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silvertriple

Marui Hunter(s) and a Galaxy RS too

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1 minute ago, KEV THE REV said:

Great score 

Thanks,

And all of this, just because one who is posting here and also on another forum told me on the other forum I can't remove the search until I get a red one :-D

Thanks @yogi-bear :-D

missing wings and body, and need to find out for the decals : apparently the decals from the Galaxy and the Galaxy RS were not exactly the same : the Galaxy was having a blue "Galaxy" on the wing on the box, while it was a red "Galaxy" on the wing of the Galaxy RS. Not sure it is the only difference...

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After the dinner, I spent some time to analyse the new comer.

After having opened the superstructure, there is old AM 35MHz receiver Robbe Kompact, very old and big servos (the kind of those you would find in the late seventies very early eighties), some regulation circuitry to remove the need for receiver batteries, and a lot of wires soldered in very bad way, and protected by some adhesive bands...

Then, for everything else, I don't think this car has been used often : the transmission seems new, and universal joints have no play, and shafts does present very light wear traces...

There is some weird things, however :
- Rear suspesnion arms are mounted upside down, limiting up movement while down movement is not really limited. I believe this may have contributed to the broken shock tower
- All screw are for a flat screwdriver, but in metric, for those I unmounted...  I initially thought it was because the owner rebuilt the car at some point while having lost all the screws... But if  you do a restoration of a Galaxy, why would you put those screws? And why would you do a restoration with a radio too old for the car? The layer of dirt seems to indicate the car was not used for at least 20 if not 30 years... Ultimately, it seems the owner did not had a Philips or JIS screwdriver...

In short, it looks quite promising still, as after parts cleanup, and chassis swap, this will be a nice car...

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There is something weird on this car. I thought about those screws for quite a while yesterday evening.

They are doing the job, as good as the Marui tapping screws counterparts... But why would you actually replace the screws by something else, while all the rest seems to be of light use...

I remember having read an article in the eighties about the Hunter preparation, and I found it on rc-paper website few months ago while accumulating some data about Marui Hunter (especially when looking at the V1 vs V2 chassis, while looking for proof there was 2 different iterations of the chassis), but at that time I did not paid attention. I search it again yesterday. And found it:

RC Paper - Page 40 (rc-paper.com) (it's in french, but there is some interesting pics)

Part of the article is about making the Hunter lighter than it is out of the box.

Looking at the screws, they are actually lighter than Marui 4x12 screws. It may be the sole possible explanation for this. The removal of the battery using a small circuitry looks as well like going it the same direction to make the car lighter. Some screws were removed from the rims as well probably to add to the lightweight concept (that is the only explanation I can imagine for those).

And the shocks works very smooth. Looks like this car was prepared for a purpose.

If it is the case, then in conjunction with the tires, the rear arms suspension arms mounted upside down may be very well set for a specific purpose. It may have participated to break the right side shock tower...

But on the other side, when looking at the gearbox, the oilless bearings have not been replaced by ball bearings. Why would you do all this if you don't put ball bearings in the car????

In short if someone has an explanation, I'm interested...

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Finished the unbuilt of the Galaxy.

  • Transmission is like new, Shafts shows very light use : the car was probably broken quite soon in its life. I'll replace oiless bearings by ball bearings, and will use a printed idle gear with ball bearings (or maybe I should use one and compare the span life of the standard versus a printed one)
  • MSC tracks are in very good shape. Will go for an ESC in any case, as Marui MSC tracks were not having a long life, and the fact they were not really progressive (3 steps + rear, like the Tamiya). I remember having hard time with my original Hunter, to the point I was rebuilding the tracks with my soldering iron after each run at some point...
  • At the exception of the chassis, all the parts just require a bit of TLC. After a good cleaning, it will be good to go on another chassis.
  • For the chassis, at the exception of the shock towers (both broken - fixation of the shock tower extension was probably too tight), it is good to go. I will use some glue to get it back to state, and add gear cover from The Optima House which will be the real shock support for the Hunter that goes on it

On the Hunters side, TBG mould doesn't seem to be repaired yet. I'm thinking to some new ideas. Apparently a Turbo Optima body could mount on it. I suppose many body could mount on this chassis, as long as the body is large enough on the roll bar area, taking into account a cut of the body will be required for the motor area... I believe a Shogun body could be perfect for this.

I also have thought about the weak points of the chassis. They don't seem to be the same whether it a Galaxy or a Hunter. On a Hunter, they tend to break on the front area, and it seems that doesn't happen on a Galaxy. I believe the top structure on the Galaxy is participating to this. And my son start to bug me about a Galaxy rather than a Hunter... Another idea came in my mind due to those points: i'm starting to think about a printed roll cage, in a Samurai or Javelin spirit to go on the Hunter chassis. The fact modern radios are allowing to remove the radio lid would help to have something quite streamlined, and with an interesting design :-D

I didn't start the cleaning work or the rebuild activity today, as the plan is to go fro a run with my son in the afternoon. I may do some building or cleaning activities tonight, however....

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Did some cleaning of parts in the afternoon, after a run on track with my son and friends earlier.

The M4 metric machine thread screws got me thinking tonight. Since I have 2 broken chassis not usable as too much broken to be usable, I decided to do some test with some M4 screws. 

I used a M4x10 machine thread screw instead of the 4x12 auto tapping screw:

  • screwed right in the hole in tubes, it breaks the tube. Made 2 like this. Two broken tubes.
  • add lubrification in the hole (ptfe or grease) before screwing the screw in, and it seats perfectly without any breakage. I confirmed this in multiple holes (5 of them).

In short, I have a replacement for the 4x12 screws missing in the kit. It's even better than this, as it also work in the damaged thread as the root of the screw is larger than the root of a tapping screw: It's the perfect solution for those holes where the tapping screw was turning free...

Now I only need to find about 40 M4x10 machine screws and a another complete set of M3x10 screws, as there will be 5 Marui cars from this project:

  • the Hunter already built
  • the Galaxy RS already started
  • the Galaxy with the good proper chassis
  • the Hunter (runner), with the black broken/repaired chassis from the Galaxy, with the gear cover from The Optima House to do the proper work for the shock tower - It still need a body shell.
  • my son's Hunter (runner), with the black chassis with holes in the gearbox (I need to find a way to close this), and again a gear cover from The Optima House - It still need a body shell.

And after all of this, I will still have a complete set of parts + other parts. I will figure out what to do later with those...

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After the cleaning, I decided to start the red galaxy. I need some room, so the best way is to get the parts that are not in a box waiting for other parts to join a châssis and become a car...

As planed when I set my bid on the red Galaxy, I swapped the chassis. As all the parts beside the chassis were in perfect state, that will be easy...

I will just put the pics with not much precision, as it is essentially the same as the Galaxy RS except I paid attention to the operation sequence, and the blue part are actually red in this one, with a nice 550 size Marui 360RS motor...

1Q51xJd.jpg
vMybtiv.jpg
ll4nfqD.jpg
8GsFuie.jpg
gyF9dJW.jpg
r9UdpqV.jpg

I  actually built it to the same point as the Galaxy RS and remaining steps will be parallel builds...

State as of now
ATxN7TH.jpg
IRpQyrL.jpg
k52uxvn.jpg
WUg308r.jpg

Both cars will use a modern ESC and a FS-A3 RX. They both have been built with a reinforcement link between the shock towers, as I intend to run them times to times...

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Yeah, and there will be two more survivors after this...

And what I even like more in this project is that since I started it, I've been in contact with lot of people trying hard to revive those cars on different groups and forums... And there is many contributors to this project at the end, and a lot of ideas shared...

For my last idea, I'm currently trying to form a stl of what the chassis, motor, gear covers represent so I can actually get that as a hole in Tinkercad, so I can make a body shell in the form of roll cage that complement it (within the spirit of a Javelin roll cage). The fact is that with the modern electronics, the battery holder is not required anymore for the RX, and that would save a lot of place, so a new body definitely make sense, with a lower top... Let's see how it works once modeled :-)

 

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Unexpectedly found new wheels for both the Galaxy and Galaxy RS
dcPUdtk.jpg

This will be perfect for the shelve. I'm not sure I will dare to put those wheels in the dirt... But who knows, they were designed for this. The fact is that all the rims I had with the cars have some damages due to the runs, and it is not so nice. My usual way to deal with this is one set for the shelve, and one set for the run: modern tires may be more adapted than good old gums to run, and they will probably resist longer...

In any case, I'm not sure I'll resist longer to finish the Galaxy builds :-)

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Since months ago, when I saw the cluster and did the checks on both the Marui Hunter and Marui Galaxy RS manual, I had evidences there was parts unused on both Galaxy and Hunter cars. I thought a lot about this. My assumption is that there was a plan with a 4 friction shocks buggy with this chassis...

I found out some webpage in wayback machine about the Tokyo Marui cars today. The website is now closed, but it still appears on the archives: The RC cars of Tokyo Marui – Vintage Dirt-Burners (archive.org)

There is on this page what I think is the evidence of the 4 fiction shocks Marui car based on the Hunter/Galaxy chassis.

The Hunter prototype was using a Rough Rider like body. And it did have a air scoop at the rear end and no monoshock. Near the rear tire, you may distinguish a friction shock

kHV0hhO.jpg

So basically, on the Hunter/Galaxy cluster, there is part of what is required to build a Hunter prototype :-D

Edit : Almost, as the n.63 is present on the cluster but the parts not. I believe it was quite similar to the n°43 used for the front friction shocks.

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Don't ask me why, but I woke up way too early this morning for a Sunday... Time to work on the Galaxies :-)

First I put an ESC in the red one. It's fixed with 3M velcro, and there is a velcro band at the same place on the blue. I checked the motor everything is ok on both cars (I do not plan to run both at the same time, I will just have to unplug the ESC and put it in the other car (I have not enough ESC at home to get everything in order, I may put one definitively later on). I then closed the structure.
UGk86lc.jpg

Time to prepare the shocks. The red were working fine, I decided not to strip them, as I did not have enough toric joints. On the blue ones, I change the toric joints, and start to evaluate the amount of oil needed in them for a smooth work: the proper amount seems to be almost none :lol:
ZW7HBmO.jpg

Next was to put the shocks on the cars, first on the red...
1eixZ3N.jpg
aSgUrnr.jpg

Then on the blue...
Ly9Uc1X.jpg
B0cgNm8.jpg

That is where I noticed that the red rear tower extensions were not mounted properly, so I went back on the red rear shocks to mount them properly.
kXlEQ1J.jpg

At that stage, the remaining step were to put the wheels and fix the roll cage, which did not take much time...
x47UuyN.jpg
8PdXKB1.jpg

After that, it remains the driver figure, and the wings. For both, I have a supply issue. For the driver I know now that I can 3D scan one to reproduce it, so it should be fairly simple. I just need some time to get to a place where I can do the 3D scan (I may wait that I have dismantle the Nichimo to do that, as for sure, I'll need to scan some parts). And for the wing, I'll order them on TBG at some point...

I could not resist to make some family pictures at this stage (which will be redone once there is progress on driver figures and wings side.

W82z8gq.jpg
2jNQn7v.jpg
UPt2TGq.jpg
foMkdio.jpg
dbMUIoS.jpg
nQDl7DP.jpg
L23zu4p.jpg
oG3b7SS.jpg

That's all for today :)

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5 minutes ago, KEV THE REV said:

These look great 

Thanks! I will prepare a set of wheels with Scorpion re-release tires to be able to run them outside. I don't want to damage those nice Good Year tires :). I may want to mark them white, by the way :)

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7 hours ago, silvertriple said:

Thanks! I will prepare a set of wheels with Scorpion re-release tires to be able to run them outside. I don't want to damage those nice Good Year tires :). I may want to mark them white, by the way :)

great restore and the white lettering on the tires would make it even better!

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3 minutes ago, yogi-bear said:

great restore and the white lettering on the tires would make it even better!

I need to find the proper pen for this :)

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As said, almost none oil seems to fit the best the Galaxy shocks.
I had a set of additional Galaxy RS rear shocks, so I made a further try: I did add a hole in the piston. It actually doesn't change much to the situation.
The conclusion is quite clear : they don't work properly. Once on the car, they almost work like friction shocks.

Taking into consideration the look, I may have an easy option to replace those in terms of size, and I'm almost sure they would work better (even though their design seems quite comparable) : Kyosho Scorpion 2014 front shocks seems to have the proper length and are close in terms of diameter. I'll keep this in mind to check further once I have a chance to build a Tomahawk, Scorpion or Beetle re-release, as I think it may be a very good fit, which would definitely improve the Galaxys.

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I long searched for data on the Galaxy vs the Galaxy RS. I would like to be able to see the component list in its integrality, and to see if there was other differences than those I identified already:

  • Chrome wheels
  • Red roll cage, shock stays and roll cage stays
  • Marui 360RS motor
  • Number plate to glue on the roll cage (as per my understanding this was only available with the Galaxy)
  • Assumption : there was a diode to remove the radio battery pack

I spend a bit of time reviewing all articles found on rc-paper and retromodelisme to see if there was elements I could find to confirm the last point. I do not have the manual of the Galaxy, and I believe it was different from the RS, as the motor is displayed on the front page on Marui's manual, it had to be different!

Here is the press reviews I found:
- Rétro Modélisme • Galaxy (Essai voiture) Denis Sallé TT 1/10 Thermique Marui (Auto RCM n°52 Jan/1986) https://www.retromodelisme.com/article_page/1498/galaxy-marui.html : bingo it confirms the diode point :)
- Rétro Modélisme • essai Galaxy Marui (Essai voiture) Georges Bohdanowicz TT 1/10 Electrique Marui (Auto 8 n°6 Nov/1985) https://www.retromodelisme.com/article_page/4134/essai-galaxy-marui-marui.html
- RC Paper - Adepte 119 - Octobre 1985 - https://rc-paper.com/details_page.php?id=rev_adepte-0119&pg=47

While at it, and I'm also listing the Hunter reviews
- Rétro Modélisme • Hunter (Essai voiture) Marc Maurus TT 1/10 Electrique Marui (Auto RCM n°40 Jan/1985) https://www.retromodelisme.com/article_page/6716/hunter-marui.html
- Rétro Modélisme • Essai Hunter Marui (Essai voiture) Georges Bohdanowicz TT 1/10 Electrique Marui (Auto 8 n°2 Jun/1985) https://www.retromodelisme.com/article_page/4021/essai-hunter-marui-marui.html
- Rétro Modélisme • Hunter modifs et préparation (Technique) François Moret TT 1/10 Electrique Marui (Auto RCM n°49 Oct/1985) https://www.retromodelisme.com/article_page/6930/hunter-modifs-et-preparation-marui.html
- RC Paper - Addepte 113 - Fevrier 1985 - https://rc-paper.com/details_page.php?id=rev_adepte-0113&pg=24

And some commercials in France for the 3 models
- Rétro Modélisme • Hunter (Pub constructeur) TT 1/10 Electrique Marui (Auto RCM n°40 Jan/1985) https://www.retromodelisme.com/article_page/6745/hunter-marui.html
- Rétro Modélisme • Hunter (Pub constructeur) TT 1/10 Electrique Marui (Auto RCM n°39 Dec/1984) https://www.retromodelisme.com/article_page/6511/hunter-marui.html
- RC Paper  - Adepte 119 - Octobre 1985 - https://rc-paper.com/details_page.php?id=rev_adepte-0119&pg=21
- Rétro Modélisme • Galaxy (Pub constructeur) TT 1/10 Electrique Marui (Auto RCM n°49 Oct/1985) https://www.retromodelisme.com/article_page/6912/galaxy-marui.html
- Rétro Modélisme • Galaxy RS (Pub constructeur) TT 1/10 Electrique Marui (Auto RCM n°76 Jan/1988) https://www.retromodelisme.com/article_page/7339/galaxy-rs-marui.html

There is something notable on the commercial for the Galaxy (red): the drawing is the same as the one on the Marui Galaxy boxart. The silver wheels are not present on the boxart, neither are the indications of the number plates... I believe they make just one drawing of the car with red and blue, and that's 
So if you have a Galaxy (red) at home with silver wheels and would like absolutely to comply with the box art, you should find white wheels and consider sending me you silver wheels  :mrgreen: 

Last element : if you have with you some article from the press of your countries on those models, please do not hesitate to share :)

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Beside the retromodelisme and rc-paper, I found a site with a lot of scan of press articles in english this time (there is lot more than those two ones for the likes from Tamiya, Kyosho and others).
Marui Hunter : http://www.overrc.com/vintage/documentation/archives-de-mike/Marui%20Hunter.pdf (overrc.com)
Marui Galaxy : http://www.overrc.com/vintage/documentation/archives-de-mike/Marui%20Galaxy.pdf (overrc.com)

What I like of those site is that you can really identify things (sometimes hop ups) or explanation for some modifications made on vintage cars back in the time... If I find more press articles, i'll complete with further posts...

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I just found this that may be of interest. It is priori to the Galaxy introduction, but it really gives a view of what was the state of the art ep off road racers in 1985...

smoLmhM.jpg6ASlV2H.jpg
9ZKpIpY.jpgMOv5dfw.jpg
NB : extract of Model Cars Monthly , June 1985
 

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Something arrived today...
bUG2HdR.jpg

And yes, there is a Galaxy manual. Which fully confirms my assumptions on what was included in the Galaxy box...
And within the same mail, I also received a Marui-Amerang flyer dated from December 1985 (Amerang was the  british importer for Marui at that time). Quite interesting, actually, with a funny mistake on the Hunter page, as it is described as a "four wheel drive system"  :lol:

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