carparkthrasher

There truly is something for every job! Now to find a supplier what still has it and ting!

Hi all! I am now the proud owner of a Tamiya Fiat 500 (wife and I agreed it was the only way we could get to own one) and this may come as a shock to anyone that has seen my previous posts but I actually fancy this one as being a shelf queen that gets driven 'nicely' as opposed to being driven like it's being chase by a angry mob. To that end, I have bought a second body set so that both Mrs CPT and I can indulge the paint schemes we most desire. My question is to all those of you out there who's bodyshells end up being works of art - how do you paint on the shut/body panel lines and make it look any good? Do you paint them on the underside of the shell first before any masking/painting or do you add them to the exterior of the shell after painting and protective plastic has been removed? I have read in the past about using a fine marker pen, is this the generally accepted best solution? As always, all thoughts/inputs/witty banter greatly received! CPT

Hi all! Being a humble sort of chap I just wanted to share my findings after recent battery 'incidents' in case it helped any other members. Short history is that I firmly class myself in the occasional basher category and by this I mean maybe every 2 weeks I get an hour or so up the park. Up until a few weeks ago I have always relied on basic chargers of the fire and forget until it beeps 45 minutes later type. My thinking had always been, I am only a casual basher so why bother with the more expensive chargers - why do I need to be able to dial anything in or set timers when the charger will do it all for me? Well, after my 'explosion'incident of a couple of months back and now having 3 trucks running 2 packs, I decided to invest in a couple of decent chargers. Now I can dial in the exact charge rate required, can set of cycles of discharge/charge and discharge all with a groovy display telling me whats going on. The main thing I wanted to share was just how much of a difference this has made to my packs. After cycling my old packs have a new lease of life and I am confident that newer packs will last longer as well. I guess my point is you get what you pay for and in some cases it is worth paying that extra for the benefit the oater end. So anyone not sure whether a £70 + charger is really that much better than the £30 one, I can assure you it is! frag out marines CPT

Sorry to butt in at this stage but am very interested in your mods to allow the clearance for the after market steering options etc. How much impact on the strength of the chassis do you think this much removal might have? I too want to add 4 wheel steering and the Junfac parts etc but also still want to be able to drive my Clod like I stole it without fear of it falling into bits! Ta!

Thanks for the heads up!

By Grabthars Hammer, I will get to a bash one of these bloomin days. The moment I have my heart set on a date, some relative or other gets in touch and asks us to them for the weekend etc, etc. Ruddy nuisance really! Thanks for charger advice. It was my MTV generation need for fast results that lead me to buy 4 run of the mill chargers for the price of 2 good ones. Lesson learnt there I guess. What I might do is get a more pro one, give the batts a go on it (full cycle) then see what the Pro Peak ones make of them.........

Hi all, Quick update re my exploding battery (my fault for charging at too higher rate etc) as part of my now cautious charge routine I was able to buy some very hefty ammo cans to charge stick packs in and this has helped calm my nerves somewhat. With the packs stood up in them I can have the lid open with plenty of lead available so no strain on connectors etc. At the first hint of trouble I can disconnect and then shut the lid and let it go from there. Now, about batteries. With my recent E-Maxx addition to the family I also got 4 x 8.4v 3300 NiMh stick packs. I bought 4 chargers - Pro-Peak Delta 3 AC/DC so I could charge up and go with 2 pairs of batts ready for a good run around the park. Now I believe I cycled these batteries as well as I could - charged up to peak, discharged and then repeated 3 times. Now, of the 4 batteries, 2 seemed to agree with the cycling and now when charging at 3.5A take just over the hour to get to peak detect and trip over to trickle. At this stage they are quite hot but not untouchable, which to me marries up to them having reached peak. Of the other 2, one trips out to trickle mere minutes into the charge and in a time hour period, needs manual re starting of peak about 4 or 5 further times and even then my cut off is based on time charging and how hot the pack is. The last one needs one reset in the hour window and then behaves much like the first 2. My questions are 1 - With my existing chargers, can I do anything to get the 2 dodgy ones (especially the one that peaks every few minutes) to get them more in line with the ones that charge happily for just over an hour before tripping over to trickle? 2 - If I was to buy one very good charger/discharger combo - for example - http://modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=Show...mp;ItemID=24815 - would my batt's benefit from a session on this to get them on track or would it not make much of a difference? (model plucked from list so I am not saying this is a particularly bad or good one, before anyone mentions it!) I am a casual basher who gets out with one truck at most once a week and am as far removed from a serious racer as possible. I like the simple life and would dearly love to be able to just kick off my 4 battery charges and sit there keeping an eye on them over the paper rather than having to jump up and down every few minutes to restart the peak charging process. I am sure Nicads were never this awkward! From a timing point of view I wouldn't have time to charge the batt's one after the other on a better charger and can't really justify the cost of a whiz bang model but could, maybe once a month perform a health check as it were on one? Hope this all makes enough sense and apologies for the lengthy post! Details below. Chargers http://modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=Show...mp;ItemID=30485 Discharger http://modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=Show...mp;ItemID=30039

Doh! Now look what you've done! I'm going to have to buy a road car of some sort now....................... How we looking for likely dates then folks? CPT and Mrs CPT

Thanks for the PM heads up BoB - very nice! After the 'Mothers Day' clash of 2009, I am now determined to attend and the venue/dates I can do would be - Ham Hill Bash, Yeovil - either 24th or 25th May. Ogmore can only do 31st May. If any of these dates end up being the firm favourite the Carparkthrasher team will be there! CPT!

Nice little review there bruv. Mind you, my wallet doesn't like it so much.............................. Could be a treat for myself come next payday!

Head of UK Operations for National Geographic Channel. Very grand title for what basically involves me being a HUGE nerd looking after all the aspects involved in getting our 4 channels to air and keeping our post production (TV editing/production) environment going for us and the FX Channel (Fox in the UK). I get to play with some very expensive gadgets at work and this very much carries over into my hobby world! RC trucks is so far removed from what I do every day at work that it is a great way of 'chillaxing' as the kids say.

Few lessons learnt, for sure! BTW - I am sure things like this don't help - http://modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=Show...mp;ItemID=29973 - at the bottom it says *Will charge a 3000mAh pack in approx 40 minutes at 5 Amps. Now, surely this in itself is an unwise procedure, based on my recent findings and the general consensus that charging at 1 x the batteries power is the best way forward?

Thanks all for your thoughts, yes most likely self induced this one and it wont happen again for sure! In regard to battery charge rates, my charger has 3 options, 2, 3.5 and 5 Amp. My batteries are either 1400 (as per exploding job), 3300 and 3500. So I am guessing that 2 amp for the 1400 is still high but not in the dangerous category? 3.5 for the 3300 and 3500's? I suppose the 5 amp option would only really be any good for 4300 upwards? Cheers a battered and foolish Carparkthrasher

That too is my thinking as to what went wrong but it seems odd that the charger and battery worked well together first time round. Previously the charger I used with this pack charger at 3A. This new charger has options of 2, 3.5 and 5 A. So I guess if I buy a new stick pack, charging at 2 ore 3.5 is the way forward!

Well, today ended up interesting. Firstly, we have just had a lovely week away on a narrowboat relaxing and enjoying the UK's canals! Secondly it's my birthday today and thirdly I spent the afternoon going through my trucks and getting a team photo! However, things went weird early afternoon. After mowing the lawn I decided, naturally, that it was time to get the XRay 1/18 MT out for a blat round the garden. I charged the battery, drove the truck for 10 mins or so with the odd gap here and there whilst I set up jumps etc. I then took the same battery and after running it down in the truck, finished it off in a discharger before putting it back onto charge. About ten minutes later my wife screamed out that I needed to come upstairs right away and I was greeted by the sound of the battery hissing then within seconds the thing begin to explode. 5 of the 6 cells blew up with one of them catching me on the chest as I tried to lob the pack out the window. Thoughts and opinions as to potential cause? Charging to high a rate? 1)Battery was FTX Voltz 1400 7.2 mini stick pack - used a few times before with no problem. 2)Charger Pro Peak Delta 3 AC (only two weeks old) - 5A charge 3)battery discharged fully before first charge today, got hot as expected before charger tripped over to trickle. Then run, discharged and set off again - EXPLOSION. Pictures show aftermath and a bit of man flesh I'm afraid to show my war wound.

Thanks for you thoughts! I guess the increased wear is literally down to the extra power going through the thing?

Hi all! Time for one of CPT's odd questions! After experiencing the 16.8 power of an E Maxx, I was pondering what I could do to my TXT to get it to run 16.8, using twin 8.4 batts. Now the ESC I have can handle 16.8 but the two GT 550 HPI motors have 14.4 volt written all over them. Now, is that there just as a selling point, a way of saying yes you can use these for twin motor apps? Or is it a hard fast rule? Therefore, if I want to make a 16.8 TXT, would I need to look into alternative 550 motors? Cheers ears! Simon

Top man, I hadn't quite thought of that! My best thinking saw me doing all sorts of things with different connectors to keep the lead intact etc. Thanks for casting a second pair of eyes over y dilema, mych appreciated mate.

Folks, Anyone have experience with the Hot Bodies GT Escape Charger as supplied with the E Savage? Only as I now have 2 trucks that both take two batteries, getting two batts charged at once is crucial! This charger would be perfect if it came with a PSU for mains use. I like the idea of using it in the field from a 12v battery source but would also like to be able to use it at home. I have seen on 'tinternet some people who have lopped off the croc clips and hooked directly up to a power supply. This then does away with it's use outside. Is there a 12v DC power supply that wil work with this charger? Either via some kind of cigarette lighter adapter or via some way of hooking up the croc clips? Cheers as always for any thoughts! Simon

Some interesting comments comning up here folks, very good to get peoples opinions etc. For me, using the TXT-1 as an example as I have recently built one, the choices are a bit hazy really! So, I bought a TXT-1 and straight off built it to run 14.4 twin batt and dropped in HPI 550's. Normally however I build the kt fairly standard then mod it when I have the time and cash! Assuming the Traxxas E-Max is a favourable comparison, out of the box it would offer the speed I wanted immediately but without the build step. I also appreciate that a Traxxas can be heavily modded as much as the next brand (although brushless looks like silly money!) but having a truck out of the box that is pretty much ready hopped up, might take a bit of the edge off? Also, with the TXT, whilst I do indeed drive it like I stole it, ultimately the parts on a now discontinued kit will have a shelf life so that has me worried! Second time out, after a rough landing the rear steering lock out failed and has damaged the plastic where the ball head screws in. Looking on line at the Traxxas site, it seems the e-maxx is pretty robust and along with comments above that does make it seem the ideal basher. Maybe having something RT for mindless bashing is good leaving the Tamiya gear to be driven, maintained and driven again? Don't quite know what I am trying to say. I guess now I have looked into it further it seems that more and more of the RTR gear, from Traxxas for example, comes spec'd up to the level that I would try and make any kit anyway, but for one payment/purchase/box etc. Whatever I buy, I never really have the money for it anyway so as long as it makes me smile!

I HEAR YOU THERE BROTHER! I too am not one for shelf queens, might as well have been a static kit if that's the case! And as for amassing a collectiong of NIB's, well real rare or unique models I can understand but not the more common stuff. The clodbuster I drive 'with love' sat in its box, unbuilt inside a plastic bag on top of a wardrobe for nearly 20 years! Now that was criminal. Good result for me via the bay in the end though............... Again, I am not knocking anyone. If its Tamiya its cool but I do feel something designed to take electrics or components what make it go innit, deserve to be, well, made to go!

Steve, awesome reply there dude, very well explained etc. I take your point of the durabilty and ease of use for an all out thrasher and the thought of you diving for cover, possibly in a TJ Hooker role has made me smile! I agree that Traxxas do the RTR stuff very well - my Tamiya example being when the XB kits don't come with bearings or they loose the oil shocks found in the kit etc. One of these days I will give in.................................but not yet!

I quite agree, it is amazing how much time can pass when you have your head buried in a Tamiya build manual! Even E clips pinging all over the place doesn't rattle me!

If anything I find the thought of joining a club quite scary, dare I say it I didn't quite feel 'good enough' to join the couple of clubs I have approached in the past. That said, I am not really in it for the racing. Would you honestly say that an established club member will have as much time for someone who has gone out and bought something off the shelf as someone who has painstakingly assemebled the kit themselves? JUST A QUERY NOT A DIG AT ANYONE PLEASE DONT ALL HATE ME. If the best way to get the most out of and RTR kit is to strip it down and rebuild it (ball bearing sets for example) then is that defeating the purpose of RTR? Does a RTR King Hauler really help the hobby grow?

Hi all! Just a general musing really that has been going around my head for a while now. Now I am a big fan of Tamiya and own and have owned several kits, not a patch on many of you folk on here but enough that I would deem myself a RC modeller! What has surprised me of late is the increase in the number of XB or RTR kits that Tamiya make. The biggest shocker was seeing the expert built versions of the big rig trucks, isn't this type of kit is aimed at someone who wants the technical challenge and enjoyment of the build? Buying one ready made robs you of understanding how the thing works, surely? I love the build stage and find it a relaxing way to get away from work of an evening or at weekends. Am I alone in this? So far only 2 of my collection have been ready made, one the MRC from Losi - no choice in that one and a TB01 Scooby second hand from the bay. First thing I did with both was strip down and stick my nose in to make sure I knew how it all worked. I see now that all other manufacturers - Traxxas, HPI and so on, have gone away from kit builds all together. Whilst I am not knocking their products, not having the build step does put me off buying from them. Which is a shame as the Slash looks quite fun! The only non Tamiya kit I have bought was the 1/18 MT from Xray which was a belting little build and is an even more belting drive. I know restricting myself to kit builds is my choice but does anyone else feel that the hobby as a whole is changing direction? Are other members happy to see the the build step taken out and are happy to go straight into driving and modifying? Is the build kit a dying breed? In a few years time, will Tamiya go completely RTR? Discusss........................