JimBear

@Wheel_Nut I have to ask, this "Gearbox Torque Reaction Arm" or rather the part that is the upper bracket - how thick is it? And what material - some sort of plastic? If I understand you correctly, you are just substituting the standard motor plate, using the upper bracket instead, right? I am thinking of using some of these ideas for the Rising Fighter (Grasshopper II chassis) - especially changing the steering rod setuo since it is so flimsy (we managed to bend one of the original rods on the first test run).

If I could be as orderly and work with even half of that forethought ... really. I have too much of a monkey mind - "ooh shiny!".

Ooh, that's a hard one! If you mean the original Optima 4WD versus the Javelin, given no financial restraints I'd take ... both. Always loved the buggies with cages (I think I might have seen the Vanning in the ads of the local hobby magazine as a kid - made a huge impression, apparently), but if I had to choose only one, it would have to be the Optima, since it is the original and because I think it looks cool without a rear wing (Tomahawk fan too, y'know).

Lookin' good, @OldSchoolRC1! Had half a mind to try the body on my Rock Socker eventually, but not sure if it is long enough. Looking forward to what lies ahead.

That's definitely not how the boy (8 years) does it - he took everything out and emptied it on the carpet, started somewhere with something that looked interesting. And Dad still haven't figured which one is the right screw for the servo, several weeks later ... Me, I tend towards orderliness and I am looking forward to the day when I am able to build a Kyosho Legendary kit (Bag A done completely, then bag B, etc). I work on the kitchen table for the time being. with a selfhealing mat underneath. First step onwards is a toolbox of some sort.

Headless driver and co-driver - I guess they have higher powers on their side ... (seriously, such an amazing work all round!)

Thanks @alvinlwh! Good to know. I can't get my head around this with the XF paints, apparently they are supposed to be thinned with thinner, but in the video above it is clearly shown (if that really is XF paint and not something else) it being mixed with water. I'll just have to try it out and see what's what. Crazy, but true.

So brushes bought (87067) and ... well, on to the primer. Would the 87096 White brush-on primer be of any use? Otherwise I am thinking of buying a spray can, the 87044 (white, fine primer).

But what those have in favour of an RC toy-thing is that they (and many other big-brand RTRs, just to include those) are possible to take apart, get back together again, and are modular (no single-board ESC/TX/light units). As exasperating as it is to have to include "extras" to get the car to run, I have to accept that the big T in Tamiya is Tinkering.

Aaah, it's just crusty ol' stuff nobody wants, you know. Better spend the money on something serious, like chocolate.

It looks good - seems to be partly a grab bag of older parts (the Blackfoot tyres, WT-01 rims, etc). The rubber tubing in the shocks seems to be an older idea - just found it in the WR-02 (Wild Willy 2) manual. I had the impression that it would be delivered as a pre-painted body but apparently not. What also struck me it with the "Van Squash" decals - perhaps the pieces are to be cut in half and reversed, so that you get "Squash Van" and the lines lining up? Still a bit undecided on the looks of the body, but the chassis with a pickup body (Proline) could be cool, with the 4WS option done. I mean, can one have too many monster truck options, really? Not me, at least.

In many ways I am thinking that the "get out and drive" and the "building something" mindsets are sort of colliding - the RTR vs a bunch of pieces in bags that actually becomes something. Perhaps one can get the kids further along by engaging in the "why" when they lose interest, try to find another aspect of the hobby that excites. I can sort of only show my boy (or any kid) the stuff that I am excited about; "hey, look at this!" and then he'll have to say yes or no to that. Maybe it'll show up later in life, if not now. It's sort of like being out in the woods, you have to tune in, man.

@Room335 - that's great information, thank you very much! The Porsche looks super on there.

All is well that ends well - I am now back home again.

@gkatz - put your geographic location (sort of, doesn't have to be exact) in your profile, that'll make it easier to figure out if someone can help you. I imagine you spend a lot of time under a palm tree on a remote island in the south seas, but that's only a guess.

Drinking tea and water in the hospital, yes - alcohol, not the right place for that sort of shenanigans.

I assume this would be PS-1 in Tamiya-speak, then.

I was looking at the UK prices for some reason ... so just keep calm and carry on.

Well, I admit to having licked paint brushes too - probably not the best idea but hey it's thirty years ago and whenever I see a small dwarf waving from under the kitchen table I just keep calm and wave back.

Does the CRC-II body fit on the EP-4WD (30635) version chassis? To find a second EP-4WD body seems to one of those "find a hairy egg" things, if one happens to mess it up. The CRC-II bodies seems to be around still. If not, then it's not the end of the world, I could find something else that fits, like the RM-01 Porsche or the Yokomo GT1. Or a Midnight Pumpkin body.

@Elbowloh - it looks really nice. For some reason, to me it looks more like a "she" than a "he" - not sure why.

It reminds me of the cable releases for my (analogue) cameras ...

@Mad Ax - I hope you are talking about stick time and not "stuck time" - who wants to get stuck in a bog in the middle of an evening, freezing precious parts off?

In here:

@Pylon80 - could you perhaps, if you haven't put the masks on, scan them and upload a pdf file somewhere, so that one could print them and use as templates?