schumacher builds. r they really that nasty?

[gkatz]

hi all

lately i have seen many vids on the shumacher vintage cars, mainly pro cat and some xls.

i mostly see the anger and frustration on the people that build.

r these cars really that frustrating? seems like the kit requires: special tools, a lot of sanding of parts that should be complete, a lot of adjustments, etc

for a novice coming from tamiya (and kyosho soon) would shumacher it be a complete shocker?

[Superluminal]

Ive built the re-re Cat XLS and Cougar. They definitely were not the perfect lego style snap together type of build that most Tamiya and Kyosho kits were but thats not to say they werent very enjoyable to build and I didnt find them frustrating, just a different approach. The best thing to do is watch some other build videos or write ups first where others have previously addressed the issues identified ie; on the Cat build and fit the steering assembly first before fitting the chassis plates despite what the manual shows and on the Cougar throw the kit servo saver in the bin and fit a Tamiya or Kimborough one. And yes, your thumbs and fingers will be very sore when assembling the universals but its well worth it in the end as they are a great piece of design. The only annoying bit I had was scratching the paint on the rear wing i had spent ages masking and spraying in an attempt to fit the super fiddly o-ring method of attaching the wing to the body - ive since seen a youtoob vid of someone using a cable tie to hold them in place when fitting the cross pin. Wish id seen that first!

[mtbkym01]

Challenging may be a good descriptive word for them, so the question is, do you like a challenge?

[gkatz]

4 hours ago, mtbkym01 said:

Challenging may be a good descriptive word for them, so the question is, do you like a challenge?

i am up to the challange - now I need to wait for a re re re XLS - I dont think I care too much about the procat

[Superluminal]

15 minutes ago, gkatz said:

i am up to the challange - now I need to wait for a re re re XLS - I dont think I care too much about the procat

If its anything like the Topcat it will be a long wait for a new XLS if they come around again. What is it about the Procat you are not keen on? You might be able to get a repro XLS decal set and body shell to work on the Procat chassis.

[gkatz]

5 minutes ago, Superluminal said:

If its anything like the Topcat it will be a long wait for a new XLS if they come around again. What is it about the Procat you are not keen on? You might be able to get a repro XLS decal set and body shell to work on the Procat chassis.

other then the looks I have seen some build vids that put me off... like the need to solder components (not wires) but maybe its like that in all their models?

[Twinfan]

The only soldering will be for the anti-roll bar ends, but you can use these parts instead so you don't have to solder:

• Alloy Roll Bar Ball [Diameter 5.5mm] (U7385)
• Schumacher Speed Pack Grub Screw set (U2128) x2

Given how Schumacher seem to play the re-re game, if you want a Cat of some description your best bet is to get the ProCat Classic while they're still available new at a good price...

[ImALlama]

13 hours ago, Superluminal said:

super fiddly o-ring method of attaching the wing

This was a nightmare for me, huge pain and took me forever

13 hours ago, Superluminal said:

assembling the universals

First one I did thought was impossible without breaking it, but then I found it much easier after figuring it out.

I don’t have much experience with building shumachers but if they’re all done the same then overall I like the approach. I like how all the steps have their own bag of parts and screws labeled for the step, saves me from accidentally using the wrong length screw, or opening multiple bags of stuff just to get the couple of parts I need. Especially if I take a break and put it all away for later, no need to worry about dropping and/or losing some small washer or whatever. I do think a few of their illustrations could be done better though.