Beetlemankurt

Took my Scania into the Sunshine to get a pic of the extra weathering I did on the container trailer yesterday with the Tamiya weathering master kits. Felt weird to ding it up on purpose and make her like she's sailed some rough seas but am happy with result...have a good weekend all.

@Kurokawawelcome aboard! Glad you have joined us 😁. Good on you for getting involved, I'm sure you will enjoy it. Personally, I'd go for option 1 you have mentioned. Others may chime in with some further advice. Whatever you do, make sure you take some pics and share them with us here so we can live vicariously though your build 😄😎....looking forward to following your progress. Cheers Kurt

@markbt73....don't fight it...it's fruitless....oops how did that photo get in here..... I bought one and am very happy ...blame it on me...

@BuggyGuy, thanks mate. Always like to hear more suggestions as this is somewhat of a (re) learning curve for me as I haven't raced for quite some time. I'll post some images and updates on this thread when I get racing.....fun times ahead.

@joeling, thanks so much fomuch detailed information, that's fantastic! Would this model esc fit between the stock chassis plate and upper deck with the fan and all. I'll definitely be getting an underguard/chassis protector for sure. I've wondered about the springs and oil weight for outdoors so thats very helpful. All the best on the racing, I bet she's quick and is doing well. Cheers Kurt

PM sent mate.

Mr_Mac, welcome aboard from a fellow Falcon fan! Good to see you have the opportunity to get back on the Falcon bandwagon! I restored one about 10 years or so ago and it's a lovely 'shelfer' that has been run again since being restored, albeit respectfully around the lawn. The Falcon is unique in that it was essentially an all new model at time that didn't generally share parts at all with other models. Xommon parts like tyres were later used by the striker, sonic fighter, grasshopper 2, thundershot etc and the tub used by the Bearhawk and Blitzer Beetle I believe (someone correct me if I am wrong).....other than that, the majority of plastic parts are unique to this model. I think it's under rated by quite a few people in regards to this uniqueness. The screws in Tamiya kits these days tend to be black coated instead of the golden coating they had back in the day. So you can certainly still use them if you are not too fussed on the colour as long as the size is the same. The old screws however, can still be found from time to time either new (in parts bags) or used qs pqrt of other bundles for sale. How many short are you and what sizes are you after? I've probably got a small number I can chuck in envelope for you if you don't mind that they've been used already.... In regard to the CVA's, you may be better off to look for a parts car on line that has the shocks, dog bones, screws and a number of other parts you may need? Might be better/cheaper than trying to get parts individually. Just make sure you get some a good honest description about the condition before purchasing so you know what you are getting.... You will likely know that by now plastics of this age are likely getting brittle so how far you want to go for the restoration may depend on whether you intend to run it and how hard. There are also aluminium chassis braces etc available that can help with durability. There are quite a few 3D printed parts around that can be good for running, although the quality can vary. Hope this helps. Good luck with the restoration and make sure you post pics as you go so we can follow along 😁.... Cheers Kurt

@sosidgethanks so much for your reply, that's really helpful. I definately agree on going lipo, my arm didn't need much twisting as it is 😁. I checked out the rules online for a couple of nearby clubs and they both vary a small amount. All though allow open tyres and lipo. I think I'll pop along to one of the clubs in the coming weeks and have a chat to some of the drivers about set up tgey use for their own specific track. I'm quite looking forward to the learning experience actually... Thanks again, I appreciate your advice. Kurt

Hi all, I've decided to take the plunge and have nabbed a re re Optima Mid as I always loved these cars from back in the late 80s and early 90s when I was racing at various places around NZ. Mine was already built when I picked it up but never run so managed to get a good deal on it. Now it keeps my original Ultima Pro from '89 company . The guy that assembled it painted the body in metallic white and it looks stunning! (Hard to see in the photo though). So...I want to get back into club level racing after many years away from the racing part of the scene with the main object of simply having some fun with like minded people with a couple (or more) of classic RC's to enter, but.... I'd also be more than happy to get to a level of performance capable of bringing home the occasional race win here and there amongst all of the other fun of running in the vintage class. Fun however, is THE most important part here. With the above in mind, what would you recommend as far as getting race ready with a Mid without spending a small fortune?....I'll be running in a 17T class so nothing too unusual there...will also add the Kyosho stabiliser kit, and perhaps pick up some additional shock springs to suit different tracks. Not really interested in adding carbon this and carbon that as I feel she's a beautiful car as is. What else would you add to the 'stock' car that likely adds best bang for buck? Any thoughts on lipo or ni-mh prefernce purely for vintage racing? I'm well used to lipo as I fly rc aircraft and it's my 'fuel of choice' there, but is it worth it for good ol fun club racing? I haven't been tempted to go lipo for my surface RC yet and have stuck with ni-mh so far...but maybe you convince me otherwise ... How about Mid gearing options? Anyone finding that a certain pinion/spur combos better suit a wide variety of tracks without too much faffing around?... Anyhoo.....i guess thats a good enough start question wise, so what would you recommend?... Thanks all, I look forward to your thoughts. Kurt

@Joe Boy welcome to the world of Big Rigs, only advice I would have is make some space because it sure won't be your last! Sounds like you are off to a great start. My first truck was blue edition R620, ended up with loads of accessories (they are never finished). Gave a it a drive around the house earlier tonight actually ...they are heaps of fun and very easy to get hooked on. Now onto building my second rig. Tonnes of people here with loads more experience than me so don't hesitate to ask if you are scratching your head about anything as the build processes. Have fun and post heaps of pictures for us all to enjoy alongside you as you go mate. Cheers Kurt

Thanks all for the suggestions, I'll definately give it a whirl on the weekend and see how go. I'll do some before and after pics. Cheers Kurt

@Sn@il, welcome! two great looking cars and good job painting too. Look forward to seeing more as your collection grows :). Great to have your son on board also. Kurt

Hey all, as per the title, who's discovered the best way to clean coloured vintage rims without affecting the strength of them? I've found info about using bleach on white rims, but nothing for the coloured stuff... While these are Kyosho Ultima Pro rims, I'm hoping the incoming suggestions might be useful to others going forward no matter what vehicle brand you're dealing with (hence posting it here, not just restricting it to the kyosho section). These used to be a nice fluro yellow colour but seemed to have sucked up a load of dirt since the very late 80s/early 90s. Must have been having fun :). What products should I try in order to brighten them up a bit? They don't have to be perfect as I've got a nice set for display so want to make these decent enough to be tidy runners. I've already given CRC/WD40 a try, it removed a bit but not much. Would oven cleaner work? (With the tyres removed first).... Cheers in advance! Kurt

Fantastic job mate! Looks stunning. Kurt.

Hey skom25, I clean my models with a brush after a run. This is sometimes followed by armour all or a similar product for some shine . Lexan bodies might get a squirt with the hose if they need it. I don't really rebuild shocks or anything unless it isn't working properly/smoothly anymore....a bit of the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality and it's always been fine for me. Would be different if I was racing as that requires a much more proactive approach, but haven't done that for many a year. Cheers Kurt