The Return of the Kings - Part 1
After almost 15 years, I was unpacking a bunch of boxes out of storage and found a treasure trove of Tamiya goodness I had packed away in 2005. There were 5 neatly packed boxes of runner and project Tamiya RCs that I thought I had lost.
One of the first vehicles out of the box was my King Blackfoot with a Blizter Beetle body on it that I had named the King Beetle, I actually posted this on TC back in 2002.
It still had all of the old electronics in it, the transmission was a little stiff, but all in all it was in good condition. I took the entire thing apart and started a rebuild to get in back in running order.
After getting the transmission cleaned and re-lubricated, I got a fresh set of bearings, a new Traxxas XL-5 ESC, Titan 550 12T motor and put in a Tactic TR325 receiver. I also moved the steering servo to a centered location. The shocks needed some help, so I decided to replace them with a new set of Tamiya CVAs.
Finally, I installed a custom set of shock tower braces to keep the front suspension in line. The steering setup already had an anti-bump steer configuration, so with a fully charged battery, the King Beetle took its first run in over a decade and joyfully bounced around the back yard.
I cannot believe how much fun I missed out on. Now to make up for all the lost run time.
Added new electronics, shocks and bearings
Moved the steering servo to a better position
The Titan 550 12T motor packs a nice punch
If you liked those pictures, you should see these...
King Beetle
One of the first vehicles out of the box was my King Blackfoot with a Blizter Beetle body on it that I had named the King Beetle, I actually posted this on TC back in 2002.
It still had all of the old electronics in it, the transmission was a little stiff, but all in all it was in good condition. I took the entire thing apart and started a rebuild to get in back in running order.
After getting the transmission cleaned and re-lubricated, I got a fresh set of bearings, a new Traxxas XL-5 ESC, Titan 550 12T motor and put in a Tactic TR325 receiver. I also moved the steering servo to a centered location. The shocks needed some help, so I decided to replace them with a new set of Tamiya CVAs.
Finally, I installed a custom set of shock tower braces to keep the front suspension in line. The steering setup already had an anti-bump steer configuration, so with a fully charged battery, the King Beetle took its first run in over a decade and joyfully bounced around the back yard.
I cannot believe how much fun I missed out on. Now to make up for all the lost run time.
Added new electronics, shocks and bearings
Moved the steering servo to a better position
The Titan 550 12T motor packs a nice punch
If you liked those pictures, you should see these...
King Beetle
Comments
Tamiyastef
Nice you got this back up and running. I had my optima mid setup with monster tires and a sand scorcher shell. It was a blast to drive. Bad picture of it in my showroom.
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