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

@twonks yeah I can do a shell for you if you like.😎

@bigginge loving that, need it painted?🤗

Nice to see some new stuff on here, work continues in sub zero garage on two shells at once.😅

@DrP Just found my conversion thread on the ModelSport forum.

Some of the pics have long since gone from photobucket although I still have everything here if you (or anybody else) is interested.

It’s over 10 years since I did it and it has been out exactly no times since. Never even had a propper tune or run with the body on beyond 5 minutes in the little park thing over the road. Sad really as I loved doing the conversion. Not really sure why I haven’t taken it out – maybe it is just too fast and silly.

Here is the thread which although descombobulated, it does have most of the detail.

The ebay fiasco that started it was very annoying and the forum competition winning of a new Revo 3.3 at the end made up for it 🙂 (Modelsport kindly swapped it or an Axial Wraith for me. Played and modded with that a bit then sold it on – another daft decision)

https://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/forums/topic/114012-converting-revo-33-to-brushless/#comments

@Merak, thanks. It’s a tempting offer but I’ll hopefully get the time to finish this up in the next week or so now.

@merak

That is amazing! So much detail. As per your other cars well done and thanks for sharing.
Look forward to seeing the RS Cosworth.

Wow that is good!

🙌🤗

Thought I will share my latest venture into RC cars.

It’s all started with the Lacia 037 shell that I wanted to put on my XV01. I got it cut up and just about to spray it, then realised the track is way too narrow on the XV01, about 10mm off each side. Then started looking at offset wheels, there are wheels that would fit but just don’t look right. So started looking to 3D printing exactly what I want.

Then I came across this:

The 037 shell got put to one side and got myself an Ender 3 V2 for Christmas.

The chassis is done, wouldn’t say I am 100% happy with the print quality as there were a few teething issue with the printer. Side by side with the CC01 Unimog for size comparison:

The body print is partially done and now getting started with the gearbox. The print quality is improving as I’m getting better with the Ender 3:

And all the failed prints:

Will take quite a bit of time but I think is even more fun than building Tamiya.

The Link didn’t work above

@merak
Ooooo now that is great, well do e as always and thanks for sharing.
Would have loved a real one of these, so cool.

Nice work that, especially if you’re new to printing/the printer. What material is it?

I don’t think I ever posted my finished Top Force Evo. It’s my first experiment with brushless, a Hobbywing 4000 kv job. On 2S lipo it’s crazy fast! Although I finished it a couple of months ago, yesterday was the first run not just round the garden.

I don’t think the video does the speed justice as I only managed to apply full throttle when it was a long way from the camera. If you happen to watch a particular, very successful, RC YouTuber you may recognise the glamorous location.

I could do with some help – I got a Neo Scorcher for Christmas – spot on! Built it and it came with a Carson 3kg servo. That lasted all of two outings. Swapped it for the same again and that lasted one outing.

I’m all a bit new to this – so whats a good servo to go for. The rest of the build is stock with an Absima stick and and Carson ESC.

Cheers, Neil

@timmys

You seen the lambo and monster truck when you were there?

DrP

You seen the lambo and monster truck when you were there?

Unfortunately the only vehicle of his I see regularly is Andy the Landy as I walk past it most days on the school run.

@neilforrow what is going wrong? Electrics failing or gears going? Is it crash related? What surface you running on?

I’d be rechecking the build as well, to make sure you’ve got it right. My Racing Fighter is on a cheap servo and has survived some massive poundings, including the ill fated brushless experiment which cracked the chassis.
Mine came with one of these.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/core-rc-4012-servo-4kg-12-sec-418795

Failing that I’d be looking at an even higher rated servo, preferably with metal gears. They’re pretty light cars though and shouldn’t really need that.

@clubby not quite sure. The first one seemed to become really notchy and forced and the second one the gears went. Made a lot of noise but not action. Frustrating!

The build is simple enough, checked that and the steering rack is smooth. The only thing is the alignment of the servo. That needed a little tweaking but again, easy enough.

Thanks for the help – like you said, I can’t really work it out!

Finally started to make some progress on the shell for the TRX4 trail van.

Look at this thing, nearly as good as a Merak special!

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/kyosho-fazer-mk2-nissan-skyline-gtr-kpgc10-110-readyset-1342277

I can’t really think of anywhere obvious near me where I could drive the thing, but lord I do want it. Do any of you know of any other RC scalers like this? Searching tends to lead me to rock crawlers the whole time, what I want is more in the line of a ’67 Mustang or Mad Max’s pursuit car. Except for the aforementioned lack of handy quiet asphalt, so it’s a silly idea anyway.

Kyosho do a few other versions of the fazer. Saw this one recently:

Both of the above cars look amazing!
I picked up an FTX Tracer recently “for my son”, honest. He’s too young at the mo but I got it just in case they went up in price or became scarce stock wise.

I’m almost done painting my van now, rather happy with it so far.

Got my son a neo fighter for Xmas. He wanted a camo paint job! So I ordered some sheets of camo pvc wrap from eBay and we wrapped it. Not a great job but he’s happy.

Looking to get some bigger wheels than standard for ground clearance and grass, not sure what to get, a bit confused, any recommendations?

After messing with his and racing with friends last weekend, I’ve just treated myself. First RC car since my falcon back in the 80s…

supersessions9-2
Free Member
Got my son a neo fighter for Xmas. He wanted a camo paint job! So I ordered some sheets of camo pvc wrap from eBay and we wrapped it. Not a great job but he’s happy.

Looking to get some bigger wheels than standard for ground clearance and grass, not sure what to get, a bit confused, any recommendations?

After messing with his and racing with friends last weekend, I’ve just treated myself. First RC car since my falcon back in the 80s…

Pretty much same as me. Bought my son one for his birthday in October then got myself the same soon after. Another car followed. Gone right down the rabbit hole.

Both Neo Fighters now have truck wheels. Which transforms them on grass. Stock answer is to fit the Tamiya blitzer/Aqroshot wheels and steering Knuckles to take them (buy the mad bull steering Knuckles and arms set, it’s cheaper). We’ve done this on one but the other has a conversion to take hex front wheels, which is a little more involved. I’ve been meaning to post up pics on here, having done various mods, but that requires me to reacquaint myself with how to post pics…

My secret dirty habit.

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom.asp?id=46737&ob=desc&s=a

I restore 1970-1980’s 1/8th nitro buggies and circuit racing cars, plus the odd Tamiya

I dont do much, I once got really out of control and was buying up lots. Sold them all regretfully, and then started again but only models I once ran. One flaw in this is that I worked in a LHS as a teen so I have owned and run a lot. I am pretty disciplined now.

I have a nice little workshop I can walk away from for weeks at a time. Latest is a PB Mustang from 81, its taken me ages as I dont have much time. I am in no rush 🙂

My sons (7 & 3) love an RC car and boat and have amassed a small collection of cheap supermarket ones as presents, that are now sadly all dead.

I’m very, very, tempted to get a Wltoys 144001 buggy to get them something fairly rugged, but more importantly, repairable and upgradable to brushless as the older one’s skill and handling improves.

I restore 1970-1980’s 1/8th nitro buggies and circuit racing cars

Nice! That LandJumper looks quite the thing – never seen anything like it. Somewhere in the depths of this thread are pics/video of me getting my ~20 yr old Kyosho Inferno running again last year. Nothing like the same but probably the only other Kyosho, nitro, 1/8th stuff in this thread!

Wltoys 144001

Any reason you’re not thinking of the 124019? That’s basically the newer version of the 14001 and seems to be the default choice now (unless you go for the brushless 124017). I think the longer wheelbase of the 124019 would make handling a bit less twitchy for a kid (and means there’s room for a less dinky battery).

@timmys: I’d looked at the range of Wltoys buggies and for some reason has discounted the 124019. It might have been costs, it’s a fair bit more.
But looking into it again, it does look like a better buggy overall. Might have to give it some serious thought. Thanks for mentioning it.

Finished.

Niiiiice!

So how many are running crawlers?

I bought a banggood hs18311 last year. It’s bloody fast but now it’s really temperamental as the receiver or controller aren’t talking to each other. I also found it a bit too fast and hard to control for my boys (7 and 4)

With that I’m thinking of getting a micro crawler.. maybe the axial scx24
This gives more options for indoor and outdoor use.

Anyone gone down the crawler route?

That’s excellent, as usual @Merak. Trouble is seeing your efforts puts me off doing my spare Lancia shell!

@trickydisco – I’ve gone down the crawler route, started with a ROC Hobby Katana:

then escalated to a Carisma Range Rover!

They’re a totally different kind of fun to bashers, more relaxed but can be really frustrating if you find the right terrain. Outdoors you really need 1/10th scale to work on lots of places whereas the 1/24th stuff is great for indoors and gardens.

I’ve just finished my Deadbolt shell!

I’ve an Alfa Gulia to do next and a Yaris WRC,😬

@reluctantjumper those crawlers look pretty good to me. I think you’ll make a fine job of it but if you want your Lancia done drop me a line.😎

As I said somewhere way back, we’ve gone right down the rabbit hole…

I suggested to my 8 year old we go for some new body shells as a rainy day project. We each have a DT-03. His idea was a “monster ice cream van”. I couldn’t argue with that. So got the shells ages ago and then a couple of weeks ago when he was stuck at home with Covid that was our obvious opportunity to start it. It’s more Blue Peter than most of the great craftsmanship we see on here but it’s been a lot of fun. We started with 2 Kamtec white ABS MK1 Transit shells, to make one into a high-top roof for the other. Surprisingly it worked quite well. The home printed waterslide decals maybe not so much; they’re very fragile.

It’s got headlights. We’re hoping one day it’ll play a tune.

I considered that taste and consistency in fonts should not be part of the design brief, it being an ice cream van.

That ice cream van is great, would love to get into doing custom shells like that.

@trickydisco I did a post-and-video about the SCX24 here

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

…if you’re using it indoors and garden it’s ideal, I’d say. Agreed that if you take it out to more rugged areas it’ll hit limits due to size, but we’ve had fun still in parks and forest walks.

@Merak – the crawlers were pre-painted, can’t claim any credit on them!

I did the original Lancia shell in the full rally livery and it turned out decent with just the odd wayward decal but the next shell I plan to do as a road car, plain colour and just trim decals, so it would me miles below what your skills can do! I just need to get off my arse and do it. It doesn’t help that the TT02 chassis it’s for is currently broken with a poorly motor, when I get round to fixing that I might do the shell too.