Building the VQS

[OldSchoolRC1 1127]

Had to have one... I know it's pricey, but if I was worried about price, I'd for sure be in a different hobby.  

A bit of backstory... I have a thing for the Avante line. I remember staring at them in the catalog and in magazine ads (well thumbed paper catalogs and magazines, no digital back then) and just in awe of the design. There was nothing like it back then, and I'd argue there still isn't. I couldn't afford it - couldn't even afford to think about affording it - but I could look at it and dream... 

When it was re-released in 2011, I had to have one. Ordered and put it on the shelf, saving it for a special day when I could sit down, block out the world, and thoroughly enjoy the build. It's now been years, and I still haven't cracked it open. Not sure why honestly, I've had plenty of opportunities to build it up, but just haven't been able to bring myself to crack it open. Now it's been on the shelf for so long, it's kind of a fixture in the shop....the longer it goes, the more I hesitate the open it.

Enter the Vanquish "VQS"... the Avante's lighter, simpler brother. Same driveline, same basic suspension design, and none of the nostalgic hang-ups preventing me from building it. I have zero qualms about building and tinkering this one.   I had one in the past that I picked up in rough shape. I restored it as best as I could and ended up selling it w/o even running. This one will see some running, though probably very light driveway testing.  

The fraternal twins... 

And Cousin Eddie. I had the Aero Avante too at one point, but never really warmed to it and sold it off - didn't quite fit in the family with the basic chassis. The DF03 Avante is just cool enough to stay and has been a shelf queen since assembly. Eventually I'd like to display all three somewhere.   

Opening the box...no blister packs, but there's always that Tamiya new kit smell. Nothing like it!  

Two box wrenches! Not sure if that's a screw up or intentional, but now I'm up to at least 100 of these things floating around. I've got a box full here somewhere, plus they end up randomly scattered around the house. I find them in the oddest places.  

Digging right into the build. Interesting that the B parts tree has a unique textured finish to it. Very different from the usual ABS gloss of most kits, and the other parts. Hard to capture on camera, but it's noticeably different.  

Possibly the smallest 1/10 gear diff I've ever built. I thought the King Cab ball diff was tiny, I think this is even smaller. For a second, I debated tearing the diff out of the King Cab to compare, but only for a second. I get easily distracted. Slathered inside with Tamiya's AW grease as recommended. 

Tamiya sometimes does odd things. The bearings on the diff outputs are enormous compared to the usual 5x11's, but the counter gear rides on teeny 5x8 bushings... Weird. Granted it's quite an old design. Not interested in bushings, I replaced them with bearings of course. 

On a side note, when I was 15 and building my first kit, I asked Dad if I could use some of his grease I found in the garage. He recommended the Penzoil 705 tub, and I ran with it. I've been using this same tub now for nearly 30 years! I have no clue how old the grease is, but I know dad used it on his '65 Thunderbird so most likely it's older than I am. Works fantastic, my OG TA02T used this grease, and the gears still look great after years and years of running. I'll probably hand this stuff down to my kids. I brush a light coating on the gear surfaces and it runs super smooth. 

And that's as far as I got. Not as far as I would like, but dad bedtime duties called. Next up is the center ball diff... 

Between "home schooling" and the holidays, build time is super limited right now...not to mention I'm building this the old fashioned way - no power drivers, dremels, or anything. Just a set of hand tools, an X-acto and some sandpaper - the way any vintage kit should be built.  

[OldSchoolRC1 1127]

Had some blessed free time this weekend and made a lot of progress on the Vanquish..Sorry, VQS!

The rear gearbox taking shape... The counter gear rides on 3x8 plastic bushings.. For the price of this kit, plastic bushings are an insult. I know it's a common theme with Tamiya kits, but if most of the driveline includes bearings, why skip these two? Ridiculous. I looked in my spares for a pair, and I actually had some though they were flanged. I placed an order for some replacements. I'll install these grudgingly until the replacements arrive.  

Completed rear gearbox. I always test out my drivelines with 3v to break them in a bit and make sure there are no issues before running...this gearbox is quite loud by Tamiya standards. I'm sure it'll settle down after a run or two. Usually ball diffs give me hives....these old eyes, fat fingers and tiny diff balls are not a good combo, but this one went together fairly easily.  

And mounted into the chassis. Starting to take shape! 

Bag B has a nice assortment of tools.. Always comes in handy! 

Huh... molded parts included to help snap the balls into the suspension arms. Very clever! 

And found the reason for the 2 box wrenches, though I only needed one for this step - the locknut gripped onto the aluminum pretty well and cinched right up. But good to know!

Yellow CVA's! I haven't built a new set of these in ages. Still great shocks - easily assembled and decently smooth. These shocks seem to last forever, some of my vintage kits are still running the originals and though the yellow is quite stained after years of grass, mud, and other debris getting tossed onto them, they are still leak free and smooth as the day I built them. 

Suspension arms, bumper and shocks added. The suspension design is just so cool. I compressed the shocks a few times and giggled to myself..... 

[Superluminal 4094]

Did you get a driver figure with arms?

[OldSchoolRC1 1127]

Sadly, no. He is of no threat, he's disarmed. 

[GTodd 1600]

On 12/18/2020 at 7:26 AM, OldSchoolRC1 said:

.....

Possibly the smallest 1/10 gear diff I've ever built. I thought the King Cab ball diff was tiny, I think this is even smaller. For a second, I debated tearing the diff out of the King Cab to compare, but only for a second. I get easily distracted. Slathered inside with Tamiya's AW grease as recommended. 

..

 

 

Quote

 

You have a good eye the Avante differential is nearly the same size. It's one tooth smaller than the Kingcab. 

[OldSchoolRC1 1127]

Moving to the front... the front gearbox has the same odd texture finish that the rear does. Certainly doesn't affect anything, just an oddity for a Tamiya kit. 

Knuckles and CVD's... I'm not into gold at all, but the machining and finish of the parts is absolutely flawless. Typical Tamiya

Front shocks....seem like an odd combo of mini CVA's and the old yellow CVA's. The tapered springs are cool as well, nothing something you see a lot anymore.  

Front gearbox and suspension bolted together and ready to go. Again the counter gear in the front rides on 2 2x6 plastic bushings. Very frustrating! Not even oiilite bushings... GRR! I definitely didn't have any of those laying around, I'll have to order some of those as well. It's almost made up for with the machined uprights and CVD's...Almost. Again, such a cool and unique design. Not a lot of travel, but certainly a lot of character. 

And the front gearbox mounted to the chassis tub. Really starting to look like something here! I thought this would take a lot longer to assemble, but it's going rather quickly. 


 

[OldSchoolRC1 1127]

20 hours ago, GTodd said:

You have a good eye the Avante differential is nearly the same size. It's one tooth smaller than the Kingcab. 

I'd wager the Avante diff is the stronger of the two. I've melted 2 KC ball diffs in the past. I don't forsee any issues with this one -not that it will see a lot of running of course. 

[GTodd 1600]

3 hours ago, OldSchoolRC1 said:

I'd wager the Avante diff is the stronger of the two. I've melted 2 KC ball diffs in the past. I don't forsee any issues with this one -not that it will see a lot of running of course. 

Dude, run it! Yeah the King can diffs are tricky to set up for the truck, work great in the Egress and Astute though. I was able to get a total of 5 shims on each side of mine for my Monster Racer, and my King can now rocks the Rere Super Astute Gearbox.

 

The different looking plastic is due to Tamiya using fibre reinforced plastic. Not sure why they don't use it through out their kits.now.

[ruebiracer 1325]

6 hours ago, OldSchoolRC1 said:

Moving to the front... the front gearbox has the same odd texture finish that the rear does. Certainly doesn't affect anything, just an oddity for a Tamiya kit. 

 

The finish is just like the original, and not odd at all. Avante series already had glass fibre reinforced plastics for the gearboxes, which was quite Hightech in 88 for Rc cars. These are really tough ones, and from drivetrain the Vanquish could take a lot of power for the time, if you kept an eye on the mid differential from time to time... 

[OldSchoolRC1 1127]

Huh... fiber reinforced parts.. interesting. I figured there was a reason. Should handle the stock motor just fine then I reckon! Appreciate the feedback fellas!  

[OldSchoolRC1 1127]

Moving on, I fell behind on the pics and updates over the holidays, but managed to finish up the VQS inbetween baking, wrapping, and all the Xmas madness... 

Got the steering installed, love the carbon plate, though I wish the steering was ballraced. Definitely going to lead to some slop over time.  

I put a beveled edge on the chassis just under the steering bellcrank. The ball stud hangs down just enough that it can snag here... I don't recall it doing so on my previous Vanquish, but why take a chance? A quick trim with the Xacto and it should never be an issue. 

Found an old HPI servo in my stash, it's a bit higher torque then standard so should do the job nicely on a 4WD buggy. Fit perfectly and a 25t spline worked out perfect. 

What's this? Tire foams? In a Tamiya Buggy?  Not sure the tire need it per-se as they are pretty stiff, but I installed them anyway. Interesting that even though the wheels and tires are staggered, the foams are the same size. 

Speaking of, these are still a mother to install. My hands were definitely feeling it when done...they are quite stiff and spiky! Absolutely love the wheel and tire combo, one of my favorite things about the buggy. I looked up a spare set on Ebay and was stunned at the prices. Clearly, I'll be taking care of these - in fact, they'll most likely never see the outdoors.  

Electronics sorted out...stuck with the included ESC and motor - plenty of power for a few easy runs in the driveway which is about all the action this one will see. I tucked in the wiring mostly under the chassis - I do move electronics around from time to time and hate to cut the wires to fit a specific build.  

Body was already painted of course... I'd rather it had been clear as I would have preferred to spray on the stripes, but it is what it is. Went easy on the decals for a cleaner look and held off on installing the driver for now. LOVE how this came out, it's such a cool buggy!!  

I put it on display for now. Once the post office catches up a bit, I'll order another set of wheels for running and take it for a spin.

[rwordenjr 1893]

My VQS came with a correction for the steering set up, I can send you pic if you want. 

[Snappy1 1005]

34 minutes ago, rwordenjr said:

My VQS came with a correction for the steering set up, I can send you pic if you want. 

I thought exactly the same thing, 

 

[rwordenjr 1893]

24 minutes ago, Snappy1 said:

I thought exactly the same thing, 

 

That’s the one!

[OldSchoolRC1 1127]

I have the correction, thank you! It was in my kit. I tweaked the steering a bit to accommodate my radio.  

[GTodd 1600]

Nice work!!! Yes sir if I'm correct Tamiya pioneered tire foams with the Avante. Interesting, my Rere Egress didn't have them.