School me on this Vintage Wild Willy I just bought

[Indetrucks]

I got this off eBay. It was listed as Vintage bu tto be honest, I don't know the difference between a real vintage or a Wild Willy 2

Was wondering if the pro's can take a look at these pic and let me know what I got, what's missing, and what's incorrect.

I know the grill is broken and the winch is missing, what's the best way to go about fixing this? Can I just slap a re-re WW winch on the front and not fix the grill? The broken grill doesn't bother me a whole lot (ads character) but the missing winch does (go figure).

I put in a Flysky receiver because I have one radio for like 15 cars. Other than that, I left the stock steering and MSC (after some wiring modifications to fit the receiver).

Thanks gents!

[Indetrucks]

Some more pics with body off

[TWINSET]

Definitely a WW not a 2

The long slot in the plate in front of the rear swingarm pivot makes it a long wheelbase version, I think

The grille on a 2 has horizontal slots, not sure if it fits the 1 though

[WillyChang]

WW2 faceplate is bolt-on swappable but I doubt you'd want to.

The backing radiator looks like its there, so just patch up the scraps of grille remaining

then drill thru to the radiator panel & add some styrene tube between grille & back.

Bolt your winch thru to the radiator.

Looks like a well-preserved 30yo example. Decently painted interior too.

[njmlondon]

Looks like you have bought yourself a real beauty. I restored one of these http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=115633&sid=396 (the SWB version) last year and as far as I can see yours is all complete and the chassis is in great condition.

The winch for a Wild Willy 2 is the same as the one used on your M38 so it should be easy and cheap to replace.

The grills are a nightmare to replace. The WW2 uses horizontal bars rather than the original (and prototypical) vertical ones.

I agree with you... keep the broken grill. It adds character.

[ddaenen1]

in impressively good condition, that WW! I wonder why i never bump into these kind things on fleabay

[waterbok]

Jason-rc got a grill alternative that also fits the WW2 and even has headlights.

I run my WW M38 on 6V enough for wheelies without breaking to much

[Indetrucks]

in impressively good condition, that WW! I wonder why i never bump into these kind things on fleabay

You probably saw it, was just too pricey. I had a $54 eBay credit because I buy too much crap on eBay, so after applying that credit, it brought the WW within a reasonable price at $119.

Thanks for all the replies, already ordered up the driver and winch parts tree!

[Shodog]

Thats a pretty tidy looking example. You can fix the grill by gluing strips of styrene in and filling and sanding. Just for good measure, I'd replace the MSC with an inexpensive ESC. Driving at low speeds will heat the resistors up and I've seen where they got hot enough to melt the hood on the body.

I have a runner http://www.tamiyaclub.com/tc_userimages/34/img34_26062004183907_1.jpg that gets used and I don't mind a few dings to the body but my new bulit http://www.tamiyaclub.com/tc_userimages/34/img34_224200395428_1.jpg stays safely on the shelf.

[Indetrucks]

Those are two great looking WW's! I do have a couple Tamiya ESC's laying around, suppose I can shove one in there. It's just neat having the OG MSC with 4 AA batteries in the back! Really brings back the memories... like when the battery dies and you can still steer the car while it's coasting

Im not sure what styrene is?

[Grastens]

Styrene refers to the (often) white hard plastic used for the bodyshell and/or body accessories on a number of RC cars. They are more common on older vehicles.

That is definitely a vintage Wild Willy, and a remarkable condition for one!

[Toykid]

Yes you have a original Wild Willy. This one is the MK2, long wheelbase. The earlier MK has many smaller changes to the chassis which give it a slightly shorter wheelbase. The quick way to spot the difference with the metal plate that holds fixed the trailing arm to the chassis. MK1 has a hole, Mk2 has a slot.

[Dojo Dave]

You got this at a steal, I'm sure a bunch of the guys out there are drooling over this one, straight chassis with smart body. A nice buy. If you choose to switch to an esc. Please for the sake of future sanity don't get rid of the msc. If you choose to sell it later( to me for example, lol). The buyer will want original if they are old school restorers. Good luck with this one nice find. I'm currently restoring one myself.