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Hovercat

Vintage Wild One Restauration

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hello together,

Like i announced in my last thread, i will come to the next item on my vintage repair-list which is a vintage tamiya wild one i won on eBay.

img44031_17052015180747_1.jpg

The buggy seems to be in a decent state for its age, but will need some restauration to be a nice runner again. This is how it came to me:

img44031_17052015180747_3.jpg


img44031_17052015180747_4.jpg

img44031_17052015180747_5.jpg

The tyres where in quite good condition i think:


img44031_17052015180747_6.jpg

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Starting the disassembling ...

on a second glance, there are indeed some issues with this model, like ...

... a broken off piece of rollcage-mount,

img44031_17052015180848_6.jpg

... some cuts and holes in the polycarbonate body,

img44031_17052015180848_1.jpg

... and - well, what is this?

img44031_17052015180848_3.jpg

Somehow i cannot believe that this was the original pin - as long as it didn't come in touch with some acid:

img44031_17052015180848_4.jpg

Feels like chalk and disintegrates real quickly when touched.

The chassis itself has also some minor problems:

img44031_17052015181010_1.jpg

This has been glued but not very well, so it will come off:

img44031_17052015181010_3.jpg

img44031_17052015181010_4.jpg

... and on the other side a (also glued) split:

img44031_17052015181010_5.jpg

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ok, before starting serious repairs, let's go on with disassembling and cleaning.

Gearbox from the outside:

img44031_17052015181158_1.jpg

and from the inside:

img44031_17052015181158_3.jpg

doesn't look too bad, i have seen worse for sure, but ...

oops:

img44031_17052015181158_5.jpg

This will require a new set of diff gears.

Anyway, proceeding with the cleaning of the inner parts:

img44031_17052015181158_6.jpg

The plastic parts after treatment with water, soap and some isopropyl alcohol:

img44031_17052015181624_1.jpg

Same for metal and screws:

img44031_17052015181624_2.jpg

img44031_17052015181624_3.jpg

The shocks need to stay a little longer in a bath of cleaning solvent:

img44031_17052015181624_4.jpg

The oil inside the shocks won't be used again, i suppose:

img44031_17052015181624_5.jpg

neither the toothbrush that i used to clean all the parts: :D

img44031_17052015181624_6.jpg

Removing decals from body and roof:

img44031_17052015182129_2.jpg

img44031_17052015182129_1.jpg

A closer look at the splits:

img44031_17052015182129_3.jpg

img44031_17052015182129_4.jpg

Despite beeing not very nice anymore, i will try to re-use as many of the original parts as possible. So i will try to repair those. If the outcome doesn't satisfy me, it will be anytime possible to replace them with re-release parts.

Finally rollcage and bumper - nothing broken or damaged here:

img44031_17052015182129_6.jpg

So far for "before"-state and basic preparation. Next posting will start with some repairs.

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Are you seriously going to repair the tub? I'd get a replacement rere tub - especially if you're going to run it. The rest looks pretty good...

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Are you seriously going to repair the tub? I'd get a replacement rere tub - especially if you're going to run it. The rest looks pretty good...

jep, because it's fun and will help me practicing souch repairs. I consider myself still a very beginner in modeling, so i will take every opportunity to practice a litte bit. ;-)

After some whetting i basically glued the missing piece back in. Then again some grinding, filling the gaps with modeling paste and sanding everything plain:

img44031_23052015140407_4.jpg

The result seems to be quite stable but not entirely even. Especially after painting it looks a little bruised ... but after all it's not going to be a shelf queen. B)

In my opinion the lexan bodyparts are in worse condition compared to the chassis tub and i will try to repair even these. But: exchanging with re-re body and chassis is still a plan b. I am also thinking about using some parts from the FAV (for instance the front lid) to create a more durable Wild One body out of abs. But this will be a later project.

Next step is cleaning the metal parts:

img44031_23052015135804_1.jpg

(right: original, left: after initial sanding)

img44031_23052015135804_5.jpg

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What i forgot in the previous posting: I also glued the missing screw mount back in:

img44031_23052015140407_6.jpg

On this Wild One i decided to paint even parts of the chassis that remain usually unpainted. Instead of box art i will try something else ...

img44031_23052015140844_1.jpg

... using revell matt black in order to create the look of (coaled) cast iron:

img44031_23052015140844_2.jpg

(painted two layers and sanded slightly afterwards to add some weathering)

Also some copper ...

img44031_23052015140844_6.jpg

... siver ...

img44031_23052015140844_5.jpg

... and again charcoal for the front bumper:

img44031_23052015140844_4.jpg

I know that running will damage the paint, but those revell colors are in fact quite scratch-resistant. I did the same on my Bear Hawk, and after several runnings the paint looks still good. Also, the underlying color of gearbox and wishbones is also black, so some scratches won't stand out too much ...

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Your tub repair looks pretty good to me! :) I've got a Wild One that had a similar repair - the TC member I got it from (ridgeback) also glued on some thin carbon fibre sheet so it's very solid...

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... the TC member I got it from (ridgeback) also glued on some thin carbon fibre sheet so it's very solid...

Not a bad idea - however, it's still quite stable with two component adhesive. A force strong enough to break this again would also cause severe damage on body and rollcage ... ;-)

Also i won't run these vintage cars too wild - as a basher i would indeed prefer a re-re Wild One.

Talking about glue - there is more to do on the lexan parts. Just for experience i tried different approaches.

1. some more two component adhesive on the big cracks from the inside (this one is epoxy-based and somehow elastic):

img44031_23052015141301_1.jpg

2. enforce with some aluminium tape:

img44031_23052015141301_5.jpg

3. after priming, a little bit modeling filler from the outside:

img44031_23052015141301_6.jpg

4. sanding and hardening it with cyanoacrylate (not shown in picture):

img44031_23052015141715_3.jpg

(also cutted the vents ...)

img44031_23052015141715_4.jpg

Result so far:

img44031_23052015141715_6.jpg

Ok, it's not totally elastic, but both parts are not supposed to be bent too much anyway. If it doesn't come out well, using re-re- or FAV-parts is still an option ...

There was also one bigger hole in the roof:

img44031_23052015141301_3.jpg

So i put masking tape on the outside and closed both holes from the inside using elastic glue (the holes for the screws will be drilled in again):

img44031_23052015141301_4.jpg

Edited by Hovercat
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Great looking restoration! Your a better man than me as I would have brought a re re tub and body ^_^ Keep up the good work, looking forward to seeing the completed project :)

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Well this is better then simply replacing with new parts. Well done so far.

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Thanks for the compliments ... i am still far from being a advanced modeller, but certain things work out better with every restoration. Painting is still an issue - i have seen many marvelous paint jobs in this forum, but i am still much too impatient to get really good results. :P

Well, talking about painting, the next step was painting the driver figure:

img44031_23052015142453_1.jpg

The helmet must be prepared first - a little bit sanding and filling the hole in the back:

img44031_23052015142453_2.jpg

Next step is face and eyes:

img44031_23052015142453_3.jpg

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... there are also some more small parts to paint:

img44031_23052015142117_1.jpg

img44031_23052015142117_2.jpg

img44031_23052015142117_3.jpg

img44031_23052015142117_5.jpg

I am not really satisfied about the rims - the color is revell gold applied with a painbrush covered with tamiya translucent silver (spray). I put too much gold on the rims in one layer, the result are visible streaks. I won't get it off and try it again this time, but with the next project i will try more but thinner layers.

(maybe one day i will purchase an airbrush, but first i need a good place to paint with it - my wife won't allow me to paint in the bathroom :wub: , so the terrace is the place of choice and it's too windy out there to get good results with spray color most of the time)

... at least there are enough prepared parts so i can start with the actual building:

img44031_23052015142725_1.jpg

Knuckles are not entirely clean, but nevermind ...

img44031_23052015142725_2.jpg

img44031_23052015142725_3.jpg

img44031_23052015142725_4.jpg

Next will be preparing the shocks and there is still some work to do on the bodyshell ...

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Excellent stuff mate, another original rescued :)

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I'm liking what you doing with all of these unique colors. This will prove to be a very interesting build and I look forward to your future posts.

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For chassis and body i chose TS 11 maroon.

img44031_07062015102751_1.jpg

img44031_07062015102751_2.jpg

img44031_07062015102751_3.jpg

img44031_07062015102751_4.jpg

img44031_07062015102751_6.jpg


(a little too much glue in the left pit - we'll see if this can be covered later ... maybe with some shims)

Like i said before, i am not the best when it comes to painting. Furthermore, there was not enough TS 11 to cover all sides of the whole properly. In result the inside stays unpainted and there are some spots on the sides that lack colour as well - most of them will be covered by the bodyshell anyway, but it could have been done better.

What i learned from that is, that i better buy two cans of colour if i want to paint body and chassis. Also, for lexan TS-paint would be better. I'll try not to bend those parts too much ...

The "railing" (what would be the right word in english for this part?) on the front of the tub was painted silver:

img44031_07062015103323_1.jpg

And now i can attach the bumper and mounts for the front shocks:

img44031_07062015103323_4.jpg

img44031_07062015103323_3.jpg

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A little excursion: After i read about polishing with autosol in this forum, i purchased a tube to try it out:

img44031_07062015103112_1.jpg

And i must say, it certainly makes a difference (right shaft: after, left shaft: before): B)

img44031_07062015103112_2.jpg

So, lets take a small break on rebuilding and treat all remaining metal parts:

img44031_07062015103112_5.jpg

Next step: assembly of front shocks:

img44031_07062015103536_1.jpg

using a roll of tin solder as holder ...

img44031_07062015103536_2.jpg

... finished ...

img44031_07062015103536_5.jpg

... and attached to the chassis:

img44031_07062015104515_1.jpg

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Just read the whole thread, outstanding work so far, looking forward to seeing this go together!

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I didn't come too much in the last week, so i can continue just now.

I finished the painting of the helmet and driver figure.

Got him some eyebrows:

img44031_07062015104107_1.jpg

img44031_07062015104107_3.jpg

and attached his head to the body:

img44031_07062015104107_5.jpg

He looks a little bit sad from this angle, doen't he?

img44031_07062015104107_6.jpg

I also continued with a few steps on the chassis:

img44031_07062015104515_2.jpg

img44031_07062015104515_3.jpg

Attached some side protection:

img44031_07062015104515_4.jpg

img44031_07062015104515_5.jpg

And prepared the rollcage:

img44031_07062015104909_1.jpg

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This looks stunning. The problems you've found with the tub & body are identical to my original Wild One (landing it hard on the roll bar blew out both sides of my tub) I glued it back and reinforced with plastic card but it wasn't a good fix. I cut the sides off my first body when the cracking starting at the corners and my roof showed similar enlarged screw holes.

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@DCCWildOne: seems like rooftop and rollcage-mount are the weak spots on this one. Maybe i should have enforced the mounts a little bit (e.g. alloy or plastic support from the inside of the tub). On the other hand, the two component adhesive i used is quite strong ... After all i am not going to run this car very recklessly so for now it shoud be fine.

Next step: assemby of gearbox:

img44031_07062015104909_3.jpg

img44031_07062015104909_4.jpg

img44031_07062015104909_5.jpg

Attaching the rollcage:

img44031_07062015104909_2.jpg

and mounting the gearbox:

img44031_07062015105407_5.jpg

From below:

img44031_07062015105407_3.jpg

img44031_07062015105407_4.jpg

I think i should have removed all unnecessary mounts and holes on the back of the rollcage to get a clean smooth metal-look. Using 2,4 GHz and an ESC I will neither need a antenna nor a ceramic heatsink. Maybe i find some scale parts (like a spare wheel) which take use of those mounts.

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Now its time to attach the rear arms:

img44031_07062015105707_1.jpg

Those rubber covers for the axles look still good, so i will re-use them.

img44031_07062015105707_2.jpg

Here we can see the glued-in mount for the rollcage. Although it feels quite stable, i think i better shoud not put the car on its back while running.

img44031_07062015105707_3.jpg

I will use this ansmann motor to drive this WildOne. It costs about the same as a tamiya torque tuned and might have comparable strength. Maybe even a little too much power as the car will be driven quite carefully.

img44031_07062015105856_1.jpg

Motor attached ...

img44031_07062015105856_2.jpg

... and pinion covered:

img44031_07062015105856_4.jpg

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Next step: re-filling and assembling the rear shocks:

img44031_07062015110139_1.jpg

img44031_07062015110139_3.jpg

img44031_07062015110139_6.jpg

While attaching the mounts for the driver, another small accident happened:

img44031_07062015110358_2.jpg

img44031_07062015110358_1.jpg

It really seems like the chassis isn't in best condition anymore as more and more weak spots occur. If it breaks again during the first or second run, i might replace the whole chassis with a re-re (which means also new decals and colour).

However, for this time it will be glued in again:

img44031_07062015110358_3.jpg

(FYI: the long crack behind the tapping screw looks dangerous too, but its really just a fissure on the primer/colour. This part of the chassis got no full finish as it will be hidden under body and driver figure.)

Radio gear ready to be installed:

img44031_07062015110358_4.jpg

Servo attached and adjusted:

img44031_07062015110358_5.jpg

First fitting of the receiver and ESC:

img44031_07062015110358_6.jpg

This had to be changed later as the ESC didn't fit under the driver in this posision so both components basically exchanged their position.

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