martinjpayne

I just love that body... it just screams Formula 1 about 25 years into the future! Like you say, as rare as rocking horse s**t. The closest I can find is this FS Bolt body: https://www.nitrotek.co.uk/spare-parts/fs-racing/fs-racing-bolt-2wd-buggy-spare-parts/body-for-fs-bolt.html but it's pre-painted and looks terrible.

@ThunderDragonCy Thanks, though I think the formula car would probably look better if I could find a Keen Hawk body for it! I may also swap back to a plastic chassis, as the carbon one weighs twice as much!! @ALEXKYRIAK Would it be too much to ask how much Fibre-Lyte charged for the damper stays you had custom made? And turn-around time? Quality of finished product? Thanks in advance.

@ALEXKYRIAK, good idea on the c-hubs: I'll look into that. The front bumper is standard upper and lower parts straight from the DF-03Ra (the DF-03 is my go-to chassis: I've this car, three -03Ra's and two -03MS's in various states of rebuild, and almost enough bits to build a seventh!) I've been thinking about a different front shock mount for some time, as I want to rebuild one of the -03MS's into an Avante Mk.2 but using cues from the original Avante like shallow angle front shocks and 8mm alloy ball-ends on 4mm turnbuckles. That's actually how this one started, but then I got sidetracked by your project. Never did a build thread as it was just an experiment, but here's a picture without bodyshell showing how low it rides, 9mm at front, 11mm at rear: And one with a couple of it's siblings:

Or even better like these: https://yaoota.com/en-ke/product/generic-rc-car-wheel-hex-hub-drive-adapter-connector-11mm-gp-price-from-jumia-kenya

They'd be infinitely better if instead of slot and screw clamp, they were drilled and grooved with an o-ring in the groove to hold the pin in place! Like this, but in 12mm: https://www.banggood.com/18-Aluminum-Alloy-17mm-Wheel-Hex-Hub-Adapter-Extension-30mm-RC-Car-Parts-Blue-p-1184776.html?cur_warehouse=CN

Exactly, though cheap ones don't pull the two halves together: they just strip the thread!! The problem is that they are machined from 7075 aluminium which does not have much give, the better ones have a relief slot opposite the clamping side to give a bit of flex.

Not a grub screw, but an M1.5 socket head cap screw.

@ALEXKYRIAK you are an inspiration to us all with your build. I'm just getting around to finishing my Formula Dark Impact... car is based on one of my DF-03MS with a 3Racing carbon chassis, front c-hubs and knuckles, Yeah Racing rear hubs, steering saver and prop shaft, Tamiya DF-03Ra front and rear carbon shock towers, TrackStar big bore shocks: 68mm at front, 61mm at rear, assorted blue alloy chinesium screws, spacers, washers, ball-ends etc., and the wheels & tyres are just cheap junk until I get some good ones like yours. Just need to put in an ESC and Rx and we're good to go. Oh, and need some better weather!😀😀

Love the strategically place Band-Aids: you WILL need them as Tamiya/Olfa blades are F*****G SHARP!!

Perhaps Tamiya can re-jig the Ascona 400 body to fit a 257mm chassis. It was always way too short between the B and C pillars. Just looked SO wrong!

C'mon Tamiya, put it on a DF-03Ra chassis

I bought one in '88 and it is still going strong today: the only thing I've needed to replace in this time is the air hose (with a couple of feet of rc fuel tube) and a needle. I still use it today for scale models and wargames miniatures, though I only use Tamiya acrylics.

Very nice, what wheels on this?

You just need the drill chuck / handle to go with the thread forming tap... https://www.ebay.com/itm/TAMIYA-74086-Modeling-Drill-Chuck-MODEL-CRAFT-TOOL-NEW/371529627519?epid=1251243452&hash=item5680e4377f:g:oZcAAOSwq7JT6JTR

What make bodyshell on this one? Is it an Opel Ascona 400?