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Hi,
I wanted somethin special for my 500th post on Tamiyabase. I found it randomly, as someone living very close from my home proposed this rc car for an interesting price on a french forum I'm posting as well. It's a buggy, It's quite rare. It's even a piece of the RC car history... And rather than calling that a car, I should really call this a project, as there is a (badword) lot of work as you will see on the pictures... Here is some pics of the box. And for the car, it is quite broken. But all the pieces are there, even for the broken chassis or the bumper. There is a lot of work. I will probably have to rely on 3D printing at least for the chassis and the bumper. Suspension arms are in good shape, and transmission seems to be as well in good shape... On the mailman thread, I gave some leads to help to find, let's be more explicit about those:
I won't start the work right away as I need to finish my Marui Hunter/Galaxy project first, but I will update here while working on this project... I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them
The following user(s) Liked this: stingray-63, 1972 LeMansGT Jim, Lemsko, jord001, Ducksnuts, mirrorman
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Last edit: by silvertriple.
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A piece of history. Nice find Marc.
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Same here Al, Never seen one in person. Did they come in kit form??
The following user(s) Liked this: Al, silvertriple
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Yes, they did come in kit in the eighties. Not sure how long Nichimo cars were on the market. All the models had a release date in 1986. They reached Europe in 1987. They were imported in France by MRC (a local manufacturer). I heard about it while I was a teenager, as my monthly reads were Auto RCM, Adepte, Auto 8 and those french rc-magazines.
The whole Nichimo range was tested in Auto RCM during the second half of 1987. this exactly before I started to turn to 1/1 scale motorbikes. I don't have those magazine anymore, but I found some of those articles I read on rc-paper site... And interestingly, if you want to see a Nichimo instruction manual, just go in the other makes section of the downloads on Tamiyabase, and they are there. like some others obscure or less obscure brands... I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them
The following user(s) Liked this: 1972 LeMansGT Jim, jord001
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As I had some time this morning (a day off), some snow outside, it's perfect weather to try to move on on projects...
I decided to start my morning to get the Spirit FF down to parts... I dismantle all what I could. On the rear end, I did not succeed to remover the wheels from the rear arms. I will need to think on those ones... The right shock support is fixed with two screws which I believe have been glued with cyano... Not sure what to do to remove yet. After that I focused on the front end Lower front arms will probably require remplacement as cracks appear on both side at the shock fixation The gearbox is interesting, probably the part in the best state of this whole car, but the motor is quite far from the front train... Funny thing, as the motor is not really close from the front train, they added weight on the front with the radiator (I believe it was an afterthought, when they started to try the creation, as the box art did not include the radiator as well as the promo pictures from Nichimo)... This thing weight 92grams... Chassis parts, roll bar, front and rear arms are going to require a 3D modeling and printing... Next update at some point, but not necessarily in few days : I wanted to have a clear view of the state of all parts, to estimate the level of work required. I'll plan for it and I'll have other projects to shuffle as well , so don't expect updates before few months I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them
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I've never been clear on the value of an FWD off road buggy - off road needs soft suspension, soft suspension means weight transfer to the rear on acceleration = less grip on the driven wheels.
It's almost as though Nichimo thought "let's build a better - or at least, not infringing - version of the Hotshot" and started work on the front gearbox. At some point, someone asked "where does the driveshaft go?", and the reply came, "Right down the ... DOH!" |
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Well, one clear indication is that FWD buggys got very soon banned on 2WD races, as they were too much efficient on loose surface. Yes acceleration was not their strong point, as it was requiring to be soft on the trigger... But once at cruising speed, they were at their advantage when it comes to turn, as it was not requiring to reduce much speed, and that rear would not spin at the time you accelerate while still turning.
That being said, the Nichimo Spirit FF was the first of this specie, one year before the MaxxumFF from Kyosho (another car design by Akira Kogawa). I believe that before the ban of the FWD cars in 2WD category (end of 1986), the MaxxumFF was the car to beat on loose surfaces... I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them
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Very interesting transmission system. If I knew, I kept these rims for you.
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Last edit: by stingray-63.
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While working on the Samurai wheels, I learned a lot, and I should be able to start work in Fusion 360 for this project.
I laid down the chassis on my desk to have a more attentive look at it having teh Fusion 360 background to set my design strategy. First I decided to keep the chassis this way at this stage. I don't want to damage it more than it is before I started the measurements. Acetone or CA solvent are out of the picture due to the risk for the chassis material, I'm considering boiling water could be a solution. That being said, I won't try this until I have moved forward on the design. I believe it is lest risky. There is some symmetry, and some easy measurements, and there is parts where it's not exact symmetry which I will need to work out. I'm considering starting by the chassis rather than the gearbox (as the gearbox is probably the only assembly part in this buggy which does not require any rework ). I'm intending to start this next, as I do not want to start a kit right now, and I'm waiting for parts for the Samurais... I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them
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Last edit: by silvertriple.
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