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Crazy L

Just bought a Clodbuster

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Right, so, with a week off work before I start my new career, and a sunny day after all the rain, I finally took the clod out.  A bit of crabbing so, even though I thought I had set my steering rods up bang on, it turns out I have not.  So there was that.  The steering, omg, the steering, hahahahaha.

Took some getting used to.  Took even more getting used to when the centre-ring spring went in my radio, so the steerwheel didn't go to neutral.   That was mental.

Still, got the Clod spattered with clod.

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On 10/27/2021 at 8:09 PM, Crazy L said:

I unboxed the Clod, as you know, looked at it with the video camera.  Had a small paddy in the middle of my midlife crisis, then finished the video.

https://youtu.be/FJ7hlJRgb8w

Now, looking at the figures for this, I don't know if it's cos the video is toss in general (I liked the unboxing, the light effect, and the full metal jacket references) or if it's that I was brutally honest about my feelings at the end and because no one likes talking about that stuff, people (men with RC cars) have kind of shied away and given no words of encouragement.  Or even the balls they think they have, to acknowledge that sometimes, even RC isn't enough to keep the demons away.  

It's not really about the viewing figures, it's more about a deeper problem, etc.......

Basically, mental health.  It's a crap subject, and we all think we can go through life not talking about it, or we're all double hard and it doesn't affect us.  Truth is, it does, and in my case, it's a sudden thing I've never had trouble with before, and it's hard to deal with.  So the things I do to try and alleviate how I feel, go un noticed, or people couldn't care less.

Sorry to rant, it's a bit off topic I know, but had to get it off my chest.

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Now, I  have an idea regarding the steering.  Watch this space.

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7 hours ago, Crazy L said:

Now, looking at the figures for this, I don't know if it's cos the video is toss in general (I liked the unboxing, the light effect, and the full metal jacket references) or if it's that I was brutally honest about my feelings at the end and because no one likes talking about that stuff, people (men with RC cars) have kind of shied away and given no words of encouragement.  Or even the balls they think they have, to acknowledge that sometimes, even RC isn't enough to keep the demons away.  

It's not really about the viewing figures, it's more about a deeper problem, etc.......

Basically, mental health.  It's a crap subject, and we all think we can go through life not talking about it, or we're all double hard and it doesn't affect us.  Truth is, it does, and in my case, it's a sudden thing I've never had trouble with before, and it's hard to deal with.  So the things I do to try and alleviate how I feel, go un noticed, or people couldn't care less.

Sorry to rant, it's a bit off topic I know, but had to get it off my chest.

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Now, I  have an idea regarding the steering.  Watch this space.

Sorry to hear about your struggles dude. My wife struggles from bad depression and last year tried to commit suicide. she ended up in hospital for a few days luckily she pulled through. Now getting great help and in a far better place, she has the odd lapse but nothing as serious as before. But it was a shock to me to say the least. I know it's maybe said to death but if in doubt talk, heck I am on here most days so only a PM away 👍. Some people just don't understand, and say stupid things like 'man up' or just 'chill out'  or 'dont let it bother you'. 🙄🤦‍♂️, Not knowing what it truly means to the person they are talking to.

James.

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16 hours ago, InsaneJim69 said:

Sorry to hear about your struggles dude. My wife struggles from bad depression and last year tried to commit suicide. she ended up in hospital for a few days luckily she pulled through. Now getting great help and in a far better place, she has the odd lapse but nothing as serious as before. But it was a shock to me to say the least. I know it's maybe said to death but if in doubt talk, heck I am on here most days so only a PM away 👍. Some people just don't understand, and say stupid things like 'man up' or just 'chill out'  or 'dont let it bother you'. 🙄🤦‍♂️, Not knowing what it truly means to the person they are talking to.

James.

Right back at you in regards to you and your wifes mega struggle.  None of it is easy, whether you're the main sufferer, or passively suffering.  Take care, the pair of you.

Oh yes, and thanks for the words of understanding :)

 

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I know everyone already knows this in clodbuster land, but I just noticed he other day that the link going from the servo to the front steering bellcrank, rubs on the battery during suspension movement.  Can't really be having that.  So I found another 6mm ball, with a through hole, and a spacer, and located under the arm, as opposed to on the top as per instructions.

I know it's nothing new, and I've seen folks dremel away the underside of the arm so they can simply turn the tamiya brass ball upside down.  I'd like to think my solution is a little more elegant, and only because I was lucky enough to have the parts. As a result, I was able to shave about 3mm off the rubber tubing on the shocks, enabling a little more suspension movement.  this was only on the front though.  Might have a look at the rear another day.

Lexan shell is on it's way too, because I don't want to ruin the ABS one, 

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On 11/6/2021 at 2:37 PM, Crazy L said:

Now, looking at the figures for this, I don't know if it's cos the video is toss in general (I liked the unboxing, the light effect, and the full metal jacket references) or if it's that I was brutally honest about my feelings at the end and because no one likes talking about that stuff, people (men with RC cars) have kind of shied away and given no words of encouragement.  Or even the balls they think they have, to acknowledge that sometimes, even RC isn't enough to keep the demons away.  

It's not really about the viewing figures, it's more about a deeper problem, etc.......

Basically, mental health.  It's a crap subject, and we all think we can go through life not talking about it, or we're all double hard and it doesn't affect us.  Truth is, it does, and in my case, it's a sudden thing I've never had trouble with before, and it's hard to deal with.  So the things I do to try and alleviate how I feel, go un noticed, or people couldn't care less.

Sorry to rant, it's a bit off topic I know, but had to get it off my chest.

 

On 11/6/2021 at 10:42 PM, InsaneJim69 said:

Sorry to hear about your struggles dude. My wife struggles from bad depression and last year tried to commit suicide. she ended up in hospital for a few days luckily she pulled through. Now getting great help and in a far better place, she has the odd lapse but nothing as serious as before. But it was a shock to me to say the least. I know it's maybe said to death but if in doubt talk, heck I am on here most days so only a PM away 👍. Some people just don't understand, and say stupid things like 'man up' or just 'chill out'  or 'dont let it bother you'. 🙄🤦‍♂️, Not knowing what it truly means to the person they are talking to.

James.

you both have my sincerest admiration and support guys - as you quite rightly say @Crazy L a lot of blokes find it really hard to talk about mental health problems and that can make it hard to stick your head up and say "hey - I need help!" And @InsaneJim69 - wow, you must have gone through an incredibly hard time lately. I'm so glad to hear your wife is in a better place now and getting the help she needs, but you also need to make sure you get support and help too. I've been on both sides of that situation and neither is something you can deal with on your own.

I think one good thing to have come from the Covid pandemic is that more people are realising that mental health problems can affect anybody, and it's something that needs better support. If nothing else, to be rid of the stupid comments like Jim quoted "don't let it bother you," or "man up" would be amazing. I've had that said to me so many times and it makes me so mad. It's not something you have control over, it's not something you do to yourself or choose to do or feel. It's a chemical reaction or imbalance. You wouldn't tell a diabetic to eat a Snickers and "don't let it bother you" - so don't say it to someone with depression. Yes, you can learn tools to help you cope with it and avoid triggers, but it's not something you can "just get over" in the same way you can't just get over cancer, which isn't an overstatement, because they can both kill you.

One tool I've used is rc - I find restoring old cars very therapeutic as it allows me to just switch off from the world for a bit, and another brilliant aspect of it is the very friendly community and friends I've made here. I might not always tell people when I'm having a bad day, but just knowing there are people here I can chat to about something completely unrelated can really help get you through those scary moments. I've not thanked people on here enough for that - Thank you!

I'm always happy to listen to a rant or offer a bit of help if I can, so feel free to PM me.

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When we were teenagers and getting into Tamiya in the late 80s I remember when the Clodbuster came out and seeing the undercarriage how cheap I thought it looked, my buddy Ryan used to always call it a POS.  I've never owned one but it just seemed like the plastic shocks and a lot of the parts seemed to be of the Lunchbox type quality and engineering.

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Good for you to talk honestly and openly. Mental health is as very much real as other health.

 

 

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Thanks so much guys for your responses, it means a lot, and good luck to you others out there with similar issues.  I've not had a lot of time lately to post up as I started a new job/career only 6 weeks ago, and tbh, I'm 'kin knackered.  Been in engineering since I left school, a time served precision engineer.  Now, In my mid 40s, I jack it in to try something new, with an ill wife and a mortgage, commitments much like almost everyone else on the hamster wheel of everyday life.  Tough times right now.  

However, following on from my last video, I found a few hours to make the next episode, and learn a new toy on the way too.  Check it out.

 

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Another Mod I've just done.  

I've just soldered on some decent wires to the motors, and opted for corally style connectors for the motor connectors too, should be a bit less resistance than those standard Tamiya rubber shrouded things.  However, upon soldering it all up, it looked a bit of a mess.  So, fired up the cad, and the 3d printer, and came up with this cable tidy.

I'm quite pleased with it.

 

20220103_141404.jpg

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@Crazy L Nice! This kind of thing is exactly why I would love to get in to 3D printing. Maybe this year…

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