Ever built a kit without buying a kit?

[Gebbly 760]

Since getting back into the hobby I've really wanted to add the Tamiya Pershing to my build queue. Unfortunately it is no longer sold. Every so often I search the internet but I cant find one anywhere. I have seen some prebuilt on ebay so I could buy a prebuilt one, take it apart, clean it and rebuild it but for some reason that doesnt feel the same. The only other option I can think of is, I sometimes see individual kit parts for sale like

and

https://tinyurl.com/TamiyaPershingPart

 

I could try and find the manuals from somewhere and then try and buy all the parts individually from various places.

Has anyone ever tried collecting the individual parts for a Tamiya kit to build it? How hard was it?

 

[Oh and if anyone knows of an old Tamiya Pershing RC kit they dont want or is available from somewhere please let me know ]

 

[alvinlwh 6893]

Yes, I had built a SW-01 entirely from hopup parts, not cheap!

[Twinfan 1807]

I've built a Lunch Box and a Grasshopper from leftover parts from other builds and new spare parts.  Dead easy to do but not the cheapest route, however I wanted to use up parts I already had rather than have them lying around.

How easy it is to do depends entirely on the kit you're building.  Anything discontinued with unique parts is going to be a challenge.

[svenb 3882]

Wouldn't recommend it unless you love part hunting, it always works out way more expensive than buying an expensive kit!

I put together a TA04 from parts after I had a spare chassis and some suspension bits, only built it up to sell on. Lost about £40🙄

[alvinlwh 6893]

Oh, not quite an entire kit, but currently I am doing a carbon chassis conversion for a TA-02, from parts. 

A lot of ordering parts, wait for delivery, discover I need more parts. Repeat...

[Tamiyabigstuff 851]

'Has anyone ever tried collecting the individual parts for a Tamiya kit to build it? How hard was it?'

20-25 years ago ebay was awash with vintage buggy spares and it was usually not too difficult to amass all the parts to build a model which was otherwise no longer available.

I tried restoring some buggies but ended up replacing more than 50% of the bits anyway so found it just as cost effective at the time to use just new parts.

I did quite a few - Astute, Super Astute, Madcap, Saint Dragon, Sonic Fighter, Striker, Bush Devil, Super Blackfoot, Bigwig, Manta Ray, Dyna Blaster, a couple of TA-01/2 and no doubt a few more I've forgotten about !

I still have all the parts to build a vintage Fox stored away.

The tank kits never sold in the same kind of numbers as the buggy kits so there are a lot fewer spares around.

Finding all the parts to build a Pershing is going to be a tough job - keep looking for a nice built one is probably your best option.

Unfortunately the NIB Pershing I have is not for sale.

[svenb 3882]

40 minutes ago, Tamiyabigstuff said:

'Has anyone ever tried collecting the individual parts for a Tamiya kit to build it? How hard was it?'

Yes, I did a F103GT from parts.

Easy enough but some hop ups where difficult to find.

Two years later Tamiya rereleased it🙄

[Saito2 7249]

When I was a kid I desperately wanted the original Tamiya Wild Willy but it was discontinued. I had the master spare parts list (with prices) from the US importer at the time, MRC. I began adding it up and it would have cost over $500 to piece together then when the Wild Willy kit was only $120 at the time of its discontinuation.

Since those early days, I've managed to put together several Clod Busters and ORV monsters out of spares. The trick to doing it cost effectively was in buying up inexpensive masses of old parts from folks getting out of the hobby. I wasn't attempting to build these models necessarily, rather I just noticed I might have enough to try and piece them together on some rainy Saturdays. Its a bit of a emotional roller coaster combing through all those parts but one gets quite a "high" when they realize all the parts are there for completion. 

[markbt73 5616]

Many times, usually because I have 80% of what I need already. All three of my current RC10s came into being this way, as did these two:

Camaro (left) is a Frog, Charger is a Grasshopper 2. I only had to buy a few parts (and the RJ Speed bodies) to complete both. And I have most of another Grasshopper and a Lunchbox that I'll do something similar with eventually.

I've also bought two or three wrecks/parts cars and built one good one from them, many times. I currently have a beat-up Traxxas Hawk that I'm going to try to convert to a Sledgehammer by hunting down the necessary parts (or making appropriate substitutes).

These have all been fairly easy, but a tank kit? That might take some time to find everything. Sounds like an interesting challenge, though.

[Kowalski86 3983]

Since I buy a lot of used RCs they usually end up as "kits", by the fact that I end up rebuilding them.

I've never tried bits-a-building an RC though, usually I'd buy two project cars, piece something together from them, then sell the surplus.

[ADRay1000 423]

I built a second Lunchbox around 2002 from extra new parts picked up on eBay the few years prior. 

[Pylon80 3322]

I built a F101 entirely from new old stock parts, vintage (used) parts and a few Group C re-re parts. And it's loaded with the old school "Racing Developed" (aka the ancestor of TRF) parts. Not cheap

I would certainly not recommend doing more than 1 of such builds, just for the experience. For reference, the F101 are available all day long although perhaps in rather beat-up form on eBay, for a 1/3rd of what it cost me to do that build.

Still a WIP and I am looking forward to the winter when I can spray the body!

[guggles 238]

Certainly the trick is to find all of the hardest to source parts and then make sure you can get those first before you commit. 

It seems like specialty spacers, drive train pieces and unique chassis mounts and stuff are the most scarce. 

I know the thread starter has a wish to not take apart an already built car, but buying several used cars with missing parts in good condition and then building one good car out of all the parts is the best way to do it. If you are patient and play your cards right you can get the parts cars for less than a compete one in good shape. 

[Gun Slinger 393 164]

If the kit is no longer available to buy new then for me buying a built one and completely tearing it down is the only way! If the seller has the manual included in the sale or you can source a manual, you can strip it completely, really set about cleaning and repairing them, then match the parts to the parts list that are salvageable and then you know what you need to find.

find those parts 1st and you are basically sat with a complete kit to build!  For sure hard work but it will be rewarding!

And at the end of the day you have unobtanium! 
You would have to be realistic with time scales obviously the project could take years!

But to quote the Guiness advert “good things come to those who wait”

GS

[yogi-bear 2413]

well, there is one other option, but its certainly not for everyone, in that you scratch build it. With today's availability of 3D software and printers, while it's a challenge it's certainly very do-able for you to make every part. This is what I am doing with the Marui Mitsubishi Jeep. It was in their catalogue , but never released, so no chance of getting one, but with the help of @silvertriple (he 3D modelled the parts) I am building this to be a kit. I will make every part, and intend on machining the gears (I've never done that before either, so that will be a positive learning experience!) as well as all the packaging, a manual etc so it would be as you would have bought it back in the day and then make one that drives. I have a first version of most of the parts, plus I've made up artwork and printed a test box.

Granted this is a pretty big project, but in saying that, if you get part of kit, there is a the possibility of finishing it off with 3D printed parts at least.

 

 

[svenb 3882]

56 minutes ago, yogi-bear said:

well, there is one other option, but its certainly not for everyone, in that you scratch build it. With today's availability of 3D software and printers, while it's a challenge it's certainly very do-able for you to make every part. This is what I am doing with the Marui Mitsubishi Jeep. It was in their catalogue , but never released, so no chance of getting one, but with the help of @silvertriple (he 3D modelled the parts) I am building this to be a kit. I will make every part, and intend on machining the gears (I've never done that before either, so that will be a positive learning experience!) as well as all the packaging, a manual etc so it would be as you would have bought it back in the day and then make one that drives. I have a first version of most of the parts, plus I've made up artwork and printed a test box.

Granted this is a pretty big project, but in saying that, if you get part of kit, there is a the possibility of finishing it off with 3D printed parts at least.

 

 

Wow! Impressive 

[silvertriple 4002]

25 minutes ago, svenb said:

Wow! Impressive 

The whole journey around this car redesign is in this thread : Again another Marui project : Super Wheelie and Big Bear... - Marui - Tamiyaclub.com

And I must say that without @yogi-bear, I would never had any chance to finish it... 

[Alexei 703]

yeah, currently doing a project like that. though, it's not a Tamiya kit but the idea is the same. i have a handful of spares left over, so im buying up the rest i need.

[El Gecko 1428]

10 hours ago, markbt73 said:

I currently have a beat-up Traxxas Hawk that I'm going to try to convert to a Sledgehammer by hunting down the necessary parts (or making appropriate substitutes).

I haven't had a look around at how available parts are, but that could be a tall order unless you manage to find a junker Sledge with the parts you need.

There's a lot of overlap (gearbox casings/internals, driveshafts, suspension arms/c-hubs/axle carriers, front bulkhead and bumper) but a lot more that you'd need to source such as the chassis tub, front upper bulkhead and upper shock mountings, rear upper bulkhead/shock mountings, body mounts etc. That's not to mention the aluminum parts such as the two skid plates and two gearbox plates, which are different than the Hawk's motor plate (extended to bolt onto the Sledge tub a different way, and the second one is necessary to hold the rear bumper/body mount section). There's also the small pieces like the little adaptors that let you run dual shocks on the rear suspension arms. And if you have the Hawk 2 or one of the revisions, it might have a completely different gearbox altogether which might not work with the Sledge chassis.

Also most of the Hawk/Sledge (and Radicator) drivetrain and suspension stuff has been discontinued for a long time, and the nylon was very weak and susceptible to sun damage (as well as just regular damage), so it can be tough to find things like diff yokes or rear axle carriers in good shape still, even NOS in the package. I had to "creatively adapt" some Slash/Rustler parts to get mine running again.

The Hawk is actually a pretty rare beast since it was only made for a few years prior to the Rustler taking over, so IMHO it should stay a Hawk, but it's your car so feel free to ignore all of this!

[RichieRich 771]

I have built 5 or 6 rc10s from parts and probably have enough to build another 2. I know I'm missing some bits but hopefully with AE making more parts, I can build those two. I've been able to build them with various modifications and different bodies. 

[Kowalski86 3983]

2 hours ago, El Gecko said:

I haven't had a look around at how available parts are, but that could be a tall order unless you manage to find a junker Sledge with the parts you need.

Yea...when people praise Traxxas parts availability, they kinda forget about the older models or models like the V1 Emaxx.

Some parts from the early Traxxas 2wd models might be compatible with the Sledge/Hawk, but don't quote me on that.

[markbt73 5616]

3 hours ago, El Gecko said:

I haven't had a look around at how available parts are, but that could be a tall order unless you manage to find a junker Sledge with the parts you need.

There's a lot of overlap (gearbox casings/internals, driveshafts, suspension arms/c-hubs/axle carriers, front bulkhead and bumper) but a lot more that you'd need to source such as the chassis tub, front upper bulkhead and upper shock mountings, rear upper bulkhead/shock mountings, body mounts etc. That's not to mention the aluminum parts such as the two skid plates and two gearbox plates, which are different than the Hawk's motor plate (extended to bolt onto the Sledge tub a different way, and the second one is necessary to hold the rear bumper/body mount section). There's also the small pieces like the little adaptors that let you run dual shocks on the rear suspension arms. And if you have the Hawk 2 or one of the revisions, it might have a completely different gearbox altogether which might not work with the Sledge chassis.

Also most of the Hawk/Sledge (and Radicator) drivetrain and suspension stuff has been discontinued for a long time, and the nylon was very weak and susceptible to sun damage (as well as just regular damage), so it can be tough to find things like diff yokes or rear axle carriers in good shape still, even NOS in the package. I had to "creatively adapt" some Slash/Rustler parts to get mine running again.

The Hawk is actually a pretty rare beast since it was only made for a few years prior to the Rustler taking over, so IMHO it should stay a Hawk, but it's your car so feel free to ignore all of this!

It's a Hawk 1, but it's barely a Hawk at all. It's on some sort of aluminum chassis (Eagle? Nitro Hawk? No idea) that's all bent out of shape and trashed, and someone made their own cheesy servo mounts and shock towers for it. It is a cool-looking parts truck with a great aftermarket period-correct body on it.

And I have no intention of finding a stock tub. I found the two aluminum braces for cheap, and I'm going to make a flat-plate chassis for it, along with new shock towers, and basically make it a full custom build. It's a good excuse to finally pull the trigger on one of those 3018 CNC machines I've been eyeing forever.

[Gebbly 760]

5 hours ago, markbt73 said:

basically make it a full custom build

Ooh, sounds like there could be a fascinating build thread coming?

[TwistedxSlayer 1294]

On 8/8/2024 at 9:52 AM, Gebbly said:

Since getting back into the hobby I've really wanted to add the Tamiya Pershing to my build queue. Unfortunately it is no longer sold. Every so often I search the internet but I cant find one anywhere. I have seen some prebuilt on ebay so I could buy a prebuilt one, take it apart, clean it and rebuild it but for some reason that doesnt feel the same. The only other option I can think of is, I sometimes see individual kit parts for sale like

and

https://tinyurl.com/TamiyaPershingPart

 

I could try and find the manuals from somewhere and then try and buy all the parts individually from various places.

Has anyone ever tried collecting the individual parts for a Tamiya kit to build it? How hard was it?

 

[Oh and if anyone knows of an old Tamiya Pershing RC kit they dont want or is available from somewhere please let me know ]

 

Yep, built a TB Evo 4 from spare parts with the help of some TC members and eBay. It was hard to get some of the parts and it definitely wasn't cheap by the end of it.

[El Gecko 1428]

11 hours ago, markbt73 said:

It's a Hawk 1, but it's barely a Hawk at all. It's on some sort of aluminum chassis (Eagle? Nitro Hawk? No idea) that's all bent out of shape and trashed, and someone made their own cheesy servo mounts and shock towers for it. It is a cool-looking parts truck with a great aftermarket period-correct body on it.

And I have no intention of finding a stock tub. I found the two aluminum braces for cheap, and I'm going to make a flat-plate chassis for it, along with new shock towers, and basically make it a full custom build. It's a good excuse to finally pull the trigger on one of those 3018 CNC machines I've been eyeing forever.

Sounds like a cool project, I'm excited to see what you come up with!

Curious about that aluminum chassis... as far as I know the early Traxxas trucks were graphite painted to look metallic, so it might be an aftermarket hopup.