TOPIC:

Time for a couple of project-ettes ... I haven’t forgotten about the Cheetah, but I’m currently suffering with a lot of pain from my ongoing prolapsed intevertebral disc, so something a bit easier that I can pick up for 10 minutes at a time is a much better idea ATM ...


The first car here is a 58183 Volvo 850 BTCC on a FF chassis (retconned to “FF01” to differentiate it from the later FF02 & FF03), which although not in the first 100, and being a bit limited due to being strictly a tarmac car – has to be my all time favourite chassis for actual driving. I bought this on eBay, when you see the prices the body kit are up at I did quite well - the FF chassis was practically free

I’m not quite clear on why interest in this car – or at least its prices - have increased recently ... perhaps it’s just that _everything_ seems to be going up ... but this car does have a certain appeal, as it dates from when Volvo became cool in the UK, well, if not cool, at least not just cars old people drove (the 340) and the car the sort of people that buy antique furniture drove (240, 740, etc) – mainly on the back of the 1995 T5R (a Volvo that went fast?!?!?) and of course the entry of a pair of 850 estates (station wagons) into the 1995 BTCC (British Touring Car Championship).

Quite why Tamiya didn’t go for the estate version is beyond me, instead going for the 1996/1997 season saloon (sedan) instead.





What I got was not the unfinished, lightly used kit the listing implied - there seems to be a fair bit of that going around at the moment – I knew about the wheels, but the chassis as a whole was not originally a Volvo 850 – if it was, I wouldn’t have had to remove the spacers on the rear body posts ... the body is also a little suspect – it doesn’t match the body kit instruction sheet as I had to cut the body post holes myself

... what we have here then is an assemblage of bits from different sources that had never been together before being featured in the ebay listing... the damage on the underside is not consistent either – on the leading edge of the chassis there’s a point at which three screws hit the deck before the plastic moulding, but as the screws continue to wear, the plastic starts to wear too ... the screws are unmarked, but the chassis is significantly worn ...

I can’t help feeling that someone has had two or more FF cars, kept the best bits for themselves, and made up this car with the leftovers & a couple of purchases .... I suppose I should be grateful I got the wing & mirrors in that case.

I don’t know what other people’s opinion is on provenance – but my feeling is that is important – to take a more extreme example, a collection of NIP parts put into a perfect box with perfect instructions, etc is _not_ a NIB kit, is not worth as much as much as an NIB kit, and trying to sell it as one would be fraud.

Overall, I think for what I paid & the facts mentioned in the listing, I shouldn’t feel like I got a bad deal.

I have a lot of, well, not quite love, but fondness for the FF chassis – one of these was my first buy when I got back into RC in 2008, a 58143 Ford Mondeo BTCC sans shell – incidentally I never have managed to get the correct shell for it in good condition at a price I’m willing to pay, and it’s been through a sucession of different bodies – initially a Ford Escort, an Hpi (I think) Mondeo body, and a couple of Citroen Xsaras – it doesn’t get driven that much, but when it does, it gets a right hammering ...

I find RWD touring cars just too twitchy, 4WD is ok, but can be a bit too easy – FWD is much more fun

I think it’s because the FF, being FWD, front engine, with most of the weight on the front, actually handles like a 1980s/ early 90’s big FWD car – massive torque steer, massive understeer, really poor traction – and the thing that makes it all worthwhile – massive lift off oversteer

I’m leaning towards this one staying on the shelf when finished – so the lack of a decent motor, RX & the MSC aren’t really a problem – but I will strip it enough to check it all over, fit bearings all round & replace the 12mm hexes with alloy ones.

Bodywork is the thing here – I’ll be trying and do away with some of the excess of decals by masking up (using liquid mask again) to paint the roof/B- & C-pillar areas blue, along with some extra areas on the bumpers, sills & wings. Paint will be Parma “Faskolor” blue & white.


As I have another car needing almost identical materials & techniques, I’ll be doing both at the same time – and in one thread

The second car here is a TL01 chassis (originally from a 58283 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup VIP Car, which I bought very cheaply with a ruined body) that’s been through at least two incarnations with me – firstly a Beetle body with longer shocks & big wheels, then latterly with an Escort body on, trying to make it a bit more scale but still with some off-road ability with slightly oversize wheels with very chunky tyres ..

.. I have to say, this must be the chassis I like _least_, ever – it’s a little too narrow to be useful, it has little ground clearance but is _still_ top heavy, and has no charm whatsoever ... unfortunately, Tamiya seemed to use this chassis on just about everything for a while – no end of times I’ve seen cars for sale I actually quite liked the idea of ... until I saw the words “TL01 chassis”

So you might wonder why I’m actually using it here – the answer is because unlike the better looking 4WD semi-off-road chassis’ I’ve seen for sale recently at £40-£50+, it’s a price I really like – free . It already has a 19T motor, suitable ESC & 2.4ghz RX in it, bearings all round, alloy 12mm hubs, decent shocks & suitable wheels & tyres... all I’ll have to do to it is put a battery in it, and besides, it’ll be hidden (at least until I roll it) buy the vacformed cockpit I’m planning to add.

Body will be a Controlfreax Metro 6R4 - a 1980’s Group B rally car, legendary for taking the most unsuitable donor car _ever_ & turning it into a fire-breathing monster ...


Pics of what I’ve done so far to follow soon...

Definitely think the "turning point" for Volvo was with the T5.
Altough they didn't do bad with the 480 Turbo either...
Think that was the same engine as the Renault 5.

There's some connection between this chassis and the TA01, right?
Looking forward to the pics.

The FF chassis - doesn't really look much ...




Volvo 850 shell & decals ...




Body cut out & test fitted - slammed way too much on the front - the wheel arches aren't the problem, but the body hitting the ground first & tucking under _is_ ...




note the lightwight back end ...





body lifted at the front ...



.. new body posts needed





this doesn't add up ...



Metro 6R4 body cut out & test fitted ...




3rd coat of liquid mask just gone on ...



... and peeled off again as I couldn't get on with it ...






Making my own window masks ...





Masks on & 1st coat of blue ...

Edou wrote:

...

There's some connection between this chassis and the TA01, right?
...

I can see why people think that, but as far as I know, no ... well apart from the usual fasteners found on every Tamiya car ... TBH it's got more in common with the TA-02 chassis, and even then it's just the chassis bathtub & some of the suspension arms.

Short chassis so TA02 indeed...
Found this - might be interesting :

Ultimate Tamiya FF01

Always like to know the details.
Thought of this because I think the hollow carbon shafts are interchangeable with my Manta Ray...

Edou wrote:

Short chassis so TA02 indeed...
Found this - might be interesting :

Ultimate Tamiya FF01

Always like to know the details.
...

Interesting - but it does smack of recycled / recieved wisdom - any track that has bends tighter than a drag strip needs the "toe out" setup on the back ...



My modest "collection" of FF01's:

Mondeo allegedy signed by both Kelvin Burt & Paul Radisich - but I didn't pay any extra for that as 80% of autographs are faked, and these look pretty unconvincing, I've done nothing with this since getting it;

My Mondeo "runner" (currently in a Xsara shell, Nosram Tornado 17x2 motor, 12T ESC, 2.4 RX, toe in setup on the back, no toe in/out on the front, Schumacher slicks all round);

#3, Volvo WIP ...






Note the "toe-in" setting (as specified by the manual) on the Volvo:




... and the "toe-out" setup you need if you want the car to go round any corner at all:

My bad, the rear setup in the manual (at least in the Mondeo one I have) is for toe out, the toe in setup is specified on a separate sheet for "high speed circuits"

Meanwhile, I am seriously underwhelmed by the Faskolor paint - it goes on nicely enough and dries quickly, but even after 5 coats it's still really streaky ... I've slapped a bit on a scrap bit of polycarbonate to try Tamiya PC paint on, assuming there's no reaction I'll switch to that as 2 or 3 coats of that are always enough ...

I've also been buying a few bits, the D parts I need to get the front body mounts come to

I love the metro 6r4 that shell looks great with that wheel and rally tyre combo. I always loved these rally cars and a few years back they ran a rally course around New Brighton on the Wirral near where i live along the promenade section. I managed to take a walk around the pit section and saw the guys working on the engines. talk about shoeing in a massive engine in to such a small car pretty amazing stuff. The rally course they set up was very tight with a lot of twists and bends and was an on-road course. The 6r4's where running rings around the Subaru Impreza's and Mitsubishi Evo's it was a great day out.

Well there you go ... 2 coats of Tamiya PC-4, and starting on the white (PC-1) ... I think the moral of the story is therefore "Don't use Faskolor paint, it's pants"