Electronics, to add or not to add......... that is the question!

[iluvmud]

So I have a few shelf queens...... OK about 95% of my cars are shelf queens. That being said I was going to start putting in period correct electronics in some of the cars (everything, not just motors)- well most of them but I guess my question is, should I even bother doing this as the car will more than likely never be driven by me and if I list them to sell most people dont care about the electronics anyway, especially when they're older items.

anyway... Please vote and let me know what you guys think?

Mud

[Pumesta]

Personally I like to know that I can lift any car off the shelf, put a battery in it and it will run  Granted all the MSC's have been replaced with ESC, some have been upgraded to 2.4 GHZ and some not, it depends on how the notion takes me at the time and if the used kits came with a receiver or not

[Lightningrc]

Agreed 

I like to build my cars to work also , even though rarely they will be used inside .

they would not feel finished other wise 

[Hibernaculum]

My preference: to build every vintage car as per instruction manual, with radio and MSC. That's how the cars were depicted in the guide books and catalogues, and those pictures were what I used to dream about for years and years

I also like the idea that they are all working models, and therefore, should be ready to be driven around (should I get the urge)... even if only on a clean internal floor or carpet.

I try to use period correct radios where possible. Though any basic 1990s/2000s 2-stick AM radios were much the same and fit the spirit of the 1980s ones, they usually just had more ergonomic handsets and LED battery indicators instead of the old meter arms. In some cases, very nice complete radios can be found for $50-ish. Not too much outlay, spread over time.

[Lightningrc]

Yes I feel with out working electronics in them there just dead and have no heart lol 

[markbt73]

Yes, make them ready to run. All of my finished cars are ready to go if you drop in a battery and maybe find the right radio crystal.

Mine run the gamut from totally period-correct to totally modernized, and everywhere in between. I have a couple of cars with old-school radios and a vintage ESC, and some with modern radio gear but an old mechanical speed control.

[svenb]

10 hours ago, Hibernaculum said:

My preference: to build every vintage car as per instruction manual, with radio and MSC. That's how the cars were depicted in the guide books and catalogues, and those pictures were what I used to dream about for years and years

I agree, but what about when the manual shows the chassis fitted with a CPR unit??

I have spent shed loads on Tamiya electrics including batteries, but if it's shown in the manual then that's what it must have🙄

[Collin]

No. Thats a philosophic question you have to deal with.

[max69vk]

Maybe if it's just being done for show, 3D probably printing could be the answer?

[max69vk]

11 hours ago, svenb said:

I agree, but what about when the manual shows the chassis fitted with a CPR unit??

I have spent shed loads on Tamiya electrics including batteries, but if it's shown in the manual then that's what it must have🙄

 

[TurnipJF]

Now there's an idea - a 3D printed CPR casing into which a modern miniature 2.4GHz RX and small-footprint ESC can be fitted. Best of both worlds!

[racer1]

This is completely your decision.  I have a few cars that I know I will never run due to their rarity and cost.  I have a B2B Side Car that has only what Tamiya provided and 1 extra servo so that the from tire doesn't flop around. My original 959 and RX311 are the same way.  I'll never run them and they are sitting in a display case so no need.  

 

 

[TurnipJF]

Not that I have any shelf queens, but if I did, I would still want them to be fitted with a full set of radio gear. As @Hibernaculum states, this is how they are depicted in the catalogues, and without the gear they are incomplete. (Even if displayed with the shells on and no way of telling if gear was fitted or not, I'd know it was missing...)

[Prescient]

I voted no; but if yes then it has to be brand new period correct for me on shelfers which is expensive. 

If selling, I have found that you get more back selling vintage electronics separately usually plus they are a really easy sell when priced right.  

[iluvmud]

My thing is this.... I have a ton of old radio equipment and ole period correct escs, the ONLY shelf queen that I will have as a rtr is my vintage lunchbox which will have the same equipment I had in my original one( slot machine motor, white futaba attack III and futaba esc).... outside of that I’m not sure... I have a ton of period correct Tekins, Novaks, and futaba escs but I’m looking at it like this

NO, if I decide to forgo electronics I can then sell them to accomplish 2 things...

1) replenish some of the money I’ve put into these guys...

2) get rid of a lot of clutter

 

i was putting in the clear gearbox into my gf01 (couldn’t pass it up!!) and noticed I have a 50-60$ steering servo IN A SHELF QUEEN!!! On top of esc and motor....

the cars I have I can honestly say I’ll never run them aside from my designated runner cars and if I sell the cars I find the electronics usually do 0 to increase the value of the car itself....so might as well sell them off, clear up some space, and have a little spending moola....

I will keep motors and steering servos in them to keep dirt out of the gear box and to keep the wheels from being floppy as mentioned above (I’d do 3D printed servos if I needed them but at their cost it’s cheaper to buy a lot of used servos....).

[max69vk]

6 hours ago, iluvmud said:

i was putting in the clear gearbox into my gf01 (couldn’t pass it up!!) and noticed I have a 50-60$ steering servo IN A SHELF QUEEN!!! 

 

I'd probably say that is a bit overkill - Period parts for a shelf queen are good, I wouldn't go that crazy though 

[scoobybooster]

I was voting no.

All the cars i run are modern cars with modern electronics. On the vintage shelfers, i often add a steering servo because i hate the free wobbling of the front wheels. 

[Lightningrc]

If it was about the money then I would not be building a blazer like I’m just doing or I would not have just spent silly money on a as new box for my sister Hilux .

so being worried about radio gear sitting in them not really bothers me .

i just love them to be fully finished , even if used once a year inside .

im not bothered at all about original electronics being fitted .

my hilux and ranger but have original Acoms etc .

but I want to run my blazer more often inside the house so it’s goung to have cheap modern high torque Servos and an ESC and high torque motor and run on 2s lipo .

not sure yet if to buy a cheap 2.4 4 channel radio set up or get another 4 channel 27mhz am Acoms receiver and just use my hilux Acoms which is already fitted with the gear plate on throttle stick .

any way point being I suppose each to there own :-) 

[iluvmud]

It’s not about the money, that’s just a benefit of selling, problem is I have around 36 shelf queens  and they’ll never be run and due to that I never add electronics, minus the steering servo and possibly motor. So I have a lot of period correct radio equipment and escs (futaba, tekin, Novak etc.) lying around taking up space. 

What ive done now is I’ve gone through my radio equipment and escs and put together 5 full systems that’ll be installed in the following cars

top force 

lunchbox

monster beetle

fav 

astute

 

last two are not definite so they might change the rest of my stuff will be sold off