Walthamstow meet?

[Hedron70]

HI

I was wondering if there were any enthusiasts that live near me in the Walthamstow/Leytonestone/Epping E17 area? there is a great forest and park with every surface going...if anyone would like to meet one weekend for a bash, let me know!

[jozza]

Hi Hedron70, I went over to look at Epping Forest a few weeks back, and it looks like there could be some good areas their for buggy bashing. Not sure how crowded it might get at the weekend though, I've heard that the bit near the pub (can't remember the name, something-or-another hill?) gets rather busy on a Sunday. I'd be up for a run sometime towards the end of September, there's a Clumber Park meet on the 19th which I might be going to though.

[Hedron70]

cool! Yeah that could be great...

[jozza]

I've managed to dig out some photos I took of the ground where we went, looks like it would suit crawlers in one bit, buggies and other offroaders in the bit above. See my showroom for the piccies... Was Epping Forest the place you were talking about in this post, or did you have another venue in mind? I'm open to suggestions of anywhere to the East of London...

[Hedron70]

Epping forest was the area yes and your pictures show a good spot. the area I been going to is a bit more wooded and tends to be busy with joggers/cyclists/dog walkers etc. so I think that are you show there is ideal...and its close to the pub![]

[Spike]

Good idea for a venue Jozza. I would be up for a "meeting" there, it's lot closer than Clumber!

I used to go to that bit of Epping Forest as a kid and run my Frog there[]. It does get very busy on a Sunday though. There is an area off of a small road that is to the left of the area shown in your pics (as you look at it with your back to the pub) which has some great features. Everywhere in this area gets very busy on Sundays so you can't really avoid "the public" [V]

I think the pub's called The Kings Head.

Let me know if you do decide to go there []

[jozza]

What about a Saturday? I tend to find that these places are a lot less busy on Saturdays, so it could be a better day to choose.. Another option is we meet up at the pub, and then go off to one of the smaller areas dotted around like Jack's Hill....

[Hedron70]

yeah saturday or Sunday is cool but i prefer Sundays but Saturday is fine as long as its after 12 pm as Im usually nursing a hangover[]...or having a lie in[|)]

[steveh]

im in watford and might come ver with the lad if you sort somthing out

[ChrisB]

Don't know if people are still planning this, but Epping Forest is only about a 40 min drive from me and I know the area there pretty well (my gran used to leave near there).

I don't have a buggy, but am sure the Hummer would be worth bringing along []

Chris

[jozza]

Chrisb, what do you reckon is the best place to go in Epping Forest? I'm still up for it, can't be this weekend but maybe Sunday week or something. As long as the weather isn't too bad, I don't like running the cars in the wet. I think we should sort summat out []

[ChrisB]

Sorry Jozza - I meant knowing the area around Walthamstow, rather than Epping Forest itself [:I]

I can get up there no problems, but never really looked in the forest with an eye to running RC cars there! Its vast though so there must be somewhere suitable. The other place that occurred to me was a large open area called Wanstead flats - over the raod from the City of London Crem. - quite close to the Green Man roundabout at Leytonstone.

Not sure how busy it gets there, but its a possibility - lots of flat dirt areas there and some big ponds if memory serves. Used to go up there with my great uncle to sail a motorised ship I use to have (a model of the HelgoLand - about 4 feet long - still got it in the attic somewhere!!!).

AS we get closer to Christmas though my weekends are starting to fill up, so sooner rather than later for me []

Chris

[jozza]

If you take a look in my showroom I've posted some pics of the area near the pub - I think it gets quite crowded in the summer on a sunday, but probably won't be so bad now the weather's a bit colder.. This weekend's out for me, but if the weather is looking better next weekend (Halloween!) or the weekend after then I reckon me and the lads might well go there. If it's too crowded we could move to another nearby area, there's plenty of options, but the pub area makes for a good meeting place. Whaddya reckon?

[ChrisB]

Weekend after Halloween (6th / 7th), or any of the following weekends should be OK for me:

- Sun (Nov 14th)

- Sat/Sun (Nov 20th / 21st)

Probably some free stuff after that, but I don't like to appear like I'm THAT organised []

Be good if we could time it so towards the end of the time its getting a little dusky so I can finally really give the lighting rig on my Hummer a real try - out [8D].

Who knows, if I really pull my finger out I make even get my second Hummer finished by then.... although I've been saying that for the last 4 months [:I].

The Hummer is the only real off roader I have - is there anywhere around there that I might be able to run my TT-01 Scooby (also looking a bit xmas tree like in its own way!).

Are those dates any good for anyone? I think we should agree the time and place then it might actually happen. I might even have a dream involving an Indian Guy & Jim Morrison tonight saying: "Book them and they will come......" []

Cheers,

Chris

[jozza]

Any of those Sundays sounds good to me. With your Hummer and Scooby lights, and my Pumpkin, Mad Bull and Monster Beetle lights (Knightrider on steroids []), it should be a pretty good dusk display []. And it's possible I might just have another lit up truck by then too [].

There is a carpark opposite where I took photos, where the tourist information bit is, not sure if they would take kindly to cars running around there but we can always try ;-) I also took a look at the byelaws when I was there, and cars weren't mentioned, only planes...

Shall we say provisionally Sunday 14th Nov, how does that sound to everyone (well, me and Chris at the moment, but like you say, if we book it, they will come [8D]).

[ChrisB]

Right that sounds like a done deal to me then [8D]. Might bring my hovercraft too if I can get it fixed on the off chance there is either some water or relatively smooth car park available []. It was "run over" by a much larger nitro hovercraft over the summer at another meet and I still haven't fixed it yet!!!

As of course you would expect this also has a working searchlight on top..... hehe.....

What sort of time were you thinking of jozza - late lunchtime maybe? Takes me between 40 mins and and an hour to get there depending on whether the Blackwall Tunnel is open or not.

Better get cracking on those other kits I guess.......

[steveh]

that weekend sounds good to me i only have a baja champ but should be good fun out there

[jozza]

The more the merrier steveh, one car is plenty enough to have some fun anyway, just make sure you bring plenty of stick packs or a charger []

[steveh]

me and the lad are new to this and have gone at it in a big way we have 4 stick packs and 2 baja champs plus a couple of chargers so should be good fun just have to find our way there and we'll be away

[ChrisB]

Steve - I only have one sort of off roader - the hummer! I'll bring the scooby too in case, but only have 3 stick packs [8)] and a charger.

Never tried using the charger off a car battery - is it safe to do this with the battery still in the car, or should you only really use a completely seperate car battery to power the charger?

[steveh]

im not sure mate my charger has *** lighter plug so i would think its ok ????

[mr_pushrod]

Should be all right as long as the engine isn't running.

[ChrisB]

My charger is a RipMax Pro something and has two large crocodile like clips for connecting to a 12V (car battery source).

Not wishing to appear dense here, but whats the difference between connecting the charger to the car battery with the engine on or off? Isn't the voltage drop / current the same in both cases?

My preference would be to have the engine running so I don't run the risk of a flat car battery, but I confess to knowing very littlke about using my charger off a car battery, so am willing to be corrected on this (in fact GLAD to be as I don't wanna go up in smoke along with my car!!!!)

Cheers,

Chris

[mr_pushrod]

As the alternator will be running the voltage may become too great and blow either the charger's fuse or possibly the charger itself.

[jozza]

It's wise not to charge with the car running, as the alternator can push the voltage up. So long as your battery is fairly new and holds a good charge, it should be fine for charging up stick packs, many people do this at meets and have no probs. I've got a separate leisure battery that I use, it cost 30 quid from a camping shop, compared to the 60 quid charged by a certain well known car parts shop, and that will charge many packs before being dead. I'll bring along some jump leads though, just in case anyone needs a jump start at the end of the day [].

I've got some good maps of the area, I'll try to scan them in this weekend and will add them to my showroom so everyone knows where to go.

I've started a new topic for this now, as the venue is different to what the subject of this topic suggests.