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TurnipJF

Turnip restores a pair of Thunder Shots

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Drivers trial fitted, CC stock with tub cover, MC with a torso sitting on an EVA foam block mounted on the steering servo, leaving the tub open for ESC cooling. 

2019-09-03_05-50-14

MC's chap's base needed a bit of trimming to clear the propshaft, but nothing major. 

Both will be removed again for painting. 

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Body shell time.

2019-09-10_01-08-19

Both are TBG mouldings, with CC's trimmed old school style with a large open space behind the cockpit to accommodate the ceramic resistor for the MSC. MC's shell has been left with a smaller opening as it is running an ESC.

 

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Working out where to mask by sticking photocopies of the decals to the outside of the shell:

2019-09-10_05-41-34


 

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Alternative paint and stickers added:2019-09-10_08-47-42

I am going with a simpler, cleaner look for MC, omitting the smaller sponsor logos.

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CC has a driver. 

2019-09-11_03-15-07

 

And so does MC.

2019-09-11_03-17-54

Neither of the faces are exactly masterpieces, however they are the best I can do with my current level of coordination. If we can fit them into our mate's schedule who paints Warhammer models, we might get them redone at some point.

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CC's chassis is back with its owner for the moment, as he is finalising the electronics. He wants to run lipo with a mechanical speed controller, and I am not at all happy with the safety aspects of such an arrangement so I would rather not have any hand in it. However if he wants to set up his car that way himself, that is his choice.

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So that is two cars ready for the Tamiya Junkies meet at Robin Hood Raceway later this month. 

20190911_160305

 

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Earlier today I handed over CC's shell and driver to their owner, who seemed quite pleased with them. He has since put them on the chassis and taken a photo:

2019-09-14_09-46-45

He is planning to bring it to the Tamiya Junkies meet at Robin Hood Raceway next weekend. Hopefully we'll be able to take a few pictures of our cars together before they pick up any significant wear. 

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If I was closer in terms of location (I am near Belfast so that big puddle gets in the way) would love to build one up just for bashing and come and join in.

 

Good luck and looking forward to the photos

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The completed cars met at Robin Hood Raceways for the Tamiya Junkies get-toghether, where they both had their first proper runs on a track.

2019-09-27_02-28-01

Unsurprisingly, the cracked and non-braced A5 part on CC gave way almost immediately, and the car spent most of the meeting with zip ties keeping the front end on. I have since replaced the gearbox plastics including A5, and will fit a steel brace as soon as the chap who makes them gets back from his jollies. Apart from that, the car performed well with no other issues.

Having become used to ESCs on his other models, my colleague commented a few times about the brutality of the MSC, which doesn't allow any of the slight throttle adjustments that he usually makes mid-corner to adjust his line. I suspect that before long I'll be asked to swap it out for an ESC. His main reason for keeping it was that he remembers the ceramic resistor from his childhood, but we can always retain that for aesthetics as I have on my Manta Ray.

Apart from a rear wheel nut working loose at one point allowing the wheel to proceed around the track without the car, MC ran without a hitch. It jumps well, nice and flat, helped no doubt by the wing. Now that I have satisfied myself that its position and angle are good, I have asked Fybre-lyte to duplicate my styrene wing mounting plate in carbon fibre. This is my first attempt at designing a part to be outsourced for manufacture, and I am quite excited to see how it turns out. It should be here next week I'm told.

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The carbon fibre wing mounting plate is everything I hoped it would be. Fybre-lyte did a great job!

Here it is, with the handmade plasticard prototype below for comparison. 

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Fitted to the wing:

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And fitted to the car:

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I am very happy with it. It has the look, feel and function of a proper hop-up rather than a homemade bodge like the plastic one did. 

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CC is back together, with a metal A5 brace this time:

2019-10-06_03-13-40

Although my colleague was reluctant to have one fitted at first since his original car didn't have one, the car's first run quickly convinced him of the brace's usefulness as his un-braced A5 collapsed on the first lap whereas MC's braced front end went all day with no damage.

I don't think that the brace is a bad thing though. The black steel blends into the black plastic from a visual perspective so it doesn't really harm the Vintage look, and it is an upgrade that many people would have performed back in the day so it has a level of authenticity too.

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