TOPIC:

The nose of a Grasshopper is supposed to be two flat planes - the fact it was already an M-shape when you got it is no excuse

I'm not clear on what you're asking about pinions ... original options for the rolling gearbox were:

18T, 0.8 mod alloy for the Hornet with 540 motor bolted straight on;

long brass 10T, 0.8mod for the Lunchbox/Pumpkin with a 540 & the correct adaptor;

pressed on 10T, 0.8mod for the Grasshopper with a 380 & correct adaptor;



... so replacement options would be:

18T, 0.8 mod or 32dp ...looking on ebay, mostly Traxxas 32dp in steel ATM;

unless you're going for big wheels or monster brushless power it's not relevant, but the OE Tamiya pinion is the only possible replacement;

nothing easy - 380 motor has a tiny shaft (2.3mm?) & the correct pinion is not available on its own, so either find a 10T pinion with the wrong ID & make an adaptor tube, or get a whole 380 motor with the pinion on it?

I was mistakenly under the impression there was an 18T brass Tamiya pinion as well.
Fishing for an alternative pinion with a 3.2mm shaft and a good adress to find it...
Not a fan of the buttery alloy ones, really.
But I guess it'll be eBay then. Thought other brands made 'em too (Carson?).

I think I'll make the M shape a style element, Jonny.
Well spotted but original isn't a must.

Carson Model Sport makes good cheap steel pinion gears from germany, every teeth number and module.
You can find them here:

www.tamico.de/

Max

Cheers Max, good to know.
I don't see an 18T though. And unless one orders quite a bit there, shipping is a bit disproportionate.

Think I'll try one of the 32dp Robinsons or Traxxas pinions.
Unless anyone knows another good shop for just a couple of 18T 0.8mod Carsons?

Edou,

I might have an original 380 motor with a pinion on it...
If you're intrested just let me know

Cheers for that but I would still have my original 380.
Barely used because I quickly switched to a silvercan.
I was planning to put this 23T LRP into the Racing Hopper :



Had it lying around for a while and thought it would be a nice match.
It's just the only 18T 0.8mod pinion I have is about as pointy as the Eiffel tower.
Got a lot of miles on it though...

I recently watched a show on how they foosed up a Mustang.
Takes 500-1000 man hours to put on the clay for the custom bumpers alone...
And then there's the mold making, cleaning and detailing. Respect.

Not nearly as many hours in this one but quite a few by now :



One more layer of fine (regular) putty to go. And the roof to follow.

Hey, some interesting rear axle mods on BHS I hadn't seen before...
Not quite what I've done myself though.

www.blackholesu...er2_US.php



Anyway, anybody know which chassis had the reinforcement brackets that fit the Grasshopper again?

Edit - Rising Fighter...

So I'll be using the wider front suspension from the Super Hornet and use it's shocks as well.
The arms are not an exact match since they are ever so slightly positioned more forward than the Grasshopper's setup.
Rubbing on the front of the chassis...
Instead of adjusting the chassis to make a bit more room, I decided to work on the arms themselves.
A bit overzealous I cut off too much - the top of a 2mm screw was exactly enough to get the correct position :



Of course there's not enough length on the other side now but like this the arms have all the clearance they need :



What do you know... an M3 on the other side fills up the gap exactly.
See if I can use epoxy to make it look like a single piece again.
Roughness on the parts will naturally be taken care of...
They came from another basher. And someone who thought superglue was the solution for just about everything.