So, What Have You Done Today?

[Ferruz 13649]

Great work @Nicadraus, especially the roll cage! 👌 can't wait to see the final result.

Same thing goes for @technics: your Lancia Stratos looks amazing already , and I can't wait to see how it's gonna turn out. Excellent execution so far, that is one of my favourite liveries on one of my favourite cars so I'm very excited about it. Fantastic choice, really.

As for me, I didn't have much time for RC lately, but still enjoyed a few moments here and there.

I ran the Hornet

Ran the Mid too, still in onroad mode after the last Postal Racing effort

...and gave some much needed love to the Big Boss, stuck since the end of winter when the front right suspension arm broke.

I did see that coming, and was already equipped with the proper vintage NIP replacement parts, so the manienance was quite straightforward. 

Although... look at those brass lumps which used to be ball joints  I do have some OG new ones, tucked in a spare box somewhere... but on a whim I decided to just keep going with these, and save the new ones for a future proper restoration.

So I opted for another solution: sandwiching the worn ball joints in between O rings, and see how that would work.

Turned out alright, but the O rings had to carefully be cut in halves in order to fit! 

I took it out for a run, and the suspension system works great so far, including the last minute O rings hack. There is no play at all and it stayed that way after the run, now on to see how long this will last, but I'm optimistic about it.

Unfortunately, the servo saver started to be sloppy to the point of almost no steering, so I had to remove the servo and am now waiting for a new servo saver to fit (and, at this point, new 3D printed dogbones, as the ones I'm running are almost worn out). Some demands from the Boss here and there but still, not too bad for a 35+ y old monster truck that gets a lot of action.

[Willy iine 18843]

@Ferruz I can't see your Hornet pictures, but I am sure they are great!     

 

For me, did some more organization in my pylon test course space, installed my old Tamiya workstation (magnifying glass thingie with a super bright LED I installed) in the cabinet so that I can do some minor maintenance, charge and swap batteries on my Mini-Z when needed, mounted my new Seiko clock on the wall, and made this magazine/catalog holder.       It's some cheap magazine holder I found on Amazon, and I applied a Kyosho heat patch on the canvas catalog hanger thingie (using thin double stick tape)..

Better pictures on instagram Story for today.. but you get the idea, I think..  

[Ferruz 13649]

@Willy iine I've seen your recent RC progress here and also on the Instagram platform (I too have a small RC presence there, although quite shy and not consistent) and everything looks amazing as usual, I'm running out of words that wouldn't sound redundant, your pretend RC shop and its models are becoming the ultimate RC nirvana!! Congrats for the last efforts, and I can't wait to see the mini Kyosho Legendary Series boxes come to life!  I did think about it too a while ago, but have been too lazy to follow through and print them because I need to change some color cartridges on the printer first 😆

[Willy iine 18843]

1 hour ago, Ferruz said:

@Willy iine I've seen your recent RC progress here and also on the Instagram platform (I too have a small RC presence there, although quite shy and not consistent) and everything looks amazing as usual, I'm running out of words that wouldn't sound redundant, your pretend RC shop and its models are becoming the ultimate RC nirvana!! Congrats for the last efforts, and I can't wait to see the mini Kyosho Legendary Series boxes come to life!  I did think about it too a while ago, but have been too lazy to follow through and print them because I need to change some color cartridges on the printer first 😆

Thanks, Ferruz!  You're too kind, I appreciate the feedback.    I will be working on those boxes soon, after I finish this pylon test course decore/organization.   My wife said she is going to set up my Mac to run on her printer so that I can just print on my own.

Right now I am deciding on some small furnishings for the pylon test course space  (mini ottoman or bean bags that I can toss around in the room and randomly sit wherever I please) and deciding what to do with one blank wall... shall I install a big screen.. shall I install a big poster, frame a few boxes, etc etc..

[lsear2905 1279]

12 hours ago, Willy iine said:

.. I drove my 1:1 car this am for my weekend drive, detailed the car, and have not done anything RC yet.. 

That said, I was talking to my wife this morning about the crawler space I am planning in the back yard and she asked if I ever considered making the course inside the screened patio once we get rid of the large storage cabinets and exercise equipment when the kids move out.  This way I would not have to worry about driving over who knows what and have immediate access to power.  I could even do a small workshop as the screened patio is connected to my house and majority of the space remain dry even during a windy storm.  The screened patio is about 20 x 20 ft?  probably bigger.. it's got ample space for a crawler to drive in.  

Don't bother trying to build a 20' x 20' space for a full size TRX4. Home crawler courses are the domain of the Kyosho Mini Z 4x4 and the TRX4M. I built a substantial track during Melbourne's 263 day lockdown. The reality is you'll do a substantially better job than me - your work is always of an exceptional standard - but this provided me with months of entertainment, both the construction and driving on it. One day I put my MST CMX (which is smaller than the TRX4) and was bored after about 5 minutes. 

Also, this video is very long, but I wanted a record of all the different obstacles I'd made.

 

[GeeWings 2861]

Amazing work all round as usual! That rollcage is inspired @Nicadraus!

@lsear2905what a great track you made, I will be back at yours soon

Today is my last day of work for a while. I'm going to spend some time with my wife, some at the gym and hopefully lots at my desk getting on with some builds!

Talking of which, amongst the huge pile of kits to make/finish I did recently pick-up an old Nikko RC which was kaput. I really just wanted the shell. When it arrived it was quite a lot smaller than I had assumed, just 90mm wheelbase. Here it is next to a Hotshot chassis:

Then I realised it could pair with an SW01...

With a bit of fiddling I think it could just work! 

[Nicadraus 6789]

Thanks @Ferruz & @GeeWings 

Finally done with the Celica.

Of course new OZ Racing wheels too to match the body.

Together with the Corolla WRC.

 

[Willy iine 18843]

Very nice, @Nicadraus!! 

 

For me, not much RC wrenching action today, but am working on related items so that I can move onto the next phase soon..  today, I will be deciding which kit boxes to break down, decide how much shelving I need for the closet in the pylon test course space and either repurpose exisiting shelves or order new shelves.  My spare bodies and random kit parts (parts that were not used in the build) are taking up way too much space so want to re-organize that first.  

[NWarty 1332]

On 7/22/2023 at 12:12 PM, Kowalski86 said:

Nice work, what are your plans now that it's all fixed up?

Just a nice, gentle runner. I did put in a 2.4 FlySky receiver so that I can stretch its legs every so often

[Ferruz 13649]

@Nicadraus stunning!  👌

I just realized that something went wrong with the pics in my posts from yesterday, thank you @Willy iine for the heads up (still it took me some extra 12 hrs to figure it out 😅) anyway I edited them and hopefully they are visible now.

[Willy iine 18843]

2 hours ago, Ferruz said:

 

I just realized that something went wrong with the pics in my posts from yesterday, thank you @Willy iine for the heads up (still it took me some extra 12 hrs to figure it out 😅) anyway I edited them and hopefully they are visible now.

Yes, I can see them now. Nice pictures!  Optima and your truck too.  👍

 

For me, spent like 3 hours cleaning up the partially empty kit boxes with bodies and wheels/tires inside to determine which boxes to keep and which to destroy.  I had to compile a lot of my FJ40 pickup bodies and wheels/tires for the GF01 so it took some  time, but I managed to get about 20 or so boxes broken down and placed neatly folded in my recycle bin.  I then cleaned up most of the parts from various cars including my Kyosho's and placed into appropriate parts bin containers.  I still have a stash of WR02 excess parts and not sure if I should just toss them as I have like 8-9 cars worth and there is no way I would use them all.  I'm thinking I would cut spacers off the parts trees and save those, toss the rest.

I also ordered a new shelf to place inside the closet.. it's a display worthy shelf (nothing expensive) so in case I change my mind down the road, I can use it as a display shelf in the room as well.    .. whew, time for a break..

[bRIBEGuy 3414]

Started another project I don't need to do...

[Sogogi 3363]

Updated the king cab road worthy..

replaced with gear diff, better esc (since old esc keep cutting off), more robust and stronger servo.

 

[Ferruz 13649]

I felt the need to see my Mid in its true self again, meaning with the stock wheels and Bridgestone tires on . Once the visual needs were appeased, I then felt the urge to drive it immediately. This lead to the first offroad outing on grass (I only drove it on snow and tarmac so far). 

Very happy with this. Well worth the extra time spent afterwards to redo the sidewall lettering 😆. I love this buggy more and more every time I take it out for a spin.

[Badcrumble 4432]

Made it to step 9 of my M-08R. Getting a bit late to attempt ball diff assembly.

But what are you meant to use to make a 2.5mm hole in step 2?

[Willy iine 18843]

@Badcrumble In Japanese, it says to run a drill ドリル through it 通します。   I suggest doing that by hand (ie: pin vice), not using any power drill/driver.

 

@Ferruz Awesome MID action shots!!  

[morrisey0 400]

Got shocks and the bottom half of the electronics case installed on my Hilux.  I know the painted case may ******* off the purists, but the top half of mine is covered in cracks (and has a melted spot), and a new one isn't in the budget.  So, as the old saying goes, paint it black and put it back. 

[Badcrumble 4432]

Thanks @Willy iine. Got my pin vice and my tiny Tamiya bits. Wish me hope!

[Willy iine 18843]

Hope is all that is needed.    Good hopes!

 

For me today, will clean up the last of the GF01 WR02 bits in my parts bin and look for some Kyosho related decore to dress up my pretend pylon test course.   I think I'm going to take some Turbo Scorpion snaps later on and post them up on instagram.

I really want to get the pre-EXT white/green Fantom..  just can't find any in the USA..

[Kowalski86 4964]

I just tested out the M06, turns out that the blue springs were a bit too stiff for road use. But, it doesn't handle too badly otherwise.

[bRIBEGuy 3414]

Got a bit more work done on Ozzy.

For a guy so iconic as being bad-a$$, I was a bit disappointed to learn his tattoo's were temporary and could just rub off.    So I rubbed them off (wait, that doesn't sound right...), removed a bunch of jewellery, and updated the skin tone...

[Juhunio 7117]

Finally got around to applying the finishing touches to my purple-peppered TA03-F Pro Drift chassis...the second set of rims, TA03RS-TRF purple motor plate, wheel spacers, nuts and some tint film for the headlamps

Then the final couple of AMG stickers on the shell, and it's done!

[JimBear 1361]

4 hours ago, Willy iine said:

Hope is all that is needed.    Good hopes!

I really want to get the pre-EXT white/green Fantom..  just can't find any in the USA..

Are you going for box art or something fancier?

[Willy iine 18843]

28 minutes ago, JimBear said:

Are you going for box art or something fancier?

If I get one mine would be box art as I do not plan to get multiples of this car.  I would probably just build straight out of the kit with no hopups as my EXT has basically all the hopups available including the top/bottom CF decks.  I should probably update my picture as the chassis is a beauty.  

 

So for me, finished organizing the parts from yesterday and ordered an RTR Mario Cart.  lol.  (no joke)   It's the 1:16 scale where Mario leans to the side with steering input.  I think I am going to get me a few of those Kyosho Egg RTR (toys) and another Mini-Z buggy and 4x4 to complete the space.

[Busdriver 6651]

Dr Busdriver created the Pumplash or possibly the Slashkin  
More to follow!!!!