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Mozzie

DF03 Dark Impact Build

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Hi all

I recently cut my (37 year old) teeth and built a lockdown treat Grasshopper re-release, a Tamiya was the car I never had as a kid! A Nikko sound ripper was as good as I got, although have to say I did love that car!

I got the bug to build something a bit more complex and decided on buying a Dark Impact with various hop ups.  I didn't realise the scarcity of them and also the drive train issues, but I have set off on the course and decided to stick with it. Special thanks to @Juhunio whose project I found whilst researching hop ups, he  has helped me with some sage advice along the way 👍

The slipper clutch is out for delivery today which is the last bit I really need so should be able to get on with it in the next couple of days.  Have a bunch of hop-ups mainly to strengthen rather than bling, as well as a hardened steel pinion to go on the slipper shaft.

In the meantime I thought I'd share where I was up to.

First was to try my hand at soldering the wires to the ESC and motor. I've gone for a modest cheap Turnigy setup initially with a 13.5T brushless.  I might have to rethink the bullet connectors due to limited space, may have to flip them or have to solder the wires directly to the terminals.  Will have to see though.  Have some XT60 plugs to go on as I will be using a 2S Lipo eventually so will put those on next.20200520_143526-COLLAGE.thumb.jpg.a883c31a489b5dcb9d58d643c30a561e.jpg

The only other thing I could feasibly do without the slipper clutch was the shell.  My first go at spray painting and masking and think I was particularly ambitious with three colours on the shell but think it has come out ok.  I went for my favourite livery of the 7up Jordan which were around when I was first getting into F1 as a kid. Have fond memories of them.

I have also ordered some white pin stripes to go between green and blue which is true to the original and should also hide the minor paint bleeds I experienced.

20200520_143433-COLLAGE.thumb.jpg.bbcbdfb5df6e4aadb0e1e5b0ec8debf2.jpg

Anyway, thats where I'm at for now, to I'll post some more in the coming days

Peace out

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Off to a good start, enjoy! I’ll be following with interest 

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Great job on the bodyshell, I wonder if you could fit a driver figure in the cockpit? :huh:

Will you put a yellow pinstripe on the rims too?

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On 5/21/2020 at 3:24 PM, ChrisRx718 said:

Great job on the bodyshell, I wonder if you could fit a driver figure in the cockpit? :huh:

Will you put a yellow pinstripe on the rims too?

Don't think it will be possible, is pretty tight in there! Might have a look at some tyre decals but as this will be used a lot, not sure it's worth it, as they rub off I imagine.

Anyway, I've finished apart from a pair of universal shafts, have them on the rear but waiting for the front ones that haven't turned up yet and also some alloy knuckles.  Then just various bits I'm still on the hunt for.

IMG_20200523_152356.thumb.jpg.59a46d08d8919b3935d24c3246da85b3.jpg

Screenshot_20200523-161225.thumb.jpg.d826749339e9b17650a1096c981bec3c.jpg

I also have a turnbuckle adjuster coming too so I can set up the wheel geometry properly, my fingers were killing doing it with pliers cushioned with tissue and putting the ends on by hand so haven't even attempted to set it up!

Spent most of the afternoon breaking in the diffs and then setting the slipper clutch up.  Took a lot of time and care over this so hopefully will give it some longevity.

I then took it out for a spin, I'm really happy with the feel of it, running a 13.5T brushless and just a NiMh at the moment.  I'm a complete amateur so didn't know what to expect, but it feels like a Rolls Royce compared to my Grasshopper, properly smooth and quick enough for my liking.  When I get a Lipo that fits I think it will be a really nice drive.

I then did this on a kerb, fortunately this is one of the alloy parts that is arriving in the next few days from Hong Kong.  I've also ordered the C parts off eBay coming from the UK as a backup.

IMG_20200523_155143.thumb.jpg.f912eca2df8030d30c25f8200f96cd33.jpg

That got me thinking, this idea of the car is just for messing about with, so breakages are likely to happen. Can anyone share their experiences around common breakages so I can get a few spares in advance?

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Love the livery! Were they all from one sheet, or just an assortment you had?

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1 hour ago, aynar said:

Love the livery! Were they all from one sheet, or just an assortment you had?

It was all from the same sheet from RC decals on eBay. It's a tribute to this 😄

Jordan_191_1991_Formula1_Racer_Michael_Schumacher_Jordan_7UP_Racing_RSideFront_SATM_05June2013_(14598725974).thumb.jpg.21058edba7fa5c9ba99ac427b5132dd1.jpg

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Ah! I looked it up an didn't even realise Ford had an F1 team...

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@Juhunio how did you get on with the slipper in the end? I find I get a lot more power to the front wheels than the back

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30 minutes ago, mman2005 said:

@Juhunio how did you get on with the slipper in the end? I find I get a lot more power to the front wheels than the back

Seems ok...I only ran it properly twice then the ESC packed in last weekend so I'm waiting for it to be replaced :rolleyes:

How are you determining you're getting more power to the front wheels than the back, what's happening?

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That does look nice loving the colours great job 

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1 hour ago, Juhunio said:

Seems ok...I only ran it properly twice then the ESC packed in last weekend so I'm waiting for it to be replaced :rolleyes:

How are you determining you're getting more power to the front wheels than the back, what's happening?

I'm getting wheel spin on the front and not on the back. Gladly balding my front tyres

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2 hours ago, mman2005 said:

I'm getting wheel spin on the front and not on the back. Gladly balding my front tyres

That’s weird. I was getting wheel spin on every corner, which I put down to very loose gravel and the 8.5T motor 😂 Loads of powerslide fun though, and on hard tarmac it went like stink, with no nasty noises from the diff 👍 

Then the ESC fan stopped... 

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On 5/23/2020 at 4:17 PM, Mozzie said:That got me thinking, this idea of the car is just for messing about with, so breakages are likely to happen. Can anyone share their experiences around common breakages so I can get a few spares in advance?

Only build fail on mine so far has been one of the rear upper arms falling out of the carbon suspension tower. Think the screw just unscrewed itself from the ball connector. So, if you’ve replaced any plastic parts with CF or aluminium, with metal screws and bolts, use some threadlock!! 

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Very nice build @Mozzie, I'm looking for inspiration for my Dark Impact shell (while my body hole reamer arrives, since the holes come before the spraying), and your color scheme is quite attractive.

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57 minutes ago, DeadMeat666 said:

Very nice build @Mozzie, I'm looking for inspiration for my Dark Impact shell (while my body hole reamer arrives, since the holes come before the spraying), and your color scheme is quite attractive.

Keep the shell whole, don't bother with posts, get yerself some sticky backed velcro, much cleaner look.

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20 minutes ago, Jontea said:

Keep the shell whole, don't bother with posts, get yerself some sticky backed velcro, much cleaner look.

Thanks for the comments @DeadMeat666, I really disliked the box art, reminds me of a hot wheels car so went for something a bit more classic. 

As @Jontea said I would go velcro, wish I had done that in hindsight.  I ended up doing it as well as useful for keeping dust and grass out too if you're running it 😄

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6 minutes ago, Mozzie said:

@DeadMeat666 i used this, cheap from Amazon but does really well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00178J9E2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ikgaFbGMCE95Q

Thank you @Mozzie I've been looking for a logically-priced place to get velcro from, ordered a meter of the stuff. It will definitely come in handy with my other builds, but I'm not sure I could use it on my dark impact build. There's just not enough surface for the velcro to stick onto from the chassis side.

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1 hour ago, DeadMeat666 said:

Thank you @Mozzie I've been looking for a logically-priced place to get velcro from, ordered a meter of the stuff. It will definitely come in handy with my other builds, but I'm not sure I could use it on my dark impact build. There's just not enough surface for the velcro to stick onto from the chassis side.

There's plenty of room.

 

IMG_20200704_140008.jpg

IMG_20200704_135949.jpg

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2 hours ago, Jontea said:

There's plenty of room.

 

 

 

Yeah... not in my particular case.... :

I've got maybe 2mm at best.

WhatsApp Image 2020-06-05 at 18.57.38.jpeg

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Just now, DeadMeat666 said:

Yeah... not in my particular case.... :

I've got maybe 2mm at best.

WhatsApp Image 2020-06-05 at 18.57.38.jpeg

Ah, maybe not then, I'd wait for a reamer then fit the body with posts and clips. ;)

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