Ferruz
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Posts posted by Ferruz
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Badlands + bad weather = Red carpet for ye olde Big Boss.
This was a very wet and muddy run!
It was dusk, and some of the photos came out quite interesting
The following one wasn't placed on purpose, it's just where the truck landed after an ambitious jump... almost all the way into the pond! Look how high the water is by the wheels 😅
Another great run, at an enjoyable slower pace.
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Apparently it will come with its own undertray and no velcro needed. If true, it's good news
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My experience is limited to Tamiya and Kyosho so far, but I find the latter's Legendary series to be all amazing re-releases. Impeccable quality, and very enjoyable build.
The TOMS got my attention too. I like that this time there's apparently an undertray included
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This was Saturday morning. I've been staring at my freshly built Turbo Optima for a while, and I felt a sudden urge to make those wheels spin, see it come to life.
I tried to do so in a way that wouldn't conflict with my decision to keep this car 100% scratchless and impeccable (for the time being, at least).
This translated into a morning of tight livingroom/corridor action, featuring powesides, small makeshift jumps and the inevitable close calls with the furniture.
Who would have thought, I actually had fun even in this overly contained environment. The buggy's handling feels impeccable and it certainly begs for a proper playground, but for now this compromise will have to do so that the car can stay pristine.
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Because Tamiya sells spares and hop ups? 😅 seriously though, I asked myself the same question when building my TT02.
I ended up building one out of hard blue stereophoam, using the kit one as a template. Once painted black it looked fine and it's been working alright so far.
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Welcome to Tamiyaclub!
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What a great occasion to get out and display one of your gorgeous models. It looks right at home amongst the other French themed artworks, and it definitely stands out!! By far the best looking item in the photos 😁
Looking forward to the Italian day with the Giulias!
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Squirrels may race Hornets, but chipmunks are on another level: they just ride them
Every chance is good to repost this evergreen
Rest in peace Munchy, the cutest little fella always will be in my heart 🐿😙
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The Hornet, hands down. Makes for a perfecy fair race with a squirrel on meadowy/grassy terrain, did that many times
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I spent a good chunk of yesterday working on the Manta Ray, while video chatting with one of my closest friends from back home, now also living in another country. I tend to get restless during video calls, so tinkering proved to be a good idea this time.
I reinforced the front bulkhead in a way that was equally efficient and invasive. Both the chassis and front gearbox are by now cracked and mangled way past the line of no return with nothing left to lose, so the things I did to hold them together would probably be too much even for the ghetto mods thread. Purists amongst us could loose sleep if they knew and I don't wanna be shunned, so I best keep them to myself
I also reinforced the steering (off went the pretty, blingy, soft-as-cheeze turnbuckles in favour of sober but beefier threaded rods) and replaced all of the gears in the rear gearbox with a fresh set.
During bench test the car was still shrieking even with the new gears, which meant that the whole rear gearbox is toast. Makes sense, after so many years of solid use.
At this point, I made an executive decision: I reinstalled the old gears and deemed the buggy ready to go, but in "kamikaze" mode. Meaning, I will enjoy it completely care free until the next thing breaks, inevitably triggering the whole stripdown +full restoration phase that has been in the plans for a while now.
Restoring the car will be fun and the Manta sure deserves it, but I'm conscious that once done I'm not going to feel like driving it as hard... so might as well enjoy it now, squeeze all the juice that there is left. I'm not planning on pulling some Kevin Talbot moves and fly it over a whole neighborhood or such, but it will definitely see some daredevil action.
The first run was today. Car performed well and, in spite of the expectations, came back unscathed.
The steering felt right on, responsive and finally not sloppy (but I'm still going to replace the system once I get to the rebuild). The front still in one piece so far 😆
...I also managed to get a very good airborne shot of the Manta Ray. Not so kamikaze-y after all!
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I'm not even done lusting over the TO Pro's sleek lines, and Kyosho got me hooked again. I love the looks of this TOMS rere more than I expected to and the kit, just like its predecessors, seems to be oozing quality from its every pore.
By no means would I "need" a TOMS, having a nicely hopped up Mid ready to go, but I might just cave in eventually, once the hype and novelty is gone.
I for once am glad to learn it's apparently going to be a regular production car, instead of yet another limited edition fomo chrome gold transparent bigname gottabuyitnow type of deal.
Not sure why, but I'm digging those front narrow wheels way beyond reason!
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10 hours ago, Hypoxic said:I dig that roof rack/light bar on the Lunchbox!
So do I. The quality of the item is also really good. My friend told me he got it on scamazon for a few bucks. I'm thinking of doing the same for my Mad Van.
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I got a 4 led kit, 2 white 2 red, from scamazon for a few bucks. They come with their own metal light buckets that can be easily fit to any part of the shell, just ream a hole, fit the light and secure it with its backing nut, done.
It was a pretty neat result on my C11
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This was two days ago.
I met up with my newly acquainted RC friend and his kids for a bash at the park. They came with a full fleet of four/five cars plus a mini jump ramp, which proved to be a good addition to an already fun playground. On my end, I brought an unusual combo: Manta Ray, Mad Van and RC10.
Mad Van looking good besides his new friend
I got to drive a Lunchbox for the first time, on Sport Tuned and 2s Lipo. Hoppy, indeed!
The jump ramp was thoroughly enjoyed by all the cars
We had a great time! I enjoyed the company, comradery, talking about RC in person and most of all I loved seeing a whole bunch of cars darting erratically through the park at the same time. Hilarious, and just downright fun. Even my wife loved seeing that.
The cars had it good too: the Mad Van came back unscathed, the Manta Ray lost a wing and a dogbone because of a popped ball end (pieces were all found, fortunately) and the RC10 was caked in grass, but otherwise unharmed.
Good times! I hope to do it again soon.
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7 hours ago, kevinb120 said:apparently unscathed Lexan has some magical extra gravity/magnetism to it until it's scratched)
🤣😂🤣 loved this one. And totally agree!
I am having a similar dilemma with my newly built Turbo Optima JPS, but I knew it would come. It took so much effort and painstaking attention to details to have it look exactly how I wanted it, and I told myself this one was going to stick to shelf duties only and remain ultimately pristine. Now that I've been admiring it on the shelf for a couple weeks, I'm already getting the itch to run it. Must resist? Not really, we'll see, in the end I'll do what I'll do as it's our hobby and it's supposed to make us happy, as others said above. So I'll try not to sweat it too much (easier said than done, lol). Just for the record, I did carefully run the car indoors in the livingroom.
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I'm not one to blow the whistle about a new rere usually, but wanted to feel the thrill for once so here goes, hoping I'm not wrong: there has been some blather on the social networks these days about the Kyosho Optima Mid Special being rereleased soon.
Hard to say whether it's true or not, not being well versed in social network graces myself, but in case it is, it would be groundbreaking news. Many people have been waiting for one. We shall see, but it'd sure be cool to have a new Kyosho legendary series car amongst the current swarm of AE rereleases.
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I took out the Big Boss again. During the change of season, with all the splotch and mud and water, it is by far the most suitable rig amongst my fleet: electronics are high up and nicely enclosed, so I can just hose it down when it gets real messy.
This was a fun run! Still plenty of snow, though I was in a T shirt.
Found some interesting tracks along the way, so I went pretend deer hunting with the Boss for a while
The lake was treacherous in this weather: I glot close to an unwanted dip in the icy waters while taking these photos
😎
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1 hour ago, Richardrpm said:
Saw it, it reminds me a lot of this
... but not in the most comfortable way. I love both the Hornet and the Stratos, but I have a hard time seeing them together.
I know it's been done already (look at the brilliantly executed Super Dragon by @Mechanic AH, dressed in a Lancia Stratos Alitalia livery) but I just can't really wrap my head around the concept of a Strathornet
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7 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:You’ve knocked it out the park with the Optima @Ferruz, well worth getting those wheels sorted 👍🏻
As it happens I have a beer in the same colour scheme to drink to it…
Nice choice bud, I think Modelo is a mighty good beer!
Glad you like the car, it was definitely worth all the effort in the end. Cheers! 🍻
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On 4/13/2025 at 10:11 AM, Tamiyastef said:@Ferruz Beautiful Optima Turbo. I told you (probably over a year ago) you would beat me. I have an extra body and two sheets of JPS stickers and gold wheels in my stash just for this but your "gold" matches beautifully. Better than mine will ever be.
Thank you.
I am over the moon with the final result but yes, bringing all that gold to match proved to be a challenge. The decals from MCI -hit or miss in my experience, this time luckily close to impeccable- needed the extra boost of the mirror finishing. The original gold I previously used on my RC10JPS, while nice and vintage looking, was a bit on the beige side for the bling thing I envisioned, and the mirror option was the right solution to that.
The wheels represented the biggest issue and delayed my build by over six months, but am I glad I put in the time to solve the problem. While still not a perfect match to the elusive Kyosho gold, they blend magically with the rest of the parts, also thanks to the many shades in the mirror decals, and look absolutely stunning overall. Had I kept them in the hideous color they came in, no way I would have gotten even close to this result in the end.
I remember you mentioning the same issue with the aluminum rims being way off shade @Tamiyastef so, if you want, I'd be happy to send you the contact of the anodizing company that redid mine. I can' t recommend them enough. Clear communication, flexibility in terms of doing small batches, patience and overall best costumer service ever. They treated me as if my wheels were from a 1:1 Lamborghini instead of a model car, while charging a fraction of the price compared to every other company i got estimates from, and were beside me from the start of the process to the end.
They are based in Italy and I dealt with them in Italian, but I'm pretty sure they do business internationally (they didn't mind shipping and receiving from Canada, and even paid some custom duties in advance for me).
This may solve your issue with the wheels and allow you to get excited about the build again.
20 hours ago, Nicadraus said:Thank you. Oh for sure, you will see them side by side very soon! I am definitely planning a photoshoot of the two buggies together, possibly at a scenic location
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What's your favourite RC car component?
in General discussions
Posted
...And what does it make of you?
Just some non essential RC musings here.
The recent acquisition of an old parts set I was after had me realizing how some components get significantly more of my attention compared to others. Also, it made me wonder whether it's the same for fellow TC members, if there's elements of our RC cars that are more likely than others to strike your chords in terms of shape, looks, purpose, or just overall feeling.
Let me start from the beginning. Since I resurrected my Kyosho Big Boss back in 2019, I have been keen on a quest to find a brand new set of tires to for it.
Not that it was really needed, as the original ones were somehow in great shape when I found it and free from flat spots, despite the truck having sat on them for 25 years. Thing is, I loved the look of them, with the Bridgestone and Kyosho logos, and didn't like the idea of eventually having to swap to different wheels and tires, when the day came that one would inevitably crack or break apart. I feel as if it would detract too much from the identity of the car crusher.
At some point I even posted an ad on the wanted section of the main TC site, especially since the few offerings popping up on greedbay from time to time were all along the lines of 100 $, or even 100 Euros for just a pair, not even all fours.
Long story short, It took me over 5 years, but I finally found a complete set. Brand new, and for a fair price.
Now that the long quest is over and I'm cradling these NOS Kyosho Bridgestones, I am met with mixed feelings. On one hand, the accomplishment of getting a rare item I was after and the reassurance of knowing I have a full set of spares, should anything happen, which makes for a more relaxed, care free running of my vintage rig.
On the other hand, it sparked the inevitable question: did I really need this? The former tires just keep going, and at this rate they'll probably oulast my own self before needing replacement. The NOS set came fairly priced, but it still technically factures as an extra expense. Also, the storage space demanded for the huge tires is more than I anticipated, in my little RC room where every square centimeter is quickly becoming valuable real estate. Add to this the realization that I will probably never use these NOS tires, besides mere display duties.
Still, I don't seem to really mind having them around after all. I suspect that any other surplus of cumbersome parts would bug me to an extent and I would eventually feel compelled to either use it or get rid of it, but apparently tires enjoy a different standard amongst my stash of spares.
If I take a closer look, most of my cars actually have at least two or three different sets of wheels/tires. More than a few of them are pretty much dedicated to shelf duties only, with the tire lettering duly redone after the occasional run.
Last nail on the coffin: as I've mentioned a few times before, I enjoy the smell of RC tires no less than I do my morning coffee.
So where am I going with all this? Well, it's just that I finally realized that tires are my favorite RC car component. I thought it was the rims, but apparently not. While the wheels as a whole, meaning rims+tires are obviously where it all comes together and what can make or break a car, I remain very much fascinated by the tires alone.
Was it worth it then, investing in this vintage set just to buy some tire shaped peace of mind? Apparently, yes. What does it say about my personality? I have no idea, really.
So, after all the rubber blabber, how do you relate to the above? Do you have a favourite RC car component, or do you treat them all equally?
Whether it's damper oil for the foodies, dog bones for the canine lovers or bath tub chassis for the plummers by trade, I bet ten precious plastic bushings that at least some of you will have a specific part of preference.
Let's hear about it!