TOPIC:

Jonny wrote:

I missed this post - was "affordable" the same as "cheap"?

A bit higher segment than that I reckon - it was (I returned it) a Skandia at about 15 euro.
Worked quite well too but not for the purpose I had in mind.
I'm using a 0.5mm zinc sheet btw... having the weight in mind mostly.

Think I'll saw (electrically or manually?) and use a Dremel next...

Quite the small miracle I had all the custom parts for assembly - no interruptions because of convenient stock keeping.
Once more the after scenario :


And this is an overview of all the parts needed for the build (after gearbox and damper assembly) :


There is one thing missing on this picture though - who has the hawk eye to spot what I mean?

Both gearboxes fitted on the FRP chassis :



Very silver that silver though...

Disadvantage of building is that hop up mania always rears it's head - and changes that "need" to be made..
Most out of place (in my taste) are the blue wheel hexes...
After a tip on the Dutch forum, I decided to perform a bit of a blasphemous act and order some from Axial.
These are black and also have a grub screw to tigthen everything in place.
The regular type has an extra flange on it and does not seem to match Tamiya.
So I ordered a set that was specified as narrow. Hope I'll get them to fit.



The approach with the grubs is also smarter here than with the ones from Racing Punk I think.
Rather than having to go through the effort of closing both halves, the wheel axle itself can be fixated.

I've have heard of incorrectly manufactured and inferior CPV product (Racing Punk) too.
Manged to fit the blue ones I had - but not easily. And with a bit of frustration.



Other than that I have found a Japanese store where I ordered an extra 53070 ball diff.
It was on a discount and they offer (very) low shipping cost. So no need for combining items...
Altogether it came to 1300 Yen - a little less than 13 euro or $17 - shipping included.
I'd probably only get a better deal if I lived next to the Tamiya factory.

Edou wrote:

...
I'm using a 0.5mm zinc sheet btw... having the weight in mind mostly.
...

You're using zinc to save weight - over what? Lead? Gold?

If weight is everything, titanium would give you something like a 37% weight saving over zinc, magnesium a 77% saving (though good luck with filing/drilling it ) ... realistically, aluminium or a light alloy will save 60%+, 1050a/h14 grade is generally reckoned to be the most amenable to working

Mostly with the thickness of course - although it is a little lighter than steel...
No rust with oxidation was another consideration.
The aluminium I could find seemed to be too soft.
I'll investigate on the specs you mentioned.

The interest has also wandered into different territory though...
I now know a reliable adress for carbon fiber sheets of different thickness.

Edou wrote:

There is one thing missing on this picture though - who has the hawk eye to spot what I mean?

Lower damper mounts??

-Lars

Ha ha - you spotted some smaller parts that I hadn't taken into account myself!
That is correct of course although I was aiming at the gearbox joints...

Guess my plan worked out better than I thought. With the colour scheme as a whole...
Basically ready to run now! I'll post a lot more pics of the process soon.



Imagine the wing and some cool oversized black rims on it for now.
Body will need some more decals and finishing...

Here's a shot of the finished chassis :



The white haziness isn't there much in reality. Seems to be amplified by my digital camera.
On this pic even the small battery plates appear to have that and these come straight out the packing.
Very tempting to get another upperdeck though...

Since I've been picking this one up again, it's hard not to get excited about the other possible upgrades.
Yes - I am a hop up freak.