So, What Have You Done Today?

[Willy iine 18806]

@ImALlama Good to see you around again, welcome back!   That Billy’s drab F1 car is awesome!!   

 

For me, finished the decals on the Evo.  Definitely sped things up with a wet install as there are many contours to align the decal edges with.   Turned out okay, I think, I made sure the decals were symmetrically aligned.  

After dry, I will go over it with a heat gun.  Then will take pictures for the gallery only thread.   

I want to thank @moffman and others for sharing their pictures of their Evo’s.  It took me a little time to understand this body’s shape, but it really grew on me and now I love it.   

Update.. Also cut and installed the clear tray.. 

Final update for today.. finished the car!    So happy, definitely met my expectations!   I also posted a few shots in the gallery thread if anyone is interested.  Thanks for checking it out. 

Edited April 17, 2022 by Willy iine

[Kol__ 3377]

24 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

For me, finished the decals on the Evo.  Definitely sped things up with a wet install as there are many contours to align the decal edges with.   Turned out okay, I think, I made sure the decals were symmetrically aligned.  

After dry, I will go over it with a heat gun.  Then will take pictures for the gallery only thread.   

Looks spot on mate, lovely job Do you rate the wet technique then? (and I am only referring to RC when I say that). I haven't tried it yet and I don't quite get it, you use washing up liquid in the water, isn't that a lubricant? Does it just dry up and not effect the stickiness then?

[Willy iine 18806]

18 hours ago, Kol__ said:

Looks spot on mate, lovely job Do you rate the wet technique then? (and I am only referring to RC when I say that). I haven't tried it yet and I don't quite get it, you use washing up liquid in the water, isn't that a lubricant? Does it just dry up and not effect the stickiness then?

Thanks!!  

I use distilled water in a spray bottle and a small dish (to wet my fingers in).  After I cut the decal, I spray the body where the decal goes, then remove the decal from the liner with my tweezers and spray the adhesive side as well.  Then wet my finger tips and handle the decal to align to the body.  As long as I do not press down I can lift the decal to reposition it. 

Once I am ready to commit the decal, I wet my finger/thumb and slowly squeegee the water out.  Then take my wet silicon squeegee and squeegee out the rest of the water while drying the edges with a towel. 

Once the water dries the adhesive will be back to full adhesive strength.. usually takes a few days to fully cure, but usually the adhesive strength is strong enough that you can heat it and do any final contouring in a matter of hours after completion.  

During the install today I used my heat gun on one decal where it had to wrap around a hump on the body.. but besides that, straight forward application.   

[Kol__ 3377]

Thanks Willy, right I reckon I've got to give it a go on my next body then. Haven't had any major issues applying the stickers dry to date, but there have been a couple of times where wrenching the sticker back off to reposition has been a bit touch and go, and also a few alignment/symmetry issues which have bugged me a little bit, but haven't been enough to make me pull one side off again - you have to know when enough is enough and taking them off could end in disaster. I guess most of that could be alleviated by the water technique. When you say silicone squeegee, could you post a pic or a link maybe? Cheers

Also, I know what you mean about the Top Force shell, it's alien weird features puzzled me for a while, but eventually I was won over by the super low slung shell, in particular when viewed from the side when low down level with the car, looks badass.

[silvertriple 3557]

Worked a bit today. Some stuff remains to do, such as trimming the body shell, add the driver figure and other minor details... Build posts will follow in the relevant thread (but not sure it will be today )

And I could not resist to give it a quick run : it is amazing how fast this thing is cornering :-D

[naturbo2000 1272]

3 hours ago, Willy iine said:

@ImALlama Good to see you around again, welcome back!   That Billy’s drab F1 car is awesome!!   

 

For me, finished the decals on the Evo.  Definitely sped things up with a wet install as there are many contours to align the decal edges with.   Turned out okay, I think, I made sure the decals were symmetrically aligned.  

After dry, I will go over it with a heat gun.  Then will take pictures for the gallery only thread.   

I want to thank @moffman and others for sharing their pictures of their Evo’s.  It took me a little time to understand this body’s shape, but it really grew on me and now I love it.   

Update.. Also cut and installed the clear tray.. 

 

ReviveRC in the UK do replacement full length undertrays and a driver seat piece to add a head of your choice.

[Willy iine 18806]

1 hour ago, Kol__ said:

Thanks Willy, right I reckon I've got to give it a go on my next body then. Haven't had any major issues applying the stickers dry to date, but there have been a couple of times where wrenching the sticker back off to reposition has been a bit touch and go, and also a few alignment/symmetry issues which have bugged me a little bit, but haven't been enough to make me pull one side off again - you have to know when enough is enough and taking them off could end in disaster. I guess most of that could be alleviated by the water technique. When you say silicone squeegee, could you post a pic or a link maybe? Cheers

Also, I know what you mean about the Top Force shell, it's alien weird features puzzled me for a while, but eventually I was won over by the super low slung shell, in particular when viewed from the side when low down level with the car, looks badass.

Yeah, no problem.  The issue with peeling back during dry install is the decal can potentially tear or leave stretch marks (lines).   Wet install you can redo as many time as you need without damaging the decal.    I always make sure my finger tips are also wet so that I don’t leave any finger prints on the adhesive side.

Yeah, Evo looked real weird to me in the beginning. 

Here’s a picture of a silicon squeegee.  It’s soft so that you don’t scratch the decal’s decorative surface.  I still use it wet so that it does not catch the decorative side of the decal and potentially introduce wrinkles or water not escaping underneath.  I go real slow when squeegeeing out the water.  Quick strokes absolutely not recommended here.  

Hope this helps!  

[Kol__ 3377]

29 minutes ago, silvertriple said:

Worked a bit today. Some stuff remains to do, such as trimming the body shell, add the driver figure and other minor details... Build posts will follow in the relevant thread (but not sure it will be today )

And I could not resist to give it a quick run : it is amazing how fast this thing is cornering :-D

Yes mate! What a milestone to reach! It looks so good, the contrast between the red and black, plus the textures looks great! Will we get a running vid at some point?

[Tamiyastef 1969]

I finished my build of the MST CMX chassis. Installing the electronics (2.4 Ghz Flysky 3ch receiver and Hobbywing 1080 ESC) involved some soldering and removing and refitting the motor as I wanted the ESC motor wires directly soldered to the motor instead of using connectors and I didn't want to solder on the wires on the motor tabs while the motor was installed in the chassis. I also changed the plug on the ESC to Traxxas as all my batteries have Traxxas connectors. It has a 55t Axial crawler motor and the standard 22 tooth pinion. Just a tiny bit faster than walking pace on 2S and even quicker on 3S. The only issue seems to be some stuttering of the motor when going real slow .

 

[Grumpy pants 4485]

A bit more work in the garden today and a tip run before Sunday roast with all 5 kids. 

Itching to buy a decent Wild One for the back garden or a nice road car to take to a car park for a good tear up 😊

Have an ok budget but everything seems just that bit more than I want pay 😭
 

 

[Willy iine 18806]

Nice garden, @Grumpy pants!   Looks very peaceful.  

Today my wife hosted an Easter Egg hunt inside the house.    My two teens and I ran around like 5 year olds looking for a dozen plastic eggs.  Holy cow, she stuffed them with cash inside and I found the prize egg.  Going to buy the family supper this week to return the favor to my wife.   We had a fun time.. could not stop cracking up while searching..  lol

 

In other news, I'm going to work on trying to make a drill press for Willy  this week..  

[Willy iine 18806]

13 hours ago, bavee said:

Thank you @Kol__!

Was also thinking about going the Blitzer Beetle route. Already bought the Stadium Blitzer G-parts. And then this popped up. Should be cheaper even if it turns out missing some parts.

Looking forward to building and running it. Should be a nice addition to our Monster Racer.

That's a sweet truck, bavee!!   Nice! 

[nel33 870]

has anyone tried waking up sleeping NIMH battery by shorting it with an automotive fuse? my Tamiyas were kept with maintenance charge but i let the traxxas ones go dormant. i could try charging them 10x after discharging them though ive heard shorting them might help. never tried it before but im considering a 0.5A fuse to sacrifice to jog the batteries. i only have 1 slash and 2 batteries, the rest of my Tamiya collection is fine. with nicer weather on the way i want to get the slash running as it can take more casual driving style vs Tamiya kits.

one voltage charge  is at 6.4V , the other is 8.46V, i feel no warmth from the battery when its on the charger. trying to charge the lower one right now.

edit. the charger is working on the battery. the blinking lights are doing the correct process. its possible the AC car to  wall DC adapter plug wasnt in properly. the thing was moved around bit in the past.

[Ziddan 947]

38 minutes ago, nel33 said:

waking up sleeping NIMH battery

Dont know about the fuse method but if you have a charger that can do be set to different cell counts its a possible a way to bring them up to a working voltage, set it to a cell count for which the current voltage is a normal discharge, let charge until that full voltage, step up the cell count, repeat until at its real full charge.

[nel33 870]

1 minute ago, Ziddan said:

Dont know about the fuse method but if you have a charger that can do be set to different cell counts its a possible a way to bring them up to a working voltage, set it to a cell count for which the current voltage is a normal discharge, let charge until that full voltage, step up the cell count, repeat until at its real full charge.

thank you for the reply, i got the 40w DC wall charger and not the fancy one that does NIMH and LIPO. not that many options with this charger. i do recall the single green flash that says its 0% just kept the same count/tempo before and didnt progress to 2-4 blink pattern. the blinking pattern is actually progressing 50-75% currently. i havent really invested in the fancy chargers. the traxxas one is OEM, the Tamiya in more generic but works (2 speeds 1A, 2A rate).

i havent yet tried the other battery but if it does give me issues i will go for a drive with it and bring down the voltage.

[wtcc5 4900]

My friends and I had a fun day in the sandpit:

 

 

[Grumpy pants 4485]

18 minutes ago, wtcc5 said:

My friends and I had a fun day in the sandpit:

 

 

Quality! 

[Kol__ 3377]

23 hours ago, bavee said:

Should be a nice addition to our Monster Racer.

Ah yeah @bavee, now this is the nicest Tamiya truck imo (a thought shared with many others I believe), the shell is awesome! I haven't driven one, but looks like a decent bit of travel on those shocks as well. A bit like if the Black Foot and the Stadium Blitzer had a baby, this would be it.

[bavee 1032]

10 hours ago, Willy iine said:

That's a sweet truck, bavee!!   Nice! 

 

38 minutes ago, Kol__ said:

Ah yeah @bavee, now this is the nicest Tamiya truck imo (a thought shared with many others I believe), the shell is awesome! I haven't driven one, but looks like a decent bit of travel on those shocks as well. A bit like if the Black Foot and the Stadium Blitzer had a baby, this would be it.

Thanks guys! This one's body is pretty beaten up (bought it second hand) but it still has the looks (from a distance...) and is a hoot to drive and jump!

[moffman 5752]

18 hours ago, Willy iine said:

@ImALlama Good to see you around again, welcome back!   That Billy’s drab F1 car is awesome!!   

 

For me, finished the decals on the Evo.  Definitely sped things up with a wet install as there are many contours to align the decal edges with.   Turned out okay, I think, I made sure the decals were symmetrically aligned.  

After dry, I will go over it with a heat gun.  Then will take pictures for the gallery only thread.   

I want to thank @moffman and others for sharing their pictures of their Evo’s.  It took me a little time to understand this body’s shape, but it really grew on me and now I love it.   

Update.. Also cut and installed the clear tray.. 

Final update for today.. finished the car!    So happy, definitely met my expectations!   I also posted a few shots in the gallery thread if anyone is interested.  Thanks for checking it out. 

Superb evo! Way ahead in its day and still a good performer today! Forgive me if you've already built and posted the javelin but is this the next build? It's the one kyosho I haven't hot I think simply because I have the turbo and the standard Optima but when I see it I'm so tempted!!

[Frankster 2033]

15 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

A bit more work in the garden today and a tip run before Sunday roast with all 5 kids. 

Itching to buy a decent Wild One for the back garden or a nice road car to take to a car park for a good tear up 😊

Have an ok budget but everything seems just that bit more than I want pay 😭
 

 

The track I would make out of that backyard….😅

[Willy iine 18806]

5 minutes ago, moffman said:

Superb evo! Way ahead in its day and still a good performer today! Forgive me if you've already built and posted the javelin but is this the next build? It's the one kyosho I haven't hot I think simply because I have the turbo and the standard Optima but when I see it I'm so tempted!!

Thanks, moffman!  Yes, the Evo drives exceptionally well right out of the box, I am quite impressed.  I thought the rear stepped out off throttle a bit while just testing the chassis, but as soon as I put the body on with the big rear wing and drove it around, very nicely balanced with the downforce.  Incredible turn-in response with lots of 'shinari' to maintain excellent posture at high speed switch backs.    I will have to drive it back to back with my Egress.  

As for the Javelin, I have not built it yet.  I was looking for a NIB Lemans motor I had back in the 80's, but have not been able to find one.  I think I'm just going to go with a SuperStockBZ.. any recommendations on motor?  I want to keep it brushed and not interested in a hot motor as I have a bunch of those from my racing days..

I'm still waiting on my CC02 to arrive this month and want to build the nicherotors 4WD CityTurbo (near release?) before the Javelin.. but if no update by May, I will start the Javelin.    

Im going to be doing a few more Willy's garage accessories next.. drill press, mobile cart, another trash can.  

[Frankster 2033]

Took the Manta Ray out.  Great to drive and light compared to my son’s TT-02B.  Better ground clearance did not hurt either.

Unfortunately the front damper tower separated from the gear box.   No thread left in the plastic gearbox and I will need to pick up a new parts tree to keep the car running.  
Photo of the bumper and chassis sitting on the ground.  

[moffman 5752]

1 hour ago, Willy iine said:

Thanks, moffman!  Yes, the Evo drives exceptionally well right out of the box, I am quite impressed.  I thought the rear stepped out off throttle a bit while just testing the chassis, but as soon as I put the body on with the big rear wing and drove it around, very nicely balanced with the downforce.  Incredible turn-in response with lots of 'shinari' to maintain excellent posture at high speed switch backs.    I will have to drive it back to back with my Egress.  

As for the Javelin, I have not built it yet.  I was looking for a NIB Lemans motor I had back in the 80's, but have not been able to find one.  I think I'm just going to go with a SuperStockBZ.. any recommendations on motor?  I want to keep it brushed and not interested in a hot motor as I have a bunch of those from my racing days..

I'm still waiting on my CC02 to arrive this month and want to build the nicherotors 4WD CityTurbo (near release?) before the Javelin.. but if no update by May, I will start the Javelin.    

Im going to be doing a few more Willy's garage accessories next.. drill press, mobile cart, another trash can.  

I think (although I never done it myself) back to back the topforce will be the more capable? The egress is a bit of engineering art work were as the topforce is quite simple in design and far better centre of gravity!

[topforcein 1764]

21 hours ago, Willy iine said:

Update.. Also cut and installed the clear tray.. 

 

looking mighty fine their it make me want to build mine tbh

have you seen this from revive rc it's a full length under try 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353969796965?hash=item526a3e7765:g:22EAAOSwTHNiODbI