fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

How is the Cup Racer substantially different from the RS4 3 Sport? It looks like it has the same drivetrain layout, just with laydown shocks in the front.

I hope HPI doesn't kill off their car line, or their nitro line. Transfer them to the Hot Bodies name, if necessary. The RS4 3 Evo is *the* gateway into nitro touring cars and has been for a long time. You can jump right into something that needs belts, a high-end .12 racing engine, and a starter box, but the RS4 makes nitro touring cars *convenient*, which is why I own one. (well, two including a shelf queen.)

Hmm. Oh well then.

Sorry man. If I lived closer I'd let you drive one of mine.

firefoxussr

iTrader: (5)

It's an m-chassis sized car (e.g. same size as Tamiya M05/04/06).

I have one because I'm a Lancia fanatic and I like the HPI Lancia Stratos body. And you practically need a Cup Racer to run that body (verrry low profile nose, 210mm wheelbase, short rear over hang).

Metal One

My Rally Legends Stratos should be here any day. I hope it fits the XV-01 but with that front motor, I doubt it will. It should fit the TT-02 though. I looked at the HPI Stratos and then I looked at the M05 and then I saw the terrible things that must be done to make that body fit the M05 so I ordered the Rally Legends instead.

I love Italian cars. Lamborghinis are my favorite, obviously. Pagani, Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati, a few Alfas, not necessarily in that order. It definitely depends on the model too but Italians just make sexy cars, particularly Guigaro and Ital Design stuff.

Went out to run my XV-01 this evening and I had lost my TX bind. I cannot recall that ever happening... ever! I must have accidentally set it to the wrong model when I was setting the AVC on my TT-02. Only thing I can think of. Batteries were not fully charged anyway and the road was wet. Ended up running the WR8 instead.

novaris

anyone tried swapping the front locked front diff (xv01 pro tc) with the rear diff and using as a rally car?
(unlocked front diff and locked rear diff)

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

You don't need a locked rear diff on the rally car. It powerslides easily enough already, with ~10k oil in the rear diff.

I have a spool in the front of my FWD rally car, though. But that's because it has half as many drive wheels to work with, and traction is more important than premature tire wear.

Metal One

Still no Stratos body. Best I can figure from Hobby King's crappy tracking system, it has landed... somewhere.

Apparently, this AsiaTees place has pretty much all of the KillerBody stuff in stock but I have no idea how trustworthy they are. I don't know if I can deal with another overseas hobby company anyway. One is quite enough, thanks.

Raman

iTrader: (94)

AsiaTees is trust worthy as an online retailer, the issue is shipping, rates for bodies is very high. There is a Killerbody distributor in the US. If you're in the US, most Hobbytowns can order Killerbody, through the us distributer

novaris

yeah i know. just that i will be getting the killerbody shell instead of using the stock ones. so getting the xv01tc pro version will be cheaper but it has a locked front diff. if i want to do away with it, I will need to source for more spare parts to have an unlocked front diff

Metal One

My Rally Legends Stratos just arrived. It is without a doubt, the worst quality I have ever seen. The edges are wrinkled and rounded, not sharp and crisp as they should be for this car. The front end is wavy with bubbly corners. There are no sharp edges or details on the front end. It's round where it should be pointy. It looks like the bumper lights stuck to the mold. They are creased and cracked inside. The tail lights are also crumpled around the edges. The front lip is a good 1/4" higher than the side skirts and it does not include the front splitter typically found on these cars so the side profile doesn't look quite right. Fortunately, white paint hides many flaws and it should still make a fine basher body. I'll never have to worry about scraping.

It included window masks and window decals but did not include any of the red and green Alitalia livery decals shown in the pictures so unless you are seriously good with painting lines or know someone who's good at making decals, that classic design ain't happening.

The good news is, it fits the XV-01! Huzzah! It's not perfect but the wheelbase is correct and the sides cover the chassis. The rear track needs to be a bit wider but the front is fine like it is. This gives me hope for the Killerbody Stratos.

Here are some pics. I haven't sanded the edges yet but you get the idea. Be warned though... this is not an attractive body.

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

Leave the spool in the front. You'll still be able to powerslide. My FWD rally car has a spool in the front and it powerslides like a champ. The rear end of this chassis is really light compared to a normal touring car, and with a little suspension tuning you can get exactly as much oversteer as you want.

- - -

Metal One, that sucks about the quality of the Stratos body. Now I know to not bother buying any bodies from HobbyKing.

Metal One

Ok. Step two. Graphics. It's kinda what I do, among many other things. Too many other things! Anyway, I searched around online a bit and found a few overhead shots and was able to trace some stripe vectors in FlexiSign. I took some measurements and printed them with a Mutoh VJ-1204 at 1440x1440, max quality on clear vinyl.

I forgot the Lancia logos and the door numbers and my Monte Carlo Rally decals have clear letters so they don't show up on the hood stripes. I'll have to print a few on white vinyl tomorrow. Here's how it looks tonight.

angrymelon

iTrader: (1)

Looking good!

Raman

iTrader: (94)

The man at Killerbody must be my long lost Alfisiti brother, because only he would release this!

http://www.killerbodyrc.com/page/newsdetail.aspx?cate=2&id=52

Metal One

Man, that's too pretty.

Didn't get to work on my door numbers and such today. Too busy.

Ordered a few more XV-01 upgrades tonight. Aluminum pulleys, carbon fiber shock towers, front bumper stays and a set of star wheels in offsets that should line up with the Stratos body a bit better than the Integrale wheels.

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

The carbon-reinforced-plastic shock towers are actually stiffer than the carbon-fiber shock towers. The front shock tower sits well behind the upper shock eyelet, and requires a ~10mm standoff to reach from the eyelet to the shock tower. (with the plastic ones this is integrated, with the carbon-fiber ones it's a separate piece that comes with the tower.) As a result, the shock has a lot of leverage to twist the shock tower, and the carbon-fiber shock towers aren't woven to resist twisting -- they're just a plain crosshatched weave. That means the shock tower behaves like an un-damped spring and makes the front of the car bouncy. The carbon-reinforced-plastic shock towers have carbon fibers going every-which-way inside the plastic, which makes them much stiffer. The carbon-fiber ones are probably stronger and definitely less brittle than the carbon-reinforced-plastic ones, but they aren't as good for handling.

I use the carbon-fiber shock towers on my long-travel XV-01s, but on the ones with normal shocks I "downgraded" from carbon-fiber to carbon-reinforced-plastic.