lsear2905

I had my first run of my new Micro Magic sailboat yesterday - it's a very nice thing, and actually fits in my boot! No more borrowing my wife's station wagon, just to go (RC) sailing. I ran my Kyosho Mini Z Jimny, and was very quickly reminded why I just spent almost AUD$200 in yet more upgrades - it hasn't got the clearance or approach angles to be very good off-road.

@Willy iine I really think you need to do more with your Mini Z 4x4 - with all the extra room you'll soon have you could build an amazing indoor course, just in time for your northern hemisphere winter! We've all seen what you can do with styrene, imagine a miniature off-road course with all the detail and attention you put into everything else....

Well, surprisingly my 1 in, 1 out policy has been implemented with surprising efficiency! I sold the Proboat UL19 on Sunday, and one of the Mini Z 4x4s last night. I also ended up ordering a heap of parts for the TRX4M, UDR, a different Mini Z 4x4 and my Tamiya SW01 (I've wanted to convert it to a clear chassis with yellow gears for a while now). So having bought and sold some RCs, and then bought a heap of upgrades I'm sitting $26 in the black for the year so far... although I don't think that will last long!!

I saw Plaza Japan had the part I've been waiting for (a small part for the Kyosho Jimny) but of course they didn't have the other parts that RCMart had... so adding shipping to both orders added almost 40% to each order!! Guess I just have to keep waiting for RCMart to get that part in. I also put a Kyosho Mini Z 4x4 (my spare 4Runner) and a Proboat UL19 on the chopping block, considering I recently bought the TRX4M and on Wednesday night a bought another RC yacht, so I'm trying to stick to my (rarely enforced) 1 in, 1 out policy. Also, and this was fun, I actually got to use the local proper 1:10 RC offroad course for the first time in 5+ years! I was rusty as heck but it was great fun...

@TurnipJF - are your 'teapot racers' based on these Gevalia Coffee Pot trucks from the 1950s? https://www.vintag.es/2023/02/gevalia-coffee-pot-trucks.html

And, this thing looks fantastic on the rocks, but it's not perfect. My Kyosho 4Runner would outperform it, but it has a lot of hop-ups. It desperately needs the crawler gearing, which is sold out worldwide and not due to re-stock for another month, and some weight down low (I've already ordered some cheap eBay wheels and brass, so will see if that makes a difference).

So my TRX4M arrived last week, so on Thursday I built the interior (no 3D printing here, I'm not that advanced, I just used a dremel and a hot glue gun!!) I was inspired by the way Matteo's RC videos does his interior, so have been planning this one out for a while. Firstly, here's a photo of someone else's car to show the problem - the clearly visible interior with wires and body coloured paint looks way too cheap: So, first the dashboard went in - dremelled out to fit around the internal cage, and the steering wheel removed (it was originally upright, this was from a Kombi) and re-attached in a more realistic position. I then had to dremel out a 'tunnel' for the brushed motor (small car, small tolerances): Next up - driver and seats: Finally, all bundled in with LED lighting channeled around it. Oh, and he actually holds the wheel, too (a small detail, but one I was very happy about): So this is what it looks like:

Boating on Sunday morning, fixed the UDR (bearing in rear axle needed replacing) Sunday afternoon and my TRX4M arrived today. Now the work begins to put an interior in it.

I like to think of the difference between Tamiya and Traxxas, by looking at the way they approached the concept of "self-righting." The Tamiya T3-01 'Dancing Rider' uses a very clever steering system, where the body leans to steer, using a servo in the rear axle. This means that when the vehicle tips over, a simple 'jiggle' of the steering should bring it back onto all 3 wheels. The Traxxas X-Maxx, and subsequently the Maxx and some other Traxxas offerings, just apply more of everything to get it back onto its wheels - more power, and larger wheels, provide the centrifugal force required to move the behemoth the right way up. They are completely different companies, offering completely different products, for completely different customers.

@No Slack love your TRX4M - but you can see why I want to put an interior in mine! Cables and no wheel arches don't look very scale. @bavee I thought I was the only one who collected all those bags with the biohazard warning during lockdown! I have so many of them with RC parts in them!! @Elbowloh Sorry to hear about the 'Rona... hope you feel better soon.

To prepare for the arrival of the TRX4M, I disassembled an 1/14 'Dickies' VW Kombi which was looking in a very sad state. The surfboards have previously been donated to my Kumamon DT02 beach buggy, but this time I pulled the interior apart and chucked the rest. My biggest issue with the TRX4M's appearance is the clear windows, combined with no interior, and the fact you can see the coloured plastic on the inside... it ruins any chance of it looking 'scale.' Although many people on the internets have spent hundreds of dollars upgrading the performance of these things, no-one seems to have put any effort into the interior. So my plan is to use the seats and dash (inc. steering wheel), an articulated Brisbane Bears AFL player figurine (I have no idea where that came from, I'm a Carlton man), and mount it using some mesh, the same way Matteo's RC videos have shown. Before I do that I'll mask the windows and spray the interior black so it should all come out nicely. I hope! I need to find 3mm white LEDs for the headlights, or order an eBay light kit - I'm not paying drug money for the genuine light kit! Also, number plates. Small detail, but makes a difference. Shame the car's not due until next week.

I tried locking the rear diff on the GF01 Dump Truck and had the exact same experience (I did it only because during lockdown I broke one of the diff gears and the only way I could run it was to lock it). After the first few cartwheels I put it back on the shelf until the correct part arrived... 6 months later. Yesterday I ordered a new Traxxas TRX4M Bronco... eBay plus had 15% off a brand new truck, I couldn't resist!!

Rather than losing that U shaped pin again, why don't you install the front bumper and trim it all the way down with a dremel (or other such tool)? That way it retains the pin, and probably holds the front together as well, increasing strength in the front end and reducing in flex in the plastic. My RC'ing of late has mostly been Sunday boating and some mini crawling, so nothing much to report.

You're a very brave man...

I don't think it's too narrow - I think there is a lot of visual 'bulk' around the rear which is lacking in the HS2 (which is narrow around the back), making the rear arms on the HS2 look longer. I suspect the width is actually nearly identical (my understanding is that to compete in most buggy classes there is a set of specific measurements, although I don't race so I don't pay too much attention). I maintain this is a fantastic looking buggy, a real off-road fun machine and a future classic. I'll be doing custom paint, possibly classic Toyota Racing (white/yellow/orange/red) style and different wheels and tires, and 2S combined with a 12T brushed motor... sometime in 2024 when these actually become available!!