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silvertriple

Kyosho Turbo Optima - Legendary series - 30619

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Finally tested the updated part for the front led with the Turbo Optima sway bar and it works... (It's published it on Thingiverse, in case you search for it: Kyosho Optima Javelin Lights Holder by silvertriple - Thingiverse)

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And while I was ordering my prints for the Marui Hunter, I also included replacement parts for the sway bar attachement (the design was pretty straight forward, it went untested to final print). I tested the parts and they work perfectly (they are on the picture with the other part. I will publish those parts at some point, but I want to complete this with a few other parts. I will also work out a steering link part as I saw some mentioning it breaks sometime. MJF PA12 print should work perfectly for this purpose...

Edit : parts are here Kyosho Optiima parts by silvertriple - Thingiverse

 


 

 

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Finally, the Turbo Optima made its first run today in the garden. I could have done it one the track, but where I was, there was a tremplin in the middle track with no possible shortcut, and I was not ready to get the first run of the Turbo Optima there due to this (I did not really succeed to pass it smoothly with both the Turbo Scorpion and the Javelin, and my friend broke a 1/8 car on it). So it was the garden at the end of the day.

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At the end of the run it was a bit dirty :)

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I did manage to check the temp of the motor in the middle of the run and it was quite cold. I believe that I can add some tooth on the motor pinion (not even one but more than this, and by the way the statement is similar for the Javelin - the recommended gearing for 10.5T or 13.5T motor I found on internet seems to be overly conservative).

Another statement : the sway bars present on the Turbo Optima are making a huge difference on curves on the garden slope. It is definitely easier to handle than the Javelin with no sway bar in those conditions...

 

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I was wondering how the handling compares to that of the turbo scorpion and the Javelin, you answered that already before I could ask :lol: 

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Just now, Tamiyastef said:

I was wondering how the handling compares to that of the turbo scorpion and the Javelin, you answered that already before I could ask :lol: 

The Turbo Scorpion is not in the same court as the Javelin and Turbo Optima, so it is not really comparable. With the Javelin and Turbo Optima, you feel the traction on the front train: that is not present on the Turbo Scorpion, which is normal, as 2WD. That being said, with the Turbo Scorpion you can't pull the trigger fully while in curve (unless there is some help from the Gyro inside the RX :-) ), but it really works well for what it is.

And for the Javelin and the Turbo Optima, the only real difference affecting the car behavior is the sway bars. (Shocks internal are strictly the same (only technical difference for the shocks are the color of the springs, and the way the preload is dealt with (collar, versus filleted collar), and the undertray doesn't impact the car behavior). And while I planed to mount a sway bar on the Javelin, I did not until now, because I wanted to understand what difference it makes... Now I know. The Turbo Optima turns flat and net. In the same conditions, with the Javelin, you have to decelerate before turning and re-accelerate. The Turbo Optima doesn't need as much brakes as the Javelin to do a proper turn. It is really much more efficient on this aspect. And I can tell it doesn't come from the wheels, as the Javelin was not really different with 2.2 inches wheels... Conclusion: the sway bar is making a huge difference, and if you have one thing to improve on the Javelin, it is to add a sway bar...

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I'm currently building a Turbo Optima, and I must say I'm somewhat disappointed.

I'd heard members on this forum and elsewhere singing the praises of Kyosho's high quality kits, and having built a Turbo Scorpion recently, I can relate. 

BUT, the Turbo Optima has so far failed to meet my expectations. List if issues I've had so far (off the top of my head):

- One  of the aluminum steering knuckles was ruined after I apparently tightened the ball-end a little too much. The ball end is no longer holding on to the thread. I've ordered another pair of knuckles.

- As I was installing the front sway-bar links, one of them split clear in half, rendering it useless. I've ordered a complete set of sway-bars for that one tiny black plastic piece.

- All four lower suspension arms are sticking, i.e. they're not free enough to fall under their own weight when installed. The rears are worse than the fronts.

- There is about 1mm of in and out play in all the drive axles when fitted in the outer wheel hubs. That's more than any comparably-priced Tamiya, which is saying something.

- Several of the suspension balls inside the upper turnbuckle suspension rods, as well as those in the steering rods are not very free, with some sticking (not rotating freely) in the rod ends more than others.

All this and I haven't even finished the build!

For context, I've recently built over 20 models from new, with most of them being Tamiyas, and I've hardly had any such problems with them while building. I was tempted to get into the Kyosho Legendary series because I heard that their quality is top notch. Not what I've found sadly, unless I'm doing it wrong somehow?

Feel free to chime in if you've found similar issues.

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20 minutes ago, DeadMeat666 said:

BUT, the Turbo Optima has so far failed to meet my expectations. List if issues I've had so far (off the top of my head):

- One  of the aluminum steering knuckles was ruined after I apparently tightened the ball-end a little too much. The ball end is no longer holding on to the thread. I've ordered another pair of knuckles.

- As I was installing the front sway-bar links, one of them split clear in half, rendering it useless. I've ordered a complete set of sway-bars for that one tiny black plastic piece.

- All four lower suspension arms are sticking, i.e. they're not free enough to fall under their own weight when installed. The rears are worse than the fronts.

- There is about 1mm of in and out play in all the drive axles when fitted in the outer wheel hubs. That's more than any comparably-priced Tamiya, which is saying something.

- Several of the suspension balls inside the upper turnbuckle suspension rods, as well as those in the steering rods are not very free, with some sticking (not rotating freely) in the rod ends more than others.

I was intending to use my 500th post on TC for something else but the package is not arrived yet, and I have to respond here to help...

I had few issues when building my Turbo Optima

  • step 9 - OT242.C M3x12 screws seemed too long. I believe it should be 10 or 8 long. This is the only issue I had as well on the Javelin build 3 months earlier (on the Javelin build I had no other issue). Apparently the Alloy part that replace the OT205.1 is coming with machine thread M3x8 screws.
  • step 16 - the left suspension arm required some sanding to move freely (that was the only one I had to do something)
  • step 20 - same issue as you. one of the OTW102.2 links broke when inserting the ball in.
  • step 23 - one of the OTW102.1 links broke when inserting the ball in
  • step 28 - one of the front shock cylinder had a surface finish issue, the piston did not move in freely. I did use sand paper on the piston to solve this (only one had an issue).

As mentioned I dropped a mail to Kyosho Europe for the OTW102 link, the screws at step 9 and the front shock issues. They sent me replacement for OTW102 in the next 48 hours as well as shorter screws. They were very responsive on this. They even hinted to place the ball in OTW102 links using a flat surface under the link so it avoid pushing them too far, which is actually causing the break. In the meantime, I also printed some parts to replace them in case I break them again (the parts are available on Thingiverse, in case you don't want to wait for Kyosho to respond). I would suggest you contact Kyosho about your issues, they are generally very helpful on that.

Few remarks

  • On the arms adjustment, I do believe it is due to the Gold finish: I had no issues on the Javelin, and never heard of any issues of this type except for the Turbo Optima (in a Kyosho Optima series group on FB, I saw some mentions of those only for Turbo Optima never for Optimas or Javelins)... 
  • On the drive axles, I don't see similar play on the Javelin and Turbo Optima. Did you mounted the hex driver properly (there is a outer face for those, if my memory is correct (step 17 and 21 , note the "Important! Note the direction")
  • The instructions is having a few notes with "!" in it. Make sure you read them before going thru the step.

On all the forums or groups I do post in, lot of people actually told me in the case you have an issue, Kyosho would be very responsive. I did not thought it would be that quick when I sent the mail to Kyosho Europe. I sent it on Sunday evening, and I got someone replying on the next day in the afternoon. He asked me to confirm a few things, which I did, and next day at 6am he responded with the indication he would send replacement parts. For the shock, they told me they needed to do some analysis, so they proposed me to send them back the shock, which I did not, as I fixed it by myself... I received the replacement parts within the next day, and when I mentioned it, some people told me that within similar situation, the first answer with some other brands would probably take a few weeks before it comes (I won't precise which one).

Hope it helps.

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On 11/6/2021 at 4:25 PM, silvertriple said:

Hope it helps.

Thank you, it was indeed very helpful. As for contacting Kyosho, I'm in the US, and besides I've already ordered replacements so that's all done.

I just had high hopes with the TO considering how nice the TS was to build.

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1 minute ago, DeadMeat666 said:

Thank you, it was indeed very helpful. As for contacting Kyosho, I'm in the US, and besides I've already ordered replacements so that's all done.

I just had high hopes with the TO considering how nice the TS was to build.

You may still contact them, so they can at least acknowledge, and review their production process for next batchs... I'm quite sure they would take the feedback into account... 

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Allthough I'm still waiting on the blue brushless spur to arrive I thought of starting with the build. Looking at the manual before I notice they suggest to use silicon oil in the diffs. (step 2 bootom left corner) Did you? 

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1 minute ago, Tamiyastef said:

Allthough I'm still waiting on the blue brushless spur to arrive I thought of starting with the build. Looking at the manual before I notice they suggest to use silicon oil in the diffs. (step 2 bootom left corner) Did you? 

This is as per your preference. I just used a bit of grease, but I prefer the diff to be quite free, while if you prefer them having a limited slip, you may use different silicon oil depending of the characteristics you'd like.... But I know people having done that. Make sure to oil the gasket before closing the diff if you do.

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7 hours ago, Tamiyastef said:

Allthough I'm still waiting on the blue brushless spur to arrive I thought of starting with the build. Looking at the manual before I notice they suggest to use silicon oil in the diffs. (step 2 bootom left corner) Did you? 

I always just go with grease. For the kind of casual running I do, it's more than adequate. 

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