nowinaminute

It will also be interesting to see how this effects owners of some UK web shops, UK ebay sellers etc who sell on small items from china and probably benefitted from the <£15 waiver until now.

I got another post brexit package from Banggood today. Like usual, it had been sent to relay service in UK before being sent to me. I wasnt charged VAT at the point of sale. No idea if it has been paid by BG or bypassed. Pretty much the usual experience with BG anyway, they usually always relay so it's not comparable to sellers who just declare gift/low value. Ebay and Aliexpress both charge the 20% on behalf of the seller so it's hard to say if and how it would be dodge by the sellers. I did notice some Ebay vendors have declared to ebay they will collect/pay the tax so when you checkout, instead of Ebay charging 20%, it says it has been incorporated into the price. Whether the seller is actually paying on the 20% I have no idea. So as it stands, everything on AE is 20% more at the moment. Ebay is hit or miss depending on seller and Banggood and Gearbest are still charging the same prices and STILL offering "tariff insurance" even though they are technically liable for ot now. It will be interesting to see if Aliexpress vendors will be given the option to declare they will collect the VAT themselves as appears to be the case with ebay.

Could be BEC. Sounds like it's browning out and causing a reset?

If you struggle with the screws, something like this should work just fine. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M1-6-M2-M2-5-M3-COUNTERSUNK-MACHINE-SCREWS-POZI-DRIVE-SCREW-A2-STAINLESS-DIN-965/383695906074?hash=item59560ee51a:g:6LwAAOSwdRNfSQuD

"Aren't we all" lol I most often see them on ebay. Might be worth setting up some saved searches. I don't have much in the way of parts unfortunately. A couple of screw bags maybe and some manual speed control parts is about it.

Quicrun 1060 in lipo mode should reduce power to 50% at 6.5v and turn off at 6v. It doesn't measure individual cell voltages though so it's just estimating 3.25v and 3.0v respectively.

Well I got the pen in. The results are absolutely amazing but there is one problem. The finish is very vulnerable to fingerprints etc even after it has dried. It's very easy to take ruin the mirror effect and end up with the same metallic silver finish you'd get from any regular paint so perhaps better for shelf queens than something that will get a lot of use/handling. Saying that, apparently Alclad Klear Kote works to protect it if you apply it very carefully. It might be fine for tiny details like door handles etc even on a runner because the odds of touching such a small part of the body are quite low but for stuff like windscreen surrounds etc, I think it would be better to use Klear Kote or just use something more durable like a silver spray or Tamiya acrylic etc and sacrifice shine for resiliance. As for the Posca colour paint pens, those are much more durable. You can still scrape the paint off with some effort but simply touching it won't totally ruin the finish. I also discovered while testing the durability that you can buff the paint into an almost glossy finish if you're gentle which is a nice bonus. So I would say the colour paint pens are pretty good for quick and easy detailing. The Molotow gives amazing results but will need a clear coat ideally and from hat I heat, the alclad is the only one that can be brushed on without ruining the shine, everything else needs to be sprayed on. I also tried the chrome on some lexan in the hopes that it might be good for spot detailing under the shell but unfortunately it just gives a "silver" finish like any other product and the chrome effect doesn't come through.

long shot but have you still got the Nikko stuff?

It's an Iroda MJ-600. I got it from Kayfast on Ebay. It comes with a lighter already but you have to fill it yourself or you can supply your own. I'm not sure about other countries but in the UK about 75% of cheap lighters are in this design. You can usually buy multi packs in the cheap shops for £1 Or you can just get a can of lighter gas and fill the one it comes supplied with. You can adjust the power of the gun by adjusting the gas control on the lighter. Like I say, I think it's great because you can adjust the power so that it's just right to make the heat shrink activate but not char it or char the plastic on connectors etc which is always a risk when you try and use a naked flame or your soldering iron etc.

Best one I've tried has been my big hobby converted Nikko MT. It has 4x4 and the wheels are clod size. I think ideally, you really need 4wd and big wheels or paddle tyres. Tried my brushless Lunchbox and it's similar to driving it on sand, the open diff makes it walk side to side and want to spin out. If you can get some speed built up it's like a bullet but trying to find that momentum in confined places like in the street is pretty tough. My DT-03 with sand tyres works quite well if I put Lunchbox size wheels on the front too. The tyres help to tame the 2wd a little bit. I find you can end up getting a build up of snow on the fronts with 2wd though. I would expect my E-maxx to be good too, especially with sand tyres but I've never had a chance to try it. Konghead might well be the best but likewise, never had a shance to try it. Has anyone ever run a boat in snow? Seen some brilliant videos on youtube! Great if you have open space.

Ooo and one more. Cheap electrical side cutters. Literally cost £1-2 and handy for all kinds of wire cutting, cutting heat shrink, component legs and also great for cutting Tamiya parts off the trees quickly and cleanly.

And an honourable mention to snap ring/circlip pliers. I've mangled a fair few of the tiny ones trying to get them off stuff.

And another two tools that I went without for so long because, as with the hex drivers, I always thought to myself "it's a needless luxury" but once you actually used them you realise what a mug you were! First was the automatic wire strippers. Again, only a cheap Chinese product but surprisingly good quality. It strips pretty much any gauge wire cleanly and quickly without any adjustment needed and without cutting off any strands of wire. No more using teeth/rolling wire under a Stanley blade etc. Second one was a decent crimping tool with interchangeable dies. Same brand as the strippers and similarly good value for money. I'll probably never use the spare dies as the set installed does everything from servo connectors to Tamiya bullets but it's nice to know they are there. Each "size" on the die actually has 2 different profiles inside so that you get the correct action both to secure the wire and the larger insulation. It makes it so effortless and does a good tidy job every time. No more trying to wing it with pliers hoping for the best and then soldering it anyway because it's barely holding on!

I got a cheap set of hex drivers with "titanium" coating just to try out because some of the reviews were complimentary. My first observation was "what on earth was I thinking all this time struggling with allen keys?" and my second was "wow, these are so much tougher and less prone to stripping than even some moderately expensive allen keys I've struggled with" 3 years on they are still going strong! On the few occasions i've had a stripping issue with the 1.5mm, it's been the monkey metal grub screw at fault! Same story with these. Spent so long struggling with those little Tamiya wrenches or improvising with full size tools. These things just make life so much easier.

Got this a couple of weeks ago. It's a mini heat gun for heat shrink etc that basically uses a disposable lighter as the fuel source. I was a bit wary about the lethality and effectiveness but it's bloomin brilliant. The temperature is just right, just enough to make the heat shrink work but never gets hot enough to char it so you can get a nice consistent finish vs trying to wing it with a lighter and getting a lumpy mess half the time. Takes a few seconds to get up to heat but the fuel lasts ages so it's no biggie. Dead impressed with it!