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wilsonian

The Killer Fox!

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I've been looking around for a buggy project for some time. When I was a child I had the knock off copy Killer that was based on the Tamiya Fox. Recently I found a seller flogging one on eBay minus a few bits. Even with these parts missing I couldn't pass it up as I've never seen a "Killer" on eBay before - just Foxes.

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Main bit thats missing is the chassis and shell. Chassis was easy enough to source. Unfortunately I've ran into another few problems. Firstly the lower arm at the front has snapped it's screw thread which means it won't sit correctly as the front shock pushes on it. Another trip on eBay. but now my main concern.

The drive shafts aren't here. Instead it's a bit of rubber tubing with two parts with teeth on them. So new shafts added to the shopping list - at the point I'm wondering if it was such a good idea lol

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Parts seem to be OK. Bit pricey as only one seller seems to be breaking Novafoxes on eBay.

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the manual is pretty much word for word. The Killer just comes with front and rear anti-sway and a brass cage,

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Update time. I was half way through stripping the gear box down when I noticed a crack around the motor mount - it's happened as the metal part wasn't included/used so the pressure from the screw has cracked the bottom of the case. At first I was in two minds about replacing it until I found this little mould fault - looks like using copied parts some times has it's drawbacks! Remember the orignal parts are the opied ones.

Cracked case
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Faulty mould
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I used to have one of those back in the day, the chassis was made from some weird definitely 80's brown plastic and the bodyshell was made from a very brittle polycarbonate which shattered if you even looked at it the wrong way. It went missing when we moved house when I was a kid which I wasn't terribly happy about but I got over it and got a monster beetle to replace it. 

I actually saw that one listed on eBay and totally forgot about bidding on it which was a bit of an inconvenience because I want to get my hands on one again, I'm glad it went to someone on here tho and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the old girl. 

P.S. If you ever decide to part company with her give me a shout and I'll take her off your hands. 

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Everything seems to be OK so far. The novafox chassis is accepting all the Killer parts fine but your right, the killer's parts are brittle. The front arm had a small crack, I tested the front shock and it snapped straight away.

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If I remember rightly enough mine lasted a couple of months before the chassis snapped after I hit a wall and we ended up with it sitting unloved in its box in a cupboard until I one day I saw a picture of a fox without its bodyshell and I realised that they were pretty much the same thing. One fox chassis later and it was good to go again. 

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To be far, mine last years until the gear box gave out - back then we couldn't get spares and the local model shop refused to help as it wasn't a true Tamiya or bought from them. Ended up having the electrics salvaged for spares.

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Sorry I haven't kept this updated.

A few days after posting this I received all these goodies

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rebuilt both rear and front ends with the killers brass upgrade

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I've currently left it in this state - it's missing the motor and some other bits but at this stage I'm keeping it as a "naked" shelf queen but with the yellow wheels on. :)

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I was just musing on this car on another thread.

I should have guessed someone on here would not only know what it was, but would have one.

As a matter of interest, does anyone know where it was manufactured, as it would be interesting to know where these things were made before China cornered the cheap copying and manufacturing market?

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don't think it mentions it on the box but my guess would be taiwan. Unfortunately this project has become some what of a money pit for me - it would have been easier to just have bought a Novafox. Some costs could have been avoided such as I bought the drive shafts and inner axle cups only to find out they all came in one bag along with the motor mount bracket that I also needed. Really i should have done a dry build making note of everything damaged or missing. the only things not needing replacing were the shocks, brass roll bars and a few odds and ends i ended up with doubles of because their on a frame with other lost parts.

another issue was the bearings. i took it out for a shell-less run and noticed the front wheels were skipping. so I tried to fit rubber sealed bearings but the Killers front axles are a few mm thicker than the Fox and 1150 bearings won't fit. After a long search I found a set in the states and currently awaiting their postage. I still need a shell for this but I think i'll wait untill I find a good priced one.

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