I created this account 13 years ago (You last visited: 07-22-2009 at 11:59 PM) as I had planned to return to the hobby but life got in the way. I recently dug out my old cars and have decided now is the time to get back into it. After dusting off the box, I took a look at what would be needed to get them running again. The box contains: a very beat up Tamiya Blackfoot, a rolling chassis AYK Radiant, and a Team Losi JRXT (converted to a buggy so I could run in both categories) that I raced to some amount of success in the MD/DC area in 89-91. I also had a Kyosho Pegasus (my first car) which was stolen one evening from my back porch in 1987
I went thru the mechanicals of all three cars and ordered parts to fix the brittle and crumbling plastic on the Blackfoot and JRX. The Radiant needs very little, just a spring cup... finding one of those will probably be impossible so replacement shocks might be a good idea.
I decided to update the electronics in the Blackfoot and Radiant to have ECU and modern radios, the JRX will just get a modern receiver, it has a Novak vintage ECU. I went with the Radiolink RC4GS V3 for the cost since I do not plan to race and can add inexpensive receivers as I expand my collection. I'm using brushed motors and NIMH batteries (my NICADs are all trash).
I also ordered a Kyosho Turbo Optima Gold (dream car) and now I'm looking for a runner as my primary car rather than bash vintage and re-re stuff.
I'm looking for 2WD and 4WD kits that have good support but don't require spending more than the car to get improved performance. I'm only interested in kits, for me large part of the interest is in the building the car. The Tamiya TT-02-B and DT03 platforms have caught my eye as they are inexpensive and have good aftermarket support. The TT-02-B can get spendy, but if just adding bearings and some drive line upgrades the cost isn't too bad. I haven't dug too deep into the DT03 platform yet. I have no plans to race, just to run in the park or on the trails nearby.
Are these two platforms too budget given my history with the JRX and the Radiant? Will I be disappointed in the TT-02-B platform compared to the Turbo Optima? Is there a step up in 2WD and 4WD platforms from Tamiya or some other manufacturer that is not too spendy?
Glad to be returning to the hobby. It lets me scratch the building and electronics tinkering itch while also putting a huge freakin smile on my face when running the cars.