Locked Up's "Memory Lane" builds...

[4VRYNG]

Looking good Patrick.

I still have my very first RC that I ever bought myself. I will have to dig it out and post up some pictures.

[ev0l]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

ok with that out of the way...


Patrick, its a good thing we didn't get onto this buggy when you were on Rc Car Cast or the rest of the guys would not have gotten a word in. I am a HUGE fan of the Thunderbolt as it was my first 10th scale ever.

I have purchased probably half a dozen to restore mine and the only thing I have never been able to get ahold of are those rear tires.....and you have 2 solids sets....$$$

ok anyway...this hit me in the face like a baseball bat.

I have a perfect blue body with intact lights if youre looking to replace that borken one....

Heres mine

[Locked Up]

Originally Posted by ev0l

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

ok with that out of the way...


Patrick, its a good thing we didn't get onto this buggy when you were on Rc Car Cast or the rest of the guys would not have gotten a word in. I am a HUGE fan of the Thunderbolt as it was my first 10th scale ever.

I have purchased probably half a dozen to restore mine and the only thing I have never been able to get ahold of are those rear tires.....and you have 2 solids sets....$$$

ok anyway...this hit me in the face like a baseball bat.

I have a perfect blue body with intact lights if youre looking to replace that borken one....

Heres mine

Sweet!

My blue body is in great shape and the yellow is actually in better shape than I expected but not mint by any means.

I am pretty much set on the chassis that will be "OG" ... other than the tires. That one original wheel has no tire. I have 2 that are OK but the wheels are chewed up and then I have one that is on a great wheel but the tires is starting to crack.

So it seems that rear tires will be an issue for both of us.

[Locked Up]

On to my update for the night ...

I put a fresh set of batteries in the KITT and it actually seemed to run OK. Since I only have one of them (for now ....muhuhahahaha) that one will stay as OG as possible. So, since it runs decently. I am calling it "good" .... for now. I do have a servo sitting by waiting for it should those electronics fail but Eric is insistent that my shelf queens not get a bunch of money thrown at them ... and he's probably right. So I'll either just leave it be ... or run it hard and try to "need" upgrades.


The real update is of course the unveiling of Project #3.
Should I mention now that I tracked down and purchased project #4?.

Anyway, I give you the Shinsei Voyager:


Not to be confused with the sportier 2nd version of course:


I actually had a second version as an older kid (not sure what happened to the original one) but it's not as OG in my head so I'm sticking with the original. I actually think I remember putting Lego figures on my original .... always trying to be "scale".

I picked this one up on ebay for $20. I've not had a chance to test the electronics but it is very clean inside. I see no corrosion or rust but there is a LOT of yellowing on one side of the deck and cabin. I'm not sure if I can bleach or sand that away but we'll see what happens.










I also came across a second one for $20 that doesn't look as faded but is missing the radio and bow railing. So, just like the Nikko .... I'll have an OG version and a "Shinenstein" that gets the full modernization. That means I will probably have to break down and get a modern stick radio, which I have never had. So I'm open to suggestions there. The kid in me wants to launch bottle rockets from the bow of this ... because that was my dream when I was a kid. Not sure that is a good idea (certainly not for the one I keep OG) but .... we will see what Eric allows me to do.

More pics on those when I get #2.

[Locked Up]

Yeah ... second update for the night.

I spoil yall.






Hornet tires got here today and the OD is a hair small but doable.

ID is very small though. I had to fight pretty good to get them on the wheels and the sidewall isn't quite the same.

Close but ... not sure on these yet.

Some of my bearings got here today so I went ahead and removed all the nylon.



I did the front as well but not much photo worthy there.

I came across a set of satin SCX10 wheels and since I have a new 3D printer I figured I'd give some beadlock rings a shot for the Nikkostein.

They are not my first choice of wheel and tire but if I can get a metal gearset made for the transmission I will want something like this that I can just beat on... and really, they are not THAT bad...

If I did keep those on there I would sand the flat irons down like I did for the H2 spare tire:
Locked Up's SCX10 - Trail Ready H2

I also have a crazy idea to update the rear suspension. I was considering going to a crawler MOA axle and doing a 4 link but I feel like, even for the Nikkostein, that is too far from the original. So I'm working on a bearing setup using the stock caps, two 5x15 bearings and a custom adapter I will try to get printed just to prove the concept to myself.





If that doesn't make sense ... I cut off the ends of the pivot point and will replace them with the bearings that will bolt to the adapters that will be pressed into the housing. It works in my head .... we'll see.

[Locked Up]

Another update?!
Yes I am insane and was up till 4AM.


A little more trimming to get the adapters in:



So close....


These little adapters are nothing special and I suspect a bearing with a flange would work just as well (or maybe better) but something about having the 3D printer makes me want to make things.


After some light sanding to fit:



Here is the basic idea. My initial plan was to cut down some old axle shafts and use them in place of the giant pin that was in there. I may change my mind on that but...


Success:



So when I went to modify the little braces I discovered a rubber washer in there. I had not planned on that and maybe would have done things a bit differently but since I had already drilled out the caps I pressed on and modded them to work.




My initial plan here was to have the threaded portion sticking out of the sides:


And maybe it was 4AM talking but that's not what I ended up with. Not sure why...



Yes, I will be going back to trim he shafts parts that stick out down flush with the sides.

I can tell you the suspension cycles MUCH better now. It's a night and day difference.

So now to find some rear shocks and start digging on getting that metal gear section. Once I find the right shocks I think I will trim off that nub to get more travel in the suspension too.

[Locked Up]

Last update for the day is the "new" servo.

I actually have to pickup a bearing for it but I had an AS2 lying around so I figured why not?


The stock "servo" is a bit of a cluster fudge so I had to trim the AE2 down to fit.


I also removed a hair of material form the chassis but VERY little and the stock servo could go right back in.

It is still a bit tighter than I would want but it should do the job and cost me nothing but time.



FWIW, I think a HS-7245MH would be a great fit in there and probably require no trimming.

[ev0l]

Nice, the hornet tires do a pretty good job of looking like the real McCoy! I just assumed the would not fit. I have a set laying around that I'll try that with. Thanks for sharing that!

[Locked Up]

Originally Posted by ev0l

Nice, the hornet tires do a pretty good job of looking like the real McCoy! I just assumed the would not fit. I have a set laying around that I'll try that with. Thanks for sharing that!

It is hard to see in that picture but the sidewall looks very different and like I said ... you will really fight to get them on there.

[Locked Up]

So for the front suspension on the Nikkostein I am trying to figure out a way to have replaceable "wear" parts like I did to the rear. The front arms just ride on that metal pin and this is something that can/will wear out over time. So either adding bearings or finding some parts that will swap out and are still made.

I want to keep the feel of the Nikko so I do not want to do a full front clip swap and go to typical A-arms (though that would be fun).

Adding bearings would require me to make larger a-arms at the pin area, or to bore out and weaken what is there for a bearing. I don't really like either of those two options. Larger arms would be my preference between the two though. It would allow me to make them exactly how I want and address width of the track and suspension travel ... but that might be overkill for this project. It would also mean no readily available replacement parts so I started looking around for other RCs with the trailing front arm setup.


The only 2 front suspension setups I have come across that are similar are a Tamiya Sand Scorcher and a Tamiya Wild One/FAV.

The Sand Scorcher front looks very robust but I think it would change the look of the front too much.


The wild one looks closer to the Nikko and although there are no bearings, at least it is in production so I could get replacement parts...



Any other ideas for similar suspension setups that I could pillage parts from?

[eric113]

Might be time to get the mill running and order up delrin.....

[Locked Up]

Voyager Update...

#2 is here!


This makes the discoloration of #1 fairly obvious.


So I cracked open #1. the internals are in good shape and I will maintain a little hope that they work. it would be nice to have 1 working OG set of electronics.



You should be able to see the difference in the white vs. the yellow side of #1 here. I also pulled out the bow railing (obviously).



#2 insides .... look like crap.

That is how it sat when I opened it. Loose motor and all. Everything looks rusty and corroded .... but the top/deck is actually in better shape. Much less yellowing than #1.

Side by side:


Some closeups of #1 reveal 1 broken antenna mount, some sort of sprung drive rod/gear setup, what looks like waterproofing on the electronics, not sure what the metal rod is for back there (only #1 had it) and the props.






So there is some testing and work to be done on those.

On an unrelated note .... got my XJ back form the paint shop and have started reassembly. Looks eleventy billion times better!

[Locked Up]

Originally Posted by eric113

Might be time to get the mill running and order up delrin.....

In order to make the arms we are talking about a lot of fab because there are multiple planes at work.

If I can order a $9 part and have it work then it's more cost effective and would be good news for other Nikko addicts out there. I'm trying to no do too much that the average at home guy could not.


On a side note ... it looks as if a Hornet rear end may fit the Nikko chassis as well. So I may need to dig up an old Hornet and break it apart.

[sgtsteve]

Thanks Patrick, after seeing your sweet collection in person, and telling you I didn't really care for the old stuff, I find myself late at night looking for my very first hobby grade rc (8 year old).....Tamiya Grasshopper!

Video from 1984! My only decision is to look for a repro and upgrade electronics, or vintage in good shape.

[Locked Up]

Originally Posted by sgtsteve

Thanks Patrick, after seeing your sweet collection in person, and telling you I didn't really care for the old stuff, I find myself late at night looking for my very first hobby grade rc (8 year old).....Tamiya Grasshopper!

Video from 1984! My only decision is to look for a repro and upgrade electronics, or vintage in good shape.

Do it!!!

[Locked Up]

A little more tweaking on the rear.

I added a wrap of teflon tape to ensure the bearing was seated tightly. Worked perfectly!
I also shortened the shaft nub so it is recessed in the side.






And now that I sit back and look, I hate the look of the rear tires .... something must be done!

[eric113]

Hornet wheels and tires

[Locked Up]

Project #4 showed up....

This was delivered today!

All the pics (you can ignore the comparo to the Nikko tires .. I was just curious!):
Thumbnails

This baby is going to get revamped, cleaned up and as "original" as I can make it.
With that in mind, I want to figure out as best as I can what year/gen it is. Forgive my lack of education as this will be a "relearning" experience for me....

Here is what I know so far.

The transmission on the back is black, which I believe was an aftermarket MIP upgrade or must have come from a newer model. But there is an original looking tranny included so I am using that to help ID it. The currently mounted rear shocks are not original but the originals were included.

The chassis has an A stamp
I think the chassis is darker than the "light" ones I see pictures of.
Arms look short
I see white gears in the original transmission
Long wing posts
Front axles are behind the spindles
Rear spring cups do not capture the springs
Rear tower has one hole per side
Front spring cups do not have slots
Front shock pistons have hole and not slots
Front spindles do not have the added material
Some of the ball cups have been replaced with some sort of Dubro looking rod ends. The ones that are not dubro are a mix of the early type and the later type. All have threaded rod and not turnbuckles with the hex portion.
The tires on the original looking wheels.... front is 4 rib and front/rear do not say goodyear on them.
I'm not sure how it tell the difference in the milled or sanded shock towers.

The parts catalog that came with it has an Edinger address and says "Cat. #10PL Jan 1986.

The body was aftermarket and so nasty that I will not defile this thread with pictures of it!


So taking all that into consideration and looking in the 25 years of RC10s thread on RC10talk.com, I would say I have a late Edinger A stamp with some replacement parts mixed in (like the MIP trans, gear cover, rod ends). But then again the transmission (the loose one) has the drive gear attached with a nut and the holes in the shock pictons ... so maybe an early Cadallic but then the Edinger address, Jan 86 date and some of the parts would not make sense right?

Anyone have any thoughts?

Also, it has been a long time since I used any SAE tools so all I have are metric hex drivers. Can anyone tell me what all I will need to work on this properly?
3/32 tip?
3/16 & 1/4 sockets?
Anything else?

I'm open to people correcting me as long as they tell me why.

[Locked Up]

Originally Posted by eric113

Hornet wheels and tires

I'm still waiting for the wheels but I think that is a likely solution.

I still have hot shot tires on the way and the RC10 tires are a close fit too. Looks like the original RC10 tires are about the same bead as the Nikko and the newer low profile ones (on the black rims) are a little larger.

[Locked Up]

I went ahead and put the original style shocks, wheels & tires on the RC10.

Much better.



I still need to test the ESC but I'm not sure what to make of the servo because the pins are reversed.

Will have to dig a little bit on that.



All in all I am a bit torn on this car.
I'm not sure if I should just revamp it for what it is or if I should make the few updates to get it closer to what I had (CE).

The purist in me thinks I should revamp it but the kid in me wants to see what I had back then. I'm thinking I can slowly update the parts and provided I hang on to the original stuff I won't feel like I ruined it ... though I'm not sure anyone would light torches if I update this anyway.