Tamiya and other R/C vehicles (not just for Christmas)

If I put a brushless motor in it would I need to upgrade my batteries? Asking for a friend obvs.

no but a 3s lipo + brushless would be hiarious. you may need a different pinion too. better driveshafts ? dampers definately. it would be like a very out of control rocket ship! haha

Came across a bunch of guys running a trial competition with model crawlers the other day. Had little flags marking the course and a nan with a clipboard judging – just like the real thing. Looked good fun.

@harry

No need to change batteries if going to brushless, but there are a lot of other good reasons why installing a brushless system in a Mad Bull would be a bad idea.

The mabuchi motor has been the least powerful 540 sized motor you could possibly get for at least 35 years and literally anything else will be faster. The mad bull is a very basic vehicle and not designed to handle massive amounts of power and you seem to be getting breakages at current power levels.

Many of the current brushless motors would not be used for racing even in unlimited classes because the sheer amount of power is too difficult to control. 3.0t brushless motors exist because beginners will always ask to buy the most powerful motor possible. It’s invariably an expensive mistake.

If you really must go brushless then I would suggest 13.5t as a maximum. (Higher t numbers are slower) The value of 13.5t assumes you are running a basic nimh or 2s lipo set up with no timing boost on the speedo as that can increase power output significantly (whilst being less efficient and running much hotter.)

If your kit uses plastic bushings they will need to be replaced with ball bearings to avoid melting.

You may need to change the pinion gear to match the motor.

Fair point. I’ll leave it as it is.

New body shell will be here in 6 weeks, so it gives me plenty of time to a) Think about the paint job and b) Look at the large blob of epoxy that is the current one whilst contemplating the errors of my ways.

Buggy has been great fun, often use it on the road outside. 15mph top speed (garmin attached to it) but the corners and acceleration are what’s fun. More top speed would need more space at the minute

Also now running an Axial scx10ii for some crawler fun. Really enjoying building courses in the garden and messing around. Haven’t actually managed to get out with it yet but will do soon. Garden is way too small for the buggy, let alone anything genuinely fast, so crawler is a great option

Well, it’s here! Lovely model, seems a shame to get it dirty! Just waiting on a lead to connect the battery to the charger that I didn’t realise I needed then it’s time to bash 🙂

This arrived yesterday:

Should keep me out of trouble for a few days. This one’s going to get a few hop-ups, definitely the shocks when they’re available again. Just got to decide how far to go with it. Will be working in handling before going down the brushless/lipo rabbit hole, doing that should stop me buying any more for a while. Can’t wait to get the table cleared, some tunes in and settle in for a few hours with the tools.

That Lancia is lovely, I really should stop entering this thread 🙂

Awww man. Don’t go posting pictures of that Lancia, I’ve just had a clear month on my credit card!

I’m going to be so nervous doing the decals, don’t want to mess it up!! It was between this or the Zakspeed Capri. Seeing as I saw the Lancia live at the ’89 RAC and the Capri was before I was born the Lancia won.

I’m going to be so nervous doing the decals

I naively thought they’d be die cut. How I cried when I opened my first build.

You utter, utter bastards!

I’ve got it all spec’ed up now and in various on line baskets.

Will have to empty them all before I do something daft and it is 6 months until Christmas and my birthday. M***** F******.

What paint do you use for the inside of a polycarbonate shell? Does it have to be Tamiya? Asking for a friend.

I’m going to be so nervous doing the decals, don’t want to mess it up!!

Scalpel with a new blade will cost you about a fiver from your local model shop. As easy as using a pencil, but a gazillion times sharper. Do it on a cheapo chopping board, or you can get a model maker’s cutting mat for not very much and they look cool.

Yep, dangerous thread.

I’ve had to stop going to the Modelsport website after I got an email saying Bigwigs were in stock. I’m somewhat shocked they are only £199 – I thought back in the day they insanely expensive, but that’s the same price as a Hotshot and less than a Supershot. I need to stop looking…

Seen a Lancia for £105. Have buried my wallet in the garden.

how good is a 4wd RC rally car on grass… ?

asking for a friend of course!

I had a set of MIP hex speed bits arrive today, what lovely bits of kit they are

I don’t always buy expensive, depends what it is and how I’m going to use it

For tiny little hex bolts good quality bits make a huge difference. And these bits also mean I can use them in a ratchet screwdriver or an electric one. The 4 hex bolts on the waterproof RX box on my crawler would near give you RSI if you had to open and close it with a normal hex key

Hoping to get started on my Blitzer Beetle this weekend 🙂

Had lots of fun with my Grasshopper which now has working spot lamps & tail lights 🙂

What paint do you use for the inside of a polycarbonate shell? Does it have to be Tamiya? Asking for a friend.

It does not need to be tamiya, plenty of other brands exist they are all pretty similar and most model shops have a selection. just make sure the paint is intended for polycarbonate. (It needs to be a specific type of acrylic paint that will flex with the shell, enamel will flake off.)

Main things to watch are:

Wash the shell first to remove the release agent from the mold.

Get the right sort of masking tape from a model shop. The stuff you buy for house painting has too thick an adhesive layer and will allow paint to get underneath

(Most shells come with pre cut window masks these days, so you may not need masking tape at all if your design is 1 colour )

how good is a 4wd RC rally car on grass… ?

Assuming it’s 10th scale the answer will be that it’s rubbish. The wheels are too small and they also grip roll a lot as the width is narrow to match the real car. Better off with a truck or a buggy if that’s what you want to do.

Well I started building the Lancia last night. One thing that stumped me was the motor wasn’t engaging with the main gear when installed. Checked instructions on the holes to use and it still was missing my a millimetre. Took me nearly an hour to realise that the instructions said the supplied pinion gear was 19t not the 22t the instructions said was supplied as standard! Not bothered as I can play with gearing when it’s up and running but a little bit annoying.

It was 3am by the time I sorted that out and did a few more stages. I wasn’t rushing, definitely taking my time with plenty of tea breaks etc but a bit worrying that 4 hours can fly past like that!

Think I’m addicted to the building stage.

Think I’m addicted to the building stage.

Yeah me too. I love faffing about and changing bits.
Got my eye on a Renault 5 turbo, Beetle rally and a GMade crawler.

Had word from nursery that they are restarting in a few weeks, so might mean I’ll be the only person in the house two days a week soon. The bliss of a perfectly quiet house and new kit(s) to build in solitude.

OK, I’m sold on the Lunchbox. To save me from 1200 posts and to learn from others that have already indulged…

Do I just buy the ‘kit’ from Howes models with the fast charger, plus the upgraded bearings? Or should I also get a second battery?

Any ‘consumables’ that I should get ahead of time with a view to inevitable crash damage?

For a Lunchbox. You will wreck the shell quickly. First you’ll scratch it when it flips or rolls, then you’ll crack, then smash the windows, then the bodymounts will fail. If you want a photo of it looking nice, take it before the first outing.

Depends on how long you want to play with it at a time. Mine runs for a good 30 minutes on a 3000mAh battery but the last 5 minutes or so it’s getting a bit sluggish.

Got my original Optima up and running. New ESC, radio gear, motor and lipo. Needed new wheels & tyres as the original sand supers were totally knackered.

It’s pretty rapid and great fun to rag around.

uhhmmm been recommended the Rising Fighter rather than the Lunchbox – any thoughts?

Both…?

rising fighter is very different ot the lunchbox – where are you looking to take them.

the lunchbox is primarily a wheelie machine but you can adapt it a bit.

he rising fighter just is a normal buggy.

in terms of fun and offroading the lunchbox offers a wider range of terrain just because of the monster truck wheels.

Got my original Optima up and running.

That’s a lovely looking thing.

Current obsession is looking at silly-priced Tamiya Avante’s on eBay.

https://vimeo.com/user85139072/review/433796528/7994f1a4b6

Nearly hit the phone! (reverse comes in handy as well) This thing is such a blast to run, more than enough on 2S so far and good run time.

uhhmmm been recommended the Rising Fighter rather than the Lunchbox – any thoughts?

Both…?

Both, obviously. 😉

I’ve got a Grasshopper (with a 540 motor as in the Rising Fighter) and Mad Bull. The Grasshopper is similar to the Rising Fighter and the Mad Bull leans more towards the Lunch Box, but without the ability to pull wheelies.

if i had to pick one it would be the Mad Bull as has better off road capabilities. On road they are evenly matched for pace.

One is a laugh, the other is an absolute hoot.

I need to stop looking at this thread. I have no time to build or drive an RC car, I’m supposed to be saving for a new house and I’ll probably end up getting divorced if I spend a load of money on one.

But it’s payday…

New house = new garden = new play area!

That’s already earmarked for a mini ramp / boulder wall / Wendy House 😉

I’m just training mini Monkey so when she’s a bit older she’ll want one for Christmas.

Quick chat with offspring – Lunchbox, barings, spare battery and stick controller (I iz old skool) on the way. Guy in shop said that he’d sold over 600 lunchbox kits during lock down!! Probably 300 via here!

£70k+ turnover on one model alone, not to mention all of the ancillaries!

A question, and I’m probably teetering on the edge of an expensive rabbit hole with this but I’ll say it anyway…

Has anyone got a radio controlled tank?

Harry_the_Spider
Subscriber

A question, and I’m probably teetering on the edge of an expensive rabbit hole with this but I’ll say it anyway…

Has anyone got a radio controlled tank?

Oh I was so close to one of these Leopard 2
But then I realised how big it was!
So I got a FTX Kanyon instead.
Great fun building courses in the garden and be able to drive it out of the house and into the garden while sat indoors having a beer. Legal drink driving 😉

https://uk.banggood.com/Heng-Long-5_3-Version-3908-1-116-2_4G-Smoking-British-Challenger-2II-RC-Car-Battle-Tank-Plastic-Model-Toys-p-1268838.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN

It is however bloody massive.

Never mind eh?

Finished trimming and prepping the Lancia shell this afternoon:

Looks amazing even without paint! Can’t wait to get cracking on it but that will be saved for when I’ve got plenty of time to get the window masks correct and 2-3 hours to apply a few layers of paint. Then it’s on to the 120+ stickers I’ve got to cut out and apply!!

Don’t mention things like tanks. I’m struggling enough to not get one of the big rigs and a trailer and oaint it in Team Lancia colours. My mind says it would be awesome to drive the Delta out of it at the local park but I know it would look properly awful.

Buggy or stadium truck is next I think.

A question, and I’m probably teetering on the edge of an expensive rabbit hole with this but I’ll say it anyway…

Has anyone got a radio controlled tank?

No, but I came so very close to buying the Kyosho Blizzard several years ago.