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BuggyDad

A sloooow XV-01 build

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If this goes according to plan, I will create the most boring thread ever. 

However, it might not, because I lack either the talent or experience the rest of you have. And I haven't been on here for a while, and haven't built anything for the same while, so I fancy popping a thread up. 

For reasons I shan't go into (essentially I'm struggling a bit with some other things in my life) I feel the need for some quiet low stress "me time". So I thought I'd get my XV-01 kit out of the Wardrobe of Secrets, clean my desk and begin. With the intention of an uncharacteristically "zen" build. Slow. And right. Although I rarely get things right, so we'll believe that when we see it... 

As is de rigeur, here's a pic of all the packets of things I don't need that I bought to go with the kit:

20221114_204025

I can't remember what some of these things are. I bought them ages ago. But essentially I have aluminum replacements for shock mounts that are a known weak point and the necessaries for a later conversion to the long damper setup. And a lifetime supply of cheap wheels and tyres. And a beer. And stainless screws from RC Schrauben. So the build will be essentially stock to start with. I have some carbon damper stays but I can't remember whether they're for the stock setup or the long damper one, or both. 

I also have an Escort body that I forgot to put in the picture, but that matches the car my mum had when I was little. So I intend for that to be red, and not covered in rally stickers. 

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First problem - the diff screws in the RC Schrauben box don't fit any of my hex keys. I have a 1.3mm and a few 1.5mm ones, including one that came with the RC Schrauben screws, and they're mysteriously between the two. No matter, the Tamiya ones are a lovely fit with a 1.5mm hex key and actually I suspect the sort of semi self tapping thread on them might be advantageous in this tiny size, so in they go, very nicely. 

These are my first Tamiya oil filled diffs. And I think the first time I've cut gears off a parts tree. 

So that's that.

Two.

Differentials.

20221114_215142

A productive evening if you measure productivity in terms of the soaking up of time with a brain occupied by nothing other than the slow putting together of small pieces of plastic, while at the same time withholding as much of the kit as is humanly possible for a later date. 

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Now, my box has the printing for the Lancia body as a sticker, not the original box printing. The "separately required items" list doesn't mention a body, so I don't think this was a chassis-only box. So did they replace another shell with the Lancia and just sticker over the boxes they had? Seems a bit unlike Tamiya? 

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Enjoy your new project - I loved my XV-01T build.

I wasn't that impressed with my RCSchrauben screw set but I don't think anybody (maybe not even Tamiya?) produces a full upgrade set of screws given their unusual screw sizes.

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37 minutes ago, Badcrumble said:

Enjoy your new project - I loved my XV-01T build.

I wasn't that impressed with my RCSchrauben screw set but I don't think anybody (maybe not even Tamiya?) produces a full upgrade set of screws given their unusual screw sizes.

To be fair, RC Schrauben is pretty inexpensive. What it achieves for me is stainless and hex heads and the Tamiya diff ones are hex and enclosed, so in this case there was no advantage to be had. 

When I've finished this build my collection of unused Tamiya Philips screws is going to need a bigger jar. 

I'm relishing this build and I think it suits a slow approach. There's a nice contrast between the buggy concept I'm used to where the shape follows the function and everything's on display, compared with this where design was a game of Tetris to fit everything inside a rally shell and shape. I like both equally and it makes me glad to do/have both, and hopefully next a ladder chassis live axle crawler for another big contrast. 

11 minutes ago, Nikko85 said:

Good luck taking it slow. I wish I could relax and take a build slowly. Next one I will.

I work away for a few days every couple of weeks and I have a space there I can use in the evenings. No one else about usually, just me and my best mate, the dog. Peace. That's where this build lives. 

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It's quite a satisfying build - especially with a nice pile of parts to sort through.

Enjoy the low stress time! :)  

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3 hours ago, BuggyDad said:

 

I work away for a few days every couple of weeks and I have a space there I can use in the evenings. No one else about usually, just me and my best mate, the dog. Peace. That's where this build lives. 

Ok, so next time also photos of the dog.

 

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38 minutes ago, Nikko85 said:

Ok, so next time also photos of the dog.

 

Now this I can help with. 

It's not current, but this is my favourite dog picture, from her first week with us, back in May aged about 9/10 weeks. Older dog had just given up on the ignoring, the withering looks and the "what the badword have you done, you heartless b@stard? My life was fine before this monster arrived", and relented to play. But not to lose the game. 

2022-06-09_10-34-25

Fast forward a few months and she weighs nearly 25kg at still <8 months old. So she doesn't look like ^that anymore! I'll find a pic later. I'm biased but I think she's lovely. I'm absolutely delighted with her, although she has the potential to be a handful (she's already taught herself to open doors, annoyingly). Her training is one of the factors that has kept me away from RC through the summer. 

Edit: just noticed, pic illustrates rather neatly why any RCs on our lawn need big wheels! 

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Enjoy your build, I know I loved building mine. Completely different from other Tamiya kits like my Grasshopper rere and M-05 I build before this one. I kept it stock except I build it with the longer eyelets on the dampers. 

Just checked my box and it's a box for the chassis and stickers depending on which body they put along. It's a real treat to drive this also IMO. 

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Thank you all. I am enjoying this build. 

The differentials found their rightful homes today. 

20221115_182620

I fitted some blue aluminum. Am I now one of you?

20221115_185455

Power tools are not so Zen. I understand this. But nor are sore fingers, and the road to enlightenment takes many turns. 

20221115_191525

 

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1 hour ago, BuggyDad said:

I fitted some blue aluminum. Am I now one of you?

This question makes me smile and laugh on so many levels!  :lol:

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54 minutes ago, bRIBEGuy said:

This question makes me smile and laugh on so many levels!  :lol:

Mission accomplished! 

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Modest further progress. That'll be it for this week. 

20221115_215907

The materials feel a considerable step up from my DT-03. Chassis layout is a little odd with bottom battery door but I suspect it also makes for a much stiffer mid chassis than a bathtub? Double thick spine up the middle. Really looking forward to seeing it in action. Can already see where one might want to file some bits for more ride height/droop, but I have a sneaking suspicion I'll go the other way initially and try it first set up for "mainly tarmac with the odd bit of something rougher", rather than a focus on off road capability. I will probably run it initially with my 17.5t speed passion motor, which is little more than a Torque Tuned. Will try road tyres early too. Hope my Lipos and ESC fit...

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That's a lovely flat. They are simply adorable with their crooked nose, long ears, hump on the head and waggeling right up till the neck when happy B). I have a lab, whose level of activity and stress is nothing short of a flat. 

 

Enjoy the sløøuuiw build ;). I got myself a second hand XV-01 recently and think it's a nice candidate for onroad in rougher /Wetter conditions for the Postal Racing. 

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2 hours ago, Andreas W said:

That's a lovely flat. They are simply adorable with their crooked nose, long ears, hump on the head and waggeling right up till the neck when happy B). I have a lab, whose level of activity and stress is nothing short of a flat. 

 

Enjoy the sløøuuiw build ;). I got myself a second hand XV-01 recently and think it's a nice candidate for onroad in rougher /Wetter conditions for the Postal Racing. 

That's Flatties! She's our 3rd. When it was time for a puppy I just couldn't bring myself to get anything else. 

Yup, I've half an eye on postal racing with this. Just in the winter it's hard to get time to do it in daylight. 

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A rookie question... 

Is a RC "CVD" a genuine CV joint, or essentially the same as what Tamiya calls a "Universal"?

For example:

Is this

https://www.rcjaz.co.uk/tamiya-xv01-spring-steel-front-cvd-swing-shaft-1pr-gpm-xv1240fst-p-90064925.html

A real upgrade over this

https://www.plazajapan.com/4950344545155/

Once postage is accounted for they won't be much different in price.

I do have some rc CVDs, but mine look to be essentially the same as the Tamiya "universals" above. I get the difference between a universal and a CV joint, but I'm wondering whether these products genuinely deliver that difference. If they do I'll buy the CVDs. 

I'm thinking I'll upgrade the dogbones one way or the other as and when I pull together an order from PJ or RCJazz. 

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On the subject of Plaza Japan, I don't want another XV-01 kit do I? Do I? £135 + £20 extra postage. 🤯

I could have a road one and a long travel one. 

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Got carried away on PJ and ordered some hop ups:

54450 Aluminium pulleys

54454 Aluminium steering bridge

(54451 Steering arms are out of stock at PJ but I might put a RCJaz order together and they have them) 

54515 Front universals 

(54516 rears are out of stock, but fronts are much more important) 

TBLM-02S 10.5T although this probably won't go in the XV-01. Or at least it won't be the first motor I try. On PJ these are a fair bit cheaper than anywhere else; they're there or thereabouts with the cheaper motors I was hunting for my buggies, and it'll be nice to have a car looking that bit more Tamiya. And do they have integrated bullet connectors? 

A second Lancia body shell. 

Value is good - the yen is even weaker than GBP.

But still I didn't order a second kit. Can't help but feel it'd be fun to have 2 rally cars, for when friends come round, but this kit is far too good for that. Or is it at c.£150?

Hope to get back to the build tomorrow night, or if not definitely Monday/Tuesday. I may even get far enough for a test run this week (hop ups can wait for later) but not aiming for that - I must remember to maintain my Zen build slowness... 

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A few more hours to spare on the XV-01 this evening. Satisfying how the belt feels just right with the tensioner at its slackest. I've fitted the hop up belt. 

20221120_210820

Although it's tight in the ESC/receiver box with all the wires, I think I should get away with keeping the fan. It looks to me quite valuable to create that airflow in there if I can. 

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I will need to solder up some ESC lead extensions, but maybe this is no bad thing - hopefully helps me to chop and change motors just by making up another set of extensions. Guess I'll also need to order a whopper of a sensor lead. I didn't fancy soldering tonight so I went on and made up the shocks. 

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I had it in my head shock assembly would be time consuming for some reason. It isn't at all is it, especially with a reclaimed wood stand. And fitting shocks seems to bring a car to life (so I popped some wheels on too). 

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I've started with 600 CST oil in the front, 300 in the back, based on a crude straw poll of the comments I found on a quick Google, which vary a fair bit. Hard springs from the spring set in the front. Kit springs in the back. Back feels underdamped but I might as well get it driving before thinking about that. Would be keen to know what damping and springs others are using, and for what surfaces? I'll start with standard heights and I guess just looking for best compromise on mixed terrain. 

From what I read I'll want some much thicker diff oil too. So I'm also keen for recommendations on that. Seems clear concensus to have much Stiffer front than back, but numbers I see vary widely. These are my first oil diffs. 

Pup was not all that interested. 

2022-11-20_11-19-51

 

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This thing needs a whopper of a sensor cable. 300mm?

Got the basic soldering done, although I will refine motor wires later. So I could also fit servo and so get it driveable albeit with bits everywhere (only got a short spare sensor cable). It works. Tyres need glue. Need to cut the battery cable hole a little. Getting back into soldering took me a while. 

Nothing worthy of a photograph though. Well, except a dog and her pearly whites, of course. 

2022-11-21_11-22-27

 

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