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Super Clod Buster Axle Stays

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I fear I may have done something really stupid so am asking for advice before I undo a load of work and strip down the gearbox(es) on the Clod that I am building.

I have got to step 20 which is attaching the axle stays. Unfortunately the hole in the axle stub (to mount the axle stay) is on the wrong side. This is on both axles for both gearboxes. The only conclusion I can come to is I have been a complete muppet and put the axle tubes on the wrong sides for both gearboxes. Even though I am a little amazed it's so easy to put them on the wrong way round bearing in mind there was a little stud and hole to ensure they go on facing the right way and there are long and short axles.

I have two questions on this:
1) How far down will I need to strip the gearboxes in order to remove the axle tubes and put them on the right way?

2) Will I need to remove the axles out of the tubes as well? If so, I am concerned about removing the E-ring circlips so they can be re-used.

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You won't need to take the axles out of the tubes, but you'll need to split the gearbox in half to remove the tubes.

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That's something at least. However I am now really puzzled. I have split one of the gearboxes, removed the motor and gears in order to take off the axle tubes. What I find is that it makes no difference which axle tube is connected to which gearbox case, the little nipple thing means they both attach 180 degrees round from where they need to be.

I am tempted to cut off the nipple thing as it is simply getting in the way. After all the axle tubes are going to be secured in place by the four screws. I am concerned this will be a move I live to very much regret. I also can't believe this is a point that Tamiya get so fundamentally wrong. Am I missing something here?

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Secondly, how long should the long and short axle tubes be, please? I have measured them and cannot see any difference between the two. The two axles fitted just fine and the gearbox assembled ok. So that seemed alright. It was only when I came to install the axle stay that there was an indication of there being something wrong.

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Is the nipple on the axle tube, and the hole for the axle stay on the same half as each other i.e, the upper half of the axle tube when the gearbox is assembled and right way up?

All four of the axle tubes are marked E1 as a part, so should all be identical, meaning you cannot install it wrong.

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No, they're on opposite sides to each other. This prevents me from installing it right. These photos show what I've got. I struggle to see how such a well established kit can have such a minor but fundamental flaw. Makes me wonder whether I have a genuine Tamiya kit or a copy!? On one of the gearboxes I have got round it by slicing off the nipple (sounds painful!) and reassembling it. As far as I can tell, that has workIMG_0105_edited.thumb.jpg.95139bfc14e364d3dd4f5103edb23a52.jpgIMG_0104_edited.thumb.jpg.9ab653001eb295c5b9c820844743659b.jpged a treat. the nipple serves only to guide it into position. Once the screws are done up tight, it is superfluous.

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Yes the nipples are only so you install them one way. I would have assumed the hole for the axle stay was part of the mold, but maybe they punch it after the axle tube is made? From memory it is the axle stay that has thread in the bottom portion. So it is just a 3.5mm hole in the tube.

At least cutting the nipple is an easier fix than trying to drill the hole in the right place for the axle stay. 

Now you will have to build the other gearbox the same.

You could always send those pics to whomever you bought the kit from and get  tamiya to send replacements if you are so inclined...

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Or....

And I am taking an absolute guess at this...

But it is possible the mold for the axle tubes has had the outer half and inner half bolted together around the wrong way (if this is how the mold is machined), as the nipple and the hole are the only two parts not making the upper and lower symmetrical...

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If I had to place a wager, I would opt for the hole for the axle stay being part of the mold rather than being punched afterwards. But that's just my thought on the manufacturing process. I considered drilling a hole, partly on the theory that this would avoid stripping the gearbox down in order to do it. but then I had visions of it all going horribly wrong. Slicing the nipple off (I really hate typing that!) was the safer option.

Yes, the lower hole in the axle stay is the one with the thread. The hole is just to enable the screw to go through. 

Fortunately I still have the trees that the axle tubes came from. These have little arrows that point to numbers. This will be useful to Tamiya as it shows the batch that they were molded from. So what I am going to do is take a photo of them to and forward all images off to the shop that I bought them from. It's because of times like these that I made a point of buying it from a physical store rather Amazon or Ebay. I don't really need the extra parts. it will just be nice to have spares.

Now that I have removed the nipples on one transmission and managed to rebuild it just fine as well as attach the axle stays, I am going to free the nipples (this is getting ridiculous now!) on the other and do the same there.

What annoys me most about this is the delay it has put on my Clod build. First having to down tools while I research the problem. Then having to undo a major part of the build to do the nipplectomy.

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Ok, I've contacted Monarch Models in Harrow - so glad I opted for a real store rather than Amazon - explained the situation and forwarded on the photos. Mayoor is going forward it on to Tamiya and we'll see what they respond with. In the meantime, I've managed to continue with the build regardless.

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I didn't get as far as Tamiya PLC, unfortunately. Only the Hobbyco the UK distributors and TBH, I wasn't exactly impressed with their response. There was more than a hint of suggesting that either I was telling porkies or was a complete moron. I shall post the email trail below. The photos I sent them were the ones that I have already posted above. To give them the benefit of the doubt, the first reply was based on only having received one photo for some reason, as not all had been forwarded on.

Surnames and email addresses have been redacted.

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----- Original Message -----

From: Colin

To: mayoor

Cc: rob

Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2019 10:10 AM

Subject: RE: Tamiya Clodbuster

 

Hi Mayoor.

 

As you probably know, Tamiya kits are incredibly detailed and rigorously tested so I was very surprised to read your email, especially as this version of the Super Clod Buster has been in production for over 15 years!!!  The picture you have sent me is of the plastic ‘sprue’ that holds the 2 axle tubes together in the moulding process. I have picked up a pair from our warehouse along with the gearbox sides and they fit together perfectly and correctly with the nipple in place. This nipple is there to ensure that they are installed correctly so that section 30 of the instruction manual showing the attachment of parts BP2 and BP3 can be completed.  I can only think that with the removal of the nipple that they are now upside down as the actual part hasn’t changed at all in all of the years in production.

 

Please advise your customer that he needs to rotate these axle tubes 180 degrees to ensure the mounting holes for section 30 are to the top, not bottom. The nipple is only a guide, it doesn’t matter that he has remove them at all as the axle tubes are mounted and held in place by 4 nuts and bolts. So no replacement parts are required.

 

I have attached 3 pictures showing the parts together still on the sprue, our showroom Super Clod Buster showing the parts in place and section 30 of the manual. If your customer is certain that the part is incorrect please could I have some pictures of his axle tubes in place on his gearbox casings for me to see.

 

Let me know if you require any more help or information.

 

Best regards,

 

Colin. 

From: mayoor
Sent: 09 August 2019 13:14
To: Colin
Subject: Tamiya Clodbuster

 

Hi Mayoor, 

I am away at the moment and my emails are sparadic. If you contact Colin at the MK office, he will be able to help you prior to my return. 

Email the customer issue to colin

 

Hello Colin

 

Rob has asked me to contact you as one of my customers is have a small problem with the Clodbusteer a bought from me a couple of weeks ago.

 

Here is what he said

 


> From:
> Email:
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
>
> Hello there. Back in July I came in and bought a Tamiya clodbuster and
> accessories from you. I am sure you remember? How are things with you? You
> will be pleased to know that the build has been progressing well up to
> now.
> As it is my first foray into model building I am finding it surprisingly
> addictive. I am pleased to say that I have made only two mistakes in the
> build up until now and both of those were while building the gearboxes.
>
> However, one thing which I thought was a third mistake turned out to be a
> flaw in the kit. When attaching the axles to the gearbox shells, there is
> a
> nipple to guide the axle on a specific way round. This is so that a screw
> hole is in the right place in order to attach the axle stay later on.
> However what I found was that in my case, the nipple is 180 degrees away
> from where it needs to be. This means that with it in place you cannot
> build
> the transmission correctly. I tried various things - including inquiring
> on
> the Tamiya club forum - and was left with no option other than to cut the
> nipples off with a stanley knife. I have taken photos showing what I mean,
> and the date stamp on the parts tree. Would you be able to forward these
> on
> to Tamiya for me, to see what the problem is and perhaps they send
> replacement parts? Many thanks, 

 

I will send the photos shortly.

 

Please do what ever is necessary.

 

Regards

Mayoor 

Monarch Models

IMG_0710.jpg

IMG_0708.jpg

IMG_0711.jpg

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Hi  

Image attached as requested, hope this helps, I have only ever received 1 image but that’s all I needed…..been building these kits for too long!!! Feel free to send me your other images.

 

With regards to date codes on the sprue, possibly but I’ve never had to check before. Out of interest I did some more checking, this part was first used on the original Clod Buster way back in 1987 and hasn’t changed since. Also used on the Bullhead kit from 1990 amongst others.

 

Glad you have rotated the axle shafts already, enjoy the rest of the build.

 

Best regards,

 

Colin.

 

From:
Sent: 13 August 2019 11:53
To: Colin
Subject: Fwd: Re: Fw: Tamiya Clodbuster

 

 

Thanks Colin,

Did you also receive the two photos showing the axle tubes end on?

Would you be able to send us photos of the axle tubes indicating the position of the nipple in relation to the screw hole at the other end of the tube?

what you describe below is exactly the problem that I encountered. I originally fitted the axle tubes to the gearbox shell without much consideration as lining the parts up was clearly what the nipple was for and would only allow me to fit them one way round. As explained, it was when I came to mount the axle stays that I realised that something was wrong and that all four tubes needed to be rotated by 180 degrees in order for me to continue.

The arrows on the sprue should presumably indicate the date or batch of manufacture?

Best regards,


 

IMG_7287.jpg

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Hi

 

Totally bizarre that, thanks for those pictures. I cannot understand how with the many thousands of these parts produced over the years this is the only ones that have come up. I don’t think the answer will ever be known……

 

Let me know if you need any more help in the future.

 

Best regards,

 

Colin.

 

From:
Sent: 13 August 2019 13:39
To: Colin
Subject: RE: Re: Fw: Tamiya Clodbuster

 

Hi Colin,

Thank you for confirming. Here are the two other photos that I took with the relevant bits circled in red. As you can see the nipples on my parts are 180 degrees away from where they need to be.

As you pointed out in your earlier reply to Mayoor, it is genuinely surprising that something like this could crop up in such a well established kit such as the clod. 

This little situation set my build back a bit, but I am making progress once again. Once I have attached the steering rods, I can mount both assemblies on the chassis.

Best regards,


 

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So as you can see, having originally discredited my original assertion, he finally signs of with something along the lines of, "That's odd, dunno how that could have happened. Oh well."

This was a setback that I could have done without.

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