Ruined it!

[SNAKEBITE]

Well we took my son's rising fighter out on Saturday.

I'd fitted the Sports motor and the new shocks and all it did was pogo to the point that it spent more time on its roof.

Not too happy, it means a whole lot more fiddling before it works well.

Thinking of changing the shock oil and drilling the piston holes out so the suspension works.

If that doesn't work I don't know what to do!

[nowinaminute]

The problem is the front of the gearbox rises up in the pivot slots and as a consequence pulls down at the back, locking the shocks open which leads to loads of bouncing.

You can do a third shock mod or try something like this:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/FEDTBTTUT/416003-01-rising-fighter-transmission-brace?optionId=62388028

The idea is to allow the axle to still pivot side to side but not allow both sides to pivot up at the same time.

This is a popular mod for all of the Tamiya models with solid axles.

It's a shame they didn't use the DT-01 chassis for the rising fighter, it has a central ball pivot which prevents this problem and the rear shock angle helps. The battery is located at the optimum position to put weight on the rear end to force the suspension to work more too.

Personally I wouldn't have been offended if they had altered the reissue Horent slightly to include such a ball pivot too, it makes the vehicles that much more stable and enjoyable to bash.

My Fighter buggy RX (DT-01), while far from a sophisticated handling buggy, is a joy to drive compared to my Hopper and Hornet because it seldom ends up on it's roof.

 

[ThunderDragonCy]

My kids Rising Fighter became much less prone to flipping when I got the AMPRO Engineering rear shock mount mod from Shapeways. It reduces the ride height and lengthens the wheelbase and makes it much more stable. I have that transmission stabiliser at hkme waiting to be fitted too.

[SNAKEBITE]

Thanks guys.

@nowinaminute That block looks very good.

I am going to try a few things first, but that's definitely a good fall back plan! Thanks.

[SNAKEBITE]

https://www.shapeways.com/product/MK4U6FK88/416001-01-rising-fighter-suspension-side-mounts?optionId=58535643

@ ThunderDragonCy

Is this what you meant?

[TurnipJF]

Those look great but seem a bit pricey by UK standards - they cost 30% of the price of the whole kit!

 

This thread here shows another solution:

It shows how a Rising Fighter is turned into a Super Hornet lookalike. The section dealing with rear suspension might interest you, as it uses parts already included in the kit.

[ThunderDragonCy]

1 hour ago, SNAKEBITE said:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/MK4U6FK88/416001-01-rising-fighter-suspension-side-mounts?optionId=58535643

@ ThunderDragonCy

Is this what you meant?

That plus the crossbar

https://www.shapeways.com/product/YXA54KWE9/416002-01-tamiya-rising-fighter-suspension-crossba?optionId=58536065

Not a cheap fix to be sure. That option from the other build thread with shorter dampers and the other gearbox mounts looks promising. 

 

[SNAKEBITE]

We have a 3D printer at work and I'm going to have a stab myself.

There is a video on youtube that deals with the mod, and also a front suspension mod that was described as being very fragile.

I'm happy to have a play around, but ultimately don't want to spend a fortune on something that could go towards a DT-03 chassis car like mine.