JimBear

Tamico has them too -> TA-19808008 I guess one could bend something similar out of piano wire.

It struck me now, looking at the last photos that the 1:1 truck shown in the post before seems to have something like a metal bar in the area where you now have the sawn-away gap. Maybe that is an idea to copy, to keep it from looking too empty down there?

Digging this up again ... the T3-01 rims don't have a 12 mm hex, but a 10 mm one, okay? Does it make sense to try out the 53342 and drill out the a hexes to fit (expensive, possibly a better option somewhere) the T3-01 rims onto a "standard" axle? I have no idea if the original hole on the hex itself is bigger/smaller. Just a random thought.

The Grasshopper II/Rising Fighter A parts (TA-10005340) to improve the camber a bit. If you have some older pogo sticks in the right size (85 mm-ish) in the spare parts box, then even those are an upgrade to the originals, I think. As has been said, keep it simple and go down the rabbit hole later, if you feel like.

Do I love the Wild Willy 2? Oh, yes! Splendid paint job, @TexVan! I especially like the black hood - a relatively simple thing to do to make it stand out. Just came to think of this build thread from @Yoshisaur with some nice tips on modifications:

Friday ... no time, no time ... And the 13th on top of that! This weekend is packing for a short holiday trip and then off on Sunday (my birthday and all, spending a bit of time on trains going somewhere is always good by me). Good to get out from the kitchen-garden-washing machine routine ... it's been madness this week. Have an excellent weekend, my friends (with beer, beerless beer or no beer)! (Man, is this TC thing a good spot to hang out and keep sane!)

My thought was just to keep the original style, but change the name of the van. Another idea would be some sort of street graffiti style - Frankster as a tag name. If I come up with anything else, I'll post a suggestion.

Why not throw the Free Candy out the window and rename it "Frankster" (now that oyu've done so much modifications)?

I'll trundle off and do a large resupply of popcorn. Until then ...

I have to say I think that toolset (ours is 74023) is pretty good, and very handy to take along when Junior and I are out and about. At home we use a few JIS screwdrivers, but the kit is a good start. @PotatoRally Wonderful colour on a cool car, by the way!

Yes, @Ernoman - gotta love a bit of scratch building! - the new bumpers look great. I can hear the sound of the engine in my head ... Keep us posted with the latest developments - it's always nice to see cars with a bit of "history" to them, the ongoing work.

@TexVan Yep, you can buy the whole kaboodle with motor, parts number 18085153. Or the gearbox housing, TA-10005713.

I like thinking up and using my own colour choices ... but some of the Tamiya vehicles are such icons that the yellow of the Lunch Box or the red of Monster Beetle can be hard to just ignore. A well thought out colour or paint scheme can really make you see the "same old thing" as something new. As with your Egress, for example.

I've changed my mind on the Jun Watanabe Hornet - used to think it was an oddball cash grab - and maybe it still is ... but now I find it stands out for its crazy, happy looks. "Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink ..."

Was there even a standard back then? Tamiyabase mentions the Cheetah tires/rims as unique for that model (but has the same 77/29 mm dimensions as the XR311 as far as I can see).