shrink-wrap kits for these customers. Collectors are in a minority, but wrapping their kits make sense if they are going to be stored for a long time, to keep the boxes looking fresh. It would seem that Tamico have the ability to wrap. So if you are happy to buy from them, why don't you send them a message asking if the kits you order can be wrapped?

I've bought around 20 kits from Tamico over the last 5 years, and only one of them, the most recent, was shrink-wrapped.

As far as I know, Tamiya have never shrink-wrapped any of their kits. If you buy one that comes like that then someone else has done it somewhere down the distribution chain. So I can't see that it makes any difference if you just do it yourself like J@mes says.

If it's just the 2 screws going into metal inserts, I really don't see the issue. Great balance for around the same or less hassle than changing a battery in an SRB. I think it looks like the best buggy Tamiya have released in a long, long time. It seems to jump really well too.