ChrisRx718's Generic Buggy Thread!

[ChrisRx718]

Wild One Bitsa-Build (Kinda)

Oh no, what's this? 

I'm sure you're all thinking - "it sure looks like a box full of likely-incompatible pieces"

For a long time one of my favourite builds and 'back garden runners' (read: low-speed) has been my FAV Shark Mouth. Indeed, my parents bought this kit for me back in 2013 and I'll never part with it. That said, I've been finding that I make excuses not to run it for fear of damaging it. This should have been alevieated when the Re-Re-Release was announced, as parts became available again, but not the precious Shark Mouth variant. 

Then, in 2021, the Wild One Blockhead Motors edition was announced - it looked pretty cool and I really wanted one, but at the time, funds were short (who am I kidding, they still are! )

What this did mean is that loads of metal plated / chromed parts for the FAV/WW platform became available. An idea was brewing, so I purchased some spare plated parts trees (A, E & G parts) 

The plan was very simple - just refurbish the FAV Shark Mouth and fit the plated parts. It's not like my Shark Mouth is completely original anyway, it has Wild One dampers, a set of LED lamps and an aftermarket metal bumper. Some chrome bling wouldn't go amiss.

But I couldn't bring myself to do it - the car represents good memories for me, and the black/green/silver just works on what is supposed to be a pseudo-military scheme. 

Instead, I wondered what additional parts would be needed to build another Wild One / FAV out of parts... A Bitsa-Build was coming together!

Here's a quick teaser of the progress so far...

 

Edited July 7 by ChrisRx718
Change of Title

[Grumpy pants]

Will be watching this thread with interest! 

Great fun runners WO imo.

Posted my BH WO out today and a set of vintage Rough Rider wheels 😭

 

 

[ChrisRx718]

16 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

Will be watching this thread with interest! 

Great fun runners WO imo.

Posted my BH WO out today and a set of vintage Rough Rider wheels 😭

 

 

Sad times - but hopefully the new owner gets some proper use out of it!

I know there are a lot of takes on the WO and one of my favourite TamiyaClub builds is @toyolien's "Ultimate" spec one:

I wish I had the technical wizardry and fabrication skills to match that - but brute force and ignorance will help create my vision instead!

It very quickly became obvious what the colour scheme should be for my WO: Red & Silver. That meant trying to track down some funky dampers, and I had to deviate from Tamiya here:

Can anyone ID what those are off of?

Fortunately, the spring diameter is the same as Tamiya (or close to it) so I have options if I find these to be too soft.

Next bits are all fairly straightforward - all BlockHead Motors standard parts used here. I did shoot the 'rollcage' piece with some Halfords 'Chrome' finish spray:

Can you ID the wheel choice too? 

Anyone familiar with the model will realise the pain these rims were to fit to a Tamiya 

Rear dampers are a little bit short (same as the front), but the smaller diameter wheels do allow the suspension to reach full travel after the chassis has bottomed-out, which is good.

And this is how it sits as of now:

I might skip the aluminium roof plate, not sure if it 'works' with the rest of the scheme I'm going for. I also want to fit a comical 'Willy' driver head, so I think we might have a problem if it's retained 

Look @Juhunio - I have an actual Blue Bird servo! 

Red wheel nuts were a necessity 

[Grumpy pants]

Coming along very nicely and swiftly too 🎉

[Juhunio]

1 hour ago, ChrisRx718 said:

Look @Juhunio - I have an actual Blue Bird servo! 

Niiiiiice! I had a brief look but couldn't seem to find anywhere in the UK that stocked them and most of them seem to be quite high powered, more for flight RC. What's the model number of yours?

The Wild One is looking great btw 

[ad456]

Is that Kyosho Beetle wheels? 
this is looking smart!

[JimBear]

There is a Scorpion lurking in there - be careful!

[toyolien]

They look like Scorpion dampers to me. I love the look of the Wild One. Mine gets regular use and is just about to receive a few updates. 

Can't wait to see how yours turns out. Colour scheme will look great.

[MadAnt]

7 hours ago, ChrisRx718 said:

Red wheel nuts were a necessity 

100%

[ChrisRx718]

Getting carried away now, gave her a lick of paint this afternoon-

Thinking I'm going to de-solder that red motor wire and replace with another black one to make it look stealthy. And maybe add a little hose to the NOS bottle!

Sorely tempted to go with one of the many 3D printed 'motor' models to bolt on the back, but concerned they will be awfully fragile (and they ain't exactly cheap either!) has anyone any experience of the Knight Customs stuff?

[ad456]

That’s just plain wicked, nice one!

I have the KC engine on my Wild One, it’s as strong as what it’s printed from to some degree. I have the design bought and so can just get another without much effort. My mate printed my current one out of standard resin and it’s ok, I’ve broken it already before I’ve run it but that would’ve happened anyway with my driving. The cage holds it in place so it’ll do till I completely break it.

It’s was the tab with the screw mount that broke, it split the tab off at the base very easily so I’d print it out of something stronger next time

I wouldn’t put it on a basher, it’s not that strong but sensible running I’d imagine it’s ok. And it does look cool. 

[ChrisRx718]

Thanks for that - it's cemented my want for one. I've bought the files from Knight Customs website as a gesture to support his hobby - thanks for offering though. Now I just need to find someone who can print it for me. Any particular printer settings I should be aware of? I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to this stuff.

[ad456]

My mate has a resin printer and prints in a “general” resin, no special properties basically, and it’s a touch brittle but looks ace, he’s into 1/24 static cars and printed that engine at something ridiculous like 0.03mm layers. I’ve no knowledge of the ABS-like resins but am tempted to give him a bottle to see if it’s any good.

I only print in PLA and I’d probably try that next but being a motor cover of sorts I’d think it’s doomed from the start. It might be enough to get me to use PETG or ABS, we’ll see. The issue with this is it’s FDM printing and depending on printer and settings then layer lines can be a problem. I find a lower layer height 0.16mm and some filler primer get rid of that problem with ease for me.

Most people will have that Shapeways nylon stuff, something 12 it’s called, because the engine was on there for so long. I think would probably be ideal but can be expensive I think and I don’t know how it would hold up to running. 

I’m gonna meddle with the design before I print it again as that tab is weak and doesn’t need to be in my eyes. There’s plenty space to strengthen it up. I think that’s the only low point I have on this design if I remember correctly.

I did think that the upwards exhaust would be a dead duck for me, first run and I’d roll it and snap. It does look awesome too though!

[Kowalski86]

9 hours ago, ChrisRx718 said:

Sorely tempted to go with one of the many 3D printed 'motor' models to bolt on the back, but concerned they will be awfully fragile (and they ain't exactly cheap either!) has anyone any experience of the Knight Customs stuff?

It looks good if you detail it well enough, but you will snap the exhaust pipe in your first rollover and it impedes motor swapping to an extent.

What I would look into is a rear metal skid plate to protect the underside of the gearbox.

[ChrisRx718]

So as I sit and patiently wait for my 3D Printed motor for the Wild One I've taken a leaf out of my fellow TC'ers books and decided to make this more of a generic thread for all things Buggy (as things are getting out of hand...)

The next project(s) have arrived, first up is something I didn't think I would bother with - a TD4 Super Avante.

I had bought the Kyosho DirtCross to fulfil my 4WD buggy adventures - 

So it's a bit battered, body-less, mud-guard-less and with some decidedly-dodgy gold wheels, but I have a vision. 

But what's one additional 4WD buggy project amongst addicts? 

Not content with having this many buggy projects on the go, I've bought parts to build yet another. This time, I'm going back to where it all started, and I've been inspired by @MadAnt's thread.

Here we go again!

 

[ChrisRx718]

Let's tear this TD4 down.

Euuugh 

Some proper Japanese sand/soil. Yuck!

The 22061 Carbon Rear Damper Stay was a pleasant surprise; I didn't notice this in the auction images. However, the spoiler mounts are crooked/bent: 

That's a bummer - I'd actually already purchased a brand new 22061 anyway, so I'll give this away if it's any use to someone.

Dirt has got inside the gearbox to the spur gear:

Luckily, I have ordered the slipper clutch which comes with a new spur gear anyway. Rather un-luckily, the annoying little stopper for adjusting the clutch tension had been CA glued in. This didn't want to budge - and unfortunately the gear cover snapped upon removing it. It's minor; but it will let more dirt in now. I'm in two minds about whether to replace this or not - I run my TD2 with a slipper clutch and that little 'bung' fell out last time I went to the track - it doesn't seem to have affected the car.

 

Dirt is holding the cardboard motor heat shield to the motor mount! 

Peeking closely, it does appear that both front and rear ball differentials have been fitted with the upgraded 22029 Upgraded Diff Nut & Screw set - bonus. I might put a TA06 gear diff in the rear though, as I plan to run this brushless.

And there you have it - a very dirty TD4 successfully torn-down. 

I'm now waiting on an Ultrasonic cleaner to arrive, whereupon I will clean everything thoroughly. The Aeration Oil Dampers were another nice bonus to find included - I only wish the springs were a more exciting colour! Maybe I can raid the parts box.

 

 

 

[njmlondon]

Loving your Wild One and very keen to see how the engine works out. I have a dirty 2nd hand Blockhead ready to be stripped down and am going for a 380 in it so figure it will be run gently enough to be worth the pretty KC.

What material did you go with in the end and where are you getting it printed?