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theshopkeeper

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  1. I wonder if they're all exactly the same. I've a customer who's put a Super Stock RR in a Wild Willy 2 and it's running fine on the TEU101 but have also seen a few burnt ones (some just get wet but they actually burn if you put a 9x3 in with them - in an unballraced TT01 - with overtight wheel nuts - with no grease on the gears - I believe the car moved a few feet before the flames went up!). Neil
  2. Someone somewhere must have done a "run till it melts" test on the teu101bk going up the power on motors? Tamiya state that it'll only work with the 540 or Sport tune motors, but we must all know that isn't true (how would it know???)! Anyone know?
  3. quote:Originally posted by bholioJust out of curiosity, has anyone heard any news of the rerelease of Hornet hopups, like front suspension set, or aluminum nerf bars etc? id="quote">id="quote">Or more usefully, any spare parts at all? Tamiya's site hasn't shown any "new release" of old codes, not on the Japanese language section or the English one, and the Japanese web shops don't have the parts either - stuff on ebay all well and good, but it's split from kits - once these get out on the roads there won't be enough bits to go around if it's only split kits. Chassis in particular on these in the wrong hands can break very easily at the front end... Neil
  4. Servo saver falls off Twin Det / Wild Dagger, all TL01 and all M03s if the instructions are followed and a 10mm screw used. Needs a 12mm - fixes the problem every time. Think problem is due to the tops of some servos being slightly countersunk rather than cut flush across so the screw doesn't grip in the top 1 - 2 mm. Neil
  5. Could be the esc is better than 20T. Apart from the sticker can anyone tell one Mtroniks from another??? I've often wondered if they all start out as 15 turn units for example and are tested to find the cutout current draw, and stickered accordingly? Reason being that we've had people put 19x2's on Eco27's and not blow them whereas other 27's blow on 27 turn motors for example. HOWEVER, theory is that you can't just plug two motors into a standard single motor esc as the motors end up out of phase with one another and the esc then overloads. Generally the Mtroniks escs overload and cut out with all the lights flashing, then reset after a few second, but sometimes the cutout doesn't work and they keep going until a plume of smoke / flame comes out of the top! I've only seen a very small percentage which do that though, and mainly the older Sonik 1/2/3 and not the current Sonik 4 series which seem hardier. Neil
  6. Also the later production has a 5 digit product number on the box and manual, very early ones were 4 digit. Tamiya added a 0 in the middle when they got near to issuing kit no 58100.
  7. UK importer has now confirmed will come to UK at typical retail price of £100 - euro spec with ESC in the box, likely late January. Neil
  8. quote:Well, not 100%: some of the plastics are made in Malaysia, aren´t they? id="quote">id="quote">75%+ of the range is now made in the Phillipines. Started with the prebuilt stuff, but virtually all 58300 onwards kits say Phillipines on the boxes and most of the new production plastic kits has a sticker over the "made in Japan" bit. Probably getting too expensive to produce in Japan?
  9. CPR unit is rated only to work with the silver can motor or the special version of the Sport Tune motor (it's fitted with spade connectors). But... like the TEU101BK esc in the latest XB Pros, you can often get away with any brand of 23 turn on it provided you change the connectors. You just have to try - it will either work fine or it'll cook it. Some work, some cook. Depends on the quality of the soldering when made in China I imagine...
  10. My favourite seems to be an unusual choice - the MadCap. Mine was ballraced, with Grasshopper II "Super G" wheels & tyres, technigold motor turned to full power (only gave around 4 minutes!), CVA shocks with *very* soft springs and (it's performance secret) standard grease in the ball diff - just a tiny bit but it turned the ball diff into a slipper clutch, wasn't intentional but one of those mess ups that worked... You couldn't wheel spin it because of the diff, but it's terminal speed was faster than any Tamiya or Kyosho my friends had and it would outcorner them all - it just leaned in to the bends 2cv style! Neil (Does anyone else remember the Super G Grasshopper II? I got mine from the local model stall in our local market, it was some sort of limited edition - box was standard Grasshopper II but it had dayglow wheels with different tyres and a 540 motor plus big pinion instead of the 380 and - I think - some suspension changes - there was a big sticker on the box proclaiming what it was and I never saw another... bit like a stealth Grasshopper as it left the standard ones sitting on the start line!)
  11. Translation of the Japanese. Sorry if a bit ropey: Debuting in 1984, the RC hornet - the car that produced the boom of 2 WD off road cars - has returned in it's original form. Utilizing the light weight design of the original model, this RC assembly kit does not care where it runs - either on road or off road. Total length 400mm, total height 150mm, width 230mm, built weight 874g. Made from high grade plastic in all components from the suspension arm to the gear box, bath tub chassis etc and being lightweight, it maximises body rigidity giving a strong model. Suspension on the front is a swing axle independent system damped by coil springs, the rolling rigid rear axle is supported with oil damper units to absorb heavier bumps. The design keeps sand out of the gearbox and the direct vent system on the gearbox allows air to pass in and out but shuts out the invasion of the small stones which could enter when driving off road. Inside is a differential gear which allows smooth cornering. Front wheels feature the classic grooved tyre and the rear wheels have superior traction with high grip spiked tyres installed. As for the body, it's polycarbonate which is strong enough to survive light shocks. Chassis construction - the bumper is made of a special resin. Front suspension is of swing axle independent type supported by friction dampers. Front grooved tyre is hollow. Wheels are 3 piece type with fitted bearings at the front and adjustable via ball adjuster steering tracking position. The ABS resin chassis is of the bathtub type which has high strength as is the side bumper. Needs steering servo (sold separately), receiver (sold separately), 7.2v battery (sold separately). Speed controller (sold separately). 540 type motor and oil damper unit for the rear suspension included as standard. id="blue"> Note the kits sold in Japan won't include the speed controller, whereas those sold in the UK will. Neil
  12. Rumour has it (never denyed I have to say) that there's a 10 year EC regulation has something to do with it... this is a new reg that means manufacturers of electrical and domestic goods sold within the EC have to keep spare parts in production for at least 10 years after the product goes out of production - it's really aimed at car makers, washing machine makers etc but could be argued that it applies to these RC products too. Clodbuster parts were hard to source 2 years ago, as were parts for the TA01 Off-Road (Hummer-type) and CC01 (Cross Country) chassis. Strange then that Tamiya should re-introduce all these old chassis this year as this new reg came in - which were around 3 to 5 years out of general production and have to consequently ramp up production of spares again too... (Netsmith is currently putting a new list of spares into the parts shop which has most of the parts for these "reissued" chassis on it, for example, and very few codes have changed from the old issues...). I wonder if it's just a case of "if we're making the parts, might as well make the kits too". Otherwise what is the reason for the JGDSF???? Neil
  13. [] Takes just as long when I need bits for my own TXT too... (currently awaiting repair - three 8.4v 3000 Mah in a row was too much for the ESC wiring!).
  14. Or it's a special order part not kept in the UK. These take 4 to 6 weeks as the importer orders them from Japan in batches. Most parts shouldn't take very long if they're already in the UK.
  15. Clearly doesn't work how I thought then. I'll get one out and RTFM tomorrow!
  16. Except all the ones I've seen set up have the speed control on the right hand stick, and gear shift fore-aft on the left with this radio (unless I'm missing something). I think the ratchets swap over from side to side, in that the instructions may reference the right stick ratchet when you use the left (etc) but you can definitely get all the functions with an AP401. The MFU is approved for use with the Acoms radio in any event (Tamiya's distributors in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and - I think though might be wrong - South Africa bundle these radios with trucks and MFUs when supplying to the trade).
  17. The Acoms AP401 Techniplus 4 is also compatible - similar spec - left stick is up down ratchet, the trims are outside the circle etc. I know of at least a dozen people using the MFU on the AP401 with it working fine.
  18. Yep - but once learnt it makes you look ever so clever! [] Saying that, I still haven't got the hang of the gearchange... [:I]
  19. And check your wheel nuts are not too tight. Have seen several TB02s with overtight nuts - the wheel can then just contact the upright causing a slight bind.
  20. It might technically work but you'd find it hard to operate all the functions. It's one of those units where you need to slide trim A up, trim B down and flick the 2nd stick to the right (etc) for each different function. It's all very clever, but the manual assumes you are using a dual joystick system.
  21. Charger is not working. The AC14 should light up if the battery is connected - it's not smart enough to power itself down when the battery has charged, so no light means the internal diode has blown. If you get it back to whoever sold it to you they should swap it as these have a 2 year warranty on them (and rarely fail to be honest).
  22. No, it has a built in speed control but you need a 4 channel receiver with servos and twin joystick radio to run the MFU. Neil
  23. >Well all I can say is that through 'personel experience' the price >difference between wholesale and retail is usually around the 70- >100% mark!! Yes, true on clothes, batteries, market stall stuff, small sub £5 items etc etc, in fact particularly Duracells - around £3 for 4 in Tescos/Woolies/Asda/Sainsburys, buy yourself a van full from the east end and you could cut that by two thirds - although a van full is probably several years worth for even a mid sized shop. The supermarkets buy by the container straight from the factory without a middleman too... Basically anything the big stores sell works this way but not hobby items alas. This is one of the reasons the main hobby importers are very careful to avoid selling their products into big chains. For proof of what Tamiya should sell for on this type of big store markup have a look at the latest Argos Extra catalogue - TL01 deals with slow charger £225+ anyone? All the RC brands are very likely to move in a similar direction to Hornby products - pop into your LHS and ask them the *trade* price on a Scalextric or Hornby set... they'll happilly pull out the "trade price list" as the prices are about 10% above what "Geoffrey Inc" and Argos sell the things for. That way because the trade are selling the product only on the discount the salesman gives them, there is little choice but to fall in line at a "reasonable" retail price as otherwise they could simply cancel the "special discount" they've arranged with you... which in itself isn't very special! This is one of the reasons prices stay high in the UK. It's really a case of protecting the large profits of the multiple chains than giving "value" to the consumer and I think will only get worse before it gets better.
  24. I can very much assure you that the 250% mark up you mention occurs before the stock reaches the hobby shops... we are completely powerless to do anything about this - the price any UK shop pays Hobby Co for any Tamiya kit (except for odd special offer) is usually more than you can buy it from HK with postage. We then have to make a profit (even if not to put money in our pockets - we have rent/rates/staff/electric/service charges etc which add up to a lot more ££££s than most internet only or HK sellers) sorry - profit is a bad word in the UK, but if the firms you all worked for made no profit, you wouldn't be paid - and it works all the way down to the bottom of the pile! Most hobby products in the UK work at a net profit of 20p in the £1 allowing for VAT - out of this comes the fee when you "whack it on the plastic" too... So why should we buy from Hobby Co and not import it? The reason we do though is fourfold: 1: Everyone wants the kit/spare/radio today, not next week, not next month etc. 2: There is a *huge* risk in importing any volume of kits from abroad - the if you have one kit lost in the post, you have enough fun claiming off the post office. You try explaining that a £2000 order has gone adrift... they take 4 to 6 weeks to pay up on a small £20 claim in my experience, and quibble at that! 3: Everything is warranted if bought from a UK supplier. Motor burns out - we swap it. ESC melts - we swap it. Receiver blows - well you get the idea. 4: Avoids major hassles with the VAT & Tax authorities - VAT in particular get very jumpy if you move from being an occasional importer to someone who receives stock weekly. It becomes too easy to evade the VAT (especially with Paypal). Aparantly there will be a big drive against eBay sellers in the run up to Christmas by Customs & Excise (no great secret that eBay is the biggest Black Market in the UK now). You can make a lot of extra cash if you've got the smarts to import kits in a big way, or you could lead the market on price. But either way, you hit a duff batch of cars (early Terra Crushers anyone...) and you'll lose all the extra you've made up... I suspect the situation is much the same in continental Europe. You also need to allow for the differing levels of VAT - e.g. VAT in the UK is 17.5% - Hong Kong is a free port...
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