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Let's talk about another one of my cars. One that gets a lot of action, but not a lot of screen time. In fact I've just been back through my photos of this car, and I have almost none. I may have a few in my Events folder, from the various places this car has been to over the years, but I've never really taken many photos of just the car. It all started back in 2015, or thereabouts, with a visit to Swindon Model Centre, which sadly closed down a few years ago. A friend of mine lived in Swindon, and it I went to visit him for any reason, we'd almost always take a trip to town to look in the model shop. It was one of those proper old model shops, little more than a cupboard that was stacked to the ceiling with balsa glider kits, aeroplanes, static plastic kit bots and, of course, RC cars and hop-ups. He often had bizarre old models that came in 2nd hand, but he also kept a good stock of new Tamiya kits. It was one of those places where it was genuinely hard to say no to a purchase. While I tried to limit that to hop-ups (he had a small section of wall dedicated to Tamiya hop-ups, I once bought a set of pink TA03 dampers NIB, no idea how many years they'd been hanging there) I sometimes couldn't resist a new purchase. On this occasion, back in 2015, that new purchase was a WR-02C Honda City Turbo. Quite why I bought it, I can't say. I didn't know about Willy's Wheeler back in the early days, I don't have much interest in the Honda City, and wheelie cars aren't really my thing. I guess there was something about the boxart or the huge, beautifully-molded plastic body that spoke to me - but that day I came home with a new box. And, as is so often the case, it got thrown up onto the storage shelf and forgotten about. However, sometime in 2015 I went to my first Iconic Revival, and I didn't have an entry in any official races, but I had heard about this wheelie race. I knew I had to build something suitable, so the WR-02C came down off the shelf and got thrown together. Revival is an off-road event, and in 2015 it was held at A1 Racing Club in Grantham, on a purpose-built astroturf circuit. Those road-biased wheels were never going to work on astro, to I had to fit something else. I had 2 pairs of Wild Willy 2 rear wheels lying around from another failed project, and they went straight on. The fit is straightforward. The Wild Willy 2 and other WR-02 variants have typical 2wd fixed axle shaft up front, but the Honda City Turbo has the same bearing-spun shaft arrangement as things like the TL-01 and M-03, so it needs a hex wheel instead of a bearing wheel. The HCT wheels are an unusual fitment, with some weird discy things instead of hexes, and they need a wide-style 10mm hex to get regular wheels to bolt up properly, but I had those in my spares box so it was no big deal. I also had an old Mini Cooper body that was a little bit beyond repair, which made the perfect donor once I'd chopped out the arches. I seem to recall the front arms were flipped upside down to extend the wheelbase (this may be normal for the WR-02C anyway) and ideally the wheelbase would be a little longer still, but this worked just right. This wasn't planned at all, it just ended up in the right place. I still need to make some longer trumpets to go on here.

Having recently converted a GF-01 chassis to accommodate the Wild Willy 2 body (here) there was a lasting impression. That to replicate the look and feel of the 1982 original SWB then some custom design work would be required, namely: - a modified chassis with a shorter wheelbase and the body lowered and correctly positioned over both axles, and - custom wheels with an offset to get the correct track front and rear. Initial focus is on the chassis and getting the wheelbase right - once successful then attention will shift to the wheels. My initial GF-01 conversation (here) had been done with the spirit of: - maximising the use of Tamiya parts, and - minimising the impact on the body. After countless hours on a computer with a friend, @Jamesssb, and multiple working prototypes a new chassis design started to emerge. This chassis, we’ve called it GF-01 SWB*, has the following characteristics: - 165mm** wheelbase (as per the first 1983 SWB Wild Willy), - compatible with GF-01 four wheel drive gears, suspension parts and wheelie bar, - compatible with the Wild Willy 2 chassis rails and body posts albeit with the height reduced by two holes, - requires only the the L-shaped wall on the underside of the WW2 body to be removed, and - correct ride height when used in conjunction with original or reproduction tyres and Tamiya hop up dampers. The hump pack has been inverted to save space and allow the height of the body to be reduced. The front camber link has been relocated in an attempt to try and replicate the characteristics of camber of the original. The rear camber link has been repositioned to reduce the camber during normal use - in an attempt to reflect that the original had a live axle and zero camber. For fun the receiver on/ off switch is located in the original position next to the driver and can accommodate the traditional protective rubber cover. Will put up on Shapeways when complete but suspect it won’t be cheap - but happy to take advice on alternatives. However, this approach will allow me to bash about with a model where consumable/ spare parts are readily available (and many metal aftermarket items) combined with a currently produced (cheap) body that requires minimal cutting (just the L-shaped wall on the underside). I’m keen to hear suggestions that could be factored into the design; for example, maybe a LWB version with the rear axle pushed back by 10mm. Will post more pictures as the project develops. ____ Subsequent edit: * Subsequently named GF-03. ** Subsequently not sure it is 165mm based upon measuring an actual example.

The retro Comical Buggy series by Tamiya has been pretty divisive in the community with some people loving them or some people absolutely disgusted. After owning my Comical Hornet, I can say I fall into the camp of being a fan of the Comical Hornet and its sister cars. Just like the original Hornet was a great first RC kit for kids of the 80's and 90's, I think the Comical Hornet makes a great first car for a lot of kids (and kids at heart) of the late 90's and modern times! I love the original Hornet and this Comical version looks great (especially for a fan of 1/1 compact cars and RC cars like the Lunch Box) and the WR-02CB chassis really improves the suspension geometry over the original "hopper" chassis. Speaking of the WR-02CB, being what I call the "Tamiya corporate chassis", sharing parts with many modern Tamiya cars such as WT-01, GF-01, G6-01, MF01X, some M chassis cars, etc, parts are so easy to find and it's almost like playing with LEGOs. I had some parts laying around and I wanted make my Comical buggy look more like a.. well... buggy! It is still a work in progress but I think the most important part is done! Wider and lower, it handles so much better and I think it should have come like this out of the box! Below is a video from my YouTube channel detailing this initial step! I hope you enjoy and share your thoughts about this project and the Comical buggy series in general! [media]

I’ve been thinking about installing the Tamiya WR-02 Assembly Universal Shaft #54394. The specs show the shaft is 39mm, 4mm longer than the standard WR-02 shaft at 35mm? Other than better cornering stability (rear wheels would be 8mm wider), any other noticeable improvements? Anyone have experience installing this Hop Up? Trying to decide to pickup or not...

I am trying to get my WR-02CB to drive in a straight line. Well…as much as possible with this chassis. The trim/servo saver has been centered and both tie rods set to 35mm (slightly toe out) as per manual. In addition, for the front the following hop-ups have been installed: Tamiya 50473 - Hi-Torque Servo Saver Tamiya 54587 - Aluminum Servo Stay (WR-02,GF-01) Tamiya 54661 - Aluminum Hub Carrier (8 Degree) (GF-01, WR-02) I’m looking to adjust the tie rods so the front wheels either be straight or even slightly toe in. Been reading various threads on TamiyaClub and there was mention the following might help: Tamiya 54610 - OP.1610 Clamp Type Aluminum Wheel Hub Will this take the slight wobble out of the front wheels?

Greetings, First post on Tamiya Club. I have problem with one of my cars and wondering if anyone has experienced this before. The car ‘Comical Grasshopper’ WR-02CB has been running fine for the last couple months. I decided to swap the stock 18T pinion out and install a 20T steel pinion. After I did the swap, the motor (Super Stock BZ) could not turn the gears. Doesn’t make sense I know :-(. I removed the motor, and confirmed the gears are rotating freely. I can also rotate the left gearbox joint and right gearbox joint independently clockwise (forwards) and anti-clockwise (backwards). And both together clockwise and anti-clockwise. It’s when I install the motor (mount in the 18T 20T holes) everything locks up if I try to rotate both left and right gearbox joint forwards or backwards. With motor mounted I can rotate each left/right independently. ie. If I rotate left gearbox joint clockwise, the right gearbox joint will rotate anti-clockwise and visa versa. I have un-assembled/re-assembled the gearbox numerous times to make sure it is indeed assembled correctly and I’m sure it definitely is. I have an old Wild Willy 2 WR-02 chassis and can rotate both the left and right back wheels forwards and backwards which will turn the motor. For this Comical Grasshopper WR-02CB, I can’t for some strange reason. I think I have run out of ideas. Thanks.

Just finished my WW2. Quite pleased in how it came out. Sprayed the body with Tamiya XF paint (don't remember the code, it's olive drab) to get rid of the toyish (on a Willy..?!) plastic sheen. Then the roll cage looked plasticky/fake in comparison. Out came a car underbody rubberised rust protection rattle can. Results were great: good sticking, great texture, tough on the rolls. Just masked out the light buckets on the top to maintain their plastic gloss. Hope this trick may prove useful to the fellow Willy builders.

Mokei Kagaku just posted these, and loads more, on FB These are custom builds for The 9th RC Modelers' Contest, not production kits/prototypes

With no drives left for them, my Willys are now eligible to transfer out to another car owner who can give them seat time. In other words, I have two Willy torso figures for sale. They are both painted and include a steering wheel each. The green-helmeted figure has the hole in his arm for a screw filled in, whereas the blue-helmeted one still has the hole in his arm. I am looking for $45 CAD (includes shipping) for the pair, or $25 CAD (includes shipping) individually. This figure is open to negotiation, especially where a separate shipping quote is requested - meaning I will listen to offers. Both figures are based in Canada. PayPal is on hand and preferred. Pictures are available for assessing condition - both were in lightly-used runner vehicles: As always, I am happy to answer any questions via PM. Thanks for reading! Edit: Note that I will be absent from May 11th - 28th, so communications will be sparse during that time, and shipments delayed until the 29th.

Sorry if this has been aswered before, but I'm still very fresh to RC cars. I just ordered a set of CVA short dampers to fit the WR-02 chassis. The thing is the seller says in the description that these are also compatible with CW-01 chassis .. is this true? If so, why do the CW01 dampers have a different part no. Heres' a copy of the description form the seller : - Brand : Tamiya - Item Type : WR-02 CVA Short Shock Unit - White - Item No: 84351 - Compatible with CW-01 chassis.

This is going to be a really slow build as I don't have any paint yet and might have to wait a little while until I order some. ( when I persuade the Mrs, lol) I know this model has taken some flack on the site but when I saw it in Fusion hobbies for £119 UK pounds, I couldn't resist. I have always liked Vw's and this is officially licensed by Volkswagen. No blisters here. At this point, I asked the Mrs if she wanted to sniff the tyres, she did so after that I asked her if she wanted to sniff my willy. she didn't do that. Nice details on this shell. I have marked out the cut lines very roughly but it makes it easier to see. That's it for now, I might get some building done tonight but I am waiting for the rest of the bearings that have been ordered, might be here tomorrow.