So, What Have You Done Today?

[Nikko85 3847]

1 hour ago, GeeWings said:

The Kumamon from Tamiya kits is getting harder to get hold of as it only officially came with a buggy or the tractor. I got mine separately and paid too much really, like most of this hobby  I’ts a great kit though as the base build is super basic but there is lots of customisation to be done and hop-ups to be added. Ive just ordered another shell as I want to do a different paint job. 

If you are thinking for Kumamon alternatives just have a look around. Ive got a great Mario figure and one of my daughters Hello Kitty figures is also a good fit. Me and my son also stuck one of his Pop Vinyl bobble heads in. It’s great as it bobbles around at speed 😆

Many thanks. I have got Edgarmon however, a Happy Meals toy bat, that is spray painted to look like my cat! These are available from Ebay really cheaply, so I've got a huge supply! 

[Willy iine 18829]

deadmau5 head anyone?  

Hummmm.. bit dusty..

 

[Juggular 5088]

11 hours ago, nel33 said:

You don't need to copy Kumamon exactly. A yogi bear figure would be equally funny

But nobody does the 'stoned bear look' better than Kumamon. (I like the case of beer! That's a whole lot more family-friendly than a bong. But we all know that beer alone doesn't give you that face...)

 

[nel33 870]

14 minutes ago, Juggular said:

But nobody does the 'stoned bear look' better than Kumamon. (I like the case of beer! That's a whole lot more family-friendly than a bong. But we all know that beer alone doesn't give you that face...)

 

true, though it would be funny 2 see 2 iconic bears driving an RC car. im not very big on driers in the cars but some are spot on like Kuma-san. 

got some things in today. some were needed and some were more needed. some nice drift tires (i'll likely not ever run) for the Sil80 body when i get around to completing those projects. ordered 4 ie 2x2 sets. gonna order another set of 2 BC its in stock and spare should something happen. got wheel hex mounts screw type to stay solid on the axle, 4mm serated hex nuts orange and some black serrated thin nuts. the road/buggy tires on my manta run out of space to put the nut 100% on it. the thinner hex mounts and thin nuts will solve a few of those issues.

[Re-Bugged 11580]

I had to get in the car today to pick up a Log Book for work tomorrow so I decided to charge a battery and take a detour to the local beach to run the Fighting Buggy at a nice spot above the high tide mark that I've been wanting to go to for some time.  On arrival the added bonus was apart from a couple of dog walkers I had the place to myself. Such a great Buggy on the beach, had a peach of a day.

The back end might say FS, (possibly mistakingly taken for 'For Sale') But this one definitely isn't 😉

[Willy iine 18829]

9 hours ago, nel33 said:

true, though it would be funny 2 see 2 iconic bears driving an RC car. im not very big on driers in the cars but some are spot on like Kuma-san. 

I drove one of my m-chassis Mini Cooper without a driver the other week and it was so weird looking like an autonomous vehicle, but from the 70's..?!  

My cars need a driver or heavy tinted glass.. which will become a project once I get my RC track set up in about 1.5 years time..

 

@Re-Bugged Awesome pictures!!!

[nel33 870]

4 hours ago, Willy iine said:

I drove one of my m-chassis Mini Cooper without a driver the other week and it was so weird looking like an autonomous vehicle, but from the 70's..?!  

My cars need a driver or heavy tinted glass.. which will become a project once I get my RC track set up in about 1.5 years time..

 

@Re-Bugged Awesome pictures!!!

i need a slightly smokey tint on the windows. im not a fan of total blackout windows. it looks a bit weird if its blacked out and doesnt look normal

it s also harder for the police to pull you over if they arent sure if the tint percentage is a bit hard to distinguish if its past the limits.

[Willy iine 18829]

10 minutes ago, nel33 said:

i need a slightly smokey tint on the windows. im not a fan of total blackout windows. it looks a bit weird if its blacked out and doesnt look normal

it s also harder for the police to pull you over if they arent sure if the tint percentage is a bit hard to distinguish if its past the limits.

I recently bought a bottle of Tamiya’s acrylic smoke and brush painted onto the headlight lenses on my ClubBug and Billy’s Beetle.   I also dropped a little in the recessed areas on the VW emblems on the hood.  I think the paint worked well.  I think with your airbrush you can evenly and cleanly smoke your RC car windows.

As for 1:1 car tint, I usually run 30% all around of Llumar Pinnacle.   It’s a night/day difference in heat rejection.   I don’t run tint on my A90 as I am a show off and want people to see my ugly face in contrast.    JK.  I don’t drive my garage queen much and like to see the interior while parked so decided not to get her tinted... at least not yet.   

 

 

 

 

[nel33 870]

19 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

I recently bought a bottle of Tamiya’s acrylic smoke and brush painted onto the headlight lenses on my ClubBug and Billy’s Beetle.   I also dropped a little in the recessed areas on the VW emblems on the hood.  I think the paint worked well.  I think with your airbrush you can evenly and cleanly smoke your RC car windows.

As for 1:1 car tint, I usually run 30% all around of Llumar Pinnacle.   It’s a night/day difference in heat rejection.   I don’t run tint on my A90 as I am a show off and want people to see my ugly face in contrast.    JK.  I don’t drive my garage queen much and like to see the interior while parked so decided not to get her tinted... at least not yet.   

 

TBH i never messed around with air brushes, plain old hand paint is fine with me. didnt bother to make the initial investment and when i did consider it it didnt make sense as the projects remaining were easier to continue with hand/brush paints. might need to look up the the acrylic smoke paint. got a bit of trial and error/tests on building static models when i find the time to undertake that... its the PS smoke i use on the shells though it might work on static models as only use it sparingly but might run out with the shells that need paint.

id like to add some tint to my fiesta, namely the top 3-4" of front windshield and 2-3" on the driver side but the windows are factory tinted to block xx% of light already. not sure how to check the current factory specs on light deflection for the cars. i do find that the usual factory black stickering for light blocking on the edges of the rearview mirror is insufficient as  . the sun glare gets me on the other 80% not covered, im too cheap to buy a decent set of sun glasses as i have some older ones that i also cant bother to whip out LOL. so the situation remains the same as ever...

if i can just tint the top edge of front driver side window (and front passenger for symmetry proposes) with the top front windshield i'll be a happy camper.

[Nicadraus 6482]

I love doing wiring jobs. So I helped my friend set up the wiring for his Xpress XQ10. I had to re-solder everything and shortened some wires too.

Before:

After:

I'm really impressed with this brand. Their kits are quality at almost half the price of a Tamiya equivalent. I'm considering getting one XQ10 or XQ2 (and hop it up) if I decided to build a 4wd touring car.

[Willy iine 18829]

@Nicadraus Good job on the wiring.   

While I prefer TOP Racing for dual CF deck chassis, Xpress has always been one of my top candidates since my racing days.  

My Xpress mini was so fast it always won races in open m-chassis.. unless I crashed and it really shattered.  

Going to build my XM1 Competition next year maybe..  

[Blista 1550]

For days now I've been looking at a body I've masked up for painting.

Did I wash it after trimming it?

Did I?

I don't remember but I'm also certain I must have.

I'm going to have to pull off all the masking and start again, aren't I? 

[toyolien 5902]

6 minutes ago, Blista said:

For days now I've been looking at a body I've masked up for painting.

Did I wash it after trimming it?

Did I?

I don't remember but I'm also certain I must have.

I'm going to have to pull off all the masking and start again, aren't I? 

You'll only regret not starting again if the paint turns out badly...

[Blista 1550]

1 minute ago, toyolien said:

You'll only regret not starting again if the paint turns out badly...

I think I'm at the point of just redoing the masking.  I had a pretty involved masking design with several colors I'm trying to use up as their spray cans are getting low, so if it didn't work out I'd be really annoyed.

Ah well, that's what I get for taking so long to finish it. 

[toyolien 5902]

19 minutes ago, Blista said:

I think I'm at the point of just redoing the masking.  I had a pretty involved masking design with several colors I'm trying to use up as their spray cans are getting low, so if it didn't work out I'd be really annoyed.

Ah well, that's what I get for taking so long to finish it. 

I once masked a body up and left it so long that I couldn't removed the masking tape. I wrecked the body trying to remove the adhesive residue. I won't be doing that again. Good luck.

[Willy iine 18829]

1 hour ago, Blista said:

For days now I've been looking at a body I've masked up for painting.

Did I wash it after trimming it?

Did I?

I don't remember but I'm also certain I must have.

I'm going to have to pull off all the masking and start again, aren't I? 

I use IPA.  70-90% rubbing alcohol on either lint free MF towel or just paper towel.  Just clean it with the mask on.  I do it all the time, no issue.  GL with the painting!

[Jonathon Gillham 4697]

2 hours ago, Nicadraus said:

I'm really impressed with this brand. Their kits are quality at almost half the price of a Tamiya equivalent. I'm considering getting one XQ10 or XQ2 (and hopped it up) if I decided to build a 4wd touring car.

Nice work on the wiring.

I am tempted by the XQ10, there are a lot of Express cars at my onroad club as the LHS supplies them. I would go for the XQ10 as it will be cheaper than the XQ2S in the long run. Price wise though, the TRF420 from HK is about NZD850 vs NZD739 for the XQ10, so not a huge difference when comparing like for like. The XQ2S is much cheaper than a TA08 though, and wont need the same hopups so will be far cheaper

[Willy iine 18829]

Now I'm wondering whether to watch the guy's video.. will he bite my head off once again?  

 

 

 

Lol.. 

[Blista 1550]

59 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

I use IPA.  70-90% rubbing alcohol on either lint free MF towel or just paper towel.  Just clean it with the mask on.  I do it all the time, no issue.  GL with the painting!

Thanks for the tip but I already pulled all the masking tape off.  Couldn't live with the indecision. 

[InsaneJim69 1587]

Messed a round with the settings on my Vampire Racing SR1 esc. Managed to turn off the stupid drag brake and also turn the acceleration punch down from 4 to 1. What a difference, with the 4.5T 9000KV AB+ motor it's a dream to drive smooth and fast in my E4JS now. 🙂👍 Before it was a tad wild with the Tamiya B3 Tyres, even on Sorex 24R's it was a tad twitchy. 

James.

 

[djmcnz 755]

Nothing exciting but I installed 4 x 48.5mm Ti Coated Suspension Shafts in my Hopped-Up M05 Pro which I think is the end of that journey, it has over 40 Tamiya Hop-Ups installed now (who knew there were that many for an M-Chassis?!?). If I find a set of 49308 TRF Damper Aluminium Top Ends for a sensible price I might nab them but they seem unobtainable at the moment. Otherwise I don't think I can install any more Hop-Ups on this chassis.

I actually thought I'd completed this chassis 11 years ago now... I still hold @berman accountable for this recent extra spend! 😉

 

[OoALEJOoO 3283]

Having essentially finished the MF01X Nissan Pickup, last night I continued playing around with the idea of stripping the quick & dirty paintwork I did on an CC01 Isuzu Mu and designing a new one. Ended up deciding to create a thread to illustrate the thought/design process I go through when imagining a new body.

The thread is on the Build Tips & Techniques section.

 

[Nikko85 3847]

21 minutes ago, OoALEJOoO said:

Having essentially finished the MF01X Nissan Pickup, last night I continued playing around with the idea of stripping the quick & dirty paintwork I did on an CC01 Isuzu Mu and designing a new one. Ended up deciding to create a thread to illustrate the thought/design process I go through when imagining a new body.

The thread is on the Build Tips & Techniques section.

 

That looks incredible. Personally I think colour combinations, ratios and decals can really make a car. 

Would you be able to drop a few photos of your finished MF01x onto the MF01x thread I started, I'm just about to finish my two, and would be nice to see them all together.

[Willy iine 18829]

3 hours ago, OoALEJOoO said:

Having essentially finished the MF01X Nissan Pickup, last night I continued playing around with the idea of stripping the quick & dirty paintwork I did on an CC01 Isuzu Mu and designing a new one. Ended up deciding to create a thread to illustrate the thought/design process I go through when imagining a new body.

The thread is on the Build Tips & Techniques section.

 

Fancy!  So that's how you not end up with a battleship red that looks blue..!  

I've been away from Photoshop (the light version) too long where my version software is like so outdated my Mac won't even load it now.. lol

 

[Willy iine 18829]

22 hours ago, nel33 said:

TBH i never messed around with air brushes, plain old hand paint is fine with me. didnt bother to make the initial investment and when i did consider it it didnt make sense as the projects remaining were easier to continue with hand/brush paints. might need to look up the the acrylic smoke paint. got a bit of trial and error/tests on building static models when i find the time to undertake that... its the PS smoke i use on the shells though it might work on static models as only use it sparingly but might run out with the shells that need paint.

id like to add some tint to my fiesta, namely the top 3-4" of front windshield and 2-3" on the driver side but the windows are factory tinted to block xx% of light already. not sure how to check the current factory specs on light deflection for the cars. i do find that the usual factory black stickering for light blocking on the edges of the rearview mirror is insufficient as  . the sun glare gets me on the other 80% not covered, im too cheap to buy a decent set of sun glasses as i have some older ones that i also cant bother to whip out LOL. so the situation remains the same as ever...

if i can just tint the top edge of front driver side window (and front passenger for symmetry proposes) with the top front windshield i'll be a happy camper.

I know what you mean.   Once in a blue moon I use my portable airbrush, but it's mostly a rattle can replacement when I want to mix colors or need only a small amount.

I think the polycarbonate smoke would work on your static model glass, but if it's not acrylic you will probably not be able to cleanly remove it if you want to redo it.. or can potentially discolor the clear plastic if you use thinner..so I'd test it on a scrap parts tree or something.  I used an older Pactra or something smoke on a Sand Scorcher head light lens spare I had, and it turned out too dark and no way to remove it.  Thus got the bottle of the Tamiya smoke.   Works great for me since just brush painting a small area.  I am not a fan of Tamiya acrylics for brush painting as it has a hard time layering.

As for your 1:1 Fiesta your local tint shop can measure the tint and make banners out of tint film for the top of your windshield.  I use to own a used 2016 FiestaST at one time, for about 1.5 years.  It was an experiment I wanted to try using the Carvana APP.  I don't usually buy used cars.   I bought it while I was waiting for coffee at the office lounge between meetings.  2 days later I got a call from a nice lady and arrived in front of my house an hour after that.  I was actually pleasantly surprised how well the app worked.  

The FiST was a fun little car and got compliments all the time.  I installed a Cobb system (I'm an AccessPort user on my WRX's and Golf-R), MAPerformace custom exhaust, BOV, custom gas pedal for heel and toe, etc etc.  I sold it right around when the pandemic was at its peak as I had 2 daily drivers that were driven zero miles.   

I sold it back to Carvana via the app..so easy.