Jump to content
Grastens

Tamiya 47381 - Super Astute (2018)

Recommended Posts

On 9/16/2019 at 6:06 PM, Hobbimaster said:

It may very well be a defect in the gears themselves. Any slight variation in the tolerances could cause an issue. When the RC10 worlds edition came out it had a problem with the top shaft being slightly off causing the transmission to have rough spots when rotating. Associated's answer was to run the gears in. Not sure if this will work with the SA transmission, the clicking noise almost sounds like it could be skipping teeth.

I SOLVED it!  The noise comes from the gear mesh of the sliper gear and idler gears. I fixed it by removing the A3 part and replacing it with one 1150 bearing.  Its a tight fit and it will go in.  Re-install H3 and the C-clip. Like magic a nice, smooth, quiet trans.  If your trans is noisy and clicks, do this.  If it is quiet no need to.

  • Like 5

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, Snappy1 said:

I will try this tonight, thanks

Do it!!! Tamiya should've designed the A3 with multiple positions in order to facilitate adjusting the slipper gear and idler gear mesh due to production variance.  Mine must been off enough to cause the chip tooth sound. With the 1150 bearing the mesh is tighter and now it runs perfectly smooth while still spinning freely. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 9/21/2019 at 2:03 PM, Snappy1 said:

I will try this tonight, thanks

How'd it work out for you? I've got like 5 packs through mine already, PERFECT!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Okay, initially it  went well, great idea, very smooth operation and I think a must for all re re owners, but my problem does lay in the gear diff itself.

At least I know what the problem is ,I built it wrong  lol

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Build and fist run video of my Super Astute. Mated a Tamiya 10.5 turn TBLM-02S brushless motor to the TBLE-02S speed control. Plenty of power on tap to clear jumps. 

 

  • Like 6

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The Super Astute is on the wish list still,.as well as a Super Shot, some kind of clod, a vintage RC10.....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Is there anything the Super Astute needs upgraded or is it ok out of the box? I guess I mean 2 things - essential items like the Monster Beetle needs its diff sorted. The other is the nice to have but worthwhile, like Hi caps for the Top Force.

I was thinkinh hi caps with the dyna storm shock tower, but is there anything else? Is the chassis thta flexible that money would be well spent on a carbon chassis?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

Is there anything the Super Astute needs upgraded or is it ok out of the box? I guess I mean 2 things - essential items like the Monster Beetle needs its diff sorted. The other is the nice to have but worthwhile, like Hi caps for the Top Force.

I was thinkinh hi caps with the dyna storm shock tower, but is there anything else? Is the chassis thta flexible that money would be well spent on a carbon chassis?

It literately needs everything upgraded, it is pure garbage compared to any real race ready buggy in 1993.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, King Zulu said:

It literately needs everything upgraded, it is pure garbage compared to any real race ready buggy in 1993.

This is not true, and rude to everyone who has one, had one or aspires to have one.  It is a fine handling buggy and does well against similiar buggies of the era. 

For the best performance it needs Hicaps and Ball bearings. It wont win a worlds but its a funny buggy to drive.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

.....

5 hours ago, Saito2 said:

If you're just going to run around the back yard with it, nothing really needs upgraded. It has no Achilles heal like the Blackfoot that needs to be fixed out of the gate. Personally, from an aesthetic point of view, I don't like tall front towers on an Astute buggy because I associated Astutes with short front shocks like an earlier RC10. However, from a performance standpoint the Dynastorm front tower and Hicaps would be beneficial as the front shocks bottom out before the chassis contacts the ground. While mono-plate chassis were around in that era in the RC10 Graphite and JR-X2, they were carbon fiber and a good bit stiffer than the Super Astute's FRP one. Personally, I find it way too flexy for my taste, but I suppose without back to back testing, the jury is still out on how much flex is acceptable or beneficial. Adding a carbon fiber chassis to an already very expensive kit, in my estimation, is out of my price range, so I will run it stock to see how she goes. And yes, grab the 4 extra bearings Tamiya felt compelled to leave out for the front wheels again. 

....good points and alot better response than from King Insult. Except one thing, the Astute front shocks do not bottom out before the chassis. I'm not sure where this internet lore come from. I have the OG Astute and it definitely bottoms out before the shocks. The issue is that when the chassis came out in the late 80s tracks, especially here in America were getting bigger and bumpier , and longer front shocks like the Schumacher and Dyna Storm used we very much needed. 

The Astute is a fun chassis, some flex is good as a too stiff of a chassis makes things really twitchy. 

People forget the Astute won some big events, Tamiya didn't and still doesn't throw money at big time drivers so their cars don't get as developed as others. 

Hicaps, ball bearing, and tires to suit your track will ensure you have a fun time. 

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
15 hours ago, GTodd said:

"some flex is good as a too stiff of a chassis makes things really twitchy" Pretty stupid statement right there folks, since most tracks where dirt back in the early 90's and we experimented with batteries/motors/pinons/slipper clutches to alleviate that . The stiffer the better (ask any female), the Super Astute is a great car, just be prepared to drop money into it if you want to be competitive..

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 hours ago, Saito2 said:

49075185377_16d1b40240.jpg20191116_130449 by Scott Weiland, on Flickr

A freshly built Super Astute rererlease. The shocks bottom out well before the chassis. Now, in @GTodd's defense, I should have been more specific and stated the Super Astute's front shocks bottom out before the chassis, not all Astutes. The standard Astute (from I've been told by owners) does allow for chassis-to-ground contact. Despite not owning a standard Astute I find this totally believable as the Super Astute features different arms/geometry.

Furthermore, I do remember RC Car Action magazine in particular being critical of even the standard Astute's short front shocks. Again @GTodd is correct in siting the era in which the standard Astute first emerged. Just a year earlier, short front shocks were still the norm, just look at the earlier RC10s. It was Losi's Jr-X2 that first started to show lengthening of the front shocks. By the time the JRX-Pro came out, 2wd comp buggies were in full-long front shock mode. The Associated Stealth cars both in the '89 and '91 Worlds display this trend as well. The Astutes just weren't in line with this trend, again being more suited to smoother Japanese tracks. The Avante series also suffers from this criticism, although Tamiya slowly attempted to address it as the buggies evolved into the Egress. It wasn't until the new buggies, the Top Force (and Evo) and Dynastorm  emerged that Tamiya had gotten fully on the bandwagon. 

I could be wrong, maybe the different geometries of the Super Astute and Astute could cause one to bottom out and would not too. I shouldn't assume!

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks @GTodd and @Saito2 that answers my question - nothing that has to be done so I can do some nice to haves like hi caps. It will look great sitting next to its contemporary Top Force like this and should be a laugh in the vintage silvercan class that I keep meaning to get along to. I'm sure it will hold its own against the lunchboxes and novafoxes it will eb up against. Hey they may even get a 17.5T and have a run at my outdoor club!

@King Zulu thanks for the input but I don't intend to win the worlds in 1993, I just wanted to know if there were any fatal flaws which are an expensive fix (like the monster beetle diff) but it sounds all good to me

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi all,

Apologies for the hijack, was asking about using the SA TTC in another thread (for use in the king cab/monster racer) but after reading this one though it more appropriate here.

Any more details of the A3 part replacement with a bearing. Presumably remove the protrusion from the main gear box housing first, but then how many bearings? Do you cut the A3 part down the equivalent of the replacement bearing to keep the overall length the same or space it another way?

Any pics to aid visualisation?

Thanks again

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I removed the A3 part and fitted a single bearing, try it it just works

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Jon Gillham.

The Monster Beetle's fix is cheap and easy, MIP's diff is around $60 bucks. Hi-Caps will cost you more than that for the Super Astute. The Super Astute does not work well with silver cans, a stock Novafox will eat it up all day for lunch. A silver canned Grasshopper with bearings will eat up a stock Super Astute with a silver can, unless you're savvy enough  to replace the kit's spur/pinion gears and find the proper ratio...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The new SA can use Associated spurs/slipper pads, so it's easy to get a decent FDR. Mine with a 17.5 is no faster or slower than any other buggy with a 17.5. This little buggy is a peach, and somehow, more fun than a RC10 of similar vintage. Objectively, it's not as "good", and definitely cost more to be proper, but it really drives well and looks smashing.

  • Like 5
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
47 minutes ago, Big Jon said:

...but it really drives well and looks smashing.

Sums it up pretty well I think. That is after all what this hobby is all about. Well stated.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Big Jon said:

The new SA can use Associated spurs/slipper pads, so it's easy to get a decent FDR. Mine with a 17.5 is no faster or slower than any other buggy with a 17.5. This little buggy is a peach, and somehow, more fun than a RC10 of similar vintage. Objectively, it's not as "good", and definitely cost more to be proper, but it really drives well and looks smashing.

So does that convert from 0.5 Mod to 48p gears?  That would make life a lot of easier, I did a quick search and I couldn't find any 0.5mod gears other than some random ones.  The kit FDR's (assuming you can find the pinions they show) are pretty good though, 8.5T/10.5T brushless would do ok, just need to run it in mod.

Really its just about fun anyway, I am on the lookout for a new 2wd race buggy but am waiting to see what the HB D219 is like before making a decision.  Funnily enough the Super Astute doesn't feature in that conversation

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...