Turbo Optima Frog Funco Buggy project

[Dakratfink 811]

15 minutes ago, markkat said:

Thanks for the suggestion!

MCIracing has scalable helmets, and I was thinking about taking a similar approach.

https://mciracing.ca/collections/introducing-red-wagon-rc-bodies-and-parts/products/helmet-8

 

Another possible advantage of the slightly cartoonish multipurpose driver. ( depending on how you look at it ) 

Sometimes having a less relative cartoonish figure can make the buggy more realistic by avoiding the “ uncanny valley “ creepiness that realistic dummies and mannequins can have 

[markkat 87]

On 3/2/2021 at 3:33 PM, Dakratfink said:

Sometimes having a less relative cartoonish figure can make the buggy more realistic by avoiding the “ uncanny valley “ creepiness that realistic dummies and mannequins can have 

Yes, I hear that. The Frogtima deserves a driver with a bit of attitude too. Purchased and on its way. 🙂

[markkat 87]

On 3/2/2021 at 3:33 PM, Dakratfink said:

Another possible advantage of the slightly cartoonish multipurpose driver. ( depending on how you look at it ) 

Sometimes having a less relative cartoonish figure can make the buggy more realistic by avoiding the “ uncanny valley “ creepiness that realistic dummies and mannequins can have 

I split the difference. The long arms of the multipurpose driver wouldn't fit, so I went with the multipurpose head, and the Tamiya Frog driver body.

He's going to sport the sunglasses once he dries.

 

The Frogtima is a mutt in every way.

[Dakratfink 811]

14 minutes ago, markkat said:

I split the difference. The long arms of the multipurpose driver wouldn't fit, so I went with the multipurpose head, and the Tamiya Frog driver body.

He's going to sport the sunglasses once he dries.

 

The Frogtima is a mutt in every way.

That’s brilliant ! 
Opting for the open face 3/4 helmet fits the vehicle nicely . 
I don’t know what you did ( dry brushing, wash or just good paints ) but the cloth on the racing suit looks great.

I Also opted for the red star decal on the right hand side of my Dual Rider driver’s helmet

[markkat 87]

Thanks!

 

Quote

I don’t know what you did ( dry brushing, wash or just good paints ) but the cloth on the racing suit looks great.

Just good paint. Winsor & Newton oil paint. The undercoat was black, so it produced some nice variation.

[markkat 87]

Driver is done. Thanks for the suggestion, Dakratfink!

Ready to hit the track!

[markkat 87]

5 minutes into the first run at the track.   

oooohhh nooooo

That broke the front C-hub, the rear arm connection, and a rear shock all at once! Also you can see a good amount of paint flake off the wing. I got it driving again in about 15 minutes and took it easy after that. This week I am repairing and hardening the Frogtima.

More to come...

[markkat 87]

It's been a bit.

That crash revealed a few Frogtima weaknesses.

The first that I remedied was the rear arm linkage. Previously I had the stock Optima pins sticking into holes in a rectangular piece of aluminum spanning the back. As in the original, these pins were held in by friction applied by screws coming in from the sides under the motor.

One pin popped out in the crash. To prevent that, I swapped the pins for some long M3 screws, ran them through a plate, and fastened them with nylon insert nuts.

The next order of business was the shocks. As much as I loved the look and dual spring action of my Team Raffee's, they were quite leaky and I broke a rear one.

Despite over 30 years having passed, my original Turbo Optima Kyosho Golds were still full of clean oil!

Replacing the lower front arm coupling was all it took to get them to fit attaching to the arm rather than the c-hub. I like the more vertical look.

Speaking of the c-hub, I replaced the broken Ultima one, and swapped in aluminum knuckles. If the c-hub breaks again, I'll get aluminum ones, if I can find them.

The next update was driven more by style than performance.

I found some 95mm and 90mm crawler tires that have a nice looking tread and wheels.

I also like that they aren't low-profile.

Not racing tires by any means, but the Frogtima wasn't ever to be a competitive buggy.

I'll be off to the track soon to put these updates to the test. Until then, cheers!