PaulRC10

Interesting stuff. I had assumed these motors were tuned forward. Great test results. Thanks for the link @Rich_8717

Anyone know how to find out what a motors’ RPM is in reverse? I think this could only be different than forward RPM in those motors that have been tuned or have adjustable timing. But I could be wrong? Specifically I’m after the Sports Tuned numbers.

I know. I might cut out the body and stick it on to see how it looks unpainted. Still don’t know why the instructions says to paint then cut.

Pretty much done. Just the top plate and shocks to add. I’ll probably try and source a carbon fibre top plate. I’m doing the body box art so no sense putting up photos.

Build has moved on a bit. Steps 7-15 done. Front and rear side plates on, Shock towers on and the slipper clutch installed. The frame is fully assembled and it’s feeling very smooth. I’m really having 2nd thoughts about running this. Partly because it’s so shiny, the gold plates scratch very easily, but also because it would be a nightmare to strip for a clean/service.

I see what you mean about the mountain rider, quite a bit cheaper.

Thanks! Super expensive though. I can see why it would be a very nice build. Oh man. one thing is for sure... there’s no hiding that from the missus if I pull the trigger.

I looked up the Bruiser from all the sellers I know about and I only found one on RCMart. At least I think it’s the right one. The re-re was issued in 2012, right? None of the EU / UK stockists have them and they are not saying on back order either. I think that means production has formally ceased? Also, RCMart has it on “sale” for $569 which is very expensive. That would make it the most expensive Tamiya 4x4 kit I’ve seen. Early build reports had it as sold for less than 200 bucks. That’s some inflation.

Lucky! That happened to me on my original hotshot. Before I knew that people used threadlock. I shelved it for fear of losing bits l. I think it’s worth going back over my other kits now.

Just in the middle of a Kyosho Turbo Ultima build and it includes threadlock in the kit. Only directed to use where the screws terminate in a plate or non locking nut. Do Tamiya don’t supply / recommend threadlock in their kits do they?

Gearboxes and belt installed. All very straight forward. The belt is a little fiddly and the frame takes a little patience to align. Surprised to see two types of plastic in this kit. The parts in the pic above all feel carbon reinforced.

I appreciate the title is very subjective, rewarding means different things to everyone. I thought I'd ask about peoples most interesting/rewarding re-re kits as I have just gone for a re-re as I always felt I wouldn't find them that rewarding. I have only ever been interested in restores, i've done about 12 so far. The obvious benefits are the ability to run lipo/brushless (new plastics/nylon or metal gears) and the convenience of having everything in the box to finish the job. However, for me the reward comes from the updates - such as the Avante Black Special with the race steering set and torque splitter. Are there any other Tamiya ReRe's that have been modernised? It's one reason I've been attracted to the Kyosho's, they update their kits throughout. Tamiya seem (happy to be corrected) to keep to the original spec as much as possible. What Tamiya ReRe kits are worth looking at for the updates/improvements on original?

Are you looking for the piston rod lengths? I think you'd need someone with an original manual to measure SB2 on page 15? or someone would have to take a rod out to be accurate. How many rods you got to choose from in that box?

Got started with the wheels to get them out of the way - 12 bits down to 4. Really nice rubber, very supple and dead easy to fit. I had a tricky time getting going. Step one says open Bag A and “Plastic Bag”. But the front and rear diff gears are not in those bags. The gears are labelled OT208 and OT221 but no such tree exists. I eventually figured out these are in one of the blister packs. The sizing and blister pack naming is on the parts pages (4-7). Bit tricky but now I know to go back to parts pages. Shame the parts pages don’t say where those parts are located though.

Thanks. ordered some, dead cheap compared to Tamiya original screws.

If you are ok with a wait the TC01 has been announced and showing end July delivery from Modelsport in the UK, same for RCMart in HK. I think that could be a good road build and runner. Said to be touring body shells planned also.

Chassis done I stuck the GR3E receiver and a spare Acoms AS-12 on to see how it would line up when the gearboxes go in. In line with the manual steps but not really necessary. Access is very easy with this chassis. Boxes, bumpers and stock shocks on. I’ve got 95mm shocks on order and the towers from Hong Kong enroute. They will take a few weeks so I figured go with stock so I can at least learn the build before changing it. Spotted a problem - the steering rods are missing. They are 3 x 72mm. Got some on order, also no servo horn, only the throttle servo and MSC were present. So I’ve ordered a KimBrough horn. Time to fit the Motors with the 20T pinions... New sports tuned. Hopefully the RPM will show despite the split voltage from the single battery. I may look to double the voltage, any thoughts on that one? Another issue! I’m missing the 3x25mm screws for mounting the motors. I have one pair with round heads and one pair with sunk heads. A lot of phaffing around and I’ve discovered the sunk head screws are misaligning the motor, a swap over of the screws revealed this to be the case. More screws on order. More waiting. Back to the Turbo Optima.

All unpacked. I have to say, feels really top notch. The rubber tyres feel very sticky and soft, the wheels are heavy duty and lots of metal parts. Even the spares are separated out unlike the Tamiya kits where you just end up with leftovers. Little manual addendum sheet, presumably changes after the manual went to print. I couldn’t get the 15.5T Le Mans or the ESC - back order, so I’ll stick in a Vortex DDrive. Does anyone know why Kyosho would recommend cutting the body shell AFTER spray painting? That bit has thrown me LOTS of stickers! they feel really glossy and no need to cut them out by the looks of it. They are peel off the sheets. Look at those driver stickers too. Yay! Even the window mask paper feels like something your degree certificate was printed on. Time to break the seals!

Front gearbox done. They really are almost identical. I can see how easy it would be to make this a 4 wheel steering vehicle, although it would need the turn buckles, I’m not sure how tough those are to find. Now onto the chassis. This should be interesting to see if there’s a front and rear or is it completely symmetrical

24 needed from memory. That’s quite a stack. My 20T steel pinions just arrived. Luckily a UK supplier so it was only a couple of days. Got my two sports tuned ready to be added later today.

Yep. I think this is all new to us in the West. I do hope a vaccine is found, otherwise I struggle to see how our social ecosystem could return - pubs, events, meetings, dinner parties, handshakes. Crazy times we live in. Who’d have thought this could happen 6 months ago!?

Yep. Stock is definitely an issue in the UK. I was fortunate to have a back log of kits to work on and managed to get two NIB before they went on back order. Parts for the restores are showing as 1-2 months shipping and those from within the UK take a random 3 days to 3 weeks. I don’t like having 4 projects on the go at the same time. I noticed the cheaper and popular electronics are now hard to get a hold of - motors, ESC’s, servos etc..

Picked this up on eBay as part of a lot along with a Vanquish - the reason I bought the lot - very dusty and open gearboxes (never a good sign). After a strip down and bath. The kit doesn’t look very used at all. I was expecting a lot worse. Not clear yet if anything is missing. Diffs first. They were packed with Anti-wear which explains why they were so stiff. I’ve opted for a lot less sticky amount to keep them more free. Sealed bearings and gears into the first box. Plenty of silicone grease given a lot of surface area to cover. The gears are spotless, no signs of any use at all which is nice. It must have been idle most of its life. That’s the rear box done. Will do the front tomorrow. So far so good...

Stuck on two restores (as is the way) and so time to crack this one open. My first NIB build since 1987. It feels great knowing I won’t discover half way through that I’m missing a part. I didn’t realise though that the Ladder Chain (OT226) was NOT in the kit. I’ve seen kits online where the same sticker and blister space “Option Parts OT226” is there with a chain inside. Are there two versions of the kit? Not to worry, I’ll build belt drive.

Thanks Mongoose. I bought some In the UK and the end parts didn’t fit into the gearbox joints. I’ll give these a go. Will probably be a wait from the US though, so it’s now time to start a NIB build! Thanks again!