Madcap built with Astute parts.

[bavee]

Applause for going with NOS diff housings. I wanted to do the same with my Monster Racer or Madcap to see what al the fuss was about. But ultimately I yielded and  I went with @Sgt.Speirs TRF201 Transmission Conversion in the Monster Racer and @Muso31 planetary diff in the Madcap...

@Muso31 parts can still be found on Ebay (gear diff and alloy diff housings).

 

[Sgt.Speirs]

@bavee:  @Sgt.Speirs gearbox parts can be still bought via PM to me😜

[Saito2]

Yes, Muso's parts are wonderful. We spoke at great length during the development process of those parts and he offered to send me some parts to try out but shipping across the pond was prohibitive as always.

[bavee]

2 hours ago, Sgt.Speirs said:

@bavee:  @Sgt.Speirs gearbox parts can be still bought via PM to me😜

Yeah, but I assumed it would be out of character for @Saito2 to transplant a TRF201 Transmission Conversion into his Madcap / Astute.

But as we say: assumption is the mother of all ****-ups. So maybe he surprises me and really wants that TRF201 Transmission Conversion for his Madcap / Astute.

If that is the case @Sgt.Speirs is your go-to guy! I can totally recommend him. His ingenuity is beyond words.

[Sgt.Speirs]

@bavee: For the Madcap / Astute runner the new BBX Transmission Conversion would be a good choice😊
You can re-use the original motor plate and the gear cover…

[Saito2]

1 hour ago, bavee said:

So maybe he surprises me and really wants that TRF201 Transmission Conversion for his Madcap / Astute.

You assumed correctly, lol. I am both poor and anachronistic so, awesome as that conversion may be, I'll be hoping the stock parts hold up.

[bavee]

1 hour ago, Saito2 said:

You assumed correctly, lol. I am both poor and anachronistic so, awesome as that conversion may be, I'll be hoping the stock parts hold up.

Yeah, really looking forward to your experiences with the stock ball diff!

[Saito2]

Well, as a bit of an update, this little venture is stalled pretty hard. The Xtra Speed steering parts I ordered should have been here a week ago but now won't make an appearance until February unfortunately. Probably still mining the aluminum to make the parts or something, lol. Bodies for the Super Astute are starting to show up on fleabay but I can't bring myself to spend the $75 they're asking to get one shipped to my door and that's without an undetray (extra $25). That's over a third the price of a new SA kit for a piece of lexan. I can't bring myself to spend that kind of money for that. So, barring a sale at TBG, the whole project will go back into its box for awhile until I get sick of it and resign myself to just throwing an old Madcap body on it and running with that. The Madcap's a great looking buggy but I just wanted to see an Astute in action. First world problems.

[Kol__]

That's a shame mate, that is a *******-take price for a body shell that's for sure. I think stores like TTP will soon have them in stock again soon. So maybe worth contacting Tamiya USA or your local shop to ask a time frame for when the SA spares will be available?

I'm not surprised the SA alloy parts are selling out, I bet Xtra Speed are loving it!!

[Saito2]

I set the pieces out on the bench tonight. I think I'll push on with it as a Madcap for now. It will probably retain the less favorable transverse battery layout which will save some money both on Super Astute spares for the battery box as well as the required smaller steering servo needed to fit them. The traverse battery is more in the spirit of the Madcap and original Astute anyway. Maybe some gaffer tape on the underside will offer some protection for the FRP  chassis plate. Paying strict attention to money invested in a project like this is always something to keep in mind. All too often, the budget can ran away and just buying the available kit in the first place (Super Astute) would having proven to be the more prudent, or, dare I say, Astute move.

[Thommo]

On 4/4/2024 at 11:09 AM, Thommo said:

 

Great project, following with interest.  Sounds like you already know the pitfall of battery ejection with the OG battery holders.  

[Saito2]

Well, here we are, back in the saddle again. Things have a funny way of progressing.

I was ready to throw in the towel and just get a Super Astute kit especially after seeing the prices of Astute bodies and undertrays.. At the last moment, I decided to go over some Youtube videos and reviews. One, from Tamiya Legends in particular, caught my attention. Glen was feeling a bit of dwindling enthusiasm somewhere in the middle of the project. He mentioned how irritating it was to remove/install the body (his being custom painted). Now, this is a personal pet-peeve of mine as well so I pulled my shelfer down to look it over and refresh my memory. The body was indeed a bit of a pain and I recalled to had a tendency to rub at the rear shocks too. I randomly tried to slip a battery pack in and it didn't fit. Well, that was enough to put a stop to purchasing one, so I swiveled my eyes back to my forlorn project chassis. It was time to get back to it and make it a Madcap (whose body drops on with ease, lol). Astute readers will note the thread title has been edited from "Astute built with Madcap parts" to "Madcap built with Astute parts".

Here on the messy bench is what's together so far. The yellow shocks from the Astute theme will probably give way to black ones now. Look! The alloy steering bellcranks showed up before February. Yay! The Madcap front brace (supported at the rear with aluminum columns) ties into a prototype upper deck to add some needed stiffening. The Madcap's shell will easily accommodate this.

Madcap arms are flexible (probably PA plastics from the feel of it) compared to the rock-hard shiny ABS/PC versions on the Super Astute. Since I'll be running on a hard packed dirt surface topped with over and inch of loose silt I decided to forgo some response for traction. The Madcap uses fixed upper links to quell flexibility and the Astute's adjustable upper arms only pivot on one axis (vs a typical ball end). I consider all these things as tuning aids. At the front, I'm using ball end upper links to start. The rear uses single axis pivot links akin to the Astute to combat twist from acceleration/deceleration. I could also run a ball end on just one end for more flexibility or on both like the front for full flexibility. Even fixed Madcap links are a possibility. Jamie Booth's "Works" edition Astute used Madcap lower arms with full ball end links all around.

[Kol__]

Great to see she's back on the cards @Saito2 !

Good idea with the top chassis brace, should help to limit the classic Madcap/Astute front bulk head splits.

Do you have any issues with the steering bell cranks clearance? I remember when I upgraded my Madcap/Astute steering from Madcap to Super Astute there were some sort of clearance issues with the front bulk head mounting screws/nuts as the cranks sweep from side to side ove the nuts? I think I used those strange little recessed gripping Astute nuts to resolve the issue.

And what bell crank connecting rod have you gone with? Not a ball joint from the looks of the cross head screw that can be seen.

Look forward to seeing this one come together! Recomend the Xtra Speed UJ's if you decide to treat yourself at any point, they're decent👍

[Saito2]

13 hours ago, Kol__ said:

Do you have any issues with the steering bell cranks clearance?

No, I have clearance but I did slip a couple of flat washers under the aluminum steering post, raising them slightly. The connecting rod uses balljointed rod ends held in place with the cross head screws. They're rather low profile joints from my parts box. Old Dubro items IIRC.

 

Even with the Madcap bulkhead brace, the front tower mount molded into the bulkhead is vulnerable. The Super Astute brace does help tie into the tower mount better by attaching to the backside of the tower. Being thrifty (as well as having trouble locating the popular G sprue now), I fashion a brace out of aluminum angle seen here:

 

[Saito2]

No masterpiece but its getting there...

 

[Snappy1]

Coming along very nicely, if you need any parts I will probably have what you need, remember 10 years ago you looked after  me with an Astute gearbox,  I even have spare Astute front rims and tyres….. 

[Saito2]

Anyone remember this pile 'o junk? 

I had a bunch of mostly empty cans of Tamiya spray after recent work on my old RC10 collection and decided to put them to use. It was semi-inspired by the old RCCA review car. I got the body about 200 years ago (or so it feels, lol) when I bought my first Madcap off fleabay as the third vintage Tamiya I ever purchased from the site. It was unpainted but in bad shape. The PO tried to cut (hack) it out with regular scissors and made a mess of it. There were scuffs and weird black marks all over it as well. Never being one to throw anything away, I held onto and finally, with some cleaning and careful trimming, got it somewhat presentable for paint. It will be a runner so I didn't get too fussy. Hope to get this one in the dirt this summer if I can find time and inspiration.

[Divefire]

Whew, coming into this a little late but well done for finishing it! I really hope you run it and get to enjoy it. The top brace is a fine idea, I've been having a similar thought for my hybrid Astute-Cap, I may well follow your thinking and try the single thick top plate and see how it goes.

I hope you don't mind but I've included a pic of my own car from the start of the outside season here in the UK, I hope it gives some inspiration to take yours out into the wild.

EDIT: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLnJhOeCTmp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MWJtdXppZDc2Z3dlcw==

 

 

[Luxie75]

Love a Madcap, gorgeous looking cars imo. Should not have sold mine!

[bavee]

May I ask if you already ran this car? Curious how the diff is holding up.

[Saito2]

1 hour ago, bavee said:

Curious how the diff is holding up.

Upon the tires merely touching the dirt, the diff burst into a white-hot ball of molten plastic, too bright to look at with un-shielded eyes. 7 fire departments showed up to put out the blaze before it melted to the earth's core. Ok, I might be joking a tiny bit.

No, I'm afraid I haven't run it yet. All I can say is I ran one for years (granted, with mild motors no more powerful than a Sport Tuned) without issue as long as it was properly set up. Here's that old car bitd:

 

[bavee]

5 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

No, I'm afraid I haven't run it yet. All I can say is I ran one for years (granted, with mild motors no more powerful than a Sport Tuned) without issue as long as it was properly set up.

Thanks!

Have to try it myself too. Just to debunk the myth personally.