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Chewie75

Wild Willy M38

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Hi Folks

New member here 

Old Tamiya fan from the golden age of RC.
Just getting into the hobby again.

Tried a few Traxxas and Arrma cars a couple of years back. Didn't really do it for  me.. Wasn't really giving me the feeling from 80th driving and building cars on summer days I remember. 

Tamiya rerelease models however does it in spades !!!


My favorite Tamiya that I never got back in the day was the Wild Willy 38. My Parents limiter me to 2 cars. Hot Shot and Clod Buster...

Now I just got the wild Willy 2 and going to start the process painting and building it this weekend.... It's Great .... 

The problems now is that my craving started once again for the OG Wild Willy... I really have to get one.

I have 2 questions I hope you can help me with.

1) Where can I find one in mint, new or perfectly restored condition. Preferably SWB with box... anybody selling ?

2) Is there a master painter based in Europe that can and would like to help me creating the dream driver? I'm afraid my skill set do not suffice. Seen some amazing willy's, No pun intended, in here that looks absolutely stunning..

Cheers and have a great weekend 

Kim

 

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I am with you.. my favorite RC out of all is the M38 Wild Willy.  

I bought mine from eBay sellers mostly.  I bought two NIB and built one of them.. the others are all restorations.   I don't know what your budget is, but be prepared to pay thousands (in my case tens of thousands :lol: :ph34r:)

IMG_Dec192021at42955PM.thumb.jpg.f83bb018392c784dd34ad5ea9c2c10ef.jpg

IMG_2022-8-20-173032.jpg.f1e42ac215ee4e105f1d684374ec3105.jpg

 

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If you want, you can click on the signature on the bottom of my post or go to my profile page /about me and will show all photos of cars I posted here including the M38.

If you want to see others, I am on Instagram #pretendrcshop

 

GL with your purchase, @Chewie75!!

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OMG Willy iine that just amazing :o:) I’m truly stunned.

Been drooling over the M38’ box art so many years and you have a hole collection of them. They all look perfect . Want one even more now!!

Believe me I’m going to just quite some time time looking through your collection later tonight … 

I lust need one perfect one in box art which is my preferred look… 

I willing to pay for one but the ones available now on eBay is super high… and doesn’t even look like they are SWB. 

What would a good price be on a SWB or LWB NIB, new assembled or renovated be?

Besides the perfect one is 500$ for a ok/good condition LWB prior runner reasonable?   

Do you mind a few questions if the need comes later in the process ?

Cheers Kim 

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@Chewie75  Thanks.   I think finding a SWB NIB is like looking for a unicorn. :lol:  I'm sure they still exist somewhere owned by some super collector (or super lucky person), but the two SWB I have are restored.   The NIB I was able to find were both LWB and they were sourced from an eBay seller in Japan... still they were expensive coming in near $2k each.

I think the price has come down a little bit post-pandemic as most decent used LWB versions were $700+ for a clean one, close to $1000 for SWB.  So a good condition LWB for $500 is reasonable.   I bought a couple of those, couple NIB body sets, also 3D printed parts from Shapeways, and a bunch of near-junk ones and just restored them.  Some of the used ones I got were aweful too.. and super dirty.. I actually disinfected them wearing gloves before I started the disassembly and restoration.  :lol:  Basically I don't want to bring any weird bacteria or disease into my home so anything that were driven outdoors are usually permanently not allowed to come back inside the house (kept in garage) unless it goes through a full cleansing/disinfecting procedure.

You're welcome to ask me questions, please quote or mention me in your post when you have a question so that I get a notification.

 

 

Also, don't forget to get your Wild Wendy. ;)

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2 hours ago, Willy iine said:

@Chewie75  Thanks.   I think finding a SWB NIB is like looking for a unicorn. :lol:  I'm sure they still exist somewhere owned by some super collector (or super lucky person), but the two SWB I have are restored.   The NIB I was able to find were both LWB and they were sourced from an eBay seller in Japan... still they were expensive coming in near $2k each.

I think the price has come down a little bit post-pandemic as most decent used LWB versions were $700+ for a clean one, close to $1000 for SWB.  So a good condition LWB for $500 is reasonable.   I bought a couple of those, couple NIB body sets, also 3D printed parts from Shapeways, and a bunch of near-junk ones and just restored them.  Some of the used ones I got were aweful too.. and super dirty.. I actually disinfected them wearing gloves before I started the disassembly and restoration.  :lol:  Basically I don't want to bring any weird bacteria or disease into my home so anything that were driven outdoors are usually permanently not allowed to come back inside the house (kept in garage) unless it goes through a full cleansing/disinfecting procedure.

You're welcome to ask me questions, please quote or mention me in your post when you have a question so that I get a notification.

 

 

Also, don't forget to get your Wild Wendy. ;)

IMG_Apr242021at92417AM.thumb.jpg.0be96b109eaf37dff4ab425894c5a31b.jpg


 

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. 
 

Checked you profile on insta ( figuring out to do it here ) I'm flabbergasted, Never seen anything so perfect and clean :lol:

It would make for a fantastic YouTube collection walkthrough :P

I completely agree with you regarding cleaning and bacteria removal before used vehicles are brought in to the house. One reason I love a NIB or never driven assembled example.  I'm the same when it comes to this sort of thing. 

Thank you for the guidance on NIB SWB/LWB. I'd better set sights on a LWB version. 
I will check out Shapeways.

Also love you Midnight Pumpkin it's too cool !!! B)
 

I am thinking of pulling the trigger on this one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/125632890776?hash=item1d404dc798:g:XU4AAOSwUZhjgzLx

Change the roll cage. Remove the tires and leave them soaking in a bath for a few days before treating them with rubber detailing spray. Fix the paint where it can be improved. Repaint the spare tire cover with the correct color. Wash the rims thoroughly with APC cleaner. Wash all plastic parts and clean with compressed air. 

 

May I ask what more a restoration requires?  What you use to disinfect the different item ?

I'm going to loose the OE stickers when I take them off.
I'm guessing it's  impossible to hunt down OE ones. So are there any near perfect reproduction you can recommend?

Real newbie questions. A normal car I get but have no idea how to go about doing a RC. OE parts must be very hard to find. I'm very good in regards to cleaning but the other processes in a perfect restoration I have no clue about.  Is the some restoration tutorials somewhere or even better YouTube videos on the amazing Wild Willy?

Cheers Kim

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@Chewie75 Hey thanks for your comments and checking out my IG page.  B) 

For cleaning, I only use 70% IPA (rubbing alcohol).  Any other harsh chemicals (including dish soap) can discolor the black parts.   NIB sometimes come with mold inside.. especially ones that come from Asia where humidity can be an issue.  So I had to lightly mist disinfectant spray several times before I could consider the mold under control.   Luckily where I live humidity is not too high and our house has a central HVAC so climate controlled.

As for the roll cage, one note is the WW2 version is slightly different on the forward pipe as the M38's window frame mounts differently.  WW2 version has screw holes which may/may not bother you.. also the rear diagonal pipe is different at the top where the screw hole is on the bottom side.

Yes, replacement parts can be difficult to find.  I actually bought 2 used cars just for parts besides the various spares I bought separately.  

I am not sure if there are any good tutorials on YT..  I use to make plastic models as a kid so basically any body parts that were missing, I literally cut the body part off another body to cement them together or used styrene sheets to make my own replica.   If you are good with working with hard shell bodies (including putty) restoring these M38 bodies is not that difficult to do..

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6 hours ago, Willy iine said:

If you want, you can click on the signature on the bottom of my post or go to my profile page /about me and will show all photos of cars I posted here including the M38.

If you want to see others, I am on Instagram #pretendrcshop

 

GL with your purchase, @Chewie75!!

Forgot to ask. Do your paint your own cars and drivers yourself ? I love your military drivers. Wendy ain't to shabby neither ;)

What color do you use TS5 or TS28?
 

Have you thought abort doing a M38 tribute based on the WW2? With Color, stickers, wheels and tires like the M38.

GYAR RC wheels look great on the WW2 imo. But I can't figure out where to buy them? 

 

Thanks Cheers 

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41 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

@Chewie75 Hey thanks for your comments and checking out my IG page.  B) 

For cleaning, I only use 70% IPA (rubbing alcohol).  Any other harsh chemicals (including dish soap) can discolor the black parts.   NIB sometimes come with mold inside.. especially ones that come from Asia where humidity can be an issue.  So I had to lightly mist disinfectant spray several times before I could consider the mold under control.   Luckily where I live humidity is not too high and our house has a central HVAC so climate controlled.

As for the roll cage, one note is the WW2 version is slightly different on the forward pipe as the M38's window frame mounts differently.  WW2 version has screw holes which may/may not bother you.. also the rear diagonal pipe is different at the top where the screw hole is on the bottom side.

Yes, replacement parts can be difficult to find.  I actually bought 2 used cars just for parts besides the various spares I bought separately.  

I am not sure if there are any good tutorials on YT..  I use to make plastic models as a kid so basically any body parts that were missing, I literally cut the body part off another body to cement them together or used styrene sheets to make my own replica.   If you are good with working with hard shell bodies (including putty) restoring these M38 bodies is not that difficult to do..

Check I will use 70% IPA and very mild car wash soap. Do you take them all apart when you renovate? Cleaning the screws or replacing them? Polishing the metal parts ? And polishing the plastic if that's possible...
Hoped I could use the role cage but if it's not an exact fit I'd better find one from a M38. Spare tire, driver, Jerry van and NOS bottle is the same right.

Is there any aftermarket stickers you can recommend? 

It adds up so maybe better to find a new one <_<

Thank again 

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@Chewie75  Thanks, yes, I do paint my own cars and drivers.  I only use the basic tools and paints however, nothing fancy.. like Tamiya's cheap standard paint brushes and Testor's enamel paint available at my local hobby shop or art store for example.. and super cheap plastic pallets and just mix my colors as I paint.

As for the M38's body colors, I use Tamiya's lacquer sprays.. TS5 (my favorite), TS28 (greenest), TS70 (dark drab almost gray).

As for a tribute, to me the WW2 is a completely different car so I never thought about doing it.  However, I do have a SWB GF01 based 4WD M151 (WW2 body) designed by @nicherotors.   This is a superb vehicle.  The wheels are by @simensays which are my favorite.

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IMG_Dec82021at63416PM.jpg.7a626de97234c7497c5db7a37d37488d.jpg

 

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11 hours ago, Chewie75 said:

Check I will use 70% IPA and very mild car wash soap. Do you take them all apart when you renovate? Cleaning the screws or replacing them? Polishing the metal parts ? And polishing the plastic if that's possible...
Hoped I could use the role cage but if it's not an exact fit I'd better find one from a M38. Spare tire, driver, Jerry van and NOS bottle is the same right.

Is there any aftermarket stickers you can recommend? 

It adds up so maybe better to find a new one <_<

Thank again 

I do take every thing apart first and wash them with the 70% rubbing alcohol allowing the parts to submerge for at least a good minute while I agitate the grime off.  I try to reuse as much original hardware as possible.  I do polish the screws if they are rusted using some Wenol metal polish.  For gear sets I use motor spray (or automotive CRC MAF Cleaner works real well, do NOT use brake cleaner), for bearings I use WD40 to clean, then multiple blasts of motor spray and lube using proper bearing oil at the end.  

Polishing plastic is possible and I use Meguiar's ScratchX as my polishing compound (diminishing abrasives) and microfiber towel.  For the roll cage, if you want to reuse the original with scratches, you can sand down the blemishes to about 1500 grit, then take a regular papertowel and elbow grease rub it for a while..  The plastic will begin to shine matching the surrounding gloss.   (same goes for black parts that turned white due to harsh chemical use..  it is recoverable by rubbing them down with a dry papertowel and lots of patience).

The driver, jerry can, NOS bottles, fire extinguishers are the same.. but the decals, as you saw, are not.  You can get replacement decals from places like MCI in Canada if you wish.. but their quality is questionable .. actually I have my wife print up most of the decals on her lazer printer after scanning the original sheet.. the only colors I cannot do on her printer is white with clear backing.. so those I had a print shop help me out.

Hope so of this info is useful.  :D 

 

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2 hours ago, Willy iine said:

double post

Kind of a worry that the reproduction stickers not being of a good quality. 
 

The 4x4 Willy is sick 😉

The one I found is in running condition which I don’t need . It must be renovated sometime down the line. 
Would be preferable if it was a former shelf queen.

So done the math a new one is probably the best solution for me
 

Or a SWB that really need renovation. Found a runner for 300$ in reasonable condition. 

Do you know of anyone that will do a paint job on a couple of  drivers ?

And maybe someone that will do a restoration? It kind of scares me starting a process so elaborate. 


Is your  Midnight Pumpkin Stock besides the colors? It’s also amazing 

 Thank you for all your guidance and have a  great weekend 

kim

 

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@Chewie75. Yeah, good call on going NIB if you don't want to mess with all the various parts you might need to gather for the restoration.  It can take a long while if you can't find that one part you need to replace.

Sorry, I do not know anyone who does painting, etc. but perhaps if you do an ad in the classified section of this forum asking for someone to paint (locally?) perhaps you might be able to hire someone.

The Midnight Pumpkin looking car I have is actually not an authentic car.  It was a RadioShack RTR I pulled the body from (thanks to insight from @Nikko85 who is a pro at building Radio Shack cars into awesome machines) and placed on a GF01 chassis.  The driver (Willy*) barely fits in there with his big head, so I call this car "Pumpkin Head F100" :D 

*Billy is the one with a screw hole in the back of his head

Willy is the one that comes with the M38/WW2 that has no screw hole..    (my wife just made this up but if you see my posts talking about Billy, it is the one with the screw hole in the back of his head. lol)

 

IMG_Dec162021at50712PM.jpg.0308642adbd6e8ab696a28a3f840fd49.jpg

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On 6/10/2023 at 6:27 PM, Willy iine said:

@Chewie75. Yeah, good call on going NIB if you don't want to mess with all the various parts you might need to gather for the restoration.  It can take a long while if you can't find that one part you need to replace.

Sorry, I do not know anyone who does painting, etc. but perhaps if you do an ad in the classified section of this forum asking for someone to paint (locally?) perhaps you might be able to hire someone.

The Midnight Pumpkin looking car I have is actually not an authentic car.  It was a RadioShack RTR I pulled the body from (thanks to insight from @Nikko85 who is a pro at building Radio Shack cars into awesome machines) and placed on a GF01 chassis.  The driver (Willy*) barely fits in there with his big head, so I call this car "Pumpkin Head F100" :D 

*Billy is the one with a screw hole in the back of his head

Willy is the one that comes with the M38/WW2 that has no screw hole..    (my wife just made this up but if you see my posts talking about Billy, it is the one with the screw hole in the back of his head. lol)

 

IMG_Dec162021at50712PM.jpg.0308642adbd6e8ab696a28a3f840fd49.jpg

hi again 

you collection pretend_rc_shop are surely amazing. Can’t stop looking at it

I send you a pm don’t know it it went through (newbie problems )

 

 

 

 

 

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I’ve gotten a bit further with my Willy M38 endeavor. 

Hoping to get a used SWB in pretty good condition to renovate very soon

 

And as far as I understand there is allot of parts that differ from SWB to LWB and 
parts are quite scarce for SWB. Do anyone in here have some new ones the like to sell?

Getting some Jerry Can rear panel from Simensays. And like to get a set of simensays wheels if he still makes them.

 


 

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3 hours ago, Chewie75 said:

I’ve gotten a bit longer with my Willy endeavor. 

Hoping to get a used SWB in pretty good condition to renovate very soon

Where do I get part for it ? Seems very hard to come by…? 

And as far as I understand there is allot of parts that differ from SWB to LWB 

Getting some Jerry Can rear panel from Simensays. 
 

Sorry, I have PM turned off on my account so that is why it is not coming through.  

I think you will have to search eBay to find SWB parts..  they are very difficult to find, that is true.   You know, I thought it would be an easy swap from LWB to SWB by changing out the hinge piece for the rear trailing arms, but it was not the case.  The whole rear suspension would bind.  There are several differences between the rear section of the SWB and LWB, so you *might* be better off just doing a LWB unless you can find two SWB you can build one car from and keep spare parts.  

If you're good with cutting styrene, you can pretty easily make that jerry can cover..  just a thought.  On mine the fitment was questionable so if I ever decide to do that cover again, I would just make one.   :D 

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7 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

Sorry, I have PM turned off on my account so that is why it is not coming through.  

I think you will have to search eBay to find SWB parts..  they are very difficult to find, that is true.   You know, I thought it would be an easy swap from LWB to SWB by changing out the hinge piece for the rear trailing arms, but it was not the case.  The whole rear suspension would bind.  There are several differences between the rear section of the SWB and LWB, so you *might* be better off just doing a LWB unless you can find two SWB you can build one car from and keep spare parts.  

If you're good with cutting styrene, you can pretty easily make that jerry can cover..  just a thought.  On mine the fitment was questionable so if I ever decide to do that cover again, I would just make one.   :D 

I've learned allot thank' to all you guys in here and especially you Willy Line.

Yes been searching eBay. Not many SWB parts for sale. Trying to buy a SWB as we speak. Let's see if I'm lucky to get it and how the condition is. But still like to change as many parts as possible to new. Just like it better when all is new. Specially plastic parts !

I should also have a few more WW's coming in. I will post when they are here.

Ok hope not everyone has turned off their PM's. I apparently don't get any info back regarding if my message has been well received.
Been trying to reach out to a couple of members here regarding paint jobs. I'm quit dead in my tracks if I can't find a painter for at least the drivers. Never really gets up to standard if the painting is mediocre at best. 
 

it the another way to contact people in here if they turn of PM?

 

 

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@Chewie75  No problem and GL with your purchase!!

I think the only other way to contact folks is to mention their handle like I am here with your handle and if they have notifications turned on, they would see it.  

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@Willy iine - Maybe its already mentioned here but i believe not (?), but did you ever try to use GF-01 chassi with Wild Willy shell?. Edit 2: I found some info further up where you mention it, so then i believe it works quite well ..

 

edit: I ask becouse i have a GF-01 myself and it can really take a hit and drives well so i believe its a much better chassi and i want a Wild Willy, always wanted one

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4 hours ago, simalarion said:

@Willy iine - Maybe its already mentioned here but i believe not (?), but did you ever try to use GF-01 chassi with Wild Willy shell?. Edit 2: I found some info further up where you mention it, so then i believe it works quite well ..

 

edit: I ask becouse i have a GF-01 myself and it can really take a hit and drives well so i believe its a much better chassi and i want a Wild Willy, always wanted one

The standard GF01 chassis does work well with the WW2 body.  There is some clearance issue with the body so minor modification is needed, but works well.  

However, the WW2 body is quite heavy so will not run anywhere near as sporty as the FJ40 pickup from what I found. 

The @nicherotors 4WD SWB Willy chassis fixes this by lowering the center of gravity.  It is a night/day improvement over the standard GF01 with WW2 body.  Plus it uses the hole in the Jeep’s center console for the switch rubber cover just like the M38.  B)  (everything sold separately, so more for advanced builders)  

 

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Thanks for the mention @Willy iine.

@simalarion, in terms of getting the Wild Willy 2 body onto a GF-01 chassis there are choices, each with their considerations.

One easy route is to stick with only Tamiya items, a ‘how to’ can be found here: https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=137457&id=18923

A midway point is what I’ve called the GF-02 whereby a handful of 3d printed parts allow for the body to be repositioned so that it is more faithfully positioned over the wheels albeit sitting a few mm higher than the original; the parts can be found on Shapeways here: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/nicherotors?section=GF-02+M38+Chassis+Parts&sort=

The chassis @Willy iine mentions is a ground up redesign of the GF-01 chassis that uses the same gears and suspension arms but does pump up the price of the model 2 to 3 times but can accommodate the original body without having to make cuts to the footwell. The background to the development can be found here: https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/99033-wild-willy’s-3d-printing-adventure-by-nicherotors/

Sorry if a bit off original topic.
 

Naturally, a lot depends upon the surface you will be running on, handling vs cosmetics and budget but they are all fun in their own way. My current focus is modifying the WR-02 chassis to get a lower rear wheel drive chassis which has its own charm.

 

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I might look into building a Wild Willy GF-02 sometime in the future. Sure looks good.

Especially crazy with @Willy iine Custom Midnight Pumpkin 

Just need to finish my Willy M38 and Willy 2 Projects first

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@Willy iine Do you use flat clear un top of the TS-5 Olive Drap when you do your Willys ? 

And what color do you paint the spare wheel cover in? 

Do you know if there is a list somewhere on this amazing forum where I can see what WW2 parts I can use renovating A M38 SWB or SWB?

Alle the white parts on the parts tree should work right. Any of the screw set work? 

I was lucky to add M38 Willy’s to my collection :D

Posting when they arrive from all over the world 

Thanks 

cheers 

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