thunder dragon Vintage Thunder Dragon - Servicing Tips

[jonny909]

Hi all,

While clearing out some cupboards at my dad's house recently we discovered a cardboard box with my Thunder Dragon inside. I think this was bought for me 2nd hand around 1990 and was a project that got forgotten over time. I was amazed to find it and now, with a son of my own, I'd really like to return to the project and bring this thing back to life as something we can do together. It appears to be in reasonable condition and we even found a brand new (old) spare motor hiding at the bottom of the box.

As this is the first time I've clapped eyes on the machine in many years I'm a complete novice when it comes to RC maintenance. So, I am here looking for any tips and tricks to help my son and I strip this thing down and perhaps make some upgrades where advisable. We'd welcome any feedback on this, such as where to start, required tools, best practices, and anything to watch out for with this model. Some pics below. 

Thanks for reading. Very much looking forward to getting started!  

 

[ThunderDragonCy]

Yes! Love a Thunder Dragon. I would suggest downloading the manual. The Thunder Dragon was rereleased in 2021 so just google it and you will find it.

I would suggest stripping down carefully and you will probably need:

Full bearing set (try rcbearings.co.uk)

Get a 1060 esc (Electronic Speed Controller) for £20 to replace the mechanical speed controller, resistor and servo driving them.

Grab a new motor. Silver and like the kit motor will be under £10. 

Buy some core rc 400cst silicone damper oil and search "red tamiya o-rings) and buy some of those. Rebuild the dampers with fresh seals and oil.

Buy a nimh battery and a charger to go with it. About 3300mah should do it. Will run the car for an hour on a charge. Overlander in the uk do great batteries.

See how you go with that little lot.

[ThunderDragonCy]

Just saw you have a new motor. Great! No need to buy one. 

[Twinfan]

New tyres will be good too, easily obtained. 

Definitely keep us updated, another vintage Thunder Dragon fan here 

[jonny909]

8 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

Yes! Love a Thunder Dragon...

Thanks so much for all these pointers. I genuinely didn't know where to start. I'll be making a start on these purchases tonight. And yeah, I was super pleased to find a new motor in the box. Can't even remember it being bought at the time - although that was a long time ago now!

[jonny909]

8 hours ago, Twinfan said:

New tyres will be good too...

Thanks. Yes the current tyres are well past it. Where can I pick some up? Can I change the wheels to something different reasonably easily? I've seen a couple of posts where it's been done, just not sure if worth it. 

[Twinfan]

12 minutes ago, jonny909 said:

Thanks. Yes the current tyres are well past it. Where can I pick some up? Can I change the wheels to something different reasonably easily? I've seen a couple of posts where it's been done, just not sure if worth it. 

Tony's Tamiya Parts is a great source, as is Modelsport and various other places. If you're struggling to find anything just ask on here, someone will know where to get it 

To use other wheels, you just need a set of hexes. Tamiya make a few options as do plenty of others.

[jonny909]

Bearings, ESC, battery & charger, oil, and o-rings all on order. Can't wait to get started.

As you'd expect, I have a few more questions. :)

As I'm going to be stripping the car entirely, how do I clean all of the parts? Degreaser? Good old warm soapy water? 

I've seen a post where someone upgrades the prop shaft. Is that an advisable upgrade? 

What size hexes do I need to be able to fit different wheels & tyres? 

The body is missing, as is any form of protection for the tub. Do I need a specific part or will a new body provide the protection needed? 

I've picked up that any "Dragon" body will fit, as well as the Terra Scorcher body. Are there any other options, or just these? 

Sorry for the barrage of questions. Appreciate your input. 

Thanks

J.

[Twinfan]

Soapy water will do the trick, degreaser if it's bad and an ultrasonic cleaner if you have one. 

I've done the prop shaft upgrade on one car and you need the matching cups too. If you're only running a standard silver can motor I wouldn't bother.

12mm hexes are needed, these are the cheapest Tamiya option. Clamp type versions are also available: 

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/tamiya-pin-type-wheel-adapters-2074

Depending on what ESC you're running you may not be able to fit the chassis cover. If you can fit it, I'd probably run it.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296945877588?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=RPYY7N2XTou&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=Xjo2CBqIQgG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Various bodies from the Dragon series fit, but for some you will need additional plastic trees and screws to fit them (e.g. those with for shocks). For originality, and ease, a Thunder Dragon or Thunder Shot body set will be the simplest option:

https://www.rcmart.com/tamiya-thunder-dragon-clear-body-set-47473-00112747?srsltid=AfmBOoorUPw3KSzrZAOC379QUZuR_Xsyq3H0txQEPRQ5TmhT7cY_OdtB

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/388033800571?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=RPYY7N2XTou&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=Xjo2CBqIQgG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

You'll also need a decal set for the Thunder Shot option and originals seem hard to find at the moment...

[jonny909]

Thanks again for the great tips. 

Well we finally found a spare hour and made a start. Forgive the guerilla workshop, which is nothing more than a few tea-towels and the kitchen table! My son (6yo) was itching to get started so we made do. 

Even in the short time we had to work on it today we discovered a multitude of sins. Working backwards from the manual we found cracked wheel adaptors, bent pins, a completely missing front stabiliser & attachments, broken chassis mounts, a missing antenna tube, and several bent screws. Looks like there'll be more to replace than we bargained for. The front damper was totally dry but amazingly both rears were still full of clear oil. Must have been well sealed. 

On the plus side, the new battery, ESC, o-rings, oil and bearings have arrived. 

Onwards! 

 

[Twinfan]

Mega - I'm sure you'll have a blast restoring it  

Keep us updated and shout up if you need any info, there are some very knowledgeable folks on here - definitely more so than me!  I've built a few of these chassis' and will help as much as I can.  I love a good project  

[ThunderDragonCy]

Good job! I would strongly suggest getting hold of a new front stabiliser. The single shock front suspension doesn't really work without it. 

TTP Models are my go-to for this kind of thing.

[Wooders28]

On 4/12/2025 at 11:31 AM, ThunderDragonCy said:

I would suggest downloading the manual. 

(I know you've probably got this link saved on your phone like me, but for general reference...)

Most of the Tamiya manuals can be downloaded at :- 

https://www.tamiya.com/english/rc/manuals.htm 

 

On 4/12/2025 at 11:31 AM, ThunderDragonCy said:

Grab a new motor. Silver and like the kit motor will be under £10. 

These worth a shout (with a 1060), a bit quicker, and a built in cooling fan, for a tenner (also upgraded to a steel pinion)

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/core-rc-15t-silver-can-brushed-540-motor-442358

(Gen silver can looking to be £14!?!?!) 

[Twinfan]

OP has a spare motor, says so in their post  

Steel pinion is a good shout, unless you're wanting to keep the aluminium original for some reason.

[jonny909]

Thanks again to all for the info and tips.

Is there a simple way, or has someone perhaps done a handy list, of all the upgrade / hop up options for the TD? I'm trying to work it out on the several websites that offer upgraded parts but can't tell if I'd be buying something compatible. Be great if you could basically filter everything compatible with the model, for instance. 

[Twinfan]

There aren't a lot to be honest, well not a lot of official ones anyway.  Back in the day, there was an insert in the manual that gave you Hop-Up options.  Aside from ball bearings, the main one was a dual front shock setup for the Thunder Dragon.  I did this to mine at the time as you can see in the pic I posted earlier, and the same on my "tribute" to it also in the pic.

Alternative pinions are listed in the manual, with ratios, so there's a tuning option there.  This obviously works alongside motor upgrades, with the Technigold being the daddy of yesteryear.  Today's equivalent would be the SuperStock BZ.  If you're changing pinion, a 32dp pitch steel version from RW Racing would get my vote.

You can fit the universal driveshafts from the Terra Scorcher if you wish, they're part number 53791.  They're expensive though, it's best to source them from the Far East if you can find stock.

An unofficial Hop-Up is to fit a TT-02 aluminium propeller shaft (54501) and Hot Shot propeller joints (9808130).  I've done it to one of my cars and it requires a slight mod to remove some plastic from the chassis where the prop shaft rubs on it.  I probably wouldn't do this to a vintage chassis like yours, and it's not a necessary upgrade anyway if you're only running a silver can motor.

Similarly, you can replace the suspension arm screw pins with e-clipped shafts instead, although I've personally never bothered to do this.

If you're looking for non-Tamiya parts, there are probably aluminium arms available and I know there's a carbon chassis kit from a company in Australia(?).  Not sure I'd bother with either of those though, but the choice is yours!

My advice?  Keep your original car as vintage and standard as possible for nostalgic reasons.  If you want to play with the chassis a bit, buy a re-re to experiment with.  That's what I did and I have a Fire Dragon for bashing around.  If you can cope with the looks, a Saint Dragon is cheap as chips at £89 without an ESC or £105 with:

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/tamiya-saint-dragon-4wd-2021-no-esc-1348297

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/tamiya-saint-dragon-4wd-2021-1339656

 

[Twinfan]

Just remembered, you can also fit the VQS Hi-Cap dampers (47455) if you go for a four shock setup. Unfortunately, now they've been discontinued if you can find them they're very expensive 

[ABigChungus]

26 minutes ago, Twinfan said:

Just remembered, you can also fit the VQS Hi-Cap dampers (47455) if you go for a four shock setup. Unfortunately, now they've been discontinued if you can find them they're very expensive 

They do look good, but as you say, fairly expensive and not really sure if it's worth the upgrade. I feel you loose some of that vintage 80's/Tamiya charm ditching the yellow shocks!

[Twinfan]

Indeed! Although they were a period Hop-Up for the Terra Scorcher.

[jonny909]

Thanks again to all for the input. I think I confused both myself and everyone else by mentioning hop up. What I realise I actually meant was, are there any original parts that people do updated versions of? I've seen things like metal motor mounts for instance, and several other parts that have been upgraded to metal. Is there a checklist against original parts that have upgraded alternatives? My thinking when it comes to replacing broken parts is, keep as true to the vintage original as possible but toughen it up for longevity and fact that at some stage it will have a six year old piloting it! 😬

[Twinfan]

I'd strongly suggest not letting your 6yr old drive it unless you're happy for it to get completely trashed. Old plastics are very brittle!

[ThunderDragonCy]

18 minutes ago, jonny909 said:

Thanks again to all for the input. I think I confused both myself and everyone else by mentioning hop up. What I realise I actually meant was, are there any original parts that people do updated versions of? I've seen things like metal motor mounts for instance, and several other parts that have been upgraded to metal. Is there a checklist against original parts that have upgraded alternatives? My thinking when it comes to replacing broken parts is, keep as true to the vintage original as possible but toughen it up for longevity and fact that at some stage it will have a six year old piloting it! 😬

It should have a metal motor plate already. They were just pressed steel originally instead of aluminium now. No real difference in performance. Main thing to do would to get some kind of reinforcement for A5 front suspension part. You can get a steel brace like this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226479386379?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=wBStuPmxQSu&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=E_zGvBECTL-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Or a full metal version if you don't mind waiting a few weeks

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353855441267?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=_wVsLBw4Q6G&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=E_zGvBECTL-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[jonny909]

7 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

It should have a metal motor plate already...

Thanks, that's what I was getting at, yeah. 

So do parts like these fit too, or are they for the re-releases only?

Rear mount:

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/xtra-speed-aluminum-rear-suspension-mount-for-tamiya-terra-scorcher-fire-dragon-thunder-shot-1366482

Front mount:

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/xtra-speed-aluminum-front-suspension-mount-for-tamiya-thunder-shot-fire-dragon-terra-scorcher-2020-1363004

 

[Twinfan]

They fit.  Anything that fits the chassis will fit both vintage and re-re as they're identical.

[jonny909]

Hi all, just a quick update.

A day of mixed fortunes today. Firstly the good, as we have managed to strip down the entire car and the individual parts seem to have cleaned up reasonably well after a clean. The amount of oil, dirt and sludge that came out of this thing is quite remarkable.

Now on to the bad. And it's quite bad.

After stripping everything away from the chassis tub we found some significant damage, pics below. So now I'm on the hunt for a replacement unless there's any chance of salvaging the original? The crack in the first picture isn't full thickness, but it's close.

Damage (1)

Damage (2)

 As always, any advice is gratefully received.