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esmuz

Turning a Javelin 4WD into 2WD

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In my desperate search for a Tomahawk or a Beetle 2014, I am starting to consider the Javelin as an option.

It's a great looking car which keeps some retro looking elements and with proven reliability and lots of driving fun.

The problem is that I already had a 4WD car in the past, A Kyosho Shadow 4DW,  and it was heavy, and drained the batteries too quickly, also I've always found 2DW buggies much more appealing than 4DW. 

My question is, how reliable would it be turning sometimes the javelin into a 2DW buggy removing the shafts and chain? 

I've recently done it myself restoring my Shadow

 

IMG_20200712_222256.thumb.jpg.483dd82b258d1179cfef8ff9abf238db.jpg

But it's difficult to say if the conversion is good or bad, because this car steering system, copied from the Tamiya Boomerang ( I think ) really sucks and is very imprecise no matter what you do, also the front transmission adds weight.. The car is fun to drive but it never was great no matter if it was on 4WD or 2WD. 

What do you think? 

Can you turn a Javelin into a 2WD with success or it would be just dumb?

Thanks

PS: Do you guys know if my Shadow might be worth selling or someone would be interested? I keep all the parts. 

 

 

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As you've already discovered, pretty much any 4wd can be made into 2wd, but the question is would you want to?  The end result will always be a compromise, and basically other than the dogbones and chain/belt, you're hauling around 4wd weight for no extra traction/composure.

You don't say where you are?  But if you were in Aus/NZ, there's a guy on the Kyosho FB page selling four ReRe's inc. Tomahawk, Beetle, Turbo Scorpion & Ultima.  Wanted about 400 AUD / £225 for it, unbuilt. Just checked to make sure I had that right and all four are sold... but there's another Tomahawk appeared, built for same money.

What about ReRe Ultima? Plenty of those about.

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Hey, thegorf, thanks for answering, your response is very smart it's nice when people is helpful.

Yeah you are right, it's a bit of a nonsense, yes it can be done and it would probably perform decently too, but still it's a mutilated JAvelin. 

Maybe it's me and my memories form the 90's and nowadays a Javelin with a brushless motor and a lipo is the most pleasing and lasting experience compared with my Shadow and 1800 NiMh's.. but still it's a very outdated system for total traction.. I feel that 2WD buggies from the 80's despite some geometries and solutions are still quite valid, but not complicated belt/chain systems.. Maybe I am totally wrong, I am not an expert. 

The good thing is that I actually really like the car! 

About the Ultima, it seems to be a superior car than Tomahawks and Scorpions in terms of performance, but it looks too modern to me.. in comparison it lacks some retro aesthetic quality that I love, and Javelins, although being more modern and having more plastic parts somehow keeps having .. It's a very subjective reason, I know. 

I am based in Spain, and customs plus covid may make things too complicated buying from AU/NZ I guess.. 

In any case, thanks for the advices!

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No problem! I'm a relatively recent convert to all things Kyosho, well, vintage Kyosho (and ReRe's).  The modern buggies don't do anything for me.  I admired Optima's & Mids in my youth when all I could afford was a Hornet, but when I got back into the hobby just over 10 years ago, I went straight to SCTs/MTs & 1/8 buggies, Hyper 7, X1CR etc, so not modern!  But having bought a ReRe Tomahawk a few months back, I'm now totally addicted to all their 80/90's stuff, and I'm seriously considering a Javelin too.  You say Javelin is more modern, well yes I suppose it is, but we're only talking about 2-3 years I believe (compared to Scorpion chassis), maybe a little out there, but its certainly 80's vintage/retro cool, and by all accounts, it is a very well constructed kit quality wise, goes together really well, and all the slightly weak points of the original seem to have been addressed.  If I were you, in your situation, I'd go Javelin, keep it 4WD, and perhaps mess about with some RIT dye should you want to put a bit more of 'you' into the final look.

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4 hours ago, esmuz said:

About the Ultima, it seems to be a superior car than Tomahawks and Scorpions in terms of performance, but it looks too modern to me.. in comparison it lacks some retro aesthetic quality that I love, and Javelins, although being more modern and having more plastic parts somehow keeps having .. It's a very subjective reason, I know. 

I can understand this. While the Optima/Javelin did have more plastic parts than the Scorpions its not quite as modern as the Ultima. There's a lot of Scorpion "feel" to the build of a Javelin vs the Ultima which seems a step more advanced in design.

 

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