SurreyDad

Yes I do, PM your address and I'll pop it in the post..

Body time and sorry but this may be quite long.. When I was planning the build, buying hop-ups and waiting for the kit to become available, I looked at the choice of bodies and was slightly underwhelmed. Delivery from overseas for bodies is pretty expensive so I wanted to buy from the UK but there was not a massive amount of choice of (Tamiya) bodyshells, either in stock of the correct size. The M-07 chassis can be built with either an M (225mm) or L (239mm) wheelbase. Looking at UK stockists, if I wanted to stay with Tamiya and go 239mm, I have the choice of either a Mazda2, Citroen 2CV or the NSU TT and if I wanted to go for the 225mm wheelbase, I could choose either the Suzuki Swift or the Mazda MX-5. Considering those options. I decided to go with the medium/middle option and bought both the Tamiya Monster Go Pro Super Swift Body #51545 and the Tamiya Mazda MX-5 ND 2015 - Clear Body #51583 I know that a front wheel drive MX-5 is technically wrong but it really doesn’t bother me as I guess an electric MX-5 is also technically wrong plus the MX-5 is one of my son’s favourite cars so anything to encourage him must be good…oh and I found a paint scheme online that I really liked..oh and if I was ever to buy a RWD car, something like an M-08, then I have saved money by already having the bodyshell….so mind made up I am still contemplating the paint scheme for the Swift. I had originally planned on going on a slight variation of the boxart, i.e. white…but I was going to incorporate more black and also some blue to (hopefully) tie in the blue from the hop-ups. However, an issue is the GoPro decals, the text is in black so cannot really go onto a black shell. I guess that I don’t have to use them…so I will put that bodyshell on hold until I can decide what to do. The last couple of shells I’ve completed, I have tried to make them more complex, using multiple colours, matt clear, home-made template masks, liquid mask, PS-53 lame flake, various objects to make patterns (satsuma netting bags), etc. The following is my method of painting a shell, lots of this comes from advice and comments on this forum, other bits are from experience and finally the last bits are down to guessing and winging it. Step 1 – cut out the shell Step 2 – make the holes for the body posts and wing mirrors, the indentations in the body lined up with the body posts. Step 3 – sand the edges, working my way up the grades – (I bought a pack of 30 small (23cm x 9cm) sheets of wet and dry in assorted grades (120 – 3000) from Amazon). Step 4 – find the centre line. This was quite tricky, I took a number of measurement across the body and marked the centre line and then used some 2mm masking tape to mark this point. Step 5 – make a template for the centre stripe. I thought it would be easier if I just use some 18mm masking tape for the strip to ensure that there are no errors in measuring/cutting. Step 6 – create templates for the other stripes. This was done by first roughly creating the shape on some A4 paper. To get the curves I just grabbed various household objects, cups, bowls, etc. to get one that had the correct curve radius and then used that in the template. Step 7 - cutting out the template, offering it up to the body, seeing where it doesn’t quite fit, making a template of it and editing it to get a better fit. Repeating the steps until I get a good fit. I am sure that there will be some trimming or patching up but I will be happy if I can get as close as possible to the final design. Step 8 – using thin masking tape, sticking the templates to the bodyshell to see how they fit. Step 9 – sticking the templates to the masking sheets. I use a small amount of glue to hold the templates in place and if possible I use a straight edge of the masking sheet for the straight edge of the template. Step 10 – draw around the template and cut them out, repeat with the template upside down to get the mask for the opposite side of the car. Cut out the window masks. Step 11 – wash the body with warm soapy water and let it dry. Step 12 – masking. First the window masks, the side window mask overlap the window frame so I cut the mask to allow me to have the main window and then the small triangular window. then as the light colours are going to be painted last, these will be masked next along with the centre stripe. Then the line between the gunmetal and black at the front of the car. This is followed by the lines that surround the yellow and finally the non-black sections are filled in. Some of the masks were difficult to get into place, especially where the body curves or has areas that stick out/in. Once the mask is put onto one side, it is a challenge getting the mask on the other side to match. Step 13 – wow, 12 steps to get to this point, so now the painting: The colours I am using are: Black (PS-5), Gun metal (PS-23), Yellow (PS-6), Silver (PS-12), White (PS-1), Flat Clear (PS-55), Lame Flake (PS-53). In the trusty spray booth.. Black – two very light coats, one thicker coat and one final coat to cover the gaps. Remove the top layer of masking. There were a couple of tiny bits of bleed on the rear where the tape had to conform around the bumpers. I had originally wanted the yellow stripe to be lined with black but I didn’t actually do this to the rear, however once I looked at it, the more I wanted to add a black section to the rear to match the front. I am thinking that I have two options here: 1) Mask off all the areas that are going to be gunmetal and spray the black again or 2) Mask off the small areas that are going to be black, paint the gunmetal, back it with silver (as I am not sure how opaque the gunmetal is) and then paint the black. Although I don’t think it is the best option, I have decided to go with option 2, Next steps are: Gun metal and then backed with silver as I am then going to do the… Black rear section of the car. Remove the rest of the masking. Lame flake followed by yellow Backed with white to ensure that the yellow remained bright, followed by silver and then black. Remove the window masks, I have decided to not apply smoke, yet. I then cut the overspray sheet off from just the parts of the roof that are going to be matt, followed by some flat clear. The photo below shows the body with just the roof overspray film cut off. Finally, I removed the rest of the overspray sheet. There are quite a few areas where the darker colours have bled through to the yellow. I am generally happy with it although I wish I had rechecked the masking tape on the yellow areas. This was possibly caused by there being a few days between applying the first bits of tape and finishing off so perhaps some of the tape lifted slightly. Also there were quite a few layers of paint (23 to be exact) and various bits of making tape were removed during different stages, perhaps some of it lifted then. Final steps are paint and fit the wing mirrors and apply some of the decals but this is how it's currently looking:

Excellent, it would be good to hear how that goes with the 24t pinion.

Many thanks for that, I did use one of the thicker bags but I'll try again with a thinner piece. Thank you, I'm really pleased with and I'll see how it goes with the sports tuned but I was looking at the Speed Passion 13.5 turn brushless motors and the HW 10BL60 ESC and maybe even a bigger pinion if I need some more speed. One shell has been started and will hopefully get some paint this weekend but I will definitely keep this thread updated.

A brief update, the motor has arrived, a Tamiya Sports Tuned, so back to Step 14 & 15: Kit hop-ups: Hard Fluorine Coated 0.6 Aluminium Pinion Gear (20T) #53509 I have only had one other car with an adjustable motor plate and the technique I use to get the correct mesh is to use a bit of one of the parts bags to insert between the pinion and spur, tightly push them up together, tighten up the motor bolts and then turn the wheels to expel the bag part. Once this was complete, the motor cap was attached, the wires all connected and cable tied and the battery inserted. The battery holder is really tight to get on, I guess the battery could do with being about 1 mm shorter. A quick test around the kitchen floor and everything works! Last steps are glue the tyres and then complete the bodyshells and for one of the shells I have the scheme and colours completely planned. For the other shell (Monster Go Pro Super Swift), I am still not sure due to the decals being quite large and possibly not working over darker colours, I need to carry on thinking..

Hi @Badcrumble, I have just checked and my original tyres have 42214-39244 on the sidewalls and these are the - Tamiya M-Chassis 60D Radial Tires # 50683. I'm not sure how accurate my scales are (also cheapo kitchen scales) but the weight showed as 23g again.

Steps 37 – 39 The following couple of steps are regarding the checking and fitting of the electrics. My first step was to plug it all together, set all the transmitter settings to neutral and ensure that it all works…success! The next step was to assemble the servo saver, ensure that the servo was in a neutral position and then fit the servo saver. Step 38 Kit hop-ups: 3x106mm Aluminium Turnbuckle Shaft #54756 For this step the steering turnbuckle is assembled and again, a bit of hard work adding the connectors. In the end I found it easiest to lay it on the table and using a bit of the plastic bag to avoid scratching, hold it down with the turnbuckle wrench and then tighten the connectors. The manual shows two options for the servo, one for a standard size and another for a low profile servo. The differences are that the standard servo uses a couple of spaces under the ears to raise the height of it and the steering turnbuckle should be 90mm as opposed to 91mm for the low profile servo. It does seem that if a low profile servo is used, the steering turnbuckle would be at an angle rising towards the front of the chassis as opposed to the horizontal turnbuckle there is with a standard servo (see below). However, I’m sure that this would have a negligible impact. Before fixing the servo down it makes sense to consider the route of the wires. I fed the wires underneath the servo and passed them out the slot towards the right of the chassis where the receiver will go. see below: I think that the colour of the steering turnbuckle ties all the other blue parts together nicely. In step 39, we add the receiver and ESC. I first passed the ESC switch under the chassis rails before fixing part B6 to ensure that the wires weren’t twisted or stressed. I fed the wires from the ESC to the receiver behind the servo location and inserted them into the receiver. I then zip tied the wires individually and then to a small brace on the rear bulkhead. Step 40 is wheels/tyres but I will come back to these. Step 41 Extra hop-ups: Tamiya M07 Carbon Bumper Support Set Black #54791 A simple fit but slightly tight, as if the post holes were a fraction of a mm too close to each other. Step 42-43 The documentation states: Includes dedicated carbon fibre battery holders unique to this kit. As with the damper stays, I applied instant cement to the edges, especially as these parts could be impacted in a collision. The instructions call for synthetic rubber cement to hold the spacers in place. This is something that I do not have but it just means that for now, I need to be careful to not lose the spacers when putting the battery in/out. Back to Step 40, the wheels/tyres. I had originally purchased: Tamiya M-Chassis 60D Radial Tires (2 pairs) #50683 Tamiya M-Chassis 60D Inner Sponge x4 #50686 However, after some advice, I am changing these for: Tamiya M-Chassis 60D Super Grip Radial Tires #53524 Tamiya M-Chassis 60D inner sponge hard 53255 The Super Grip tyres are definitely grippier and lighter than the standard tyre (18g vs 23g for the standard tyre). I think I'll find some other wheels and mount up the tyres/inserts to have as spares. The manual again calls for synthetic rubber cement to attach the ends of the foam inserts. As I don’t have this, I skipped this step. The packaging for the inserts doesn’t show that they need to be glued and they feel pretty secure once all assembled. I have held off from gluing the tyres for now but does anyone know if not gluing the inserts is a mistake? Step 44 is attaching the body mount stays and I think that’s it as step 45 is attaching the body. The remaining steps left are: Attach the motor (when it arrives). Glue the tyres (and inserts?) Complete the bodyshell(s) However, this is how things are currently looking:

Oh dear, sorry about that :-) I was amazed at the speed of delivery, its quicker than the motor I've ordered from within the UK.

Tires and inserts for the M-07R, ordered Monday afternoon from HK and arrived within 5 days!

I've had a bit more time today to progress this build further Step 20 Extra hop-ups: Tamiya M07 Carbon Front Damper Stay Set #54761 As with other carbon fibre parts, the instructions advise to apply instant cement to the edges. I was in two minds about whether to do this as the parts will be protected by the body but decided to do it anyway. On the photo below you can see how far I had to wind the spring tension adjuster down to meet the spring. Step 21 – Step 28 are for the long wheel base so.. Step 29 Extra hop-ups: Tamiya M07 Aluminium Rear Suspension Mount 4 pcs Blue #54760 The photo below shows the parts for both step 29 and 30. There are a couple of parts that are not used when the hop-up part is used. The hop-up part is supplied with flat head screws to be used instead of the button heads (MC1), also the washers (MC6) are not used. Step 30 The instructions show that there should be a spacer (MC11 and D1) at each end of the shaft whereas the hop-up instructions do not show these parts. After a test fitting, the arms were far too loose so I believe that these parts should be used when the hop-up suspension mounts are used. Step 31 As with step 29, the hop-up part flat head screws should be used instead of the kit supplied button heads (MC1) and washers (MC6). Step 32-33 Kit hop-ups: Rear Stabilizer bar This was quite fiddly making the ball connectors but generally not too bad. There are a couple of grub screws used in Step 33 and the manual shows the following text: Use rod stopper and 3x3mm grub screws to adjust clearance. I really wasn’t too sure what this meant. The grub screws seem to keep the bar steady, i.e. to stop it from rattling around. I just tightened each screw until the suspension arms started to bind and then slightly undid them to ensure that the arms moved freely. Step 34 + 35 Extra hop-ups: Tamiya M07 Aluminium Rear Uprights Set Blue #54781 Kit hop-ups: Clamp Type Aluminium Wheel Hub (5mm Thick) #53823 Once assembled as per the hop-up instructions, there was a slight bit of play in the axles so I added a 0.3mm shim onto the axle before the 2 x spacers (MC10), this has resolved any looseness. On the hop-up part, the ball connector fits to the top of the hubs instead of facing forwards (as per the kit hub). This results in the ball ends of the connectors having to match as opposed to being at 90 degrees to each other. Step 36 Extra hop-ups: Tamiya M07 Carbon Rear Damper Stay Set #54762 As with the front damper stay, I applied instant cement to the edges. This concludes bag C and seems like a good place to stop for the day. Electrics, wheels, bumper, battery holder and the last couple of chassis parts left…oh and the body. Here are a couple of photos of how things are looking at the moment:

A short update, I’ll be coming back to steps 15 & 16 so.. Step 17 - 19 Kit hop-ups: TRF Special Damper (Hard Black Coating) #42102 Very simple to build with just one rubber X-ring, it’s a different profile to the standard O-rings with flat edges, similar to a spacer. I was surprised as to how far I had to wind the spring tension adjuster down to meet the spring. I am sure that there is a reason for it but not sure why a bigger spring could not be used. Medium spring (yellow) in the front and hard (blue) for the rear.

Ah thank you for that and yes that would work but whoa, they are expensive (£11.39 + postage for 10 in the UK). I'll pop them onto the wishlist and add them to the next order .

First off, a photo of the aluminium glass tape on the bottom of the chassis. I then gave the screws all a slight tighten from the previous steps. Step 6 Extra hop-ups: Tamiya M07 Aluminium Front Suspension Mount 6degree Blue #54780 Kit hop-ups: M-07 Concept Reinforced D Parts (Suspension Arms) 2pcs. #54811 Kit hop-ups: 46mm Titanium Coated Suspension Shafts 2pcs. #53851 According to the online information: The standard front suspension mount is 5 degrees, however the 6-degree angle provides more stability on long straights and smooth controllability and is more suited to high-speed track layouts. There is also a 4-degree angle option to provide more bite in the turns and is more suited to short and technical course tracks. As I will be using the car in a wide open car park, I went for the higher speed option. This step also included the first cross head screw, used to stop the suspension shafts from coming out of the end of the arms. The other end is retained against the front bumper. Step 7 was just attaching the suspension mount and arms to the chassis so.. Step 8 Extra hop-ups: Yeah Racing Aluminium Front Steering Knuckle Set #TAMC-030BU Kit hop-ups: 33mm Double Cardan Joint Shaft (2pcs.) #42312 Kit hop-ups: M-07 Concept Reinforced C Parts (Uprights) 2pcs. #54810 – I'm not using these. I thought that I would split this step into two parts: Part 1 - Assembling the drive shafts. As mentioned before, this is the first M chassis car I have built or have actually seen and it keeps on surprising me as to how small the parts are, from the shock towers to the suspension arms, it’s all just so…er..small. The driveshafts went together relatively easily, slightly fiddly to get the shafts into the cross joints and also to get the axle rings on. Part 2 – Assembling the front axles. I am using the Yeah Racing steering knuckles and c-hubs although I’m not sure why there aren’t Tamiya versions of these. Firstly, the positives, the colour exactly matches the Tamiya blue and the first front axle went together seamlessly. Now the negatives, firstly I had to use the YR 10mm ball connector and spacer instead of being able to use the Fluorine ball connectors due to the design of the knuckle, not too much of a big deal though. However, of greater concern (and stress), on the second axle, it felt like I couldn’t get the MB9 (1050 3mm) bearing into the hub far enough (see below). This meant that the drive shaft did not protrude enough out of the knuckle to be able to get the pin in for the clamping wheel hub. With a bit of force, I was able to just slide the pin in but the axle was slightly binding. I almost went back to the standard parts but after one final push, using the box wrench, I was able to get it to work. Step 9 Extra hop-ups: Yeah Racing Aluminium C-Hub Set #TAMC-029BU After the tricky step 8, this step was quick and easy and I was able to use the Fluorine ball connectors instead of the YR parts. It has taken 2 hours to get to this step so tea break time. Step 10 Kit hop-ups: 2.6mm Titanium Coated Suspension Shaft Set for Reversible Suspension #53917 I really didn’t enjoy making the connectors, I considered briefly using the thread tap but I assumed that I would only be able to use it in one of the rod ends but couldn’t work out which one. Step 11 was just attaching the chassis stiffeners so.. Step 12 Extra hop-ups: Tamiya M07 Aluminium Steering Arm 1 pair Blue #54763 Extra hop-ups: Tamiya M07 Aluminium Steering Bridge Blue #54764 Again, I didn’t enjoy making the connectors but everything went together really nicely, the steering racks uses a total of 6 bearings. Step 13 Extra hop-ups: Tamiya M07 Aluminium Motor Heat Sink Blue #54759 Step 14 Kit hop-ups: Hard Fluorine Coated 0.6 Aluminium Pinion Gear (20T) #53509 This is the point that I stopped because I looked at the Torque tuned motor and it had been slung under a GF-01 for a couple of years and looked slightly worse for wear. I couldn’t bring myself round to putting it into this shiny new chassis so I have just ordered a Sports Tuned motor. I am not sure if this will be too fast for the area I drive in but if it is, I have a Mad Bull that would appreciate it. Looking at the manual, this will not hold things up as I can add the motor at any time.

Excellent, many thanks for that, I've bookmarked the page.

Nice! What body is that? I'd be interesting to see how it goes with a 24t pinion and the silver can.