lunchbox, pumpkin, slash-box resto, build, mod

[Bob380sx]

Hello everyone. i hope this is in the right spot, i can see how it might get moved to builds. I’m new around here and going to jump right in. My current projects got me searching the old inter web for some info and parts and I found the lunchbox thread in here so I subscribed and I’m excited to share what I have going on.

Little back store several years ago I got my daughters their first “real” RC cars. One got a lunch box the other a midnight pumpkin. IMO they made excellent first RCs as they both took a good beating and other that some busted body mounts and cracked wind screens they held up great to the thrashing of beginner drivers. The girls both moved on to traxxas stampedes. Then they turned into girls and lost interest in RCs.

At some point the lunch box got striped of its electronics to feed a differed RC that is now long gone. Then some friends started getting into the short curse and made a back yard track. I got the midnight pumpkin down threw a 1/16 slash body on it and went back yard bashing with it until the chassis broke. It went back on the shelf and has sat there for 2 or more years.

So getting to current times my son who is 8 is starting to make a wish list for Christmas. He already has 3 hobby grade RC’s a 1/8 nitrage, a slash, and a HPI drift car. His list was filling up with stuff beyond my budget. So a came up with a plan to get him wanting something a bit cheaper. He has asked me several times to fix the pumpkin in the past so I pulled down what was left of the box and the pumpkin. Together we started restoring the box (well it’s a pumpkin now) to give my dad (his grandpa) for his Christmas gift. We pulled it completely apart and he really got into the project. I also told him I was going to ask for a new chassis for Christmas and then strip his sisters stamped to get my pumpkin going. Now the number 1 thing on his list is a midnight pumpkin. The plan worked and for $150 I already have a new kit hidden and ready to go.

This thread will cover all 3. Dad’s lunchbox (now pumpkin), my ultimate slash-box, and eventually my sons midnight pumpkin. Stay tuned. Hear is what they looked like when I pulled them down from the dusty shelf.

[khyzersoze]

Nice, I just recently bought a lunchbox myself. I just got back into R/C Cars and so far...

1. I've gotten my Kyosho Tracker back up and running

2. Bought a WT-01 VW Amarok (blackfoot 3), and I'm upgrading suspension on it to the wider blackfoot 3 stance and upgraded shocks and mounts, and maybe brushless too.

3. Bought Lunchbox to be stored for a rainy day after I get my Amarok up and running.

I'm now eyeing a monster beetle 2015 release for another rainy day build. I love the old Tamiya monster trucks.

[Bob380sx]

khyzersoze I remember the first real RC I ever seen was a midnight pumpkin the guy down the street had. Later on I used to ride my bike to the hobby store and drool over the black foot and clod.

So to get back into it here I cover the lunchbox/pumpkin restoration I’m calling Dad’s pumpkin. The original plan was to restore the lunch box for my dad. My son and I pull it all apart and cleaned every part. Then we polished and reassembled. We pulled the electronics out of the pumpkin and gave them the same treatment. As we started prepping the van body to repaint my son fell in love with it. At tis time he is already asking for a pumpkin and I thought he could use the old body to run with and keep the new on as a shelf body but he wants to have a truck and a van. No problem we prepped the truck shell and gave it a fresh coat of gloss white but left the hood chrome with the OG flames. I think it looks sweet. This thing is basically done at this point. We just need to figure out some body mounts. I’m not ready to spend the cash for the whole parts bag so ill be looking into different replacements soon. I know there are others out there that can benefit from this or maybe have something figured out already and can share either way the next installment on this thread will be alternative body mounts for the midnight pumpkin. Here is some pics of how its turning out. Dad should be stoked.

[emory70]

I'm not familiar with Pumpkin body mounts, but you can get 1/4 20 nylon screws/bolts at most of the big box hardware stores pretty cheap. A little black dye, and you basically have BoLink body posts.

[Bob380sx]

is there any way someone with good original pumpkin body mounts could share some measurements of the stock mounts? mostly center of post to center of screw hole. i think i found something that will work at the hobby shop but not have any specs to go off from. what i'm looking at are sold for HPI RS4 but i don't know if the post if far enough from the bolt hole. if that's good they would need shortened a bit. I'll give it a few and if no one post some measurements i'll just have to get some and try. i dont even have the old broke ones so i'm totally guessing here. i do have a new pumpkin kit at the house but it will be some time before my son opens it.

[Bob380sx]

Traxxas mounts, some drilling, and repurposed the front bumper. It worked. The slashbox is sick easily my favorite rc. The boys pumpkin turned out nice too. He currently has 4 shells for it one being an old luchbox van with working light rack.

[img=http://www.tamiyaclub.com/tc_userimages/45431/img45431_30102015144654_4.jpg

[img=http://www.tamiyaclub.com/tc_userimages/45431/img45431_21102015202832_5.jpg

[Mannyp1980]

This is really cool, its awesome when family can RC together, shame your girls "outgrew" it. The LB and Pumpkin look great.