Slyda

Due to a few life issues getting in the way it has taken me far too long to finish off the Silver Bullet but it's basically done now. A few little lose ends to tidy up before the indoor race season kicks off for the winter here in NZ. Due to budget restraints I have not been able to fit the MIP diffs like I wanted and due to supply issues the TRF shocks I bought were a no show so a set of Absima's will be on the job until the TRF's are added at a later date.

A few more steps done. Getting there, slowly. I have chosen to replace the front & rear hub carriers with the black ones from the Blitzer series as the original red ones would have clashed with my original choice for a paint job, and although I have changed my mind on the paint I still think the black works better with the final look. Next up the electrics.

I finally have some reassembly work done. Frustratingly slow progress when you don't have a job so no money to throw at a luxury like this and then of course there is the eternal wait for parts to arrive. Which is what I'm doing now, waiting for parts. Anyway steps 1-6 are done & there should be some more parts arriving this week fingers crossed.

The new Carson wheels have finally arrived. They look too much like cheap toy wheels for my liking but should be ok for recreational running but racing might be a step too far.

And steps 9-14 also done. The next step required some painting so now I'm watching paint dry.

Steps 1-8 done.

So this is happening today.

So this arrived today.

I have a set of wheels & tyres on the way and no they are not originals. While new rears are available the fronts seem to be rather scarce. I don't do box art builds so this project is not a restoration as such but a rebuild. I am currently unemployed so progress will be slow as things will only happen if & when the budget will allow. Everything has now been cleaned & inspected, and a list of parts needed has been made, so now it's just a matter of working through the list and reassembling the old girl.

Deconstruction complete. Everything bagged & labeled as it was originally, that way when it comes time for the rebuild I just have to follow the instruction as per normal. Next step is to give everything a thorough cleaning & inspection. It is my plan to use as many of the original parts as possible replacing broken or worn out parts only. So far only two broken parts have been found which is good and even the threads still feel ok also. The chassis tub has scrubbed up well and even though the under side of the chassis along with the front bumper and rear skid pan are well scuffed up they are going to stay as a record of it's previous life. The Turtle Wax sticker is also staying. The final product will be a mix of box stock with a dash of custom work.

I picked up this Bear Hawk chassis today. Looks like it has had a hard life but under all that dirt and grime it's not too bad. It will get a full strip, thorough clean and a fine tooth comb inspection. If parts are ok and not cracked or threads not striped then they will stay, but it does have a broken nose so those parts will be replaced and the usual strengthening braces will be added. A new body set and wheels & tyres are already on the way with a new set of shocks at the top of the list of things to get. Not sure what the body and wing is from and I don't care either as they are not staying. It's not a restoration project, as it's not getting rebuilt to box stock, it's a rebuild project I looking forward to sinking my teeth into.

My first attempt at the RM-01 and I'm calling it done for now. I just need to raise the shock mount up so I can fit my 7.2v batteries and then it will be all good for some fun. The body is not perfect but it's good for a first attempt and it's good enough for me. The small imperfections can't be seen when it's whizzing past anyway. I have another 84C body which will get the Wacoal livery and also an original 85C-L body with original Leyton House sticker set for this chassis as well as a set of white wheels. I will add the driver one day but only after I get a hold of the stickers for Satoru Nakajima's helmet. Now to build another one for all of my Porsche 956 bodies.

Some interesting options there Juggular, food for thought. I am currently pursuing the idea of using the normal 7.2v stick as it fits across the chassis (just) with a slight overhang but is well within the bodywork. The only issue I see at the mo is it doesn't fit under the rear shock which can be sorted by making a new taller front shock mount which will give enough clearance for the battery to fit.

I put together one of my re-re RM-01 chassis yesterday and I'm about to start on one of the bodies, but in order to make it a runner I need to come up with a solution to the battery problem. I'm guessing that the 6.6v LF battery that it is designed for is neigh on impossible to get now so has anyone converted one to the 7.2v NiMh set-up? If so what have you done? I have no interest in going brushless/Lipo so please don't bother bombarding me with that option.

The MCI Racing sticker set I used was designed for the Tamiya Porsche 934 but it wasn't the inspiration behind the build. It was actually the Revell VW Transport kit that I have, and to a lesser degree the BMW 3.0CSL, that inspired the colours that I used. Even though I used the 934 stickers I didn't want it to look like I had just stuck the 934 livery on a Grasshopper.