Tamiya SRB Sand Scorcher Hop Ups?

[Nedrufus 0]

Hi all, I recently acquired a Tamiya Sand Scorcher 2010 re release and have set it up with a 3350mah battery and torque tuned silver can (i thought any more powerful would be overkill with this chassis). Everything else is stock and I've just built up the chassis a week ago and have tried it out a few times on varied surfaces. (even in Britain's march snow). i find it great but i have found a few problems which as an inexperienced R/C driver/ builder I don't know how to solve. First off is the steering linkages, these seem to have an awful lot of play in them and i have bent them a few times. Next is the shocks which seem to leak like there's no tomorrow. I've also seen some lovely aluminium centreline wheels for the SRB online but haven't found any for sale. Lastly is the aluminium chassis worth it? I'm just asking as i have limited experience in this field so not sure if these are one off jobs or if they are available to buy anywhere. If anyone has any advice or pictures of their own work it would all be appreciated.

Regards, Ned

P.S. the blitzer beetle has a seemingly good stance and strikes me as something that would actually be pretty capable once Hopped up. Has anyone had any experience with upgraded blitzers and is it worth getting one or just investing in a modern buggy/truggy?

[Fuijo 880]

Lots of hop-ups for the Scorcher are (or were) available.

Cosmetic ones like box-art front bumpers and aluminium wheels - alloy bumpers can still be found on ebay, but the thinner chromed-steel RC4WD one is becoming very difficult to get hold of. Wheels can be aluminum 3-piece

beadlock, single-piece non-beadlock, or simply wheel covers. Most can still be obtained on ebay.

 

Chassis - aluminium chassis plates can also still be found on ebay, and are a good idea if your car will be run hard and often, and jumped. The standard chassis' flex can crack the body shell, but if

you're running it fast on a hard surface then rolls will likely kill it long before that happens.

 

The Tamiya ball-differential will help it turn much more tightly on grippy surfaces. But Scorchers don't really like turning, and the massive understeer from the standard spool

acts like a bit of safety net to help you keep it on its wheels rather than its roof. But you will still roll it anyway whatever you do, so it's best to keep to sand or loose dirt where it's

much more at home.

But if you want to drive it at walking pace on footpaths and such then a diff might be a good idea. Though they are getting harder to get hold of and more expensive.

 

If you want something fast that handles well, the Scorcher will likely disappoint anywhere other than on the beach.

 

The shocks will hydro-lock if you assemble them as per the manual. Simply because there's no room in there for the piston rod to go under compression. Only fill the shocks

about half full with oil, and then if they still leak you can fit some TRF blue o-rings. That solved the issue for me.

 

[tamiya monkey 243]

I have the diff upgrade, but to be fair i preferred it stock, its never going to be a race buggy, i also fitted the alloy chassis from radshape,Shock wise i fitted the RcChannel coil over units, they are alot better and mine have not leaked yet.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Buggy-Champ-Sand-Scorcher-shock-set-with-spring-and-metal-join-ball/152928164717?hash=item239b3a9b6d:g:pWQAAOSwgmJX0uq9

[Nedrufus 0]

21 hours ago, Fuijo said:

Lots of hop-ups for the Scorcher are (or were) available.

Cosmetic ones like box-art front bumpers and aluminium wheels - alloy bumpers can still be found on ebay, but the thinner chromed-steel RC4WD one is becoming very difficult to get hold of. Wheels can be aluminum 3-piece

beadlock, single-piece non-beadlock, or simply wheel covers. Most can still be obtained on ebay.

 

Chassis - aluminium chassis plates can also still be found on ebay, and are a good idea if your car will be run hard and often, and jumped. The standard chassis' flex can crack the body shell, but if

you're running it fast on a hard surface then rolls will likely kill it long before that happens.

 

The Tamiya ball-differential will help it turn much more tightly on grippy surfaces. But Scorchers don't really like turning, and the massive understeer from the standard spool

acts like a bit of safety net to help you keep it on its wheels rather than its roof. But you will still roll it anyway whatever you do, so it's best to keep to sand or loose dirt where it's

much more at home.

But if you want to drive it at walking pace on footpaths and such then a diff might be a good idea. Though they are getting harder to get hold of and more expensive.

 

If you want something fast that handles well, the Scorcher will likely disappoint anywhere other than on the beach.

 

The shocks will hydro-lock if you assemble them as per the manual. Simply because there's no room in there for the piston rod to go under compression. Only fill the shocks

about half full with oil, and then if they still leak you can fit some TRF blue o-rings. That solved the issue for me.

 

Cheers Fuijo,

Will the diff make the scorcher any worse to drive in the sand due to one wheel able to slip and that.#

Ive also seen some youtube vids of these cars on the beach in slow mo. Looks amazing!!!

[Nedrufus 0]

17 hours ago, tamiya monkey said:

I have the diff upgrade, but to be fair i preferred it stock, its never going to be a race buggy, i also fitted the alloy chassis from radshape,Shock wise i fitted the RcChannel coil over units, they are alot better and mine have not leaked yet.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Buggy-Champ-Sand-Scorcher-shock-set-with-spring-and-metal-join-ball/152928164717?hash=item239b3a9b6d:g:pWQAAOSwgmJX0uq9

Thanks tamiya monkey,

I like the fact that the springs are incorporated into the shocks like modern models and those metal ball ends, is there anyway of getting those in some sort of well known brand that could offer spares and the like instead of a generic shock set up. Any idea if shocks from a modern model will fit the scorcher?

P.S. I know its never gunna be a race buggy but i just wanted to make a few worthwhile upgrades to make it look better/ drive easier and better.

[Fuijo 880]

41 minutes ago, Nedrufus said:

Will the diff make the scorcher any worse to drive in the sand due to one wheel able to slip and that.#

Yeah, you'll get more traction, and better rooster tails, with the standard spool.

[Re-Bugged 10100]

20 hours ago, Nedrufus said:

Cheers Fuijo,

Will the diff make the scorcher any worse to drive in the sand due to one wheel able to slip and that.#

Ive also seen some youtube vids of these cars on the beach in slow mo. Looks amazing!!!

Mine came unknowingly at the time with a diff in it, so I can’t compare it to running with original spool but I haven't had any problems on sand or loose surfaces and turns on a dime. The tightness of the diff can be adjusted by removing only the left hand wheel. But they are pricey when they come up so I doubt if I would have bought one if it wasn’t in there already. You can still roost with them

 

[Re-Bugged 10100]

Here’s a link to vid on a mod to stop the shocks leaking

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d2G-mPcs6N0

TBH mine don’t have oil in them, just a tiny squirt of lube before a run and work fine for me. Another solution I saw was to install them upside down. I have however twisted the torsion arms downwards as much as possible where they meet & join together under the battery box as suggested in the manual that helps a lot. 

Actually manual says bend up to decrease seeing it again. But I just twisted them down as far as I dare to stiffen them. 

[Fuijo 880]

2 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

You can still roost with them

You can, but as your pic illustrates, you only get one big tail at a time.