@matt_outandabout Modelsport showing them in stock. Option to pay for expedited processing. I chose this and order arrived in 2 days. Unlike Wonderland you can also change options in the power bundle to suit your needs.
Shame about your wait, always stop on Lothian Rd for a nosey in Wonderlands window when I’m down in Edinburgh.
Harry_the_Spider
Hypothetical questions…
1) Would the Rising Righter be an equally matched running mate for the Grasshopper if they both had the 540 motor?
2) I assume that the “Channel” button on the controller would allow me to run on different frequencies so that we could race the cars against each other.
Asking for a friend. Obviously.
I think that the Rising Fighter would be at least comparable, if not better than the Grasshopper. It's a newer (although similar) design with similar suspension set-up etc.
If you use a 2.4GHz radio, then I think they find their own channels & you don't really need to worry about interference, like you did with old radios that had crystals in them.
I have run my buggy with my 2 nephews cars at the same time without even giving it a thought & it was fine.
Now then... ah... just been quoted a frankly bonkers cheap price for a Rising Fighter with the bigger battery and all of the radio kit and bearings, less the charger as I already have one.
Hmmm...
I'd better wait for another month of zero credit card bills then i'll probably give it a go.
So off the back of this thread I ordered an FTX colt which arrived today. I got home all excited to play with it, and have been disappointed since.
One of the rear shocks was in bits in the box with the spring rolling around the bottom, bit of an inconvienience but i think I sorted it eventually (presume it's just a push fitting into the bottom, despite it looking threaded?)
Sorted all that, took it outside for a spin and the controller has a mind of it's own. The steering was reversed, flipped the switch to correct it which worked, but then closed the lid on the transmitter and it reverted back to reversed again. Steering needs to be trimmed fully one way in order to go in a straight line, which means it turns on a sixpence one way, and makes a massive arc the other. It also doesn't like to reverse. Probably 1 in 5 attempts will result in it moving, the others it just sits there doing nothing.
Any ideas before it goes back tomorrow? Currently giving it a full charge, although I wouldn't expect it to make such a difference. I tried binding the control as per the instructions but even that didn't seem to work as it should (blinking light afterward rather than static).
Cheers for any help, if it wasn't £80 I'd have thrown it at the wall by now!
Harry, yep, go for it. 🙂
Rising Fighter is a cool car and really under appreciated. It's basically Tamiya's last word on the Grasshopper/Hornet.
Already comes with a 540 and I think they look really good.
Amazing bargain.
Best order one before they run out.....
Dienamic - can you contact the shop that sold you it it sounds totally different to mine, it was great out of the box. Admittedly I have killed the motor now, but it was driving really well up to now.
Yeah, I'll email them tomorrow and see if I can get a replacement. Hopefully just a dodgy unit
Definitely sounds wrong. Once you get it back disable the braking option as it is that effect that has killed my motor
Harry, yep, go for it. 🙂
You are a bad man.
Harry - if you don't want it then share the love
Look on Howes website.
Hmm maybe, that was just a poor attempt at getting you to buy it
That Citroen really does look amazing, it almost seems a shame to drive it.😀
clubby
Not sold on the turnbuckle set. Lots to change but also lots to screw up. Geek in me loves the potential but don’t know I’ve the patience to change-test-change-test….. Still won’t matter if spring rate isn’t right. Also, standard wishbones are pretty tough. At my skill level I’m not sure I’d want to remove one and replace with a skinny metal rod.
Last night I pried off the steering rods & shortened them a bit - measured with a caliper - I think it was about 4 turns worth.
You can definitely see it. I gave it a 10min whizz around the garden & the steering definitely seemed to be sharper. It's very hard to be objective but it seemed to turn in a bit better & almost pull the back end round a bit more.
I think the main thing is tyres - the standard ones just scrub. Transferring the weight to the front by lifting helps the front bite a bit. It'll be interesting to hear what those cut stagger tyres do to the performance. Tempted to just get some anyway & also some mini-spikes or something similar - not sure how long they'll last on a mix of tarmac & grass.
I bought a Rising Fighter for my 8 YO for Christmas. In the run up to Christmas he made it clear he wanted a Lunchbox, and I caved. In the end the kids gave ME the Rising Fighter for Christmas.
I have built it up, full bearings, oil dampers, gearbox pivot mod, Sport tuned motor. It goes fast in straight line but has AWFUL handling and control. Maybe it is overpowered, infact, I have swapped back to a 540 silvercan. The Sport is in the Fox, a Torque tuned in the Lunchbox and a £20 13.5t brushless in the Terrascorcher.
In comparison to my other vehicles - Fox, Terrascorcher, and a CC01 trail truck, it's just a wild drive. Not as mad as the Lunchbox, but that's meant to be wild, unhinged, even.
It's so skippy, it is more about luck than judgement. It has quite a high COG too, which doesn't help. I know that they are cheap, but I'd splash a little more on DT03 or something like that.
Looking at the Howes site, I'd be more tempted by the Holiday Buggy.
Finished the Terra scorcher. Has a Sports tuned 540 and the a5 metal bit
I have built it up, full bearings, oil dampers, gearbox pivot mod, Sport tuned motor. It goes fast in straight line but has AWFUL handling and control. Maybe it is overpowered, infact, I have swapped back to a 540 silvercan.
I wouldn't be upgrading it other than with bearings. I guess that the sport tuned motor was just too much for it. If the handling is similar to the Grasshopper then I'll be happy.
@Rusty The 540 arrived this morning. Fanks mate.
That 2CV looks fantastic!
I've been keeping tabs on this thread for a couple of years and have somehow resisted buying anything. It's been great seeing all of the builds on here though.
I’ve been keeping tabs on this thread for a couple of years and have somehow resisted buying anything. It’s been great seeing all of the builds on here though.
Work out how much your are saving on diesel...
The 2CV is a lovely build and I certainly admire the work that's gone into it but I just can't imagine myself ever driving it - that bit on the roof (for example) would last about 5 minutes at a guess. Just seems a stupid design for an RC car, it'd be much better as a normal plastic kit.
I would like to build a rally car though, just not sure how to sneak the model into the house without SWMBO noticing...
Drewd - go on do it. Even if you get a little one. They are not a gateway drug honest
i`d probably get the DT02 holiday buggy rather than the rising fighter for the better suspension. then buy a bigger motor...
not that i`ve been lookign at all...
and holy crap! prices have skyrocketed! you could buy a rising fighter kit for £50 not long ago... (not surprising really! haha)
Glad it arrived ok Harry.
Mogrim, a lot of people have a cheap, spare body for bashing around. It's a nice compromise.
I have a standard Lunchbox body for scraping along the road and a Midnight Pumpkin just for staring at lovingly. 🙂
My Plasma Edge buggy is the flexy polycarb type, so painted from the inside.
Still looks ok although it's busted to hell.
You can get allsorts for the 2CV M type chassis, Minis, Beetles, stock cars, even old Austin A35 vans.
Mogrim, a lot of people have a cheap, spare body for bashing around. It’s a nice compromise.
I have a standard Lunchbox body for scraping along the road and a Midnight Pumpkin just for staring at lovingly. 🙂
My Plasma Edge buggy is the flexy polycarb type, so painted from the inside.
Still looks ok although it’s busted to hell.
You can get allsorts for the 2CV M type chassis, Minis, Beetles, stock cars, even old Austin A35 vans.
Yeah, but the wheels will get hammered and won't match the body. These things matter!
And my (flexy polycarb) Neo Fighter looks OK, not that it was ever the greatest of paint jobs. Perhaps a stock car build would be more appropriate given my painting and driving abilities 🙂
Mine too!
Same with bikes and guitars though innit?
If you're going to play with them you have to accept the damage.
I enjoy playing with mine just as much as building them, but my expectations are low....I love my Lunchie, it's like an excitable little puppy, bounding around and wobbling all over the place.
I do fancy a 2CV next though, but I keep getting distracted by thoughts of a Blitzer or Monster Beetle.....
Yowsers! It's a different animal with the 540 in it!
Well the 540 motor came and was fitted. The Grasshopper has turned into the psycho insane lunatic from hell !
It's absolutely out of control and trying to turn just leads to cartwheels !!!!! It's just bonkers now !!!!
glad your enjoying it
LOL that's open to discussion.
How do you stop with this much power ? As soon as i try and brake it spins the rear up and throws him sideways !!!!
Same with bikes and guitars though innit?
If you’re going to play with them you have to accept the damage.
Yeah, but that 2CV seems to be a toy that's designed not to be played with!
@weeksy I think the idea is to be a touch smoother when applying power in the first place 😀
How do you stop with this much power ? As soon as i try and brake it spins the rear up and throws him sideways !!!!
Find an empty car park and practice! Me and the lad are off to our (deserted) local as soon as I finish work to re-learn it. We were getting quite good with the 380, but this is completely different. Too much grunt for the back garden now though.
I think the idea is to be a touch smoother when applying power in the first place
Dainty and delicate, hmmmm, that's well, a theory... 🙂
Work out how much your are saving on diesel…
I've already spent the saving on a frame from Planet X...
Drewd – go on do it. Even if you get a little one. They are not a gateway drug honest
My brother and I used to have a Lunchbox, Midnight Pumpkin and the Hornet that we bought as a job lot from someone who used to race them. I've seen firsthand how this hobby escalates.
I've also had a Monster Beetle and Tamiya Mondeo in the past. I sold the Mondeo last year and gave the remnants of Lunchbox and the Hornet to my brother. The rest of the stuff has long gone.
I'd love a trail truck as they look useable everywhere and I love that they have metal chassis. I'd also love a short course truck if I had space to use one.
I'm just going to admire other people's builds, my spare money is currently being spent on bike parts.
This was a tt01 e30 m3 kit but converted to the carbon chassis. Found the pics on RC universe from Dec 08. Falmouth, Maine, USA. About -10.
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First proper run out with El Crazy Bastard motor. Cracked the body shell.
Oops...
Can we fit a bigger pinion to slow it a bit?
IIRC the Grasshopper only takes an 18t pinion. You'd need to use a different motor mount to fit a different pinion, and I am not sure what is available.
A larger pinion will mean a higher top speed. I think a Lunchbox pinion and a Lunchbox motor mount might work, but this is a lower tooth pinion.
Ok, fair enough. We'll use it until it explodes into 1000 pieces.
He's already has his moneys worth from it
Looks great so far....🙂
Most of my new bits turned up today. New tyres a lot softer and stickier than Tamiya kit ones. Went onto the new wheels a lot easier than the originals.
Had planned on removing original front ribs from black kit wheels, as new wheels are blue, but found I’d glued them on a bit too well. Try baking and boiling them to soften glue, but although this softened some bits other were still stuck fast. Gave up and just put new tyres on blue wheels. Guess I’ll be mismatched for a while. Given the state of the rear wing already from rolling, I’m not sure it’ll matter.
Still waiting on springs but will try test the two front tyres first to see if I notice a difference between them.
This is my runner. Brushless, Lipo loony machine, 40mph! The Tamiya's I build are just for fun I'd never run them outside.
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@weeksey I think your radio has EPA (end point adjustment) you should be able to use this to limit the top speed. It may also have expo (exponential) which would allow you to change the throttle curve to give 50% throttle over 75% of the sticks travel, this should allow easier low speed control.
Thanks demon. I'll have a look. Great info. Cheers.
I'm think we're a bit on the outside here as all we do is thrash it, crash it and charge it. I certainly never had or indeed wanted one when I was younger and I feel bad that we're destroying someones pride and joy.
Can we fit big wheels on the front to give it some stability?
@weeksy yours is even more looney-tune than mine. We can't pull a wheelie, but that is a good thing.
I wouldn’t worry about destroying it, they are pretty hardy ... think of it as testing it’s limits!
If you want to run wider front tyres and stay with the same overall size you could grab a set of Brat wheels and tyres, I think wheels are around £12 and tyres around £13 so about £25 all in.
I've got an old 1/10th 4WD nitro model with an Impreza body (although the manual describes it as a touring car) It's in a bit of a state but this thread makes me think of fixing it up! Are all 1/10th wheels the same fitting on the inside of the wheel though? Thinking of new wheels and tyres, strip and rebuild, ball race wheel bearings and a cut-out thingy for when the receiver batteries start to run down (I've had it run amok in the past!)
Any advice much appreciated.
weeksy Subscriber
...I’m think we’re a bit on the outside here as all we do is thrash it, crash it and charge it.
Nope, not at all. I believe the official term is 'bashing', as in take it for a bash down at the skate park. That's all me and my boys do. I had a Turbo Hopper as a kid:
But that's long gone (probably still in my folks' loft, to be fair). For bashing I'm not a fan of vehicles with low ground clearance like most of what's being talked about up there ^. Probably just a case of what sort of terrain is available I guess, I've got a garden full of gravel and plenty of rough ground, and there's a big undeveloped gravel lot nearby with mounds of dirt which is great for bashing. Plenty of puddles too - all our cars are waterproof, great fun blasting through muddy puddles!
Last year my eldest saved up and bought aone of these from AliExpress:
Which is bloody quick and tough as hell - that space frame instead of a standard shell is almost indestructable. So I got myself one of these to keep him company:
Awesome car but parts are not readily available except online from China.
And then decided to go big, with a DHK Zombie 🙂
This thing is mental on 3S lipo, I'm not brave enough to try it on 4S. Easy to launch a couple of metres up from a skatepark ramp, and easy for a noob to control in flight via the throttle - also very tough, so handles the inevitable botched landings. Heaps of ground clearance and massive tyres for thrashing it over rough gound. Guaranteed grins 😁
that Zombie looks ace... but seems way out of any budget we may have, well, don't have actualy... but could raise 🙂
Wouldn't mind something that we could blat about with a bit more ruggedness than the Grasshopper though, taking on rougher terrain etc for example. But would ideally like availability of parts in the UK... and at a reasonable price... i know, moon on a stick content 🙂
The little FTX Colt fits the bill brilliantly apart from ruggedness, it just explodes parts and as none are available currently, it means it's out of action for the forseeable future.
I really wanted a Traxxas E-revo 1/10, but they're stupid money. Looked at the 1/16 version but they're still pricey. The Zombie is a poor* man's 1/10 E-revo.
I bought a couple of spares with it, based on reviews that identified 'common' breakages. Can't remember what they are as I've never needed them. The only thing that's broken is the shell, which cracked in a big smash when it landed on the front wing from height. Easily repaired using fibre tape (for plasterboard joints) and silicone sealant, even has one of the body posts drilled through the repair.
Also check out the JLB Cheetah and VKAR Bison, very similar trucks and occasionally at lower prices on they likes of Banggood or AliExpress.
*Relatively 😳.
Anyone got a Mad Bull? What's it like?
Asking for a friend.
I got a 1/5 baja I mess around with alongside a associated SC10B with a 3S batt,
Just cartwheeled it across the pub car park and done some fairly horrible damage to the rear bodywork. The "El Crazy Bastard"™ motor is coming out while we are limited to using it on hard surfaces. When we are allowed to take it to a freshly mown park I'll put it back in.
It is bloody good fun though 😉
Lightfighter762 what Baja have you got?
Harry_the_Spider
SubscriberAnyone got a Mad Bull? What’s it like?
Asking for a friend.
I've got one, it's... well, it's a pretty normal basic tamiya with ridiculous tyres. Standard, it steers pretty badly but is still great fun, good for thrashing in gravel, works on some surfaces that the skinnier ones don't (like, frinstance, snow).
So I got a cheap brushless motor from China and a lipo pack and slapped those in and it became a totally brilliant disaster, so much power it doesn't know what to do so instead of really accellerating it does massive burnouts and slides crazily in corners. (and the wheel speed is enough to make the tyres stretch out like a top fuel dragster). And now it is a bit broken, but only because i've not fixed it yet.
I really like it. It's probably not as good as others in the range, though. It's the fatbike of RC cars, in just about every way, including the fact that I like it most when it's being rubbish
diz
Subscriber
Lightfighter762 what Baja have you got?
5Sc on rpm arms and some chassis braces. Also track pipe. It jumps high and takes a beating. Kept the motor stock. Do no use it much. Running the onboard batt on 5x charge/discharge cycle atm.
Bugger. Mad Bulls are out of stock for a couple of weeks, which gives me a cooling off period as blowing the best part of £400 on toy cars this month is a little hard to justify.
However should the itch still need scratching when they are available again what would you use to paint the body shell as I'd want it in black rather than white?
Is the Tamiya polycarbonate paint the right stuff for an ABS shell?
Does it need priming?
New tamiya 370 sport motor in the colt as the old motor was toast.
Will try it out later, but why do ftx have the bloody wire colours the wrong way round, went black too black and red to red with the wires and it was backwards. Annoying but easy to fix.
Harry, it's TS coded paint for the hard plastic bodies and PS for the soft,clear flexi polycarbonate shells.
I used a painting guide from this site:
https://tamiyabase.com
I usually use a primer, a base colour and a final colour, followed by a laquer. I'll stick some pics up later.
This is a brilliant site too:
https://www.tamiyaclub.com
You may spot a certain orange 2CV in the builds section!
This site is ace for new releases:
https://tamiyablog.com
And I waste too much time watching Matteo's channel:
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC73asjLqe86O2rDsW-9LGMQ
Happy son no.3 after a near month wait.
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🙂
So.
Much.
Fun.
I’ve about 20 model gliders in my shed. Not flown them for a few years. And a couple of toy electric planes for flying over the field by the house. Which also haven’t been used for ages.
Which means I have a decent 2.4ghz transmitter. Can I use that with one of my spare receivers on something like that lunch box? I’ve also got loads of spare chargers, batteries and servos but would need to check compatibility.
Or am I better just ponying up the £65 quid-is to get a kit with everything in it? Like: https://howesmodels.co.uk/product/tamiya-lunch-box-kit-ready-to-go-bundle-fast-charger/?gclid=CjwKCAjwqdn1BRBREiwAEbZcR5SEw0-nUuRA9tzK7TfZhlbw9ep3lIoo_AKcE-OAQdNijNh18dI9FRoC6FIQAvD_BwE
We do have quite a big garden and a field down the road with a concrete path where we walk the dogs. And one offspring who has declared an interest. So I can sort of justify one..
Think you’d probably be ok with what you’ve got. Only issue might be the connector on the battery. Needs a Tamiya connector for the esc. Can always get connector leads or solder on a connector to match your battery.
No point buying chargers/ handsets if you’ve got them anyway.
Harry_the_Spider
SubscriberHowever should the itch still need scratching when they are available again what would you use to paint the body shell as I’d want it in black rather than white?
Is the Tamiya polycarbonate paint the right stuff for an ABS shell?
Just regular car-type paints. You can use the Tamiya but it's expensive. I used my normal Hycote tins and it came out like this. Nothing fancy, I just wanted it to hurt people's eyes
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Can always get connector leads or solder on a connector to match your battery.
Thanks. I’ve done that few time when I converted stuff to Deans connectors. Also I like my transmitter and I’d rather use that. Right then into the shed, and let’s see what we’ve got.
A related question from us.
We had planned to use the receiver from son's busted FTX surge. However the Rx is built into the FTX ESC and fittings are not compatible with Tamiya.
What cheap receiver that will work with our FTX transmitter or eldest sons 2.4 drone transmitter?
For a Tamiya Lunch Box.
Just ordered a Rally 2CV, bearings, spare Charleston body (Sue likes the paintscheme) and a Sport Tuned motor......
I'll need a servo and a transmitter, probably pick those up from Rossmod when they reopen....
....along with a Monster Beetle.....damn.
🙂
I do have a decent body for the Lunchie, I'll post it (and the crawler) later.
The buggy is Tamiya metallic purple over (under?) silver, the Lunchie is metallic lime green over gold over primer. It looked lovely for at least five minutes.
2 bodies for the 2CV - a box art Charleston and something a bit like yours for the rally body - I'll have to do some research. 😀
Do fancy a Monster or Blitzer Beetle at somepoint, although I might just go all in and buy a Sand Scorcher. That was the one that i nearly wet myself over in Beatties BITD.
Have been watching a husband and wife team on YouTube called RC kicks.
They've just done a Herbie monster beetle and a more traditional version. They're stuff is great, good content too.
Look forward to your builds.👍
Thanks fella.
And also to everyone who's contributed so far.
I've had loads of fun over the last couple of years. Onwards and Upwards, eh?
I love my Maverick Scout, but the nostalgia factor of Tamiya keeps drawing me back.
They really are lovely things to build and own.
Been down the golf again today, this time on one of the fairway green approaches. My word that’s a lovely driving surface.
Added a bit of toe out to help turn in. Didn’t want to go too far as apparently that hampers stability, but adjusted steering arms from 50mm to 48.5mm and it’s done the trick. Also fitted the Schumacher Cut Stagger in yellow compound. Had wanted the green but shop with all my other parts in stock only had the yellow and wasn’t paying twice for postage.
Changes have made a big improvement to initial turn in. Even on my drive the front is gripping a lot better under power. Still understeers slightly on full power but much better. On the short grass it was amazing. Still to see how they perform on dirt or gravel.
Change to 19t pinion has stopped excessive wheelspin or wheelies (depending on surface) without noticeably affecting acceleration as it’s easier to modulate. Extra top speed nice as well. 🙂
Stiffer spring kit arrived while we were out, but haven’t had a chance to drive it yet as rain came on. Fitted soft front and medium rear with no preload. Tabletop test feels like the car is definitely returning faster when compressed, hoping this helps the bounce on rough terrain. Not changed rear shock oil until I see how it runs.
I've been avoiding this thread as I thought it would end up being expensive! However a couple of friends and I have just purchased some buggys to mess about with. I've a Neo Fighter landing on Monday. I'm so looking forward to building it and ragging it about!
I've read that the springs are too weak in the rear shocks, so I've picked up a stronger set. I've also got a steel 17t pinion. It sounds like new front tyres might be needed?
Any tips you guys can offer on the build / painting and running?
Cheers
@clubby - nice!
I found the same thing with the toe out and think my numbers were the same as yours. I read it could affect straight line stability but it seems no different.
Might have to get some of those cut stagger tyres ordered - was gonna go for blue but should perhaps get something a bit softer.
I'm tempted to get the spring kit, some oil and re-build my shocks. I'm not sure I filled them that well and I fancy taking the damper rods out and giving them a polish; apparently the standard black coating is quite draggy and polishing them improves them a lot.
Build:
Get some JIS screwdrivers if you don't have any or you'll find the screws a pain to drive in.
Take your time building the shocks and have something ready to stand them up in while filling them.
I've found (and it sounds like clubby has too) that a bit of toe out helps the front turn in. Different tyres will also help. I'm yet to buy some.
I take it you got some bearings? If not, order some before you start the build rather than using the plastic bushes.
Painting.
Wash the body thoroughly before painting.
I used decorators frog tape to mask it.
Great the paint in a bowl of warm/hot water before spraying.
I made a 'spray booth from some cut up cardboard boxes. Much better to do multiple thin costs than get too keen an stick on some runny thick layers.
If doing multiple colours, do the dark colours first and get lighter.
Running. Try not to smash it into immovable objects.
