wtcc5 4896 Posted November 29, 2021 Once every year there is that day, that we used to celebrate as kid. Now, as adult it just remembers us, that we become older Just recently it was my time to experience this once more and I wasn't looking forward to it. The day came and it was full of work. On the positive side, a lot of people didn't forget my birthday and the dinner at the local indian restaurant was very good. The reason I bother you with my midlife crisis () is, that @Quincy came up with a surprise: Guess what's inside (I couldn't): Wow... I am still searching for words... that is just overwhelming generous. Again: Thank you very much In hindsight it was very convenient, that got all the weekly work done in time (in my job I can take work home), so that I could focus on building this gem, beginning friday evening It is also my first Tamiya M-chassis, so lets see what is inside the box: With all the touring and race cars of my collection, this "duckling" pretty much stands out. In Germany the Citroen 2CV was called "Ente" (= duck). The last generations even got a "Sausss Ente" (= whiz duck) wrap on the sides Of course, I documented the build and will post the "story" here in the upcoming days. 17 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Ax 9313 Posted November 29, 2021 wow, that's an awesome present, and a nice way to spend a birthday Whiz Duck is a fab name too, over here we just call it a Lemon Two-Horse 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4896 Posted November 30, 2021 Yeah, the nicknames for this car are very funny. Definitely worth reading the Wikipedia article. As always, lets start with the tires: The wheels are beautiful. I would have loved to see Tamiya using chrome for the caps, though. The rubber tires sport a cool asymmetric offroad profile. The chassis is a half tub construction similar to the FF-02 and TL-01 chassis. For me a first: For the gears and differentials I additionally used hollow carbon shafts and ball bearings: Closing the chassis tub halves: Front suspension: This M-chassis has very short arms and Tamiya decided to make a two-piece-screwed-together-design. As this kit comes without a ball bearing set and I didn’t have any more 1150 and 850 bearings, I had to continue the build with the plastic and metal bushings Tamiya provides… Hubs and axles are proven 90s engineering. For the RA-variant, you can choose between two hub positions for standard or higher ride height. I went for the high ground clearance. Steering and motor installation: The middle motor design compromises the location for the steering assembly. Tamiya put it on top of the motor to keep the Ackerman angles normal. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7878 Posted November 30, 2021 I wish tamiya would make those m chassis rally tyres in the same tread, same m chassis rim, but 75mm diameter to make more scale looking gravel setup for 1/10th rally cars. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4896 Posted December 3, 2021 Next on the build were the dampers. Again very disappointing are the kits friction dampers... That is just not cool Tamiya... I didn't bother with building them and instantly switched to oil dampers. The white springs are too hard for offroad. I need to look for the black soft set springs I have in my spring box. But for now, I let them on: Installing the bumper: Rear suspension and hubs: The dirt shields were a real challenge to cut out: Slowly, the chassis is recognizable as car: Just a few more parts to add for completion: Battery mounts and electronic plates: The battery mounts make the chassis look very wide... Chassis finished! Next step will be the fantastic body 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Goudar 526 Posted December 3, 2021 Great build and present, I will follow along the way. How did you cut dirt mud gards ? Seems pretty challenging. Enjoy ! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Badcrumble 4203 Posted December 3, 2021 Enjoying your build @wtcc5, yours went together smoother than mine. I could never get those side guards to fit well. My son and I like running my M05-RA on tarmac, it hasn’t yet made it on to the loose stuff. It certainly handles better than the 1:1 car (based on my experience as a passenger). One day I’ll tackle that body… 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4896 Posted December 3, 2021 3 hours ago, Goudar said: Great build and present, I will follow along the way. How did you cut dirt mud gards ? Seems pretty challenging. Enjoy ! I did it the hard way with Lexan scissors. First rough, then as fine as possible. In the end I sanded the edges in shape with a Dremel. I found it definitely more exhausting than cutting a body 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aerobert 2143 Posted December 3, 2021 On 11/30/2021 at 5:31 PM, wtcc5 said: For the gears and differentials I additionally used hollow carbon shafts bearings: What's the reason for hollow carbon shafts? Is there any advantage or is it just nice to have? Nice build thread as always! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OldSchoolRC1 983 Posted December 3, 2021 Awesome! Somehow an M05 has escaped my collection. Looks like a cool little kit - the dirt shields are way cool looking! Can't wait to see the body come together, it's a fantastic looking shell. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4896 Posted December 3, 2021 41 minutes ago, Aerobert said: What's the reason for hollow carbon shafts? Is there any advantage or is it just nice to have? Mostly weight saving as the longer one of the kit shafts is a full steel rod (the shorter one is hollow). 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aerobert 2143 Posted December 3, 2021 54 minutes ago, wtcc5 said: Mostly weight saving as the longer one of the kit shafts is a full steel rod (the shorter one is hollow). Absolutely. Funny that weight saving didn't came to my mind. Maybe because I'm not a racer. For my style of driving lightweight is not necessary. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Zero 316 Posted December 4, 2021 Wow what a great gift! Also a very nicely presented build thread! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Re-Bugged 10145 Posted December 4, 2021 There was a 2CV thread on here somewhere with some great ideas for the body, just can’t seem to find it now… Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4896 Posted December 7, 2021 Grande Finale! Time for body and body parts. Cutting, sanding, drilling and fitting: Masking and painting next... and boy (!) have I underestimated this body! First, for painting the bumpers black, you have to mask the whole body. Then you "just" mask windows and every area that should become white; then only the windows are left. And then you mask the whole outside of the body for the matte finish of the sunroof... For the last step, I wasn't motivated to do it Instead of the green, I chose brilliant blue as contrast color: The stickers are pretty easy to attach for Tamiya veterans. Most of them are window lines and very important for the realistic look: The last task is to paint the body parts black and silver. In hindsight my silver is not shiny enough and looks a bit too flat, especially on the bumper...I also painted the wheel caps chrome with a marker. That Liquid Chrome is really nice! Then the next day the first snow fell. Of course I couldn't resist 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites