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Found 18 results

  1. Hello, to separate the TRF201 transmission conversion and the restoration part of my Hilux Monster Racer I started this new thread regarding my TRF201 transmission conversion for the Nissan King Cab, Hilux Monster Racer and/or (Super) Astute / Madcap*. So the transmission section will not be mixed anymore with the restoration section. Here I can also offer a better and clear support for interested customers and can answer questions regarding the gearbox, parts list, manual or assembly. For pictures from the installed gearbox in a Hilux Monster Racer, please visit my build log/thread: Sgt.Speirs‘ Nissan King Cab - TRF201 Transmission Conversion & Restoration Parts list for this modification: 1x 3D printed gearbox parts from Shapeways (latest rev. 1.5): >> King Cab TRF201 Gear Box v1.5 - Complete << 1x 54471 TA06 Steel Gear Diff. Unit Rear 1x 22031 TD4/TD2 Slipper Clutch Set 1x 53587 Shim 5x0.2mm (1 needed) 1x 13454709 Idler Shaft (alternatively: 54344) 1x 54262 Idler Gear (alternatively: 51416) 1x 19114075 Spacer N15 (N-Parts tree) 1x 19804411 Screw 3x36mm (4 needed) 1x 13450284 Aluminum motor plate (alternatively: 54225 /13454715) 1x 50586 Washer (2 needed) 1x 19805746 Cap Screw 3x8mm (2 needed) 1x 19808013 Cap Screw 3x6mm (2 needed) 1x 19805990 Screw 3x5mm (2 needed) 1x 19004273 Gear Cover 1x 19805957 Screw 3x10mm 1x 19805763 Screw 3x10mm 1x 19805765 Screw 3x8mm 1x 53577 Urethane bushing (red) 1x 53588 Ø10 mm Shim Set (optional parts for shimmimg the gear diff) 1x 42115 Ball bearings 1510 (2 needed) 2x 42113 Ball bearings 1050 (3 needed) 1x 42113 Ball bearings 840 (1 needed) Manual for the assembly: Gearbox Assembly - Manual_Rev_1.3 (see attached file) Gearbox Assembly - Manual_v1.3.pdf Pictures from the first Shapeways order: The gearbox ready assembled: The first customer's complete gearbox package: And finally the video of the assembly according the manual:
  2. I thought I would do a build thread for my Super Astute, as there hasn't been one for a while. Also, I've read loads of SA threads on here which have some cracking ideas for mods and hop ups and I thought it would be cool to try a load of them out and capture them all in one build. I've definitely done my research, hopefully I'm astute enough to have picked up the right tips and super enough to do them properly! Also, there are some properly smart folks out there who have built these who I'm hoping might contribute here and help me along the way So, here we go!
  3. As the title says. Ideally new in box but will consider anything, original or re re. Thanks
  4. So I've got myself a Super Astute for a bit of vintage racing this year. I don't race hard and I'm not competitive but I'd like to know in advance if there's any weak points or serious flaws that I should know about before I arrive trackside. I wouldn't want to go out in practice and break a part and be sidelined all day (been there, done that - I'll have a Bear Hawk as a class-legal spare car but that's a big change from a Super Astute). I see the kit comes with oil dampers. Assuming these are CVA type, I guess they're fine for racing and there's no need to track down a set of hi-caps or modern alloy shocks. I've added bearings to the order. I understand the kit has bearings for the transmission but not for the hubs / wheels, so that's taken care of. As I understand the kit transmission has been updated for reliability, so I don't need to hunt down a vintage aftermarket diff or gear set. Am I right, and will I be OK running a mid-spec brushless system or 17 turn brushed motor? I haven't decided on a power system yet, recommendations gladly accepted. Any other areas that could benefit from hop-ups to make it a reasonable vintage track racer? Some racing will be on dirt and grass, some on outdoor astro. Should I stock up on spares? I'm not into buying a whole second kit for spares, I'd rather buy one or two trees of the parts that are likely to break. Any tips on build for a more robust car? Shock tower bracing, longer screws, etc? Thanks
  5. As some of your might have seen here, I've been working on some new parts for the Super Astute series of cars. One of the projects I've been working on is a replacement gearbox for the Astute that accepts modern internals (ie a modern slipper and a sealed gear diff). The main reason behind this is because Super Astute TTC gearboxes are too rare, there is nothing at all that has a sealed diff and the Astute and Kingcab series are DESPERATELY delicate in the gearbox and a drop in replacement would allow far more of them to be used/raced. I settled on the Schumacher Cougar KR for internals as it has a 3 gear setup (similar to the Astute / SA) and is relatively common. I modelled everything up in CAD and made a test print via shapeways. Some pics below. For a 1st prototype, it's actually gone together pretty well, the parts mostly hang together and work. Clearly there are still some issues to fix though: Major: Motor fouls gearbox a bit (pinion size, hence gearing options are restricted). Will cause issues especially with King Cab (where pinion need to be smaller). Major: Motor Plate fouls wishbone pins (I could mod the motor plate to fit but as I want this to be a drop in replacement part, I will tweak the motor plate's angle instead) Minor: Outdrives are smaller on Cougar than Astute (53mm for SA vs XXmm for Cougar). Doesn't look too bad (see pics) but might cause some issues when driven hard. Not sure how it'd affect the King Cab. Minor: Nut recesses have some minor issues (too small / too big, doesnt affect use but should be fixed) Minor: Chassis post recesses are ~1mm too deep Minor: Small amount of binding in the gearbox (this might actually run in fine, dont know until its tested, if not may need to shift idler gear a little in CAD) Now for the reason I'm writing this thread now before the part is ready..... I NEED SOMEONE TO HELP ME TEST IT! Confession, I do more technical stuff than actual driving and I get most of my fun from the build however it's obviously critical that my stuff works properly when it becomes available to others. Hence for a part like the gearbox which takes precision and a lot of abuse - I want it properly tested before I make it generally available on shapeways. So Im looking for a volunteer from the community to help test my models. I'm looking for someone as per below: Has an Astute / Super Astute / Madcap / Kingcab RUNNER that they use regularly. Must be a runner, must be usable via some "proper" driving to actually test the part. Has a modern brushless / lipo setup than they are willing to test on the car. Is willing to test the parts I send and then post them back to me (with comments/feedback via regular TC pms / emails) UK based (sorry don't want to post internationally when prototyping - too slow/expensive) Longstanding & well known TC member who is knowledgeable about parts and has build experience (quite a few $ of kit so I want to test someone who's likely to be trustworthy (and not disappear & take my stuff!) and knows their stuff (essential for troubleshooting)) Ideally - Has modern 2wd experience (aware of what "good" is actually like for this class and some modern 2wd parts to use, spurs, pinions etc) If you're interested in helping me develop the gearbox and/or other parts - please let me know (and confirm the above points). I'm thinking the gearbox needs one more round of my own prototyping before it can go to my nominated tester for a thrash test (but you never know - I might mess up). BTW - Please don't be offended if you volunteer to test my stuff and I don't take you up on the offer, my wallet can only cover so much shapeways prototyping at any one time
  6. As in title could somebody who owns both, tell if it's possible to just swap certain parts and or if the gearbox fits at all into the monster chassis. Would be interesting if it's possible just to replace the old ball diff with the new gear diff. Thx
  7. I've owned this Super Astute since I was 13. It was given to me for Christmas in 1992, and was my first 'race grade' RC car, following on from a Madcap. It's been in bits in various boxes since the mid 90s, and other than a previous failed attempt to race it back in 2002 - the gears couldn't handle a reasonably powerful brushed motor - it's sat idle for all this time. Back in 2009 I bought a Kamtec repro shell which I never took out of the packaging... I'll be prepping that later this week Now I have more money than sense, I've decided I'll have a crack at getting it back up and running. Not just for street bashing, but for 'serious' vintage racing. To this end, I intend to fit the 3d printed parts from ORB racing (on their way to me as I type ), the full suite of Fibre-Lyte carbon fibre parts, Egress / Avante hi-caps that I found on the japanese auction site for 30 quid, and I'm also considering either the A&L lethal weapon transmission, or reverse engineering the existing gear set & having them 3d printed in super-strong plastic. Electrics wise, I think a 17.5 in either blinky or boosted would probably be enough, unless I upgrade the transmission. I'm also opting for a super shorty lipo pack & plan to design my own battery holder or adapt the existing one so I can mount the ESC and reciever in line behind the pack, keeping everything neat and compact. Unfortunately the diff 'holder' or access hatch is cracked around the counter sinks. I might have to re-design that part too. I'd be grateful for suggestions on turnbuckle options. The originals were always slop-tastic & I partly swapped it out for schumacher CAT turnbuckles and rod ends. The madcap kick up plate is pictured. I do have madcap uprights I could swap the original parts for, to get rid of the ridiculous bushings. Annoyingly I'm missing one hinge pin from the front inboard wishbone mountings, and I'm having to use the madcap pin-screws to keep the wishbones attached. Sorting through the bits: The piece that failed last time out - a definite weak link: Stripping the superglue (what was I thinking?!) from the spur gear / slipper plate): gearbox back on: lots of work to do still: I'll be replacing all the original screws with hex hardware: I've already emailed a 3d printing firm regarding the gear set. I intend to get the main shaft reduction gear, hex 'washer' plate, idler gear and diff casing re-engineered in modern high strength plastic.
  8. *Updated 5th June 2018 with Super Astute Gearbox For a while now I've been restoring old RCs and kinda got sick of not being able to find certain parts. So, after a little prompting, I decided to learn 3D modeling and start creating my own versions of some hard to find parts. For now, Ive been focusing on Super Astute and Dyna Storm parts but I'll probably cover other models as/when I restore them. Check out my shapeways store "VRC" here. I've test printed and iterated all of these parts (few in pipeline still) and they all fit properly and actually "work". They aren't identical to the original parts but they fit and work fine. Where another part is available (eg the ORBracing DS parts) I'm not going to bother re-making unless I can significantly improve them. For anything else, I'm up for it :). Obviously many of the Super Astute parts are also cross compatible with the Astute, King Cab, Hilux Monster Racer, Mad Cap, Saint Dragon etc. Here are my current offerings: Dyna Storm Parts: Gear Case Cover & Plug: Super Astute Parts: Gear Box Cover: (replaces the dust leaking lexan version) Gear Box Plug (note, fits original lexan case currently, alternative version for VRC case coming shortly) Gear Box Base: Front Battery Holder (stick pack): Front Battery Holder (Lipo pack - note needs low profile servo): Rear Battery Holder: Battery Strap: Battery Pin (also fits DynaStorm): Gearbox (see thread here):
  9. A friend of mine made a temtec gear super astute buggy by converting the body from desert gator. I think it is worth sharing to you guys. https://youtu.be/UWbJtmXOtzc
  10. Looking for the following Super Astute Parts: Battery mount (G2, G5) G1 5mm spacers Bumper E9 TTC Parts: H3 Clutch Spacer H4 Disk Spacer BK7 Pressure Disk Any usable condition considered, payment via paypal.
  11. After deliberation and with an upcoming trip to an amateur ice hockey tournament in mid-May, I have decided to list my Tamiya Astute for sale. Unlike previous attempts, I am not wavering on my promise: this car is and will remain for sale until sold. The memories I have are unfortunately not enough to overcome the room and board and equipment fees I will be facing abroad... What you see here is a Tamiya Astute. Several modifications have been implemented, including: - modified suspension front and rear, using simplified Madcap components to reduce weight and complexity compared to the original Astute specification - alloy rear suspension blocks (replacing Astute parts D1) - a complete Tamiya Traction Control geartrain, purchased separately and installed as stock - Super Astute central battery holder (G parts) - ball bearings installed in drivetrain and other areas (where bearings are still used; suspension modifications negate many of the original Astute's areas) In addition, a reproduction shell and wing are included - minor scuffs and scratches appear on the shell and undertray. Blue anodized wheel nuts anchor original lightweight racing wheels and correct kit tires. This car is in good working condition, tested with the electronics pictured (which will be included). These electronics can be removed upon request for a discount. All mechanical parts are in solid structural condition, with no visible cracks or evidence of fractures. I bought this car used and refurbished it prior to running it; since then, it has been run five times, and only twice with the TTC geartrain installed - personal photo records verify this claim, as well as the notion that RC circuit-type jumps were never encountered while in my ownership. I am open to offers and trades; however money is a priority given the circumstances under which I am selling this car. At present, I am looking for approximately 250 GBP (amounting to roughly $445 CAD at writing), which will include worldwide shipping. Where other currencies are considered, the Canadian dollar will provide a baseline for conversions (and remember that it is weak at present ). As this car is based in Canada, this fee will facilitate paying for faster shipping options overseas; otherwise I am willing to negotiate offers if you are willing to accept less expensive (if slower) shipping. I accept PayPal, either marked as 'gift' or with a nominal increase added to compensate for transaction fees. As well as I have attempted to describe the car, pictures do a better job; thus: Of course, if you wish for more detailed photos and/or have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me! I have ready access to this Astute and wish for you to buy with confidence, so I will be more than happy to answer your queries. Thanks for reading!
  12. Does anyone have a scan of a Super Astute manual? I'm restoring one atm (v early stages) but can't find a manual anywhere. On a predictable (given its an astute) related topic.... Any tips for dealing with stuck (spinning) recessed press nuts! Rob
  13. Hi, I'm selling my new built condition Super Astute. This model is loaded with every Hop-Up in the book suited for the Super Astute! Complete except for transmitter and battery. I won't go into details about the hop-up's used, because I simply used them all :-) The model NEVER touched anything but my shelf! https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ank3lVSjNEmUgaxdLDnq0Kuu9Mdj7g Make an offer :-) Reach me on martinjordt@hotmail.com (I'm in Denmark) Cheers Martin
  14. Hi, The short version: will a Super Astute survive a vintage competition driven by a completely novice driver? Are parts that might break sort of easily available or am I risking building a nib kit, race it once, crash and then have it sit in a pile for the next years? The long version: the next nordic vintage challenge is the first weekend of april. For completely illogical reasons I've decided I want to enter. I've read a lot on here about the weaknesses of the Astute, but I'm a bit dense on whether or not the improvements on the Super Astute make it a good vintage runner. I'm not talking about good as in is it competetive, but good as in will it survive me crashing into everyone and making a complete mess of everything? Stuff can break, that's a given, are parts availability for the Super Astute better than the Astute? Other facts for your consideration: Have I driven indoors? No. Have I ever participated in any organized RC-event? No. Do I have any idea of what I am doing? Not even the slightest. But I reckon it would be fun to try this part of the hobby as well. I know for a fact I will be dead last, my goal is to not be too big a hindrance for the others, have fun and try not to wreck my car. As you understand I am completely blank, so all and any help is greatly appreciated!
  15. I hope to keep this updated with my findings of turning a run-down Madcap (Tamiya No# 58082) into a half decent runner. Hope to include as many part numbers, costs and suppliers in the posts for my own reference and for others interested. Note costs will be in various currencies and approximate only. I know for a fact the costs will also not be the cheapest, however, for me cost is not everything...service and convenience plays a big part too. As a lot of my research is done on TC I will try and reference members and posts where I gained info from so others can follow up. Will also be adding lots and lots of photos. (From Showroom) Dad bought me and my lil brother a second hand Madcap in approx 1999. At the time it was a basher for me (13yrs old) and my lil brother (9 yrs old). Once the novelty of the remote control car wore off it was placed in the shed. It briefly made a reappearance in approx 2004 to get a respray of the body and then placed back in the shed. In Jan 2014 (my age twenty eight) I was remotivated to take another look at it only to realise it was a Tamiya!! Its storage in a non weather proof shed has taken a toll and as I mentioned the body has been resprayed black (very roughly). It is/was always a great conversation piece between me, my brother and my dad and decided rather than to buy a brand new Tamiya model (very tempting) I will look at getting the Madcap up to a running state and then improve on it as much as I can. I started looking on the Bay for a body and any spare parts which could be a bonus. I found/bought a good condition Madcap (Tamiya No# 58082 from zulu_warrior1976 for approx AUS$160 delivered) with body (no servos or transmitter/receiver). Although it was a touch pricey it has a really nice body (which is exactly what I was after) and the rest of the parts were in a great condition. Since I was never involved in the original build I decided to strip both models down to nuts and bolts and select the best parts of each model and reassemble one Madcap. The rest of the parts were boxed and will be used as spares as it becomes necessary. The original Madcap had a Sanwa Dash Saber Transmitter but in the years I have lost the battery cover. In all my hunting the only way I could replace the back cover was to buy a new remote (Approx AUS$50 from various on-line vendors). This has not happened.. Top View (Original) Bottom View (Original) Top View (Added Model) Bottom View (Added Model) Body (Added Model) Only reason I really bought the Added Model Before I dismantled both models to nuts and bolts I took a few photos. The following are the original Madcap dad gave me and has been sitting in the shed for some time. Original NiMH batteries do not hold charge anymore, which shouldn't be a great surprise. We didnt have the patience back in the day to wait for a charge at 1C. Dad used to connect the battery to the car with a current limiting resistor and we could charge a battery in about the same time it took to run one flat... Good times.. Bought 5 new Powertech 7.2V 3.3A NiMH batteries (Jaycar Part No# SB2314, Cost AUS$50, down the road from me so extra cost doesnt bother me). Went with NiMH as the Madcap can house the battery in the chassis. Will look at Lipos at a later stage. Original Tyres (I think it is Tamiya No# 53040 Hybrid Wide on the back, GBP16.25 from Vintage_Tamiya and Tamiya No# 53039 Hybrid Narrow on the front, GBP 14.29 from Vintage_Tamiya). Original Wheels. Original Motor and Resistor, Has definitely seen better days. Original Friction Dampers.. Original Receiver and Steering Servo Some photos of the Added Model bought through the Bay... Added Model Motor, Resistor and Friction Dampers Added Model Friction Dampers Added Model Motor Controller and Rear Friction Dampers All parts were broken down to nuts and bolts and thrown in a Ultrasonic Bath with some detergent. I then picked the best parts and turned the two madcaps into a single stock madcap. So the current plan is (Will keep updating as I figure out what the plan is).. Reassemble all good parts between the two Madcaps to end up with one Madcap. This will be almost stock everything... Transmitter, receiver, servos, MSC, motor, gearbox, tyres, wheels etc.. Only part not original/stock will be the batteries. See how it all goes with stick transmitter and original tyres. Swap out tyres, still stock but in newer condition. This was from the Added Model I bought through the Bay. Swap out MSC for ESC. This will be a Tekin RS Gen2 Brushless Sensored/Sensorless D2 ESC 8.5T (Tower Hobbies Part No# LXDHNS, Cost: US$175). The ESC allows me to test my Brushed setup for initial stock reference and then change over to brushless without too much effort. Completed Will buy ESC in combo with Tekin Redline 17.5T Motor (Tower Hobbies Part No# LXCVMC, Cost US$100). Combo for ESC and 17.5T motor (Tower Part No# LXDHNY, Cost US$250, I wanted quick delivery so approx US$300 to Perth, Australia in 4 working days!!). Will not install motor till after first reference run with brushed motor. Completed Swap out Transmitter and Receiver. From various discussions at my local club it seems everyone loves Spektrum DX of some sort. Will go for latest version Spektrum DX4R Pro, comes with receiver SPM4100 and SR410. Bought through stealth351 on the Bay for AUS$440 delivered. Touch pricey but he is an Australian supplier and would like to support him as much as I can. Do a practise run at my local to establish base time. Completed, 62secs where most cars on the night did 35 to 40secs Swap out brushed motor for Brushless motor. Completed Do a practise run at my local to establish base time. Start modifications Buy Hi Cap Dampers Rear (Tamiya Part No# 53037 Cost GBP 65, Supplier Vintage Tamiyaparts), I have put this on the back burner due to cost.. bought Yeah Racing (#DP-1004Tl) 70mm Damper Set from RCMart (AUD$14.63). Completed Buy Hi Cap Dampers Front (Tamiya Part No# 53036 Cost US$73, Supplier Vintage CTY300 Ebay), I have put this on the back burner due to cost.. bought Yeah Racing (#DP-1006Tl) 90mm Damper Set from RCMart (AUD$14.63). Completed Buy Al Gearbox Plate (Tamiya Part No# 53060 Unsure, will check Ebay) Buy Stainless Steel Ball Bearings 8*2.5*5. (RS Part No# 138641 Cost AUS$8.77 for 2, Supplier RS Eec, NMB Brand) Buy Stainless Steel Ball Bearings 11*5*5. I think this should be a 4mm wide bearing but while I am going to RS I will try this one. (RS Part No# 747765 Cost AUS$9.40 for 2, Supplier RS Eec, NMB Brand) Buy Stainless Steel Ball Bearings 16*8*5. (RS Part No# 747765 Cost AUS$9.40 for 2, Supplier RS Eec, NMB Brand) Bought Tamiya (#51206) Astral Rear Wheels 60/29 (35mm) (AUD$5.31 RCMart). Completed Bought Tamiya (#51205) 2WD Astral Front Wheels (60/19) (24 mm) (AUD$5.31 RCMart) Completed Bought a few sets of tyres, mainly just to try them out.All Initial Tyres Completed Tamiya (#54284) Off Road Wide Grooved Soft Tires (2WD/Front,60/19) (AUD$6.39 RCMart) Jconcepts (#3004-02) Groovy Tire Super Soft (Green Comp) For 1:10 2WD Front Buggy (AUD$10.83RCMart) Jconcepts (#3017-01) Bar Codes Tire Soft (Blue Compound) For 1/10 buggy (F) (AUD$11.81 RCMart) Jconcepts (#3005-02) Rounder Tire Super Soft (Green Comp) For 1/10 Buggy (AUD$8.78 RCMart) Jconcepts (#3006-02) Double Dee\'s Rear Tire Super Soft (Green Comp) For 2.2 (AUD$10.73 RCMart) Jconcepts (#3016-01) Bar Codes Tire Soft (Blue Compound) For 1/10 Buggy ® (AUD$10.78 RCMart) Jconcepts (#3016-03) Bar Codes Tire Medium (White Compound) For 1:10 Buggy ® (AUD$13.87 RCMart) Jconcepts (#3016-04) Bar Codes Tire Soft (Orange Compound) For 1/10 Buggy ® (AUD$9.64 RCMart) Jconcepts (#3016-05) Bar Codes Tire Soft (Gold Compound) For 1/10 Buggy ® (AUD$14.30 RCMart) Cont...
  16. This is my version of a Tamiya Astute. I set out with a few goals in mind, the main one was it being a replica of Jamie Booths works astute, so battery down the length of the chassis, madcap arms and hubs, I went a bit further too in terms of madcap bits, i got the madcap front bulkhead on there which presented its own problems, the astute bulkhead uses press nuts which i wanted to avoid, but they sit flush on the bulkhead, so I had to space the steering up a few mm so it would clear the locknuts which on the madcap sit above the bulkhead, the other reason for the extra use of madcap components is the weight, no more bushes or bearings in any pivot point on the car. The madcap rear bulkhead is also on there, again, it presented its own problems, i had to make an adapter plate out of perspex to make it fit the astute mounts, this also doubled as the battery hold down which sits further forward than standard as i planned to have the battery sit more forward in the chassis than usual. I also retained the madcap bumper, after being knocked out of a race 2 years prior by marshal who was over eager to get to his teams car, the front clipped his shoe and the front arm fell apart a few laps later I knew it was worth doing whatever I could to project the front arms of this machine The car was built with its main purpose being it had to withstand the stress of a 6 hour vintage enduro, Mabuchi 540 motor, one car, 4 drivers. With that in mind, you'll notice a lot of locknuts where it was possible to run longer screws through parts and a lot of washers and spacers to spread the load as much as possible during hits etc. The enduro is an annual event held using our current vintage rules which allow vehicles on sale up to Dec 1990 to compete. One thing I've read about these cars is terminal understeer is a problem, our track consists of a lot of tight corners including several hairpins so the aim was to move the weight balance a bit forward. To move the battery forward on the chassis which seems like a reasonably short wheelbase, I bolted in a low profile servo, then used some spacers on the servo mounts to move the servo forward a few more mm, then put the ball stud on the backside of the servo horn so the turnbuckle lined up, it all just fits without any binding etc, then I drilled holes in the chassis for the battery holder with the holder butted up against the servo, I ended up with a bit over 1cm of travel that I can slide the battery fore and aft to alter the balance of the car. I tested it with the battery forward, middle and back, all had their benefits, back and the car was more planted and stable, forward – the car turned in very positively and the rear was holding on so that's where I based the setup on Transmission. Originally I had planned to run an avante gear diff in the standard gearbox as I had read with a little modification to the plastic parts, you can get one to squeeze in, which did work, the avante gear diff is one tooth smaller than the astute one, so there's a potential for the gear to strip as the mesh wouldn't be very tight, however I ended up breaking teeth on the gear on the back of the spur, they were old used gears which could have been part of the problem, however within short succession I broke 2 gears on the back of the spur so I gave up on the idea of running the gear diff in the standard astute tranny as I figured the slip with the ball diff was what was saving the internal gears from breaking normally. The only other route I could think of was the lethal weapon tranny from A & L, this was out in 1990 and came with the adapter to fit onto the astute chassis, so I ordered one. It is a great piece of kit, it seals extremely well, when I opened it after running it for about 2.5 hours, it was clean inside, with just a little of the original grease in the bearings having seeped out, I gave them a spray, rebuilt the diff and put it back together. The A & L ran faultlessly for 6 hours straight and I have since run the car in some 5 minute racing without problem. I had to make my own tranny brace as without one, the rear flexed very badly, so I made one using the same Perspex I used to make the rear bulkhead adapter. I flattened off an area on the rear bulkhead, carefully drilled some holes, lined up the brace, got it all to work though it's a pain to install or remove as I used locknuts, as with everywhere else, I used washers to even out the load a bit, it worked perfectly, reduced the flex massively and held up for the whole race, I'd semi expected it to break in its first test, or stress the bulkhead into failure In the rear, the hole in the hub where the ballstud screws in got dremelled flush with the hub which stopped the turnbuckle fouling on the shock springs and also brought the turnbuckle into alignment with the pivot point on the rear bulkhead which was further rearward as it's the madcap item One of the other things that would be noticeable on the car is the use of DF03 rims on the front as well as the rear, the reason for this was mainly looks, the astute original had black rims, the DF03 ones look most similar in my mind and are a perfect 2.2 inch fit. To do this, I originally planned on using DF01 front carriers and hubs but it would have sent the front track too wide so TA03 items had to suffice, I could have achieved the same results with period kyosho pieces but I wanted to keep it Tamiya, the 4wd front tyres provide good front grip and I used to put 4wd front tyres on the front of my madcap to counter the huge understeer but if I need to run 2wd tyres I can trim off the inner ring of the rim and glue 2wd fronts to it The shocks are Tamiya ones from my spare DB01R, spruced up with some gold accessories made for the on road shocks but they fit the off road shocks perfectly too. Our racing allows newer shocks to be used as at the time hi-caps had not been released and I'd have needed to take out a mortgage to buy a set, now the rere hicaps are out I have bought a set so now I can run period shocks too. The springs I had to go losi in the rear, Tamiya simply don't make a heavy enough spring to keep the rear end of the astute off the ground, in the end I went losi orange in the rear which is the stiffest spring I've ever run in the back of a car and Tamiya springs were good enough to keep the front end working well, though it was a hard spring also. Also the chassis and shock towers are fibre lyte items, anyone who has seen the front shock tower on the website will know that it normally comes with a big brace across the top and the tower is a fair bit taller. To keep the car more authentic , I cut out the brace and trimmed off a couple of the top mounting points, also it needed a little dremelling on the bottom as it fouled on the bulkhead Problems: not too many to report, the madcap arms flex so badly that castor would be in a constant state of flux for both front and rear, the lack of upper bracing on the chassis (corrected by the dynastorm) means the whole car flexes mid chassis, even with the battery in the most forward position the front end bounces around which I attribute to the flex, under braking it's a little noticeable as well as when carrying speed in corners, the car still holds good lines despite the front end not being perfect Result: The car turned out better than I'd hoped, the A&L tranny proved to be very smooth and efficient, the car had excellent acceleration and top speed and it did not miss a beat. One of my fellow racers described it as being a bit of overkill on the build with regards to my attempts to ensure the car survived a 6 hour race, this could be true but I guess we'll never know, however in the enduro, one of the teams ran a madcap with the standard gearbox and the car was a bit more standard overall and it ran reliably for the whole race. Pic thanks to Jak Rizzo, he took some really nice action shots of the astute too The Race: A small but quality field had entered for the race, the encouraging thing was it was a varied field in terms of manufacturers, there was an RC10 Worlds, a Losi Jrx pro, Kyosho Maxxum FF and a Tamiya Madcap as well as my astute. I figured the main competition would come from the RC10 and the kyosho, the RC10 got fastest qualifier and I qualified the astute in second, the gearing I'd chosen was for the black endbell motor, the motor handed out on the day was a grey endbell Johnson so a quick gamble decision to go up by one tooth proved to be a lucky choice. Early on I was able to stick to the back of the rc10 and any time lost in the infield I was able to claw back a bit of it down the straight. The setup turned out to be a bit stiff and I'd taken a little too much droop out of it so as the track dried up and broke up a little and car had to be driven very accurately to get the lap time out of it, the car burned through a set of tyres by the 4 hour mark so tyres were changed. The car remained consistent though and we were able to just stay ahead for the duration of the race which ended up coming down to the cars efficiency allowing us to do less battery changes than the RC10, also the guys steering my car did a fantastic job all day in some tough conditions, making smart decisions and keeping the car on its wheels and lapping consistently. The Competitors The top 3 Future: Our neighbouring state has a slightly different rule set for vintage with the cutoff being end of 1991 thus the Super Astute is legal, so I will be rebuilding the car with super astute arms all round and SA rear hubs with a view to attending some of their events. I've also got a new chassis that's 3mm thick as opposed to 2.4mm which will hopefully cure some of the flex issues. I'm going to mount up the rere hi caps for the more authentic look and while doing that I'll give the car more droop back and soften the setup so it's a little easier to drive overall.
  17. My Super Astute is completely unused. It has only been built and the body painted. Every single part is ORIGINAL! No reprints, no copied parts, NOTHING! Yes, you can have a TTC with the gear cover! I even have the original box that the body kit and stickers came in if you want that also along with some stickers that I did not apply such as the driver name on numbers for the wing plates. I also have a couple of original pinions still inside the Tamiya packaging in my toolbox. This is what you would get if you bought one from the box and built it then just left it alone since day 1. Not a mark, not a scratch. Postage will be about £20 as I will get a nice box and make it secure alongside tracked postage so you should get it in the same condition I send it in. Will probably remove the wing and put it inside the car. I may have some other bits and pieces to throw in as well like a Li-Po and charger if I can come across them. Selling as I don't see the point in having it sat in a cupboard. As for the price of the car itself, well, we all should know what this is worth especially in this condition so leave me an offer
  18. Hi, I'm after some front and rear arms for the Super Astute, used or new. Consider any other Super astute parts also. I have loads of Vintage Yokomo YZ10, RC10T, King Cab, Losi XX, and Schumacher Cougar 2 parts I can trade. I have Orignal NIP Astute Decals I can trade. Thanks, Andy
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