TAMIYA CANADA - - Borgfeldt Canada Limited killed it. I am sure the fact that almost all major hobby shops in CANADA get their Tamiya product from Great Planes/hobbico and Horizon Hobbies in the States helped kill it. Tamiya Canada never has product in stock, so they killed them selves.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...21384884597569

I've bought several kits and parts directly from TamiyaUSA. They're very good with turnaround time. The only downside is that they still use those ancient foam pellets as packing material and it is a royal PITA each time to find my parts in that pool of foam, then have to dump it into my recycle bin. :rolleyes: Hopefully they will start using rolled up packing paper or large air bubbles instead.

Okay, thanks. I was just curious cause the Canadian racers I'd met at the Nationals were well supported. I did not know they had expense paid trips.

Last time I tried, TamiyaUSA wouldn't sell direct to Canada. Said they couldn't step on Borgfeldt's toes, even if Borgfeldt had zero product. I appreciate the ethic, but don't think the execution worked well.

Wow, is that right. At least they could've tried to work something out with Borgfeldt. I guess your best bet is eBay then. :lol:

It took 30 days for that one Japanese store to deliver parts to me. :rolleyes:
I bought something from a UK store and they shipped out immediately, but the postal service took nearly 20 days. wow..:rolleyes: so slow.

Okay, this past weekend at the Enfield Ct. TCS we encountered a bit of a problem with our
03 and 05 ball diffs that maybe someone can throw some info my way
Both ball diffs seemed to have unwound themselves somehow. Even tho I put blue thread
lock on their screws. Two of the better mini drivers told me that I probably installed them
backwards and its momentum caused the thread lock to break and for the screws to back out
(logical) But what I failed to ask them Is which direction should they have been installed?
Right wheel with the screw head or left wheel with the screw head?
They also mentioned about getting a different screw to hold the ball diffs together.
I think it was a 417 or maybe p/n 419?

Comments guys?

Your loctite might be old and not curing properly. I suggest you get a new tube and re-try. I've had good luck with HPI's thread lock too. It's red in color and comes in a tiny bottle.

http://www.amazon.com/HPI-Pro-Thread...pi+thread+lock

I've placed the ball diff in both orientations and neither posed a problem. But usually I have the nut side facing towards me (towards left side of car) so that I can adjust it when I break open the halves as needed without taking out the diff.

The screw belongs on the left side.

The M05 diff isn't the best cause it gets rough very quickly and the screw snaps. Using the 416 screw helps, but it still doesn't improve the diff getting rough. The 416 screw is stronger. The 05 diff works great, but not for long.

I use the TA03 diff in both the M03 and M05 cause it's maintenance free, easy to assemble, and is pretty much bullet proof.

I did a tutorial on how to build the TA03 diff on this thread.

Sak the thread lock isn't the problem

Bob thanks, I remember reading the tutorial,
We got the TA03 in them, so gonna try and put them in correctly this
time with the screw head on the left side
It was the 416 screw that they were talking about. Thanks!
We have a local race in two weeks so Im gonna rebuild the ball diff (again!)
and run it before the next TCS

Pink metallic. :lol:

http://www.rctech.net/forum/members/...k-metallic.jpg

I like your confident reply. :lol:

Good luck at the races.

Well basically I know that the thread lock failed because of some reason other than it didn't
Settle in, which it did! I'm not sure where you went with that, I know I'm shot from a long week on duty, so maybe it just flew by me at mach speed

Mike, I'm getting old and forget stuff. Another reason the screw comes loose is that some people try to adjust the diff by tightening or loosening the diff screw on the TA03 diff. This is not the proper way to adjust the diff, The diff screw should always be cinched down tight or eventually it will work loose.

I think I posted it in the tutorial so you probably knew not to touch the screw after the diff was built.

I run #54194 in both my M05 and V2 at a fairly loose setting after trying the stiff setting everyone was raving about which did not work well on my tight track.

On one of them I used the Tamiya thread lock, one is using the HPI thread lock. Neither are loosening after 3months of almost daily driving. I've mentioned that I tried it in both orientations inside the gear box. No issue.
Also be very careful not to contaminate the threadlock with diff grease during assembly.
I ended up with the adjustment shaft on the left side just from a convenience point of view as I do adjust the diff if it's too tight by turning it maybe 1/4 of a turn ccw. I don't have this problem of it loosening inside the gear box further on its own to the point it slips or completely separates. :confused: And this is like my 40th or 50th car or over the yrs. I've built MANY ball diffs and it's not unusual for me to adjust the tightness of it.

And, as a real car hobbiest, I've also had issues of Loctite blue not curing after it's been on the shelf too long. I toss it if it's more than a yr old.

My M03 used the MantaRay ball diff. The splines on the pressure plate broke after maybe 5months of hard driving. I only plan to buy the #54194 from now on for my M-chassis as the pressure plate and cup is one piece.

Regardless, good luck at the races. It was not a smart-ass comment. I genuinely want you to do well at the races. :D

I'm going to work on my metallic green today. :lol:

http://www.rctech.net/forum/members/...-metallic2.jpg

I am a tad bummed that the red metallic (the pink looking one)'s headlight surround decal wrinkled a little like a bottle cap. I think it was due to old stock that I got at a great price. the decal was a tad yellow in the clear area of the decal sheet compared to my other 2. :(

I use a heat gun and apply using my soft silicone squeegee, usually goes on smooth following the contour of the body. I ordered striping tape in silver metallic. I hope to redo that when it comes in this week. :rolleyes:

I have a Nikon DSLR camera and Manfrotto tripod.. I shall take a cleaner picture of my cars soon. :lol: