Kol's Optima Mid

[Carmine A]

Beautiful!!!

[Kol__]

6 minutes ago, Carmine A said:

Beautiful!!!

Thanks mate. I'm pleased with the way the colour came out as a decent match for the wheels. And the Optima Pro shell they've used on this 87 World's has sleeker lines than the standard Optima-Mid one.

Onto the electronics, and I'm sticking with brushed for now. A Kyosho branded 1060 ESC and a brushed G2X 20 turn Kyosho motor.

Installed...

Running lipo for the first time ever, 2S Garport, which just about fits under the shell.

And yes, you're right @skom25, it certainly needs an undertray to protect that carbon chassis. I've gone with a Penguin one, it just about fits where the chassis meets the gearboxes, but has good coverage at the front and back.

[Andreas W]

Looking good and better. You should add a couple of layers of duct tape where the battery cables touch the body. I did not in the beginning on my Tomahawk and it did not take long before the paint was worn through there. 

 

Curious about how the motor performs. I have a few G15 I run in my Dragons. Performance on Superstock level for Torque Tuned price (we get them unpacked in bulk).

[jonboy1]

Hey @Kol__ 

I just tried to send you a PM but I think your mailbox is full 👍

[Kol__]

49 minutes ago, jonboy1 said:

Hey @Kol__ 

I just tried to send you a PM but I think your mailbox is full 👍

Ah yeah, it was bud, just deleted a load of stuff, should be fine now🙂

[Kol__]

10 hours ago, Andreas W said:

Looking good and better. You should add a couple of layers of duct tape where the battery cables touch the body. I did not in the beginning on my Tomahawk and it did not take long before the paint was worn through there. 

Curious about how the motor performs. I have a few G15 I run in my Dragons. Performance on Superstock level for Torque Tuned price (we get them unpacked in bulk).

Mmm yeah good idea about some tape to protect the paint on the inside of the shell.

I was looking for the G15, but it appears to be discontinued. If you know where I can get one or have one for sale, please let me know bud. I agree it appears to be similar Superstock speed/torque for not a lot of money👍🙂

[Andreas W]

Here you go .G15 motors 

https://www.samirc.no/products/kyosho-70705zz-motor-540-class-g-serie-15x1--unpackaged

[Sgt.Speirs]

@Kol__: Absolutely beautiful!

But I can't understand Kyosho why both the Turbo Optima and the Optima Mid don't come with an undertray. This should definitely have been added to these re-release models.

My Le Mans 480 Gold is also waiting for a Kyosho Legandary Series model...but I can't decide which one to choose🙈

[Kol__]

On 12/10/2024 at 1:51 PM, Sgt.Speirs said:

@Kol__: Absolutely beautiful!

But I can't understand Kyosho why both the Turbo Optima and the Optima Mid don't come with an undertray. This should definitely have been added to these re-release models.

My Le Mans 480 Gold is also waiting for a Kyosho Legandary Series model...but I can't decide which one to choose🙈

 

Yeah agreed buddy, who wants to mash up the underside of a nice carbon chassis or worse the lovely gold of the Turbo Optima!🤷

And that motor looks gorgeous mate, stunning!! Surely with that gold, it's got to go into a Turbo Optima!?😎

[Kol__]

She's been running...

And she's gotten mighty dirty for a new girl on the block...🤮...

Fair bit if disassembly to really get clean again, but the buggy has held up pretty well. The undertray has done a sterling job of protecting the carbon chassis plate.

Rear wing taking some damage and splits. Even though this is a runner body, I will likely fit a Kyosho hard plastic wing. I have one here in the peppermint.

All clean again now. The buggy runs really well out there on the dirt and gravel that I run on. It is a little twitchy, so I can see why people go for a LWB chassis conversion.

I'm finding there's a bit of a clicking sound when under heavy braking into side skids, more like a sort of clacking sound. Could that be the belt slipping guys?

[Carmine A]

She's a thing of beauty!! And you got her properly dirty. That under tray is definitely a necessity... And a LWB might be more stable, but you should be able to out corner it anytime!

.... your brake is strong enough to make the belt slip!? 😮😯

[Andreas W]

It's looking gorgeous and it's so nice seeing you are running it in proper environment.

 

As Carmine already has said that noise can be the belt skipping. I had that, mostly going forwards when I fitted slicks on my XV-01,  but also while braking.

[Kol__]

On 12/14/2024 at 8:03 AM, Andreas W said:

As Carmine already has said that noise can be the belt skipping. I had that, mostly going forwards when I fitted slicks on my XV-01,  but also while braking.

Yeah I was reading somewhere else it can be the belt skipping making the clacking noise. Hopefully there's someone with Optima-Mid experience that can confirm. Perhaps fitting the shorter Optima belt will be the solution. I think I'm going to go with diff gears on this now, but will see how well those function on my Javelin before making a decision.

[Andreas W]

Braking on the surface you are running on is not providing that much of a force on the drivetrain, so only one click is making sense. As said I have only had it running slicks on tarmac and I first got ut while accelerating gard out of corners. If I was feeding rhe throtle there was no skipping. A tiny bit more tension on the belt and it was gone. 

 

 

[toyolien]

On 12/13/2024 at 11:51 PM, Kol__ said:

I'm finding there's a bit of a clicking sound when under heavy braking into side skids, more like a sort of clacking sound. Could that be the belt slipping guys?

Exactly what happened with the first mid i built when running on dry astroturf. When you use the standard Optima belt it solves that issue and it also puts the belt tension adjuster back in the middle of the tension settings where it should be (in my opinion). 

[Kol__]

5 hours ago, toyolien said:

Exactly what happened with the first mid i built when running on dry astroturf. When you use the standard Optima belt it solves that issue and it also puts the belt tension adjuster back in the middle of the tension settings where it should be (in my opinion). 

Thanks mate, which setting did you put the adjuster on when fitting the Optima belt? iirc correctly it's number 8 with the standard belt.

[toyolien]

30 minutes ago, Kol__ said:

Thanks mate, which setting did you put the adjuster on when fitting the Optima belt? iirc correctly it's number 8 with the standard belt.

Started with this one, but ended up on the next loosest when I actually ran it:

 

[Kol__]

38 minutes ago, toyolien said:

Started with this one, but ended up on the next loosest when I actually ran it:

Ah nice one. So I'm pretty sure you have it on 7 from what I can see there, but you ran it on 6 in the end👍

This is the instruction for the Optima-Mid 87, stock setting number 8...

So fit Optima belt and use 6th step then👍

[toyolien]

27 minutes ago, Kol__ said:

So fit Optima belt and use 6th step then👍

Yep. My first Mid I ended up running it on 10! (before I found out about the Optima belt)

[Kol__]

38 minutes ago, toyolien said:

Yep. My first Mid I ended up running it on 10! (before I found out about the Optima belt)

10! Yeah I had been debating simply going up a step to 9, but sounds like the Optima belt is the best option.

How do you assess belt tension on these?

On most 1:1 cars for example, the aux drive belts are tight once you can only twist them by hand to 90 degrees from flat, so that's pretty straightforward. But as to how tight an RC car belt should be, I have no idea!

[toyolien]

15 minutes ago, Kol__ said:

How do you assess belt tension on these?

I accelerated and braked hard on the carpet in my garage until the 'clicking' went. It ended up about 2-3 mm of movement when pressed from the top lightly (unsure how to quantify this thought)

[Kol__]

Update🙂

No major changes to the buggy, but I have gone from 8 to 9 on the belt setting to tighten it up a notch @toyolien, and it sounds like it's 'clacking' less now, so that seems ok for the moment. Long term plan though is still Turbo Optima belt and also gear diffs. 

I replaced the polycarbonate rear wing with a plastic Kyosho one in the peppermint green, and added a few stickers...

Took the buggy out today, first RC run of the season. The wife kindly snapped some pics whilst the buggy covered her in a dust cloud😂...

Also, got a few jumps in...

And then my boys made sand 'ramps' for the buggy to jump over...

All in all, a lot of fun. This buggy handles so well and it feels very at home in the woodland and sand.

[toyolien]

@Kol__ Such a lovely looking Buggy. The Optima Mid was the first rc car I ever saw racing in 1987/8. The Optima belt will make a big difference to the tension too. Gives way more adjustment.

[Kol__]

On 4/27/2025 at 7:33 PM, toyolien said:

@Kol__ Such a lovely looking Buggy. The Optima Mid was the first rc car I ever saw racing in 1987/8. The Optima belt will make a big difference to the tension too. Gives way more adjustment.

Thanks mate. To clarify we're talking about the Kyosho OT227B belt? Cheers

[Grumpy pants]

Nice family outing, wife and kids all involved 👍