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Old 12-04-2013, 05:31 PM   #1
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Default Locked Up's "Memory Lane" builds...

I'm going to use this thread for a few bits of RC nostalgia I'll be working on. There will be 4-5 vehicles in here, depending on if I can remember what my very first RC was.

These are mostly going to be "toy grade" RCs because when you are 5-10 years old, that's what you play with ....
-----------------------------

My second RC vehicle ever was a 1982 Kenner Products Knight 2000.
Yes, "KITT - AKA Knight Industries Two Thousand".

I watched the heck out of that show and a few other cheesy offerings but for whatever reason my Grandparents decided to get me one for Christmas when I was 5 years old.

And now, thanks to Ebay, this is on my workbench:


Gallery:
Thumbnails

My initial impression is that it is in very good condition. I'm really shocked that I snagged this off Ebay for what I got it for. I am going to polish it to see if I can remove the few scratches I found and will share that process when I get to it.

I put in some batteries to see if it works and I instantly remembered the horrible wagging wire antenna. The electronics are questionable at best. It will move a little but is crazy slow and adding steering input seems to drain it. I may need some fresher batteries or just some alkaline and not nicad. I'm going to try that but if it still isn't up to snuff .... I may yank the factory electronics, seal up the antenna hole and update it with some new parts. I'm not expecting to win any RC shows with this so I'm OK with pulling 30 year old electronics and updating the insides. Either way it will look good on my shelf ........... to me.


I know you are all on the edge of your seats with anticipation.

Last edited by Locked Up; 12-12-2013 at 03:43 PM.
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Old 12-04-2013, 05:36 PM   #2
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that's awesome Patrick. man I remember rushing home from school to watch micheal and kitt on TV. I LOVED that show. of course watching it today I realize how terrible it actually was.

very cool man. I hope you do revive it with new guts. I for one would love to see that.
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Old 12-04-2013, 06:04 PM   #3
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Nice find! I have a soft spot for old Radio Shack and Nikko's.
I've tried to collect the one's from my childhood and a few other's that I wanted as a kid.
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Old 12-04-2013, 06:35 PM   #4
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Default Re: Locked Up's "Memory Lane" builds...

It will for sure look good on the shelf but even better on the road

Great starter indeed though, looks clean!
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Old 12-04-2013, 11:44 PM   #5
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Well .... that didn't take long.


Less than 6 hours and it's apart.



So I have several "notes to self".

Full board for controls as expected.


It looks like it has some sort of solenoid or magnetic steering assemblies in the knuckles. Not really familiar with the setup but it is limited by something internally.


Lock to lock:



The tires are rubber and have some fun detail.
That's Scale baby! s



The front has a "suspension" but I use that term loosely.
You can see full droop (ride height) to full bump in these two:



Rear has a selectable gear box that I forgot about, which confused me before I remembered the selector switch underneath.





The rear (and front) do not have any sort of bushings, so this may become a fun chassis swap. Not sure what I could swap in but if I'm gonna update this bad boy I'm gonna update the fudge out of it.

So my hunt will begin for something with 32mm tires/20mm wheels. I'm hoping I can find a small hobby grade car with some decent guts. I can always make a new chassis/tub and that's probably the best way to go. That way I can make full use of whatever I find.

So Wheelbase right now is ~125mm.
Outer/total width is 102.5mm

In the interim, I will order another RX for my radio, a cheap ESC, a micro servo and a little 2S lipo.

Last edited by Locked Up; 12-04-2013 at 11:59 PM.
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Old 12-05-2013, 08:27 AM   #6
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Default Re: Locked Up's "Memory Lane" builds...

I have determined that an HPI Micro RS4 might be an acceptable donor.

The wheelbase would be too long but I can shorten it with a custom chassis
Should be a perfect width as they allow for some adjustability.
probably would lose the 4WD but I'm OK with that.

The kicker to an RS4 is that I would have to use their wheels & tires. The KITT has a 20mm wheel and 32mm tires. The RS4 has a 36mm tire and 29mm wheel. So it may look a little bit bling.


What do yall think?

Keep it stock chassis and just update the electronics or swap in an RS4 underside and see how deep the rabbit hole is?


Attaching my best guess on how the new wheel/tire sizing would look.
So one "as-is" then an artist rendering ... (with bad photoshop).
Not sure if it's ghetto or just updated looking .... thoughts?
Attached Images
  

Last edited by Locked Up; 12-05-2013 at 08:39 AM.
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Old 12-05-2013, 08:52 AM   #7
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didnt notice how small it was. the wheel n tire size would work but finding a wheel that looks good may be a challenge. best to proly keep it old and see what can be done
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Old 12-05-2013, 10:30 AM   #8
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Default Re: Locked Up's "Memory Lane" builds...

I also just realized that the 1:1 had some fugly wheels anyway ...


I think I'll just update the electronics on this one and see where that gets me. If I end up wearing it out then I'll go after the full chassis swap.

Last edited by Locked Up; 12-05-2013 at 12:14 PM.
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Old 12-05-2013, 05:33 PM   #9
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Got some electronics and batteries ordered.
Forgot to order as servo but I'm sure I will come across one in my parts pile.



Also just got project #2 in.
Will have pictures up later.....
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Old 12-05-2013, 05:46 PM   #10
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Default Re: Locked Up's "Memory Lane" builds...

is that front suspension and kingpin spring style?
lock to lock steering isn't bad. some hobby grades only have that much.
btw I have a spare micro rs4 here if you need any parts or measurements. there getting harder to find. I wish hpi would hurry up and re-release them. they showed the new kits LAST December at toy fair.

if your looking for opinions im not digging the lopro tires in the photo shop. gotta find a way to stick with the OG 16"s. actually thinking back I think my 3rd gen had 15s stock.
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Old 12-05-2013, 06:55 PM   #11
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Magnum P.I. Build?
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Old 12-05-2013, 07:12 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by STANG KILLA SS View Post
is that front suspension and kingpin spring style?
lock to lock steering isn't bad. some hobby grades only have that much.
btw I have a spare micro rs4 here if you need any parts or measurements. there getting harder to find. I wish hpi would hurry up and re-release them. they showed the new kits LAST December at toy fair.

if your looking for opinions im not digging the lopro tires in the photo shop. gotta find a way to stick with the OG 16"s. actually thinking back I think my 3rd gen had 15s stock.
It is.
I figure a mini servo will take care of everything up front.

I agree. Just gonna get new electronics in and "play" with it.
Is 3s gonna be too much?
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Old 12-05-2013, 08:02 PM   #13
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Default Re: Locked Up's "Memory Lane" builds...

KITT had blacked out wheels with a silver ring, so you could use black wheels and look more authentic. My point being; if your rims were black I dont think it would be AS obvious that they were lo-pro (not look so "blingy" lol) and might look a little better than you think. Either way Im jealous and watching!

Last edited by sgtbham; 12-05-2013 at 08:07 PM.
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Old 12-05-2013, 08:53 PM   #14
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Default Re: Locked Up's "Memory Lane" builds...

Which brings me to project #2 ...

The 3rd ever RC vehicle I owned was a Nikko F10 Frame Buggy. The Thunderbolt.

I found this one on sale on ebay for .... wait for it .....

.......$5.50.


Came with the radio and a charger (ha!)


Of course there is a down side. Literally!

The passenger side (for those of us in the USA) has a broken light and what's worse is the rear tire is toasted.



I have a few ideas on how to fix it since the tires are no longer made and are a weird size. I measure about 3.2" OD and 1.8" ID.

I could possibly cut down something I have lying around. Don't we all have a set of flatirons rolling around?




Another idea would be to make an adapter and run some modern wheels. Not impossible but will take a little fab.



Of course, I had to try some scale offerings.
And don't lie to yourself ... the steelies look good.



The mud thrashers would probably look good too but the tread is a little more narrow. I also would prefer to get something I can reorder in the future without having to mod and both the flat irons and the MTs would require some cut and shut work. So I'm going to order the closest tires I could find which were for a Hornet rear and Grasshopper front. We'll see how they fit.

Electronics have been ordered for this one as well.

Last edited by Locked Up; 12-05-2013 at 08:56 PM.
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Old 12-05-2013, 10:11 PM   #15
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Default Re: Locked Up's "Memory Lane" builds...

Patrick, for KITT, how about a styrene chassis? I think it would be plenty strong and not have to hack up the original.
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Old 12-06-2013, 06:44 PM   #16
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the OG pin tire MAKE that nikko. somehow you have to find a way to keep or match them. there were so many cars that had them. Tamiya, kyosho, RC10 etc. surely something out there exists.
I recognize that adapter laying on the table.

Last edited by STANG KILLA SS; 12-06-2013 at 06:47 PM.
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Old 12-07-2013, 08:28 AM   #17
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Steve,
I'm going to try to refresh the electronics on KITT and see where that gets me first. I keep telling myself it's "meant for the shelf" so probably better to look as original as possible. Which means no bushings, no big motor, no Tim Tayloring it.

I do want it to drive though, so if there is something that has to be changed for that I will do it. Assuming the motor and gears are OK I am going to keep the original chassis as original as possible. Will probably run it a few times around the house, then get super detailed about cleaning it and "retire" it ... until I have kids.


The NIKKO is in a similar boat and Corey, I agree. I did order some modern pin tires so we will see where that gets me. I still will figure out some alternative to get modern wheels on there though. I can see myself playing with the Nikko a lot more so want to prepare it for wear and tear. There are more of them available so breakage is slightly less of a concern. In fact I ordered a second one to have some spare parts readily available. #2 looks to have 2 original rear tires but I will have to see if they are OK or rotting.

The parts Nikko is not in as good of condition but is the original yellow that I had as a kid, so I will have some decisions to make. Looking at the one in hand I can see a lot of room for improvement. Shocks, arms, bearings, motor... So I will likely end up with one that is as original as I can get it, and another that does get the "tool man treatment".

Nikko on 3S?

Last edited by Locked Up; 12-20-2013 at 11:20 PM.
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Old 12-07-2013, 11:02 PM   #18
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Default Re: Locked Up's "Memory Lane" builds...

Eric and Steve both came by today and we got to share what we have all been up to.


Eric helped me "see the light" on the Nikko.

I had started cleaning it up a bit and as I was, I moved the steering and swear I heard a servo in there resisting me. This somewhat excited me because it got me thinking I could easily upgrade the steering. Since I had also decided it was easier to remove some parts and wash them in the sink ... the tear down started.


Here are the insides and what I assumed to be toasted electronics. Remember, this was won for $5.50+S&H.




The steering is a servo of sorts, but not "drop in" replaceable. Big servo saver on it and LOTS of slop. No easy way to add a bushing or anything in there to fix the slop. Which made me think about replacing everything inside. While talking about replacing the electronics and we decided to see how bad they are.... and son of a biscuit ... the steering and drive both work! We were both pretty shocked and after talking about the pros and cons I decided to leave this one as OG as possible. MAYBE bearings but other than that, stock everything.

So we'll see what the "parts" buggy offers for tires. If I can get one that is 100% stock and works, I'll be super happy.

So here it is for the moment 90% cleaned up:



I should add that last night I went ahead and made some crazy wide wheel hexes to allow me to bolt up a standard 1.9 wheel. This is probably what I will use on the "parts" buggy to make a "Nikkenstein".








I also got project #3 in today but am putting it on the shelf until I finish at least one of these!

Last edited by Locked Up; 12-07-2013 at 11:05 PM.
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Old 12-10-2013, 10:14 PM   #19
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Parts buggy arrived!



Overall it is in good shape. I'm actually surprised at the condition of the tail and body (better than I expected) so now I'm wondering if I should use the blue or yellow for the shelf.

I did find 3 breaks and 2 were surprises.
I did not know the side bar was broken and you can tell it had been glued. May have to recruit sgtsteve to help me mend this.


I knew about the broken tab on the roof. Not super concerned about it since one of these is going to end up being a runner.


Not as noticeable but the very front of the cage is cracked. Someone must have taken it apart and then gone gorilla putting it back together.


The important thing is I now have 3 good tires to choose from for the shelf queen.


I will get the electronics tested on this one as well as doing a little bit of parts swapping. Funny that this one cost me more than the almost mint blue one but I guess that bad tire really cut the price on "old blue".
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Old 12-19-2013, 02:47 PM   #20
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So I got the electronics on Buggy 2 tested and it is DOA.

I pulled it apart to see if I could see a loose wire or anything but I think it is just toast.


So out with the old on this one ....



While I was pulling things apart I decided to remove the rear shocks and the motor/tranny/axle combo. This was so that I could order bearings for it but also so that I could see if there some upgrades I can make to the internals. High quality shocks!


And yes, there will be some changes in there!

If I cab find/make some metal versions of those gears I may put a hot motor in here. If not I will just run what is in there until it dies. Bearings throughout and better shocks will happen. I'm also toying around with modifying that housing so that it swings on bearings instead of the plastic on plastic action it has right now.
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