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wolfdogstinkus

Brushless quick drive Thunder Dragon

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Who just got the Super Sabre for £21???

 

I didn't bid, I'm just asking, bound to be one of you lot. Lol 

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Wasn’t me! Not posted in a while, back in work and it’s crazy. Good job I am though, I am scared to add up what I have spent on RC the last few months, it’s a hideous amount I know that! 5 new cars I think, maybe 6!!! Anyway the 3 tier Thunder Dragon is coming along nicely. Nearly got all the parts, just tyres left now I think but they are easy to get. Lately been playing with my new toy, a Kanyon. Think I had 3 runs before the mods started! Although to be fair it’s awesome fun standard, not actually done any performance mods yet, just a little strengthening. My mate has cut the crap out of his!

anyway, sorry I went off topic, however lads, the FTX Kanyon is the most fun you will ever have for £160 (Unless you walk into a brothel), I had no interest in crawling at all, but I love it to bits. 
 

update of progress.......

the mini is also going RC, and the 1/10 is 3s brushless which is awesome when it doesn’t break

C3D9B2E1-1E39-471E-9DE0-11FFD9C27A5D.jpeg

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How are you sorting out the steering on the junior kit?

I have a plastic printed chassis for the monster series but not seen one for Mini 4wd yet. 

Just got a mini 4wd and it's fast!!!!, Need a track but they cost too much. Lol

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Hey wolfdog

 

as for the steering, long story short, I started with a cheapo velocis or something similar, just type in 1/32 rc into eBay and they all pop up, extreme racer etc, all the same rubbish. Anyway, initially I was just going to re-shell it, someone on YouTube has done a bigwig, but I just didn’t like it. The model performs ok, but non proportional steering and it feels like a 2 stage throttle.

so I cut it to bits!!!!

basically using the front axle off the velocis, and a tiny linear servo for wings or tail rudders or something on planes. Obviously will be 2wd now, hacked up the front of chassis where the original axle went, and it fits spot on. The only way you would tell by looking at it is the front wheels are now the same width as the rear, whereas out of the box the front track is a little narrower.

electronics.........I have an a simp CR4T which I love, found a micro Rx from China with allegedly the same afhds 2a algorithm, took a chance and it works! 4 channels and only a tad bigger than my fingernail. Next up a dasmikro esc, 5A, again slightly smaller than a fingernail. Some 1S lipos from a micro drone, and a hot motor “plasma dash” I believe, which apparently would be illegal in an official mini 4wd race.

 

all eBay specials, even the motor, not the actual Tamiya one, £5 to the door, which I believe is the same as Tamiya but without the sticker for a fraction of the price.

 

i am actually on my second, bench tested it at 7.2v On a nimh as I wanted to run 2s. Don’t do this!!!!! You get an impressive 5 second burst before it explodes!!!
 

I will do a video when I am done, still waiting for parts. Was all cheap enough other than the axle which effectively cost £13, but at least my mate salvaged the remainder of the car/electronics for a stand-alone 1/10 2ch body for his lights and stuff.

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@Beastbike cool, looking forward to seeing it.

I kept breaking uprights and had a tyre blowout last run.

Sqp4Jcj.jpgActually saw it explode and it flipped the car over. Lol

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Managed to fit a lunchbox upright in there.

It's longer so I can put spacers in to push the wheels out a bit and hopefully add more stability.

oYgdbeT.jpg

Bit more width at front.

TW4KoEu.jpg

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Progress has been slow my end, flat out in work, and to be honest any free time I have had been playing with crawlers, bought another crawler ready for a crawling day in September, and waiting on parts for the jr. could really use another lockdown to get it all done!!!

 

so what is your new target speed wolfdog?

also, I don’t know how much RC you own, but me personally, I have 8 models now so invested in an Absima cr4t, I half assume you have a decent TX. Anyway, just updated the firmware in mine and “SVC” became an option, or smart vehicle control. Basically gyro. I don’t have a gyro rx yet, but have been impressed by videos I have seen. At first I was like “that’s rubbish for people who can’t drive” however I have changed my mind for speed runs. I reckon it will transform my 3s brushless 1/10 thunder dragon off road. Could give you the edge???

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My secret weapon is my 8 year old boy, faster reactions, better eyesight. And then I can film.

Rain has stopped play every time recently..

The sun is out, I drive to the test ground (5minutes away) by the time I get there, it's chucking it down. Lol

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Gave this a quick strip down today and took a few pictures of the steering assembly in case I missed it earlier.

Servo from the bottom.

fsALtzE.jpg

Servo from the top

YmQpgHr.jpg

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Standard 1/10 servo fits nicely.

KRlPpw4.jpg

You could just stop there,, fit a receiver and a brushed ESC and keep the original motor???

Just run it on 4s. Lol

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Standard motor in the middle..

2030 can size EZRUN 7800kv on left

And a Goolrc 2440 size can which both will fit if you want to change the motor.

 

MGmbNEI.jpg

The pinion is pressed onto the original motor, you just have to pull it off and fit it into your choice of motor.

I usually use the claw end of a claw hammer just wedged under the pinion and it usually pops off.

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Decided to change the servo while I was messing around. As the old one was acting funny last night.

Totally overkill for this model but it's all I had.S9FROCP.jpg

Tamiya high torque servo saver. 

5mm Adjuster (50596)

5mm Ball Connector (50592)

M3 threaded rod

 

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This servo is slightly larger than the previous one so I trimmed a bit more plastic away from the moving end so I could retain the original location of the original servo.

kk1MEez.jpg

Drop it into place,, if you're lucky and the servo is the correct size, and the wires exit without fouling??, It could just be clipped in.. 

In my case, I trimmed some plastic, drilled a hole in the chassis either side of the servo, and secured it with a blob of hot glue and a cable tie.

yoDZeJT.jpg

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I'm going to try a few runs with the original bald tyres on the front and new m chassis rally blocks on the rear. 

The fronts were too grippy for speed runs, even with EPA turned down, so I'll try this.

R3UUznT.jpg

It might look like a tight fit, but there's loads of room in there, most of the space/mess is the silicone jacket for the lipo.

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Hi Wolfdogstinkus,

Thanks for the photos and the tip on gluing the servo down. My steering has been dodgy for a while and been meaning to take a look at it. 
The servo saver slips and means the wheels easily get knocked out of alignment, annoying. Everything else is great, especially the crazy speed just with running a 2s lipo.

Where can I get a better steering saver kit from, mine doesn’t work so well?

Looking forward to get the thunder dragon back out for some crazy runs. 

Cheers 

Jimbo
 

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Big lipo for little car.

fhM0tLi.jpg

Excuse me Mr!!!!!, How fast does it go?

i0ROwjx.jpg

Tests are ongoing,....

jIUW64u.jpg

It's a bit battle worn, lol. Only ever broke 2? Uprights I think,... And one chassis but that was because I removed so much of it, it wasn't really a chassis anymore..

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Hi,

i used this servo saver see photo below, but maybe a few hi speed crashes have stripped the plastic teeth and now the servo doesn’t engage with the servo saver. 
Is this a common issue with RC cars?

Should I buy this servo saver again or are there better ones out there you could recommend?

cheers 

0094F16F-084E-465F-9128-D4B800BA0C61.jpeg

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Hi, glad that I found this topic. I'm trying to understand what do I need to get my Thunder Dragon 1/14 to run bit faster? Everything that I have is original. Car works fine except servo is doing weird things on its own. That is why I'm planning to build it again and at the same time update it to year 2021. :)

I do not want to ruin my thunder dragon. My purpose is just to get more speed and it would be fun if I could race with my kid (with his Traxxas Slash).

So I think I need:

- new engine

- new servo

- new battery

What else do I need? I'm complete newbie with this RC thing and I'm sure that I do not understand most of the things explained here. I would appreciate if new build could be made easily for example without cutting any plastic pieces from there and there.. 

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I have been following this thread , love it....

I have come across a QD , in running original condition,still boxed. It’s a little rough but not too bad,

what do you guys put on these value wise ? I don’t want to pay too much but I am still keen lol

 

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Hi,

 

I think most of those looking to modernise the QD’s just do it because they either bought them cheaply or like me have owned it since I was little. I saw Wolfdogs YouTube video and was inspired to sort mine out. I followed his photos, I think there are two QD thunder dragon and monster beetle threads which I used as a guide. 
The is super fast and fun, however for the cost I probably could have bought something else. It was a fun project and it taught me about RC cars. 
enjoy! 
Jimbo 

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I'm still around and will be updated this thread, very soon. Watch this space.. 

 

I'll try and answer any questions when I have some time..

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On 1/11/2021 at 1:01 PM, Kukkuluuruu said:

Hi, glad that I found this topic. I'm trying to understand what do I need to get my Thunder Dragon 1/14 to run bit faster? Everything that I have is original. Car works fine except servo is doing weird things on its own. That is why I'm planning to build it again and at the same time update it to year 2021. :)

I do not want to ruin my thunder dragon. My purpose is just to get more speed and it would be fun if I could race with my kid (with his Traxxas Slash).

So I think I need:

- new engine

- new servo

- new battery

What else do I need? I'm complete newbie with this RC thing and I'm sure that I do not understand most of the things explained here. I would appreciate if new build could be made easily for example without cutting any plastic pieces from there and there.. 

I think I have some clearer pictures, of the servo fitting, I'll have a look and post them on here..

It's best to buy a cheap brushless combo (choose KV rating from mild 4000kv, to wild, 8000kv)

That will come with a matching ESC and possibly a program card.. around £20 for a Goolrc system

You'll need a radio set up, transmitter and receiver, I go with the flysky GT2 range, they are £20

You'll also need the 1/10 servo and a servo saver.. 

You'll need some hardware to make the steering links from servo to wheel..

I use Tamiya 5mm adjusters, 5mm brass balls, M3 threaded rod for the links.. 

I use the Tamiya Hi-Torque servo saver as it includes some of the brass hardware needed to make the links..

 

How fast do you want it to go??

5Reg38G.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have no idea how that happened, it's not a true reading. Lol

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QMVgG7l.jpgThis is where your new servo will fit, I've added the card to break up the blackness and hopefully make the picture clearer..

There are two plastic clips sticking up but I find that one of them usually foul the servo wires so I usually cut them off..

You maybe able to use these clips if you want to keep it original, choose a servo with the wires in a different place..

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