GTodd 1349 Posted April 21, 2020 On 4/20/2020 at 4:05 AM, matisse said: Thoughts on the 4wd plastic gear set vs the RW racing acetal/delrin gears? feel like the one piece spur gear from the plastic gear set should be more sturdy rather than the delrin replacement for the stock alloy gear. I have no clue about those gears. I've been running the stock gears since 91!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted April 21, 2020 10 minutes ago, GTodd said: I have no clue about those gears. I've been running the stock gears since 91!! They’re really nicely made, it’s very impressive especially the counter gear replacement that slots into the spur. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GTodd 1349 Posted April 22, 2020 And that thing has had hot motors in it it's entire life, I'm just replacing it now! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted April 22, 2020 First of the two mantas done and ready for sale. Getting a Blazing start shell for the second one. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superluminal 3750 Posted April 22, 2020 That looks good in white 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted April 26, 2020 time to start on the second Manta. ESC on the way, Quicrun 1060 as i'm going to run a silver can, along with a set of turnbuckles. everything else is ready to go, the only question is do i fit the frp shock towers left over from the TF build or do I keep it simple with stock plastic shock towers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted April 28, 2020 Lockdown is dangerous for my bank balance. Blazing star Shell on the way and some hardened Steel our drives for the gear diffs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted April 30, 2020 Ohh goody, parts are arriving Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted May 2, 2020 Big day! shell painted and build started. Shell is a TC/Blazing Star from Penguin RC, used the paint from the TF build as who can get hold of new paint now eh!? tried for a fade, did okay-ish. window masking went well, washi tape is great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted May 2, 2020 Build progressed easily, switched the gears out for the plastic set and filled the diffs with some automotive grease that i use on bike wheel hubs and added ballraces. Switched out for Hex head machine steel screws, braced the gear boxes as with the TF, changed the plastic arms for turnbuckles and took the UJs and metal dogbones from the TF. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted May 2, 2020 Shock wise, sold the original CVAs and picked up these alloy sets from Fastrax. well priced at £13.99 and pretty well built and specced for the cost. All metal hard ware, what look like coated shock shafts, smooth plastic 2 hole pistons that look to be changeable but you only get the 2 hole. Fairly standard 2 o-ring and guide set up for the seal. rebuilt them with green slime tonight, will add oil tomorrow. size wise, they seem to come in 10mm size gaps, so went for 85mm front and 95mm rear. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted May 3, 2020 Dammit. Threaded a screw hole on the rear gear box casing... gotta order another as it won’t take a self taper now either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted May 10, 2020 @RedHornet was kind enough to let me have an alloy steering rack they were no longer using, it’s seemed to be missing a pair of the top hat washers as I couldn’t get it mount without binding, good thing is that I love a bodge. grabbed some pcb spacers that are m3 internally and have an OD of 5mm, they are a tad long at 4mm but thankfully I had some 8x5x0.3 shims. mounted it sits a little higher but that has the advantage of allowing the cross brace to be mounted under the arms, which makes fitting and adjusting so much easier. is it not written “for every action that is an equal and opposite reaction “ and “your too clever for your own good”? some of you may have spotted that this fix creates other issues, first up the steering link angle is now altered which is probably a small issue tbh. But secondly the thread of the ball end is now in danger of striking the gear box, which of course it does, very slightly. Simple fix is a 2mm spacer under the ball stud. That done I could finally finish the front gearbox and suspension. Got the Hardened diff out drives, because why not, and fitted the fasttrax shocks. The shocks are a pleasant surprise and for the price I would recommend them for anyone looking to upgrade their runner. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted May 11, 2020 Getting there, speedo needs a deans and then the electrics can be fitted. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted May 14, 2020 Back to the Top Force for a second, saw these alloy arms on Facebook, from a company called WillSpeed. Pretty nicely made and decent cost for a small run custom item (£20 the pair). they look pretty smart fitted too, although they aren’t a direct swap out as the mounting hole for the servo link ball stud is threaded fr the bottom. So you can’t fit the ball stud you used on the standard arms. Emailed them to see if it’s a mistake or not. took the bolt through stud from the rear camber link for the moment. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted May 16, 2020 solved the issue, turns out that the anodising had blocked up one of the threads. running a bolt through from the other side cleaned it out enough to fit the correct ball stud. These are a really nice bit of kit, highly recommended upgrade. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted May 16, 2020 Finished the Manta today, pics tomorrow. presents a conundrum though, which one do I keep? the obvious answer is to keep both, but the micro scene is starting up again here in the U.K., something I was involved in running for a few years. It was a lot of fun so I’m keen to be involved again, that of course means buying a micro, which means selling one of these two. Right now I’m thinking sell the Manta, the Top Force is so pretty! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matisse 1581 Posted May 20, 2020 All change in this household! The DF01 I just finished has gone to a forum member and the Top Force is up for sale. It seems quick, and it probably is but the Top Force did its job, it got me back into RC and into racing (which it was destined for) but just not at 1/10th scale. I was involved in running the Micro scale section of the BRCA back in the late 00s and had a tonne of fun doing it, for various reasons I had to leave racing and RC behind for a while but now that I’m back, the Micro scene is coming back too, so that’s what I’ll race. Already have eyes on the Associated 14b which should be perfect. that leaves a Tamiya sized hole in my life though, so I’ll need a new car. Looking at the Nissan Titan for bashing, but also the SA lurks at the back of my mind as they still haven’t rere’d the madcap.... either way I’m not going anywhere and I’d love to see the Top force end up with a member. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
