bavee's project thread

[bavee 1032]

To (give you all the possibility to) keep track of my RC adventures I decided to start my own project thread. I'm not a native English speaker so please forgive me my mistakes. Although I am an 80's kid I'm new to the hobby. Searching the Internet for all things Tamiya I found this forum. It's great to see so much knowledge, enthousiasm and activity on a forum!

Started out on this forum with a question about the front suspension of my Tamiya The Grasshopper build:

 
But The Grasshopper wasn't the car that started my RC adventures. For his 4th birthday my oldest son received a gift he wanted for a long time. A genuine Nikko Pro Truck. The box stated that the car is splash proof but the electronics couldn't handle the puddles at our local park. I couldn't fix the car so a week after his birthday we unfortunately had to buy him another one... And tell him to stay out of the mud from now on.



Searching on the Internet for a waterproof car for my son I stumbled upon re release Tamiya kits. A RC car that can be fixed when it is broken. I like that! After some consideration I bought a Tamiya The Grasshopper. Not for my son but for myself... Yesterday I finished the build and today I drove it for the first time. This one is totally stock and conform box art because I wanted my first build exactly to be as mister Tamiya wanted this car to be:



My son was really interested in building the car with me. Real nice father - son moments. In fact I enjoyed building the car that much that I was already looking for a new kit before I even finished The Grasshopper. Browsing on this forum I found out that a Tamiya Mad Bull would probably be a good starter car for my son. So bought one. Build one. And he also drove it (and bumped over my RC car) today.



This one is also box art. But I put in a steel pinion and proper ball bearings as advised on this forum. I also ordered a CVA damper set for the car but haven't installed them yet. My son is using a Carson Reflex Wheel Start with EPA settings that make for a real slow Mad Bull so the stock dampers are fine at the moment. And although the Carson transmitter is a budget one it is far better than the Nikko one and that enables him to better control the car.

Hope you guys like my RC adventures and don't think of me as being selfish for starting my own thread as an RC noob!

[Aerobert 2138]

It's not selfish. So far I like your RC adventure. Keep it up!

[bavee 1032]

Thank you @Aerobert!

Because I want to learn more about Tamiya's RC buggy history I ordered the Buggy Champ. Delivered today:



Bit disappointed that they removed the "bonus parts included" sticker form the box. Not for the bonus parts but for damaging the box. Thats that for my plan to frame some of the boxes.

Also ordered the ball diff. Not sure if I'm going to use it at first. Even not sure if I'm going to run the Buggy Champ because I don't have a correct battery pack at this moment. But I just wanted this kit to become familiar with the SRB chassis. Next one on the list is The Frog for its ORV chassis. Not sure about the Holiday Buggy because of the DT-02 chassis of the re re. Also not sure about the Fighting Buggy because that chassis is pretty similar to the Buggy Champ chassis?

But first things first. I hope to start building the Buggy Champ this week.

[Busdriver 6209]

On 2/27/2021 at 3:37 PM, bavee said:

This one is also box art. But I put in a steel pinion and proper ball bearings as advised on this forum. I also ordered a CVA damper set for the car but haven't installed them yet. My son is using a Carson Reflex Wheel Start with EPA settings that make for a real slow Mad Bull so the stock dampers are fine at the moment. And although the Carson transmitter is a budget one it is far better than the Nikko one and that enables him to better control the car.

Great choice the Madbull. It’s as tough as old boots and with a few simple mods is a lot of fun. Look on this site for steering mods they make quite a difference. Have fun with the Buggy Champ it’s iconic Tamiya

[Exit13 673]

Everyone I know loves the grasshopper. Me and my whole crew say “grasshopper 1 for life!!” I’m also a big fan buggy champ. I’ve never had one but I really like it. I’m subscribed for the build. 

[bavee 1032]

11 hours ago, Busdriver said:

Great choice the Madbull. It’s as tough as old boots and with a few simple mods is a lot of fun. Look on this site for steering mods they make quite a difference. Have fun with the Buggy Champ it’s iconic Tamiya

Thanks, indeed looks like a great car for my 4yo. The Mad Bull can go places that are out of reach for The Grasshopper. Only problem I have now is that my son really likes the acceleration of The Grasshopper, read: the spinning wheels. And his Mad Bull doesn't do that because of the EPA settings. So now I'm looking for a 45T or 55T motor to give him lower topspeed but better acceleration.

Definitely going to do some steering mod when my sons masters steering a touch better. For now it feels like the sloppy steering is just fine.

11 hours ago, Exit13 said:

Everyone I know loves the grasshopper. Me and my whole crew say “grasshopper 1 for life!!” I’m also a big fan buggy champ. I’ve never had one but I really like it. I’m subscribed for the build. 

For me The Grasshopper feels like an iconic Tamiya car. As the Rough Rider/Buggy Champ. Will definitely post some photos of the build. Thanks for following!

[TurnipJF 9192]

40 minutes ago, bavee said:

Thanks, indeed looks like a great car for my 4yo. The Mad Bull can go places that are out of reach for The Grasshopper. Only problem I have now is that my son really likes the acceleration of The Grasshopper, read: the spinning wheels. And his Mad Bull doesn't do that because of the EPA settings. So now I'm looking for a 45T or 55T motor to give him lower topspeed but better acceleration.

Another approach to improved acceleration without adding more speed is to switch out the oversize wheels and tyres for standard buggy size ones. This reduces the rollout and doesn't sacrifice a great deal of offroad ability if you go for nice spiky ones.

[bavee 1032]

Thanks for the advice. But.... You know "Blaze and the Monster Machines"? My son loves it. So the oversized wheels need to stay ;-).

[Problemchild 2149]

Great thread

 

JJ

[bavee 1032]

Thank you JJ!

Last night when I was cleaning the Mad Bull I remembered that this Tamiya RC thing started for me while looking for a waterproof RC for my 4yo. I the realised that at this moment his Mad Bull is anything but waterproof... This is going to get me in trouble sooner or later so I need to act.

Have to stick with he Carson transmitter and receiver because of the size and EPA and I think I can make the receiver kinda waterproof placing it in a balloon. For ESC and servo I am thinking:
- Hobbywing Quicrun 1060
- Savox SW-0230MG or SW-0231MG

Please let me know when I am totally wrong about any of the above.

[Dakratfink 967]

3 hours ago, bavee said:

Thank you JJ!

Last night when I was cleaning the Mad Bull I remembered that this Tamiya RC thing started for me while looking for a waterproof RC for my 4yo. I the realised that at this moment his Mad Bull is anything but waterproof... This is going to get me in trouble sooner or later so I need to act.

Have to stick with he Carson transmitter and receiver because of the size and EPA and I think I can make the receiver kinda waterproof placing it in a balloon. For ESC and servo I am thinking:
- Hobbywing Quicrun 1060
- Savox SW-0230MG or SW-0231MG

Please let me know when I am totally wrong about any of the above.

Hobbywing 1060 esc is an excellent choice for waterproof ESC. And a great overall brushed ESC in general.

The balloon technique you mention is a popular choice to waterproof a RX. If you want something that looks a little better you can always install your receiver inside a waterproof receiver box  like this ones many RTRs come with ( search Traxxas receiver box where ever you buy your hobby gear ) .

Regaryiur servo choices their are lots of choices as well.

I am really enjoying your thread.

I also got into the hobby in the 80s with a Nikko car and my dad soon wanted to upgrade to an RC car that can fixed.

Good luck with everything. I look forward to reading more of your adventures.

[bavee 1032]

Thank you for your advice! I think I will go for the  Hobbywing Quicrun 1060 and the Savox SW-0230MG or SW-0231MG.

Yesterday I received the 55T motor for the Mad Bull. Tought I could swap it with the standard motor quickly. Then I heard some "crunchy" sounds coming form the gearbox:

I guess the sand form the playground managed to infiltrate the gearbox. So. Got my work cut out for tonight. Will give it a good clean and a little bit of new grease. Hope the gears aren't damaged too much.

Than I read this on the forum:

On 2/12/2014 at 10:30 PM, XV Pilot said:

The DT01 gearbox pod used by the Mad Bull has a small gap between the gearbox halves, near the motor, that can let dirt in. The instructions don't mention it, however the Rising Fighter (which uses the same 'box) comes with a small supplementary instruction sheet telling you to grease-seal the gearbox halves in this area.

I would suggest doing this next time you clean and rebuild your 'box. I grease-sealed mine when I built it, and it is still running good as new over a year later.

Anyone in the possession of this supplementary instruction sheet?

[Marcus2116 74]

6 hours ago, bavee said:

Thank you for your advice! I think I will go for the  Hobbywing Quicrun 1060 and the Savox SW-0230MG or SW-0231MG.

Yesterday I received the 55T motor for the Mad Bull. Tought I could swap it with the standard motor quickly. Then I heard some "crunchy" sounds coming form the gearbox:

I guess the sand form the playground managed to infiltrate the gearbox. So. Got my work cut out for tonight. Will give it a good clean and a little bit of new grease. Hope the gears aren't damaged too much.

Than I read this on the forum:

Anyone in the possession of this supplementary instruction sheet?

Hope this helps!

[bavee 1032]

Great! Thank you @Marcus2116!

[bavee 1032]

Cleaned the gearbox last night and assembled it with a bit of new grease inside. Grease-sealed the gearbox and put the 55T motor in. Hope I can give it a testrun this evening.

[bavee 1032]

My son performed the testrun. Speed with the 55T motor is just about right!

Gearbox still running smooth. Thanks again @Marcus2116.

[Marcus2116 74]

10 hours ago, bavee said:

My son performed the testrun. Speed with the 55T motor is just about right!

 

Gearbox still running smooth. Thanks again @Marcus2116.

Awesome!  Perfect speed for learning!!

[Busdriver 6209]

On 3/8/2021 at 4:03 PM, bavee said:

My son performed the testrun. Speed with the 55T motor is just about right!

 

Gearbox still running smooth. Thanks again @Marcus2116.

 

On 3/8/2021 at 4:03 PM, bavee said:

My son performed the testrun. Speed with the 55T motor is just about right!

 

Gearbox still running smooth. Thanks again @Marcus2116.

That looks a perfect speed. A little bit of tail slide and wheel spin to whet his appetite for more power!!!

[bavee 1032]

Thanks. Speed is good. Gearbox is fine. Time for the next project. Finally made some progress on the Buggy Champ!

Unboxing - Pleasantly surprised with the blister packaging. And quite a lot of metal parts. Got me a bit intimidated.

[bavee 1032]

Step 1 - Gear case

Step 2 - Attaching rear arms

Step 3 - Attaching motor

Step 4 - Attaching spur gear - I choose the low ratio setting

[bavee 1032]

I really have to do a better job on the images next time. Get me some better lighting. And image hosting, because it seems I have reached max total size.

 

 

 

[bavee 1032]

Skip 1.5 months of sick kids and all kind of covid related troubles and we are back on track. And healthy!

The last addition to the fleet has been a Tamiya Fighter Buggy RX Memorial to keep the Mad Bull company. The Mad Bull was meant for my 4yo and The Grasshopper for me, but everytime my 4yo saw me driving The Grasshopper he also wanted to drive it. So now we take the Mad Bull and the Fighter Buggy RX out to play and he can switch cars as he wants to.

Both the Mad Bull and the Fighter Buggy RX are (in our eyes at least) obviously better runners than the Grasshopper so I think the Grasshopper is nearing its retirement to the shelf...

Both DT-01's are powered by RC4WD 55T motors, NIMH's, Quicrun 1060 ESC's and Savox SW-0231MG servo's so they are sort of waterproof and more or less identical under the bonnet. Both cars have been well used but the only problems we encountered so far are loose wires on the motors and sand in the gearboxes. So far so good.

Next job will be painting and decalling the Fighter Buggy RX but we need better weather before we can do that. Ah, and the driver figure needs some work I just realized.

And when we have finished the Fighter Buggy RX I can continue working on the Buggy Champ and there is a NIB The Frog waiting for some attention... Is it normal to proceed from no Tamiya's to five Tamiya's in three months time?

[bavee 1032]

The weather was appalling in april and may so painting the body was a no go. But this week the weather is really nice and on monday evening I had a go at painting the body. Worked out great and I was abe to finish the decals yesterday evening. Our 4yo was delighted when he saw his buggy this morning!

 

No comments on the dirty wheels and bumper please . The car has seen al lot of puddles but is holding out nicely!

[bavee 1032]

And after a few packs... We suffered our first real failure.



I was prepared for this and had spares in stock.



And now we finally have a driver. That should prevent further accidents.



This one is finished for now. Not counting regular maintenance. So we can finally continue with the Buggy Champ!

[Unknown Driver 262]

Awesome story Bavee - and there's nothing wrong with posting to share your adventures. It's great seeing someone enjoy the hobby the way it was 30 years ago with their son! I see too many parents stop being involved after they buy their kid a ready-to-run car. When you drive and repair the cars with your kids, they learn much more.