So, What Have You Done Today?

[alvinlwh 6893]

7 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

which could make it more fun to run in the dirt.

And get all the shiny parts scratched up! 🤣

[nowinaminute 3320]

This is for yesterday....work got really busy and I've been badly, badly let down by Royal Mail and Evri in terms of delays and trying to post at stupid times when a business premises would obviously not be open. Been stressing out and in a flap all week. Should have been able to fulfill all orders by yesterday but still got stuff that is several days over due.....anyways....it's affected my quality RC time!

But that being said, I fitted the 3d printed lower bulkhead and apro braces to my Tamiya Falcon and wow, what a difference! I got the Falcon way back in 2016 or 17 as part of a lot when I first got back into RC and it has sat there all broken and sad this whole time.

The chassis itself had some slight damage on the bottom screw holes, so I did the kebab mod and threaded 2 50mm machine screws right through the whole thing to tie all the braces and bulkhead and bumper all together and it feels like you could hammer nails with it now!

Looks like a restomod is finally on the cards!

I was supposed to work on my Nikko project again, too, but just been in too much of a stress with work this week.

I hoping everything will at least mostly come together by the end of tomorrow and the weekend will be free for tinkering.

[Gun Slinger 393 164]

2 hours ago, nowinaminute said:

This is for yesterday....work got really busy and I've been badly, badly let down by Royal Mail and Evri in terms of delays and trying to post at stupid times when a business premises would obviously not be open. Been stressing out and in a flap all week. Should have been able to fulfill all orders by yesterday but still got stuff that is several days over due.....anyways....it's affected my quality RC time!

But that being said, I fitted the 3d printed lower bulkhead and apro braces to my Tamiya Falcon and wow, what a difference! I got the Falcon way back in 2016 or 17 as part of a lot when I first got back into RC and it has sat there all broken and sad this whole time.

The chassis itself had some slight damage on the bottom screw holes, so I did the kebab mod and threaded 2 50mm machine screws right through the whole thing to tie all the braces and bulkhead and bumper all together and it feels like you could hammer nails with it now!

Looks like a restomod is finally on the cards!

I was supposed to work on my Nikko project again, too, but just been in too much of a stress with work this week.

I hoping everything will at least mostly come together by the end of tomorrow and the weekend will be free for tinkering.

That has been sitting sometime, you must have plenty!

could I ask, you mentioned a Nikko project,

Did Nikko ever make competitive cars, Ive been having a little look Into the history of rc but from My memory as a kid I can remember Nikko being in the back of the argos catalogue 

GS

[Gun Slinger 393 164]

Put a new motor in the racing fighter after killing it at the beach so just let it eat for 5 minutes on the drive as a test run 

[Nikko85 3767]

1 hour ago, Gun Slinger 393 said:

That has been sitting sometime, you must have plenty!

could I ask, you mentioned a Nikko project,

Did Nikko ever make competitive cars, Ive been having a little look Into the history of rc but from My memory as a kid I can remember Nikko being in the back of the argos catalogue 

GS

Yes, they made the Dandy Dash which did 'compete' but the main hobbygrade quality cars were the Nikko F10, the Dictator and Hawk Monster truck series. 

They also made some very nice other vehicles like the turbo panther which has full working diff, two speed gearbox and two speed modes. They got bought out and started churning out crap, but there was a golden period of semi hobby grade stuff with spares and upgrades.

 

[nowinaminute 3320]

1 hour ago, Gun Slinger 393 said:

That has been sitting sometime, you must have plenty!

could I ask, you mentioned a Nikko project,

Did Nikko ever make competitive cars, Ive been having a little look Into the history of rc but from My memory as a kid I can remember Nikko being in the back of the argos catalogue 

GS

Hi there!

They had one hobby grade Porsche 935 kit quite early on in their history but then were was a gap for a while where they had some nicer models with proportional control etc, but still rather toy like.

Then they released the F10 Bison/Rhino and the Dictator which were essentially entry level hobby grade in terms of construction but came in an RTR package. They were built just like a contemporary Tamiya or Kyosho and a clear distinction from more toy like offerings. They even sold a few hop ups such as bearings and straps to allow 8.4v nicad packs. Even Dirt burners made a few F10 hopups for a while.

Then there was another 959 that came as an RTR but quite hobby like with 540 motor etc.

There was also the Hawg family of trucks which again, was put together very much like a contemporary entry level hobby grade than a toy grade.

Eventually they went all in and released the Dandy Dash and Super Sprint 4wd belt driven buggies that could be purchased as RTR or kits.

There were some upgrade sets available to convert either one into a competitive racing buggy known as the "Brat" with features such as carbon chassis, universals, Centre diff etc.

The Brat was raced in the world's a few times.

They were on the verge of releasing a Stadium Truck version of the Dandy Dash/Super Sprint called the Stadium King but it didn't seem to get a wide release in the end.

There were also Brat mk2 prototypes spotted at racing events, but this didn't see the light if day, either.

Dandy Dash and Super Sprint mk2 versions were also shown in Nikko brochures but never released.

A rebadged version of the Super Sprint called the Black Bullet was I think the last hobby grade kit they sold. It was apparently heavily discounted at the end of it's run but now worth a good amount of money.

They also released a series of Nitro powered 1/10 vehicles including a Mercedes and Renault Clio. These had remote start and reverse.

The last hobby like vehicles nikko made were the 1/10 super evolution range of cars (a rework of the 959 rtr chassis) that had lean bodies and 540 motors. Hoppus such as bearings, faster motor and oil dampers were available.

They also continued to release variations of the F10, Dictator and Hawg platforms although hops ups etc were long gone. They still had some potential, though. My current Nikko project is a Dictator descendant.

There's probably more but that's a "quick" synopsis lol

[Gun Slinger 393 164]

6 minutes ago, nowinaminute said:

Hi there!

They had one hobby grade Porsche 935 kit quite early on in their history but then were was a gap for a while where they had some nicer models with proportional control etc, but still rather toy like.

Then they released the F10 Bison/Rhino and the Dictator which were essentially entry level hobby grade in terms of construction but came in an RTR package. They were built just like a contemporary Tamiya or Kyosho and a clear distinction from more toy like offerings. They even sold a few hop ups such as bearings and straps to allow 8.4v nicad packs. Even Dirt burners made a few F10 hopups for a while.

Then there was another 959 that came as an RTR but quite hobby like with 540 motor etc.

There was also the Hawg family of trucks which again, was put together very much like a contemporary entry level hobby grade than a toy grade.

Eventually they went all in and released the Dandy Dash and Super Sprint 4wd belt driven buggies that could be purchased as RTR or kits.

There were some upgrade sets available to convert either one into a competitive racing buggy known as the "Brat" with features such as carbon chassis, universals, Centre diff etc.

The Brat was raced in the world's a few times.

They were on the verge of releasing a Stadium Truck version of the Dandy Dash/Super Sprint called the Stadium King but it didn't seem to get a wide release in the end.

There were also Brat mk2 prototypes spotted at racing events, but this didn't see the light if day, either.

Dandy Dash and Super Sprint mk2 versions were also shown in Nikko brochures but never released.

A rebadged version of the Super Sprint called the Black Bullet was I think the last hobby grade kit they sold. It was apparently heavily discounted at the end of it's run but now worth a good amount of money.

They also released a series of Nitro powered 1/10 vehicles including a Mercedes and Renault Clio. These had remote start and reverse.

The last hobby like vehicles nikko made were the 1/10 super evolution range of cars (a rework of the 959 rtr chassis) that had lean bodies and 540 motors. Hoppus such as bearings, faster motor and oil dampers were available.

They also continued to release variations of the F10, Dictator and Hawg platforms although hops ups etc were long gone. They still had some potential, though. My current Nikko project is a Dictator descendant.

There's probably more but that's a "quick" synopsis lol

Thankyou for this, that’s a speed education! 
 

it’s really a big wide world and im trying to get my head around it 

[alvinlwh 6893]

Did some minor upgrade on the M-05Ra and fitted a foam bumper from 3Racing.

However this means the stone guard cannot be used although it never seem to do much.

Also put on a YR carbon rear damper stay I happened to have spare.

[svenb 3882]

Finished the TB Evo 5 ms chassis build

Body next

[Highgrip 16]

Today I fixed some Chinese rubbish... 

I’m currently building a Top Force. When I installed the Motor with the GPM Racing motor mount I realized that the motor was tilted. After some measuring I figured out, that the Gearbox (B7) has 1° draft angle in Z and the original plastic motor mount (B2) is wedged to compensate and align the motor in Y.

The plastic motor mount measures 6,6mm at the bottom and 6,0mm at the top while the GPM has a constant thickness of 6,5mm. So I 3D printed a little jig to set the GPM part on a 1° angle and milled over the face that goes on contact to the gearbox housing. Now the plate measures 6,5mm at the bottom and 5,9mm at the top and the motor sits straight along the Y axis. (Probably I could just have put 0,6mm from a feeler gauge below the top edge, clamp it down and start milling.)

As a start I’m using the 22T pinion that comes with the kit and the 69T spur gear form 47393. I left the rear cover, differential and counter gear off to get a feeling for the backlash. In the 16th hole I found that there’s hardly any backlash so I switched to the 17th hole.

Maybe I should have bought the Tamiya option part right away. 

[simalarion 2529]

@Highgrip - nice "high end" Tools/Equipment you got going there!.

And yes that is any case a must update for Top-Force, a metal motor mount (original part will Crack, especially if updating from silver can as you should do). If you are not making them all yourself RC-JAZ has some pretty nice hop-ups for the Top-Force, be aware that the servo steering link do not fit Top-Force (i actually got RC-Jaz to update that info om the product on their web page).

 

[Matt_G40 120]

On 7/31/2024 at 9:20 AM, TurnipJF said:

Removed the non-waterproof lighting set from my CC-01 runner shell and gave it a new roof rack by means of compensation. 

 

The lighting set is now in my CC-01 display shell where it is at no risk of getting wet. 

 

Looks great, what tyres are you running on it if you don't mind me asking?
I'm currently in the process of restoring a CC-01/Pajero - 58132, finished off the painting today,  just waiting on some mci decals to turn up before I clear coat it (I have an original decal set but they're quite yellowed). has been quite fun painting this though.

[TurnipJF 9758]

4 hours ago, Matt_G40 said:

Looks great, what tyres are you running on it if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks! They are a generic Chinese tyre sold as Fastrax Kongs amongst many other names. They came mounted on a set of beadlocks that I used on another project along with the stock Pajero tyres. 

They come in 90mm and 96mm sizes. I found the 90mm ones to fit the Pajero best at stock ride height without significant wheel arch trimming. 

You can also get them with steelies:

https://www.activescalemodels.co.uk/fastrax-kong-crawler-tyre-w-1-9-scale-wheel-90mm-white-2-fast0065w

[Bwaaatch 617]

Took a trip to Retro Sect, a retro games, toys and cars shop in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. https://www.retro-sect.co.uk
Incredible place if you like that sort of thing.

Mentioning it here because they also have a small but very nice selection of toy grade RC stuff in stock, which I know some people here go nuts for! https://www.retro-sect.co.uk/product-category/retro-rc/

I also found a boxed bootleg RC Mini 4wd front Chinese brand (sans any RC components!) and there was another slightly damaged mini 4wd clone in the shelf that also looked interesting.

The owner is called Ben and he could not have been a nicer guy. Also has a wonderful fleet of mainly 80s restiored 1:1 cars for sale.

Check the site and from a visit. Worth it!

 

 

[Frankster 2072]

Picked up a rare Futaba FXT.  This is a car Futaba commissioned Tamiya to make and is based off the Stadium Thunder/Stadium Blitzer. The difference is the alum chassis, the damper towers are fiberglass, wheel design and the rear ball diff.  In my car, the dampers have been changed to aluminum and the rear tires have been replaced.

Next step I need to take it apart to clean and service. I will also need to order correct body and decals.  

[Kowalski86 3983]

I tried a new "rock racer" look for the Stampede, I dunno if I liked how it performed but it's something different.

I also tried crawling with the CR12 now that the diffs are partly locked, unfortunately the tires really struggle up loose terrain.

[Nikko85 3767]

22 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

I tried a new "rock racer" look for the Stampede, I dunno if I liked how it performed but it's something different.

I also tried crawling with the CR12 now that the diffs are partly locked, unfortunately the tires really struggle up loose terrain.

What did you do to partially lock the diffs? I have a heavily modified CR12 and tempted to try it! Surprised at how well it does go over stuff still.

 

[Nikko85 3767]

This has taken one step closer, the MF01x short course truck.

Tl01 arms, custom made spacer for wheelbase and racing truck tires and it is looking good.

I know the MF01X has its detractors, but it's a super versatile chassis for me.

Need to work on livery and windows etc but overall quite happy with it!

 

[Kowalski86 3983]

1 hour ago, Nikko85 said:

What did you do to partially lock the diffs? I have a heavily modified CR12 and tempted to try it! Surprised at how well it does go over stuff still.

 

In the back I used some earplug silicone (and 30k up front) but that was unnecessary, the diffs are sealed. You can run proper fluid or bits of foam/silicone without it leaking out.

[Frankster 2072]

2 hours ago, Nikko85 said:

This has taken one step closer, the MF01x short course truck.

Tl01 arms, custom made spacer for wheelbase and racing truck tires and it is looking good.

I know the MF01X has its detractors, but it's a super versatile chassis for me.

Need to work on livery and windows etc but overall quite happy with it!

 

Looks awesome.  Redbull livery?

 

can you put another touring car or buggy next to it for scale reference 

[Nikko85 3767]

5 hours ago, Frankster said:

Looks awesome.  Redbull livery?

 

can you put another touring car or buggy next to it for scale reference 

Afraid I am more of  Hamilton guy. 😁

 

[skom25 1754]

I did major service of TT-02. It is hard to believe, how dirty it was after month or two.

Super Stock motor was replaced by Torque Tuned. SS is nice in terms of speed, but it is really "unfriendly" on tight tracks and starts to be REALLY hot after a while, despite high RPM fan. I tried many times, but it always was the same: sooner or later motor burned and performance decreased a lot.

It is also really hard to control motor on non prepared tracks with low grip. Without throttle it almost stops car. It does not sound like huge issue, but magnets are so strong, that it is also hard to control on low RPM. You lift throttle, car almost stops in the middle of the corner, try to push throttle again and car "chokes" and then loose grip because power is available again.

[nowinaminute 3320]

I sort of did a half restoration/half hurriedly make drivable job on the Tamiya Falcon with broken bulkhead that's been sat on a shelf since I got it back in 2016 or 2017. Guessing the last time it saw use before that was in the late 80s or early 90s.

I got a 3d printed lower bulkhead and ampro braces a few days ago, so was eager to take it for a spin.

I basically just did a thorough job on the driveline and dampers and just a once over with everything else.

Unfortunately, I discovered a crack on each upper arm where the screw pin goes in, can't tell if it was already there or it happened when I put the screws back in. It still drove ok, but the arms are probably on borrowed time. I might try and do a @kontemax style wire repair just to try and get some life out of them.

I cleaned all the dampers and added red o rings, green slime and soft oil but dear lord is this thing still stiff! Over sprung and over damped at the back, the front is a bit better but still too much damping. Even with no preload collars it sits at full height and just crashes and bashes over terrain.

I guess I should try and replicate the missing weight of a 4xAA battery pack and the missing MSC servo and see how it goes. I can change the piston discs to reduce the damping but not much I can do about the springs except try and add some weight. I guess this isn't unusual for older Tamiya buggies, they always seemed a bit hit or miss in this department. I always found the Hotshot/Boomerang HP conversion to be way too stiff, for example.

Anyways, despite my moans, it was really great to get it out and about. Drove nice enough apart from being a bit bouncy and stiff. Still takes a corner better than any Hornet or Hopper, though!

My daughter brought the Kumamonster along. We had some great fun doing donuts in a carpark while some drunken people on the balcony of the local rugyby club cheered us on 

[Pizza Frog 682]

I put a steel pinion in the Frog and Boomerang and tested them.  

[alvinlwh 6893]

Did a clean of the twin motor 4WD TCR-M. Also decided to change its WB from 210mm to 225mm as I bought a new body for it. 

Changing the WB on this is really easy as the front and back are independent of each other.

However the old 'body shocks' will not work with the new distance so I dig out some rubbish GPM 87mm big bores from the spares box to put on.

#1000 shock oil and a massive amount of preload with the hardest springs, it feels really nice now. Also swapped the Deans out for XT-60 while I am at it.