JimBear

I have seen something over on german Ebay (can't find it now, probably gone) that strayed into this territory: it sort of looked like a Baja King (or Champ) but it felt "off" and the sellers' waffle was... erh... somewhat vague, the usual "I think perhaps but I don't know, really, etc". I couldn't figure it out but I think it was a Reely with a Tamiya body. But somewhat related ... my earnest remark is, having been there: this may be obvious to old-schoolers, people in the know etc, but hey, take due care when someone writes TRF on some listing. From my own learning experience (burnt fingers, etc), something that looks like a TRF-thing isn't always one. What is hard about these TRF cars is that they are perhaps rare, equipped with carbon with "upgrades" to aluminium but given that whatever workshop gnomes in whatever slave factory are selling these on Alibaba (or what the latest cool trading place now may be), you may be fooled by the bling and the carbon, getting a copy or at best, a "random edition".

Oh no. Not again.

Sorry, waffling away ... but another one (which I couldn't remember when I wrote my last post) is the Avante driver, 19225125.

@TurnipJF - is it possible to run, aah, sorry cruise the Ghia in this low position? As often, the real examples looks better than the ones in the Tamiyas official photos.

Great build - right up my alley! I really like the "run-whatcha-got" vibe of this.

I was just this evening about to throw away one of those simple trickle chargers until it dawned on me that I could actually switch out the Molex and keep it as a backup.

I found this video useful, since he goes through the options in there (although he is setting it up for a crawler, which may not be your thing):

There are NiMh batteries out there using a Deans connector too, which I prefer. I can live with the Tamiya plug, but I find them harder to disconnect, especially when you get them a bit dirty or grit gets in there, but that's probably just me being old and crusty! There are adapters too, between Deans and Tamiya, in case you can't get the ESC returned.

@ThunderDragonCy It struck me now, re-reading the thread and since you asked in passing, perhaps the Tyrrell Six-Wheeler driver is a good fit for the cockpit? Or perhaps the Fox one?

Too bad, man - but don't give up. Just don't quit. I don't know if sunglasses help with the light sensitivity? To me, they've been useful after my eye surgery. The eye patch as @MadAnt suggest is a good thing for calming things down too. Best wishes for your recovery - we need more tracked SJ30s and more Raikiris with a roll bar ...

Like many a good story, some misery and a bunch of laughs in there. Knowing the local surroundings is a Good Thing in these cases, and being able to do a Run, Rabbit, Run! (or well, you know ...) is also Good. Laughing at someone lying in the dirt in pain is somewhat Less Civilised. Not advisable, but perhaps a Monty Python reaction: "Life's a piece of .... when you look at it", etc.

I always wondered a bit about these High Lifts, they feel like something out of time in a way. No, seriously - where do they fit in betwwen, say the CR-01, the Grandpa Bruiser and the rest of the crawler-space today? Even the CR-01 is a dinosaur these days. I guess the HL was an offroad vehicle before there was crawlers. The price has come down a bit, and now I can find one for 350 euros, which is rather expensive for a Tamiya but not much for a "crawler".

Hobbywing 1060 and 1080. Run away from the Carson Dragsters if you happen to find some - we have three dead ones. I rescued one yesterday by performing cable surgery, but I am just waiting for it to go bad.

Very nice, @Juggular! If one gets the whole iris with the white, then it looks like someone is scared out of their wits (which might be the case, riding a LiPo-charged Tamiya buggy with bits falling off every now and then). What also makes an eye "alive" are the highlights, the "twinkle". Without, they might look like black holes. Look at the two last photos, compared to the three foregoing. And generally, get the eyes right, then the rest will matter a bit less (from actual experience drawing portraits, head looked like a sack of potatoes, but I got the eyes right and then other people found it good - or at least they said so).

I concur with the wash part, it can bring things to life, as well as dry brushing (which I guess is less used on Tamiya stuff) - it could be a nice thing for clothes. Good light and some quiet can be helpful.

@Juggular I agree on the economics - which is why I'll never be up there with 40 cars. At 15-20 euros a pop for the receiver, it's not going to happen. Even five fully equipped cars would be a serious budget post to maintain in running condition (especially with a Junior in the house). Now, more on-topic, I have an old Acoms (FM, 27 mhz) that came with a truck, and I know it's working fine, but I'll never use it. Unless I get desperate, for some reason. For some odd reason, I enjoy grappling with a terminal in Linux, but can't abide old clunky MSCs and FM radios.

It's Friday again (again) ... Well, sounds like the lot of you Friday regulars are up to a bunch of stuff! Me, I am pottering around in the garden, trying to look busy (not that hard, there's always something you see that needs to be weeded or tended to; I don't think I have the right mindset for gardening - it's looks like ten years' worth of work every time I even look outside). Tomorrow, Saturday is shopping round and then Junior has a friend coming over, so I guess we'll be busy with trying to keep them from tearing the place down. Sunday is lazy day ... or well, no - it's Mothers' Day, so I'll be up before the sun gets out of bed, fetching cake and whatnot for breakfast. Then I guess the day will pass in a blink of an eye. Perhaps I can get a screwdriver out and replace some bits on the second CR-01 axle, just to get something meaningful done, RC-wise. Have a good one, people, dogs and cats!

It's the Pine Beach Raceway of Maryland. (or should that be Pine & Beech Raceway?)

Thanks - then I'll have a try with the 10t. I'll have to wait a day or two until I can get to putting the motor in and test.

@El Gecko - I know you are running a Brat with a 380 (a vintage one without a diff?) but perhaps you or someone else here have an idea? I am thinking of putting a 380 ST in my re-re one (with the diff). It's running a 540 with the standard 18T. Is it better using that one (gear ratio 7.3:1, 50T spur) or using the 10T (8 teeth down, sounds like quite a drop, at 5:1 with the 50T spur)? I don't want to ruin the motor ...

Abba-zabba ... too bad. I like the Brat combo, except the fact that you get wider up front than at the rear. Next option would be the Sand Scorcher combo but I am not sure how that would look. Might have to go with the Wild One combo. Or some odd junkyard mix.

@ChrisRx718 - the poor gnome... being run over by a... Grasshopper? The Riot-of-Gnomes Assocation will probably up show really, really soon. Take cover!

"Very Good" ? Just kidding - no idea, really. Someone with a bit more knowledge will most likely come along and help out.

The latest iteration of the Wilhelm "Willy" Schrott Junkyard Racer. Maybe Schrott Jr will have to be the driver for this one, we'll see. Gathered up a bunch of things from around the house (Brat rims/tyres, Rising Fighter body, M3 thread, leftover servo etc). Then Junior and me put it all together on the kitchen table when the wife was off on other adventures. Took it out for a spin at dusk and it all felt great. 380 Haircut Motors, yay! I like the stance and the body, not sure about the wing; I think it sits too high - would like it a bit lower. Or maybe some other body - it'll have to take its own course.

I've spent some time re-building the original GH II and since the rims and tyres are too old and hard to use, I just put the Brat combo on there, with a place holder body. I like the rear tyres, but need something narrow up front. Would the Fighting Buggy/Buggy Champ tyres fit on Sand Scorcher rims? I like the four-bolt pattern on the Brat rims and would prefer keeping that but there isn't anything else like this in a narrow version as far as I can see.