Mega Mini Yon - A Build Thread

[qatmix]

Hi All

I recently acquired a Voltec Fighter for a bargin price (12 inc shipping), and I must confess I love it! Maybe because the RC boys series is so knocked on these forums I wasn't expecting much but I was plesently surprised by the car. Its cool my boy thinks its great, and even the wife mentioned that she thought it looked good. (Which is a first).

The 380 motor and lack of suspension make the car a little basic to begin with.. but the car struck a chord with me and I decided I was going to see if I could (with the help of people on this forum) try to take the car to a level that no-one would expect.

So the plan is to upgrade the car to be competitive in a racing scenario. Obviously to do this means I've got to have a proper race scenario to test the car. As luck would have it, there is a small and friendly, enthusiastic indoor club near me that has quite an open policy on racing. The perfect scenario as flat carpet is best for a car with no suspension.

Last Thursday I took it for its first outing. It took a fair bit of courage to get the car out (it was also the first time I had been to the club) needless to say people were soon Joking that it looked like Evil Knevil's car

BASIC RACE CAR

The car had only 2 hop-ups, it was full ball-raced and it also had the 540 motor installed, the only other change from the std kit was that it had 26mm foam touring wheels / tyres. The weight was 1765g fully loaded

I'm surprised to say that the car handled well around the circuit. The extra width did give me alot of stability and the car was great fun to drive. The big difference on performance however was that the voltec was incredibly quick to accelerate, but the top speed was compromised. The 540 kit comes with a 13t pinion. This goes onto a 56t drive wheel. I'm crappy with gearing but I know this has to change. My best lap was 9.2 seconds compared to 8.2 of the tt01 / hot bodies cars that were there.

I managed to get into the B final and again consistency and a bit of luck was my friend as I managed to finish 2nd to a hotbodies car (9 seconds adrift)! It was great fun.

GOING Forward

So the next obvious step for this week I have added all of the remaining hop ups, which are the lightweight shaft sets and prop shaft (the weight is 1610g).

Then the plan is to look at really going full-on with moding the car. Including adding suspension / one way etc. Probably the first thing I want to change the pinion, however the car is unable to take a bigger one as the 540 motor mount only has 2 holes for the motor, and the motor is wrapped with a plastic cover.. So the dremel will be coming out

So its going to be a fun project Any pointers from anyone who enjoys these cars, or just modding would be useful

[TWINSET]

*** Also How do I uload images? Image shack doesnt work***

What's up with it? works ok for me.

I find the easiest way is to switch to 'classic' view and use the 'forums' code

Also, download the Imageshack toolback, you can upload a lot of files at once.

You might find it works better at different times of the day, try it either in the morning or early afternoon, before the USA get online

[qatmix]

What's up with it? works ok for me.

I find the easiest way is to switch to 'classic' view and use the 'forums' code

Also, download the Imageshack toolback, you can upload a lot of files at once.

You might find it works better at different times of the day, try it either in the morning or early afternoon, before the USA get online

when I use the link from Imageshack the forum tells me that it cant link to dynamic images

[TWINSET]

Switch Imageshack to the 'classic' view, and copy the text in the 'fourms' box.

Then paste that text here.

Classic view switch;

Forum friendly text;

[Mad Ax]

Keep us updated with your progress - will be interesting to see how it goes.

I don't know how you would add suspension, but maybe something along the lines of the F201 chassis would be a good starting point. You might even find that you can modify the chassis to accept F201 front arms.

I would personally look at shedding as much weight as possible and making it aerodynamic. That means getting rid of the hideous front bumper and replacing it with a simple foam; losing the plastic shell and going with lexan. This might be interesting, as you will have to find a shell that is shorter than most touring cars, but still aerodynamic. I don't know if some of the ABC bodies might fit the bill. Also if you haven't already, you'll probably find a better range of touring tyres is available to suit proper touring rims instead of those wide Voltec ones (they don't look like regular 1.9s to me, but I could be wrong!)

Best of luck and keep us informed

[bakaguyjean]

I have a wild Ceptor. I dont get much use out of it but here is a few ideas i have about making it more competive.

First You are doing a great job to get in the"B" main with one of these.

Tires, I think that you should stay with a bigger wheels and tire. You might look into some HPI super scale tires and wheels or Kyosho Super ten tires and wheels. I have no idea if they will fit but useing a standard tour car wheel and you will loose a bit of topend.

Suspension Forget about it. You know you will just end up with a completely different chassis that you could of put under it any way.

I have seen a Voltec fighter with a TA03 chassis under it.

File away at you motor mount all you want as its just flat metal anyway. or just make a new one out of some scrap alloy.

Making it lighter. Drill holes all over the chassis,even drill the body out in the spots under the decals and then when you apply the decals you will not see the holes so much. Alot of Japanese kids did that to Mini Yon Qs here in Japan before Tamiya outlawed it.

Keep in mind that the cars is cheap and it is easier to buy a whole kit that just a few spares.

My Wild Ceptor has all the normal options but i really dont have much desire to go much farther with it.

If you figure out the picture thing i will be checking this out and see if you get me excited about my Wild Ceptor.

Good luck

[markbt73]

This is a really cool idea! I love the thought of taking beginner-level cars and hopping them up. It reminds people that you don't need massive quantities of carbon-fiber and purple aluminum to have fun with an RC car.

Could you possibly post a photo of the chassis when you get your photo problem sorted? I don't know anything about these "boy's RC" kits, and I'm curious.

[qatmix]

Ok, pics sorted now

I'm kind of thinking about a middle ground to the opinions above. I want to keep the car essentially a RC boys racer, which will involve keeping the shell etc (to a fashion). Although I want to add GRP sheets / suspension mounts etc. Basically im hoping that it will be a bit of a community project as progress gets made people can contribute ideas / solutions.

The first main one are the wheels, I cant find any large ones that will fit (that take racing foam tyres).. Any pointers?

[terry.sc]

It's the first car I've seen that suffers from axle tramp, without actually having a live axle

I might have an idea for tyres for you, depends on when some I have ordered for one of my buggies arrive.

Could you possibly post a photo of the chassis when you get your photo problem sorted? I don't know anything about these "boy's RC" kits, and I'm curious.

Check them out on Tamiyas website, or check the showrooms Thunder Blitz, Voltec Fighter

basically they are just a bigger version of the Mini4WDs with radio control, shaft drive 4WD with no suspension.

[GRIGGY]

I am interested to see what you do to this car. I have recently aquired a Thunder Blitz From Ebay this week. It came fitted with Wild Ceptor wheels & tyres. The kit wheels & tyres where also included & are completely unused. It also came with a NIB 540 motor mount. It was only 25 so I couldn't resist it. I also like the idea & challenge of making an entry level budget car competitve so that's what I intend to do. Qatmix what motor are you running in yours? I was thinking of starting off with a sport tuned & going from there. Also I notice that you live in Ampthill, Beds & you said that there was a club near you...Well I am in Milton Keynes & was interested to know where that club is.

Thanks.

[qatmix]

I havent upgraded teh motor yet. I just want to see how it performs with a 27t motor and the hop-ups before I go wild with it There is a really big charm to these cars. The only thing I intend to do is try to add a bigger pinion as the 13t pinion is never going to match the high speed of std cars as the ratio is too small.

I need to change my details though as I'm now in manchester. Its a shame as if you would also come to the club it would be a RC-boys revolution

[Crash Cramer]

Dude, you have a pair of stones wanting to race this and succeeding. I think it is cool and to make 2nd in B main, well.... HUGE STONES!!! I think it is just the car Evil(RIP) would have driven as he was a gutsy guy with some underpowered, underdog type vehicles. I also have to wonder what you have done to the diffs to possibly stiffen them up. There are a few different thick diff greases from the RC folks that could make a small difference and you mention the new weight with the few hop ups, but would you compare that weight you are at now with the weigh of your competitors so I could better understand. I think I agree with the weigh saving details, but more with the bumper, you could fashion one out of some material that is lighter and better shaped. Keep it up, will be watching this post.

[GRIGGY]

I havent upgraded teh motor yet. I just want to see how it performs with a 27t motor and the hop-ups before I go wild with it There is a really big charm to these cars. The only thing I intend to do is try to add a bigger pinion as the 13t pinion is never going to match the high speed of std cars as the ratio is too small.

I need to change my details though as I'm now in manchester. Its a shame as if you would also come to the club it would be a RC-boys revolution

Shame about the club...I have a couple of mates that are interested in these cars after seeing mine. Would love to see the look on everyone's faces when we all turn up at a club with RC boy's cars!

You're right, there is a certain charm to these cars. I remember when they were released but ignored them because they were aimed at a younger audience but ten years on curiosity has got the better of me so after owning just about every type of Tamiya possible I thought it was time for an RC Boy. It's very impressive for the money & the body mounts are spot on.

If you're looking for more top end the Wild Ceptor wheels & tyres are larger in diameter by almost 1/4 inch resulting in more top speed but would make the car less stable through the corners. The larger tyres also give the car more damping action which is needed on a car with no shocks. Only thing is like most parts for these cars they are near impossible to find.

[qatmix]

Ok, so batteries charged for tomorrow,

The car has some new foam tyres and wheels (Gecko touring ones) so my ground clearance is a little low (5 mm). The hop-ups are in, the car now weighs 1600g which is not bad. For a comparison the hot bodies cars are about 1625g. After playing with the motor mount it seems that if you swap it around you have a bit more space to fit in a larger pinion. So there is now a 15t pinion there (although it is meshing quite tightly). I dont have a 14t pinion so I will have to wing it.

Here are some pics of the hop-ups and the car as it looks now..

Also I want to make it clear that the B-final 2nd place was more down to the other drivers crashing as they were quicker than my steady and consistent slow velocity.. I dont expect to better it this week

Roll on tomorrow..

[Crash Cramer]

Umm, something to be said about slow and consistent driving versus fast and furious. Old adage of the tortoise and the hare. Rock on, thanks for the weight info and good luck and careful about that gear mesh, could turn ugly.

[GRIGGY]

Ok, so batteries charged for tomorrow,

The car has some new foam tyres and wheels (Gecko touring ones) so my ground clearance is a little low (5 mm). The hop-ups are in, the car now weighs 1600g which is not bad. For a comparison the hot bodies cars are about 1625g. After playing with the motor mount it seems that if you swap it around you have a bit more space to fit in a larger pinion. So there is now a 15t pinion there (although it is meshing quite tightly). I dont have a 14t pinion so I will have to wing it.

Here are some pics of the hop-ups and the car as it looks now..

Also I want to make it clear that the B-final 2nd place was more down to the other drivers crashing as they were quicker than my steady and consistent slow velocity.. I dont expect to better it this week

Roll on tomorrow..

How did you get on today...Did the car do you proud?

[Singapore_959]

BRILLIANT ! Love it!!

You are my new hero! :P

Keep us informed. Go! Go! Go!

[qatmix]

I WON!!!

Ok, so I need to explain, I won the C-final. This week there was a load more cars so the A final was brushless Pan-cars, B final was a load of the top drivers with other cars (some brushless) and the C-final was the TT-01s / hot bodies and me.. the lonely Volvec Fighter

I took out the 15t pinion as it was too tight. But I found a 14t pinion and put it in. The increase on speed was quite noticeable and whilst the car wasn't the fastest (some have gt-tuned motors etc, I have a std 27t 540) but it was at least keeping up However I had a nightmare in some of the qualifiers, my cars batteries compartment fell out (twice) in two of the races. Basically if the car gets a good shunt from behind then the round disc at the back spins and the battery compartment can come off, batteries fall ont the circuit car swings around and beaches itself on the batteries nice! In the other race I lost my Ariel and it got wrapped around the wheels which didn't help.

Still when the final came around I was able to concentrate on the race and took it easy, and with beginners luck still on my side I kept ahead and won the final! Thanks to the Voltec's Victorious win other guys there started to take notice, and the car is winning some unlikely fans from the pan car camp

Also from a reference point of view for the speed I managed to do 4 more laps in the 5 minutes from last week.. which is a great improvement.

So...

Now the real modding begins.. I want to sort out the Battery compartment and the front bumper straight away. The front bumper is so high, If I hit a sleek car my car just jumps over it like a buggy! Which sounds cool but usually sends my car off the track into the marshal's arms I also need to look at making a new motor mount so I can include a higher pinion to increase my speed.

I have a sheet of GRP, but does anyone know if you can buy carbon sheet? or at least Black FRP plastic sheets?

[markbt73]

You can buy carbon sheet, but it's murder on tools. It's very abrasive. You're probably better off with fiberglass sheet, or if it can be flexible, maybe Kydex?. What are you going to use it for?

Oh, and congratulations.

[Singapore_959]

STAR!!!!!!!!!!!

Attaboy!! COOL! This is what it is all about. FUN!

Man, you must have been laughing all the way to bedtime!

[GRIGGY]

STAR!!!!!!!!!!! :lol: :D

Attaboy!! COOL! This is what it is all about. FUN!

Man, you must have been laughing all the way to bedtime!

You the man !!! Well done.

I'm really enthusiastic about modding mine now, I'm just waiting for a bearing set arrive before I begin.

With the motor mount...wouldn't it be possible to dremel one of the holes so that the motor can slide to accomodate different size pinions? I once made a 540 motor mount for a Holiday Buggy out of alluminium & I made it so the motor could slide & it worked a treat.

I would be interested to see what you do to the bumper also.

[Mad Ax]

Excellent - well done on the win

If the 14T pinion is OK, why not think about fitting a modded motor? I don't know what rules your club runs, but there are some wickedly fast 27T motors out there. I use a Trinity Revenge of the Monster in my Corally. Needs more maintenance than a silvercan, and it gets very hot - but if you are currently undergeared on your silvercan then perhaps a stock motor will be about right.

Then you can think about making up an ally heatsink - I don't know how the Voltec looks underneath, but if it's already got an ally mount, maybe you could fit some Dark Impact cooling bars on it? Anything ally will draw the heat away.

Top job tho - will look forward to more progress (and pics!)

[qatmix]

Cheers Guys..

RE - making the hole bigger to slide out the motor. The 540 mount has a circle in the middle that is just the right size for a 540's nose to go through. So I would also have to make this a little larger to allow the motor to move... Other than the motor mount I would have to cut away the motor's plastic protective cover which is on the chassis. As that also is flush to the motor.

So I need to get that done by next week.. if possible.

As to adding a heat-sink, thats definately needed if I go the modded motor route. Once I cut out the motor protector there will be ample space to add one under the shell.

[qatmix]

Quick update,

Now have fitted a new bumper / front bodymount system. Will also have adjustable steering working (toe-in / out) tonight.

One question, at the moment there is no foam on the bumper, is it worth having foam on the bumper for an ABS shell? The bumper at the moment (a modified madcap bumper I had laying around). sits well and is about 1cm behind the shell. Should I add foam to bridge the gap?

I will post pics tonight sometime. But at the moment all of the mods have been using old tamiya bits and bobs as I want to make the final version look (almost) like it could have been manufactured that way.

[qatmix]

Another Update,

Been dremeling away in the garage like a lunatic and the end result is that the car can now take much bigger pinions At the moment it has a 18t in there, although I think I will be able to get a 20/21t in there (I dont have any of these about which are at the right type).

Ive taken pictures, but my had is red-raw and I seem to be coughing up bits of aluminium and plastic, so I just need to go to bed..

Another quick question.

Does anyone know the ratio of the std car? 13t pinion and 56t spur? I just want to work out how high to be able to go on the pinions before its way overgeared.

Cheers

C