ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted April 25, 2019 So this surprised even me. I'll admit to not getting the comical grasshopper when it arrived. Seemed a bit pointless and silly. However, recently I have tried a different type of thing than a buggy (a SCT) to see about having something different. I didn't get on with it. Just seemed like a rubbish buggy. I sold the kids monster rising fighter as they weren't really interested, and it wasn't a proper monster truck. Had a lunchbox a couple of years ago and just found it floppy and frustrating. My daughter still mentions it though. So, I wanted a kit and something a little different. I seem to have lightened up a bit recently because I fancied something a bit silly, maybe fairly slow that I could just crash about with, but not completely terrible handling. I was hanging my nose over a Heavy Dump Truck as they look a right laugh, bit they come with friction shocks and a couple of other cheapo compromises I would need to sort. Then the comical hornet hoved into view. Looks great, proper shocks and ball ends for them, lexan shell so likely to be less tippy-over, and a fair bit cheaper to boot. So, hear we are First impressions are that the driver figure and wheels and tyres look amazing, and the decal sheet has window masks which is a relief! I have tried to keep extra spend to a minimum. I have some 50601 shafts to convert the shocks to pistons and red o rings so the cva shocks are as nice as they can be. I also spotted that 53345 TL01 toe in rear uprights are a hop up so I have ordered those but I am not going to wait for them. Its getting a speed passion 13.5 3300KV brushless motor. I am going non box art, but more of that later. First things first, gearbox. It's the pre-assembled transmission which has plastic and bronze bushes in it Pulled it apart and fitted bearings throughout. Put some AW grease in the diff. Through steps 1 and 2 next. Assembled the arms. These are new to me. The plastic is kind of rubbery feeling and slightly flexible. The nerf bars are on the same sprue. Should be brilliant for what they are. Sticking with screw pins and solid upper arms. Keep it simple. Kit comes with ball nuts to mount the shocks slop-free which is a really nice touch. And finished, with nice metal driveshafts and cups, I have added bearings for the uprights. How cool is that wheelie bar? After this I would need to centre the steering servo but I don't have the Rx yet so I parked that and did the wheels. Interssting construction. I thiught the coloured bits where cosmetic, but as you can see they are the wheel hub and 12mm hex location. 20 screws later (and sore forearms!) they are finished. How cool to these look!? That's all for now. 13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
graemevw 821 Posted April 27, 2019 Didnt like the comical grasshopper bit for some reason i think it suits the hornet better. Sad about non box art though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted April 27, 2019 1 hour ago, graemevw said: Didnt like the comical grasshopper bit for some reason i think it suits the hornet better. Sad about non box art though. I am not a box art kind of guy. Keeping the stickers, just going a different way on colour. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Man1c M0nk3y 521 Posted April 28, 2019 Cool. Look forward to seeing this finished. I enjoyed building this chassis, or at least derivative of it in the GF01. Think it all goes together well and feels very solid. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeftyAl 164 Posted April 28, 2019 Looking forward to see how this turns out. Thanks for sharing 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwistedxSlayer 1290 Posted April 28, 2019 ThunderDragonCy builds something.... So naturally I'll be watching it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted April 28, 2019 1 minute ago, TwistedxSlayer said: ThunderDragonCy builds something.... So naturally I'll be watching it. Hope you aren't too disappointed. This is going to be a fairly stock build for now. 😉 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted April 28, 2019 Decided to centre the servo uaijng another car so I could crack on in a spare hour tonight. Didn't take many photos and it's all to the manual. Front is together. The screw pins and step screws seem good. You can get most of the slop out of the joints without shims. Pretty pleased about that. Couple of pieces of advice on these steps. First, take your time and remember to feed the steering rods through the holes in the chassis halves. I had to undo the chassis twice as I managed it both sides! Second, to avoid opening up the chassis a third time (ahem!), when you have attached the steering servo, dry fit the chassis halves together and check the servo is on the centreline of the chassis, like this. Mine installed quite a way off to the right, and you can't access the front servo stay screw once the chassis is screwed together. Apart from that it all went swimmingly. Need to build shocks next, but couldn't be bothered to get oily tonight. I did finish trimming the shell. I have left the front rough cut deeper than the cut line. One if the only things I don't like about the look is the front of the body seems cut too high. I am going to see if it looks any better lower cut. Washed the shell and wing too, so I will mask them and get painting next week. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeftyAl 164 Posted April 29, 2019 I checked out the vids on TamiyaUSA. This one looks like it handles a bit better than a Wild Willy 2. Must be the tyres and lower centre of gravity. I might look into what else is needed to covert a WW2 into a WR02CB.... prolly end up cheaper/easier just to buy the kit 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted April 29, 2019 6 hours ago, LeftyAl said: I checked out the vids on TamiyaUSA. This one looks like it handles a bit better than a Wild Willy 2. Must be the tyres and lower centre of gravity. I might look into what else is needed to covert a WW2 into a WR02CB.... prolly end up cheaper/easier just to buy the kit Having seen the size of the WW2 body at the track I would say getting a small lexan body will make a big difference. The tyres (particularly the rears) still feel fairly balloony and floppy to me, certainly compared to my foam filled schumacher truck tyres on my DT03T. I agree though, the fact that they looked like they might have vaguely sensible (ie not frustrating) handling is what got me. Your WW2 wheels are 2.2" so maybe try getting some foams for the tyres or some racing truck tyres. I use U6708 and U6706 tyres and U6541 foams. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeftyAl 164 Posted April 29, 2019 I think the front tyres add a lot to the sloppy handling as well. The fronts are just too big and wide. Still a very fun car to drive, just gets annoying having to stand it back on it's wheels all the time. I did bolt a brushless in it, so maybe I am part of the blame 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted April 29, 2019 Nerf bars installed. Same nice rubbery plastic the arms are made from Managed to stick the ESC on then realise I have yet to cut all the plus off and solder the deans connector and motor plugs. So that's coming off again tomorrow for soldering. Absolutely love these huge exhausts on the battery retainer. And now to the worst bit. Or at least the bit I am very, very bad at This kit comes with the new multi purpose driver figure. It's an absolutely brilliant piece of design and Japanese culture. Couldn't be more tamiya if it tried. One thing I am hugely grateful for is options for stickers for eyes. I am using up some paints I have in from painting my Grasshopper 2 driver figures. The purple will go nicely with my colour choice. Leaving the parts on the sprue to make them easier to handle. Weather was a little warmer today too so I masked the shell and shot the first coat of paint. Got the day off tomorrow so could be on for finishing this by end of tomorrow, but I won't rush it. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted April 30, 2019 Got a fair bit further this morning. Built the shocks. After a bit of thought I decided to build them with the solid pistons from the kit rather than robbing the plastic piston parts out of a good set of cvas. This isn't a high performance kit! Plus I have oil weights from 150cst to 800cst so that's probably tuning enough. I did use the red o rings though. So much softer and nicer than the black ones. The springs are pretty stiff so I decided to take a guess at 600 oil (kit is 400). I lubed the orings with 3000cst diff oil as its a little bit sticky so stays put better than just using shock oil. On the car thry don't feel very slow so we'll see if I need to go up a weight on the oil once I have driven it. As it happened, the esc being mounted on the car meant it was perfectly positioned to reach my vice so I could solder all the new connectors on Spares box strikes again! I found a steel RW Racing 18t 0.6mod pinion from when I owned a DF01. That will be much better for the brushless motor. Went to fit the wheels and the wouldn't go on. Turns out I fitted the wheel hubs the wrong way around. The rims are offset. Double check if you are building one. Wrong on the left, correct on the right And on its wheels! Cables are all a bit of a stretch. I'll buy aonger sensor cable. Not sure if I can get it running soon. My flysky Rx I thought I had specifically purchased from a UK vendor was just a union jack flag on their ad. Currently saying 8th may-10th June for delivery of that. Going to see if my spare 40mhz am Rx can squeeze on the side of the chassis somewhere. Also got a few coats of paint on the shell. More on that later. 4 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
speedy_w_beans 4270 Posted April 30, 2019 It didn't strike me until now, but I do think the front tires on this Comical Hornet would make a nice upgrade for the Tumbling Bull. I never really liked the front chevron tires on that model. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted April 30, 2019 Finished! Well, sort of. Still need to do the driver Went with PS3 Light Blue. I really like it. Took quite a bit of doing to finish the body. The decals all need cutting out, and they are mostly quite intricate. This is because they are incredibly clever and wrap around 3d shapes on the body. Took a fair while to get them on, but quire pleased with it. Also pleased I left the front of the shell cut deeper. Really like that it reaches to the top of the shocks. The driver had had a little more done, as I realised today that a lot of the screw holes can be covered with paint able cover stickers that come in the kit, so I had to start assembling the driver. Still a way off finnishing though as the helmet needs to dry completely and then get sanded back and another coat putting on. A couple more of the shell Managed to get it up and running with an old 40mhz radio set. It's very funny. Wheelies for a good few metres. It's quite easy to tip over in corners as the steering is very sharp and the wheelbase very short. It also has quite a lot of bump steer too. Ended up screwing the steering arms out 4 turns each side to get the wheels to toe in slightly at ride height. Here's a quick vid Looking forward to getting my flysky on it so I can programme the steering end point and rate to calm it down a bit. The servo saver is pretty long too so I might try a regular size servo saver to reduce the steering throw and speed, maybe try fiddling with the arm attachments to reduce the bump steer. Also might drop the ride height too. Feels like there is quite a nice handling chassis in there somewhere. Keen to give a run on grass or in the woods. Should be a giggle. Overall its a lot more fun and satisfying than the lunchbox I had, it looks ace and is very silly. 7 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bromley 681 Posted April 30, 2019 I guess I'm not the only one that let out an audible "oo oo argh oo" watching that video of a newly painted car tumbling on tarmac. It looks great in the blue and the front end looks so much better left long. Well done that man! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted April 30, 2019 1 minute ago, Bromley said: I guess I'm not the only one that let out an audible "oo oo argh oo" watching that video of a newly painted car tumbling on tarmac. It looks great in the blue and the front end looks so much better left long. Well done that man! I cringed the first time it tumbled, but it still looks pretty much perfect after about 10 rolls. Tamiya have clearly got it right with lexan shells with minimal stickering on the extremities. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted May 1, 2019 This is what happens when you take your silly new car to work and then the marketing manager gets the gopros out We went for the Tamiya promo videos vibe 11 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bromley 681 Posted May 1, 2019 Love it, especially the awful 80's soundtrack! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
novicelad 787 Posted May 2, 2019 I need one of these! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
emory70 153 Posted May 2, 2019 Are the front and rear wheels the same size? What diameter are they? The fronts are suspiciously similar to farm implement tires my dad ran on the rear of his VW tunnel buggies in the 70s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted May 3, 2019 5 hours ago, emory70 said: Are the front and rear wheels the same size? What diameter are they? The fronts are suspiciously similar to farm implement tires my dad ran on the rear of his VW tunnel buggies in the 70s. The wheels are the same front and rear but not sure what size they are. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mokei Kagaku 2706 Posted May 3, 2019 4 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said: The wheels are the same front and rear but not sure what size they are. I'm not sure about the size either, except that original Wild Willy tires fit pretty well on them. I can make a comparison with DT-01/WR-02 wheels later today. Anyway, WR-02CB wheels and tires are impossibly compatible with WR-02G (Tumbling Bull/Farm King) front wheels and tires, which were recycled from the TLT-1. These wheels have a significantly larger diameter on the inside than the outside. So on the inside, the tires are "low profile" and on the outside "baloon tires". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mokei Kagaku 2706 Posted May 3, 2019 I have had a look at the different wheels for the WR-02, WR-02G and WR-02CB. Above and below: from left to right: WR-02G front (TLT-1), WR-02CB, WR-02 and WR-02G rear (WT-01) Avove, from left to right: 1. WR-02G front wheel with the outside down on top of WR-02CB wheel. 2. WR-02G front wheel with the inside down on top of WR-02CB wheel. 3. WR-02CB wheel on top of WR-02 wheel 4. WR-02CB wheel on top of WR-02G rear wheel (WT-01) Above, from left to right: WR-02, WR-02CB, WR-02G front (TLT-1) and WR-02CB Above: from top left and clockwise: WR-02CB, WR-02, WR-02G rear (WT-01) and WR-02G front (TLT-1). WR-02G front and WR-02CB tires have almost identical outer diameters, so using the WR-02CB front tires as front tires on the WR-02G will probably look quite right, but not possible on WR-02G front wheels. Finally, one of my WR-02G's with the new white gearbox housing and white TL-01 C-parts as I had the chassis out anyway. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
taffer 946 Posted May 3, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Mokei Kagaku said: WR-02G front and WR-02CB tires have almost identical outer diameters, so using the WR-02CB front tires as front tires on the WR-02G will probably look quite right, but not possible on WR-02G front wheels. Finally, one of my WR-02G's with the new white gearbox housing and white TL-01 C-parts as I had the chassis out anyway. Edit: got the parts! Very nice, have you got the part numbers for the white gearbox and c parts???? @Mokei Kagaku Edited May 3, 2019 by taffer Found the parts Share this post Link to post Share on other sites