TOPIC:

This part on my older son's Frog is broken (the MSC stuck and he hit a fence - he says) and is missing on my Subaru Brat "restoration" for my younger son. Seeing as it seems to be made of chocolate and both of these cars could do with some front end protection, I am looking for something else.
I came across an integrated mount and bumper from CRP that looks good. There is one on ebay in the UK and plenty in the CRP US shop.
a. Are these bumpers as strong as they say they are?
b. Do you have experience of shipping stuff from CRP in the USA?
I am thinking of buying 2 (or even 3) from CRP USA.
www.ebay.co.uk/...0578189213
You can't fit any old bumper as the suspension attaches to it.

I've bought stuff from TeamCRP before - including a Frog/Brat bumper, it all arrived fairly quickly & i didn't get hit with import duties ...

I couldn't tell you how tough it is as I haven't even fitted it yet, let alone crashed it, but it's a semi flexible material, unscientifically I'd say it's half way between the bumper material & the mount material. It will also be new, so won't have had 25 years worth of being attacked by UV, hot & cold, fumes & WD40

I can't vouch for it's strength (don't have one) but CRP is an excellent store and they make great stuff.
Last item I ordered from them, arrived very swiftly.

It could be that the MSC got some interference btw - that's how I crashed my Grasshopper.

Edit - posted simultaneously with Jonny...

Why not have a go at making one? - use black polypropylene or Polyethylene (Both nearly indestructable & easy to cut with a sharp knife etc). - Use the old bits as a template to draw around. If you can't get any on Ebay, visit Directplastics online.

As far as interference & MSCs go, 27MHz AM radio is the worst for it & can pick up interference from the simplest of metal-to-metal contact eg dry driveshafts, metal aerial banging/scraping on fixing screws etc. Sparking from the motor will also cause it, so make sure there are suppressor capacitors fitted to it.
To prove it might be interference, get a failsafe unit & plug it into the throttle channel (With the throttle servo in-line) & program it to cut the throttle when interference or low Rx supply voltage are detected. IF after fitting, the car has suddenly decided to have spluttery stop/go throttle control, then interference is definately the problem - first check the Rx aerial isn't broken or too short & that the Rx power supply is ok & connections tight & clean. If the Rx supply is coming from the main battery in some way (ie, rather than a separate battery pack), you need to also check the main battery connector condition & any switches/connectors between it & the Rx, as the failsafe won't detect a total removal of supply, only low voltage.
If the failsafe doesn't make any difference, have a feel of the MSC to see if it moves freely, & also check the servo gears (Hold the horn & operate the throttle stick, the horn should move smoothly & shouldn't stop or make any gear-crunching noises)

I ended up buying two of the CRP bumpers from ebay member smitchos (who I believe is a member here). He had one listed and very helpfully found another one and listed the pair at a good price.
They fit well and hopefully will be much stronger than the original item.
smitchos - if you are reading - Thanks again for your help.

By the way - the CRP shops lists the white nylon bumpers as "dyeable". How would I go about dying them a different colour? Anyone tried this?

You can use textile dye for this - Dylon or Rit for example.
Boil up an (old) pan with this (and water of course) and put the parts in...
Depending on the depth of the colour you want, leave in it for different amounts of time.
If the item takes the dye well, your part can be coloured in minutes.