Metal One

A little too late now. Sounds like something Tamiya needs to be called out on. Nobody should pay more for worse performance.

breyton

iTrader: (3)

I wouldn't worry about what fyrstormer said about the front carbon damper stay twisting. The FF04 Evo uses much longer standoffs on its carbon front damper stay, yet you don't see people complaining about it

firefoxussr

iTrader: (5)

Oh my..... I've been dreaming up how to make a Tipo 33 Stradale for like two years.

And an Alfa SZ, now that's hardcore Alfa.

Metal One

Well... either way, we'll see. Not too big of a deal, really. I still love the XV-01 It's just the best thing ever! I'll be real familiar with the gearboxes after swapping those pulleys for a second time. Oh, that'll be a good time to do the reinforced belt and that aluminum front hinge pin bracket too. Still don't have CVD's. I guess those will be next and that should just about do it for mine. There's an aluminum steering bellcrank but I really don't see the need for that. All cars should have steering systems this good.

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

The FF-04 is generally driven on much smoother surfaces, where the effect is less apparent.

On my rear-motor converted XV-01, I had a hell of a time getting the rear suspension to stop bouncing. I was all the way up to 2000wt oil in the rear shocks before I figured out it wasn't the shocks that were rebounding too fast, it was the rear shock tower (which had the front standoffs mounted to it as part of the conversion). When I replaced the carbon-fiber shock towers with the carbon-reinforced-plastic shock towers, the problem vanished.

I'm not saying anyone else will necessarily *care* about it, but it does happen.

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

Wow. That body looks amazing. And they come pre-detailed?

Metal One

So close to completing my Stratos. My star wheels are here and painted yellow. The 2mm and 10mm offsets are going to be perfect for it. The Pirelli rally tires SHOULD have been here today but they didn't make it. Hopefully, they will be here tomorrow. The body posts have been cut down for the Stratos so no more Delta without installing new posts. I've designed, printed and cut the rest of the decals needed to complete the livery. I even made new window decals because the ones it came with were ugly. I'll apply those tonight after work. I was really hoping those tires would be here today.

Got all of the aluminum and CF goodies installed and finally replaced that spare plastic rear A-arm from the first big crash with a carbon reinforced one. Love how those aluminum pulleys look with the gold teeth. Too bad they can't be seen under all of the covers but I'd rather them be protected anyway.

In other news, I got a set of MIP speed tips for my new Hammerhead cordless screwdriver that I got on sale last week for $20. The bits cost twice as much as the screwdriver but a good set of MIPs is worth every penny.

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

They sure are. I love MIP drivers.

Metal One

The Stratos.

angrymelon

iTrader: (1)

Turned out pretty awesome!

Metal One

Thanks. I was so unhappy with the way it looked when I first got it. The crinkled corners, lack of detail and no included livery decals was pretty disappointing after 30 years of Tamiya and HPI bodies. It didn't get much better after painting it white.

That has all changed now!

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

Wow. You cleaned that sucker up good. But now how are you going to run it?

What did you have to do to clean up the body? It sounded like a real hack-job when you got it.

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

After searching high and low for bodies with short-enough noses to fit behind the hard bumpers used on the XV-01T Asterion, I gave up and bought another Lancia body to put on my XV-01 FF:



Now I have a matching set.

Metal One

Well, it is a great looking body. The wider tires give it a little meaner look.

Most of the flaws are still in my Stratos body if you look close enough but white paint, decals and good camera angles hide many things. It won't be entering any Concours shows any time soon but it'll be great for bashing. I glued the new tires on last night and it's ready to run this morning.

Edit. First run with new setup went well. Those HPI Pirelli's, man! With the extra grip and the wider rear track, the steering is crazy fast now. Still handles great. Doesn't slide as much and hangs the turn a bit faster so cutting or going wide could be trouble. Gotta nail that line. Going out for some video later.

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

They are great tires. The D-compound tires slide better than the S-compound tires do, but obviously that means they don't track as well when you want to corner cleanly.