Hi & a couple of light resto's

[Mikeoupe]

Hi All,

This is my first post on this forum, brought about by finding a couple of 'vintage' RC cars on ebay that I used to own as a youngster in the early 80's. I was browsing ebay and stumbled across an auction for two cars that I owned from new, looking at the listing I recalled the excitement of building them fresh from the box, such a good feeling!

So a few days later I picked these two up; a Mardave Apache and a Tamiya Frog (although my original was Lancia 037 bodied) complete with all the old radio gear, batteries for the Apache and a fast charger, not that I'm keen to plug it in as it's seen better days, but all the radio gear works fine.

The plan was / is to strip both cars right back to their individual components, clean and degrease everything before rebuilding back to standard, introducing any new or replacement parts along the way as required. The current plan is to get both cars up and running in standard format, give them a run and go from there.

This is bringing back so many good memories, my friends and I were really into our RC cars back then and we had a lot of fun with them. I recall the Mardave being a bit unusual and loved its simple but effective design. It's going to be fun chasing down some parts for the Mardave as they seem almost impossible to find these days ... so if anyone has got a decent bodyshell or whole car for that matter ...

Anyway some pics below of where we started to where we're currently at, not very exciting by many of your standards I'm sure but I'm having a ball A few more bits arrived in the post today so a glass of wine and the Tamiya's steering beckon, any comments or pointers as to where I might be able to find Mardave bits (other than ebay) appreciated ..

Mike

[wood5tock]

Nice work on those restos mate, I have a Re-re Frog waiting to be built but also would love a vintage one. Goo on you for another one saved

[SteveU30]

Welcome Mike, always nice to have new people join especially when their first post is a double resto thread (with pictures)!

Not sure I've understood your post fully but are those 2 cars the actual cars you bought new or just the same?

[mongoose1983]

Nice cars, and of course, WELCOME TO THE CLUB!

[Klausen]

Welcome to TC. Nice job you have done with the 2 cars.

[neverfollow]

Welcome aboard and nice work!

[Mikeoupe]

Thanks all for the welcome

SteveU30: No they are not my original cars, just the same models.

Well after the arrival of a new battery pack and charger I finally got to give the Tamiya its first run! .. I immediately discovered that the diff was slipping and needed shimming (a classic problem)

So with the diff sorted and everything set to perfection I thought I'd give it another go, and 3 or 4 minutes later ..

New parts should be here on Wednesday and perhaps then I'll avoid testing full throttle in the lounge

[nascar24jd]

Nice cars. Good job with the resto. Good luck with repairs.

[HunterZero]

Good golly, that's an impressive break for less than 5 mins... I ran my Frog ragged BITD and never broke it like that. Guess the vintage plastics had deteriorated and become brittle.

Lucky for you the re-release H parts are the same... Although the plastic might be a bit softer.

Looks like you are missing the angle bracket to mount the resistors on the gearbox at the back.

- J

[Mikeoupe]

I replaced the broken wishbones and front bumper with new ones and they are indeed much 'softer', I whacked the front bumper a couple of times and it bounced straight back whereas the old one just shattered.

Today's unfortunate mishap was the breaking of a rear trailing arm and as with the front wishbones it was a light impact so I guess the original plastic has become fragile in its old age.

I should say that The Frog is running brilliantly in-between breakages, it's super smooth and goes really well, much better than I recall as a kid...

Anyway this evening I've been playing with the Mardave; I've got such fond memories of this car.. It immediately became obvious that the wiring between the MSC and the motor is knackered, as are the battery connections; it all needs replacing or cleaning. Amazingly though both the original batteries are charging and running the motor for prolonged periods.

[nascar24jd]

Nice update. Those rear arms are readily available. I agree with you, the plastic has become brittle due to age.

[Mikeoupe]

So both cars are finally up and running, and running really well. They've both been out for a proper run in today's sunshine which was really good fun. I've really enjoyed the process of getting them up and running again, so I'm toying with the idea hunting down some more vintage basket cases from my era and doing the same again.

I've yet to buy a new bodyshell for the Frog which will finish it off and it would be great to find some parts for the Mardave, mainly a bodyshell in better condition but Apache parts are proving extremely hard to find (with the exception of some parts on eBay from America) but I'll keep hunting!