So, What Have You Done Today? (Vol 2 2025)

[Thunder downunder]

Received a few Tamiya spares in the post; blue flanged wheel lock nuts, snap pins, fluorine ball connectors,  2x10mm shafts.

Drilled out and replaced a snapped steering upgrade kit ball connector atop one of my TT02D’s wheel knuckles after it ran through a dip in the road and a ball head snapped off leaving the thread embedded... New ball connector seems tight but super glued the thread in to help it stay put.

Dunno why Tamiya’s ball connectors are soft alu and why replacement TT02D A tree’s don’t seem available so I can get a replacement wheel knuckle - according to the forums I consulted they’re different geometry to the standard TT02 A tree knuckles, yet apparently Yeah Racing’s generic TT02 knuckle upgrades will work with TT02D (might try them out). Go figure…

[WhteRbt]

Painted my first hard body since… forever. 😅 Not impressed, but should be savable – I have a bit of orange peal. I will wet sand the body with #2.000 grid and do two more coats tomorrow. TS-26, no clear coat.

[skom25]

@WhteRbt I think you should sand and polish body at the end. There will be no difference, if you sand body now and then add two layers.

[Grumpy pants]

1 hour ago, Thunder downunder said:

Received a few Tamiya spares in the post; blue flanged wheel lock nuts, snap pins, fluorine ball connectors,  2x10mm shafts.

Drilled out and replaced a snapped steering upgrade kit ball connector atop one of my TT02D’s wheel knuckles after it ran through a dip in the road and a ball head snapped off leaving the thread embedded... New ball connector seems tight but super glued the thread in to help it stay put.

Dunno why Tamiya’s ball connectors are soft alu and why replacement TT02D A tree’s don’t seem available so I can get a replacement wheel knuckle - according to the forums I consulted they’re different geometry to the standard TT02 A tree knuckles, yet apparently Yeah Racing’s generic TT02 knuckle upgrades will work with TT02D (might try them out). Go figure…

Looks great!

I’m pretty sure the TT02D has been recently discontinued. 
 

 

 

[Torhaantje]

Got an old project from the dusted shelf:

The 'HPI Proline Tamiya Ford Bronco Big Oly'.

Whish me luck, I am going to need it....

🫣🫣🫣

 

Rick

[Nikko85]

I finally finished this the Taiyo Jeep. Added a driver and it's finished.

I also finished my WPL D12 QD monster truck.

I messed up the rear lights, so had to sharpie them. I added 3mm studding to strengthen the connection of bed to the cab, I added some black shrink tubing to cover the studding. 

[Kowalski86]

On 3/28/2025 at 4:36 PM, Nikko85 said:

I also finished my WPL D12 QD monster truck.

I messed up the rear lights, so had to sharpie them. I added 3mm studding to strengthen the connection of bed to the cab, I added some black shrink tubing to cover the studding. 

That's probably the best D12 build that I've seen of all of them. You took their nice bodyshell and dropped it onto a half-decent chassis.

On my end I finished up "Project Tomcatter", which was a Hornet restoration. I like to think that the "89" represents the year that it was first assembled.

[Nikko85]

52 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

That's probably the best D12 build that I've seen of all of them. You took their nice bodyshell and dropped it onto a half-decent chassis.

Many thanks. I had to widen it to stop it tipping over but now it runs well! With the 12T motor it's too fast for its own good, but fun all the same.

Could also fit on a GF01 with some work perhaps? 

 

[Kowalski86]

1 hour ago, Nikko85 said:

Many thanks. I had to widen it to stop it tipping over but now it runs well! With the 12T motor it's too fast for its own good, but fun all the same.

Could also fit on a GF01 with some work perhaps? 

I'm curious to see it on a shortened MF-01X chassis, with some of those tiny NSU TT wheels/tires. Might look a bit more scale while being more robust than the original chassis.

[kevinb120]

This work of Rube Goldberg art, the RC channel XR311 set begins!

[GToddC5]

3 hours ago, Nikko85 said:

 

It's the switch shifter, for me!

[Killajb]

On 3/26/2025 at 4:01 AM, BuggyDad said:

Some time ago, since my home prints for my TD4 seemed to be a success but because the brace across the battery top snapped in use (z axis home printing weakness vs heavy battery), I added that part and the side doors to a commercial printing order in much stronger PA11. Today, many months later, I finally got round to fitting them and I lightly glued the switch wire for neatness too and to keep it well away from the prop shaft. 

 

I am struck again that for a car that nearly everyone else dislikes, I regard mine as my prettiest body shell, my neatest chassis implementation and my best driving car. Even my wiring is half decent. 

Oh that glorious metallic paint. It might even go on a shelf in the house. 

So, for the record, I think you're all wrong! 🤣🤷😉

I'm right there with you on this one @BuggyDad.  I've always been impressed with my TD4 and would enjoy driving it more if it weren't soon to be a rarity with astronomical replacement part prices.

[ImALlama]

Nothing Tamiya today but back in 2000/01 when the HPI Pro 3 came out I had a plan to build one with all available hop ups, at the time I worked at a hobby shop and calculated if I bought all the hop ups and the rest of the car as spare parts it’d be cheaper than buying a kit and all the hop ups. Not sure if my math was wrong, or my discount didn’t apply to kits or something, can’t remember but started buying a handful of parts every week. Shortly after I switched to real cars and never finished it. 24 years later parts seem impossible to find but was able to get an unbuilt kit recently, and today I pulled out my box of parts and I finished it . 

Not a fan of the build, think it’s the only kit I haven’t enjoyed building. I found looking for parts trees labeled A471/A335/A458/etc surprisingly annoying, really prefer Tamiyas letters. Also seemed to be missing parts (tires/wheels were missing but didn’t care as I didn’t plan to use) and some of the manual didn’t make sense. Normally when I build a kit I don’t stop till it’s done but this one I just gave up quickly and took a break. While looking for the missing parts online I came across some info I had forgotten, there was actually 3 different Pro 3s. Japan had the version that was cheaper, less purple stuff/hop ups, which is the one I got. Should’ve been obvious as I don’t recall the Pro 3 being offered with a body in the US, and I was buying from a Japanese auction site, but it’s the first unbuilt kit I’ve come across in years so didn’t think much about the details. So I was using the US manual and after coming across this info I went back to the box and pulled out the Japan manual, turns out I wasn’t missing parts and all the steps now made sense . Had to reassemble a few things and the proper instructions made the build a little more enjoyable but still wouldn’t care to do it again.

and with the body and wheels I planned and painted all those years ago

 

I’ve been waiting quite awhile on a bunch of Tamiya parts that’ve been stuck in customs (I’m assuming) for weeks, hopefully they’ll get here soon so my other builds don’t take a quarter century to finish 

[Re-Bugged]

Had an hour spare so decided to start my TA02 Street Scorcher’s transformation to a Carbon Chassis courtesy of the very nice fellow on here @Wystan Withers 

[Re-Bugged]

7 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

I’m pretty sure the TT02D has been recently discontinued. 
 

 

 

Oh wow, that’s a shame as it’s one of the more economical ways to a half decent TT02 I believe. 

[chris.alex]

Added some stickers to my TT02B Dual Ridge: 

[Nikko85]

7 hours ago, GToddC5 said:

 

It's the switch shifter, for me!

Thanks. Very pleased I could integrate the red on off switch somewhere fitting! 

[Thunder downunder]

12 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

Looks great!

I’m pretty sure the TT02D has been recently discontinued. 
 

 

 

Would make sense if they’re being discontinued as TT-02D is rubbish at drifting. Bought it as they’re a great body kit and better value than a standard TT-02. Just put a set of Yeah Racing road wheels on, a steering upgrade kit, alu driveshaft, alu motor mount, 68x25 and soldered a deans plug to the 1060 ESC. Twitchy, fun little weapon on 2s just like Walker’s R34 GTR in F&F!

[Thunder downunder]

Nearly pulled trigger on a BBX today but walked out of the shop with the tried and tested Sand Viper kitset! BBX looks really nice and can picture myself caving in at some stage, but for similar money I’d rather build a genuinely quirky and retro Tamiya like the Hilux hi lift, a Fighting Buggy or Buggy Champ re re…

[skom25]

59 minutes ago, Thunder downunder said:

Nearly pulled trigger on a BBX today but walked out of the shop with the tried and tested Sand Viper kitset! BBX looks really nice and can picture myself caving in at some stage, but for similar money I’d rather build a genuinely quirky and retro Tamiya like the Hilux hi lift, a Fighting Buggy or Buggy Champ re re…

Sand Viper is really great. Buy Adjustable Turnbuckles, because with stock settings handling is not so great.

[Mouc-RC]

Today I think I'm done with the "Funkization" of the Bush Devil. That blue chassis is really a good starting point for color-nonsense

One good point though: with the purple cheapo-shockies from Ebay on the rear, because they're "internals", springs do not rub the upper control arms anymore

 

[Ray_ve]

Working on the Marui Samurai after a long time..

Ordered new driveshafts as the old ones are an eyesore, designed and 3D printed new ball cups for the front steering ball-joints.

When that is complete, the car should come together nicely.

Edit, thought I still had the right bearings but those are the wrong size. So need to order those too.

Edit 2: These ball cups use a circlip to keep them in place.

[svenb]

Last piece arrived today (carbon bumper stay) so finished off the TA07R.

Some nice bits from Japan and the carbon reinforced chassis with thanks to @JimBear.

[JimBear]

Great to see it where the chassis is supposed to be, @svenb.  

No tyres? Going to be a noisy ride!

[svenb]

37 minutes ago, JimBear said:

Great to see it where the chassis is supposed to be, @svenb.  

No tyres? Going to be a noisy ride!

Not decided on the wheels yet mate, got a Merc clk gtr body for it , have a wide set of wheels and tyres for the back or stick to regular 26mm all round