Pics of your models, please!

Pics of your models, please!

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Discussion

UKbob

Original Poster:

16,277 posts

264 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
This arrives today, fulfilling a nostalgic childhood wish smile


In kit form, so it wont be running just yet. Ive never owned a "proper" RC car before, and I read on the net that electric motors need to be run in scratchchin Is this really the case, for an electric motor? How much running in is needed?

Another Q: Im assuming the batteries should be given a full slow charge first time round? I bought a few so wont need the fast charge setting, but does the fast charge setting have any negative effects re: the conditioning of the battery, and should it be avoided unless necessary?

A delivery van has just pulled up, wait... a hornet sized box is being taken out, its here its here biggrin
woohoo

slartibartfast

4,014 posts

200 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all

heres 'one' of my choppers
haven't really got many pics of my airplanes infact don't know how many i have
[IMG]http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/paulj1969/T3D/?action=view&current=april06003.jpg[IMG]
[IMG]http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/paulj1969/T3D/?action=view&current=april06219.jpg[IMG]

heres my jet engine
[IMG]http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/paulj1969/engines/?action=view&current=jet003.jpg[IMG]


heres an Alien i built from kit
[IMG]http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/paulj1969/props/?action=view&current=feb04193.jpg[IMG]

dog burster
[IMG]http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/paulj1969/props/?action=view&current=dogbuster3.jpg[IMG]

face hugger

[IMG]http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/paulj1969/props/?action=view&current=chestbuster3.jpg[IMG]





Edited by slartibartfast on Saturday 21st July 11:39


Edited by slartibartfast on Saturday 21st July 11:44

tjdixon911

1,911 posts

236 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
UKbob said:
This arrives today, fulfilling a nostalgic childhood wish smile


In kit form, so it wont be running just yet. Ive never owned a "proper" RC car before, and I read on the net that electric motors need to be run in scratchchin Is this really the case, for an electric motor? How much running in is needed?

Another Q: Im assuming the batteries should be given a full slow charge first time round? I bought a few so wont need the fast charge setting, but does the fast charge setting have any negative effects re: the conditioning of the battery, and should it be avoided unless necessary?

A delivery van has just pulled up, wait... a hornet sized box is being taken out, its here its here biggrin
woohoo
Is that a reproduction? I remember the Hornet as a kid although my first proper Kit RC car was a Tamiya Mad Cap.

I think I swaped that for a FWD Mondeo (Which seems to have vanished - I don't remember getting rid of that), then I aquired my brothers old Manta Ray but thats done the same trick as the mondeo (May be in parents loft!) I used to run Mardave Mini Stox in the national championships (Standard and Modified) unfortunatley I robbed most the bits to get my touring car up and running which is a shame as they must be classics by now!

Running in Electric Motors - I used to allways get told to gradually build up to full throttle for the first few minutes as opposed to going from neutral to full as fast as possible - I don't do it anymore and I notice no difference!



UKbob

Original Poster:

16,277 posts

264 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
slartibartfast said:
heres 'one' of my choppers
haven't really got many pics of my airplanes infact don't know how many i have



heres my jet engine


heres an Alien i built from kit


dog burster


face hugger

Pistonheads formatting is [pic] [/pic] not the html variant [IMG] nerd

The aliens are interesting, I take it you strap the jet engine to the aliens... to scare people? smile the chopper is wild!

Did you build the chopper yourself? Ive wanted a chopper and a plane for as long as Ive wanted the hornet, just... never got round to buying them.

Im going to blog the build of my hornet with photos. But not until after lunch! biggrin

UKbob

Original Poster:

16,277 posts

264 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
tjdixon911 said:
Is that a reproduction? I remember the Hornet as a kid although my first proper Kit RC car was a Tamiya Mad Cap.

I think I swaped that for a FWD Mondeo (Which seems to have vanished - I don't remember getting rid of that), then I aquired my brothers old Manta Ray but thats done the same trick as the mondeo (May be in parents loft!) I used to run Mardave Mini Stox in the national championships (Standard and Modified) unfortunatley I robbed most the bits to get my touring car up and running which is a shame as they must be classics by now!

Running in Electric Motors - I used to allways get told to gradually build up to full throttle for the first few minutes as opposed to going from neutral to full as fast as possible - I don't do it anymore and I notice no difference!
Thats right. The hornet was released in 1984, and was one of Tamiya's best ever selling models, and also the model which helped launch the buggy boom, so its considered a significant part of RC history (is what ive been reading on the net) Its a decent RC car.

So, they re-released it two years ago, almost exactly as it was before although I think the new motor is better, the batteries today are also far better, and the electronic speed controller has been uprated so the performance today is somewhat better than it used to be, especially if you buy the uprated motor which costs £15, its a straight swap, gives better acceleration and an additional 5mph.

The old hornet, recently re-released, 1:10 (the one I bought)


The new hornet, with independent rear suspension, 1:18


The old hornet (and newly released old hornet) doesnt have independent rear suspension. The compact model didnt appeal to me. re: running in the motor, I'll probably run it in for a while then end up not bothering like you smile

slartibartfast

4,014 posts

200 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
thanks for sorting out the posting of the pics Bob, ain't got a clue these days...must be killing too many brain cells.

regards the chopper, it coes ready to fly (almost) for £130 off perkins
you need a speed controller, gyro and your radio gear, then 3S1P lippo battery pack and charger.

flies really well and i did my first loop last year with it.
i replaced the aluminium made shaft with a home made carbon fibre shaft which is still perfect, the ali one bent on the first bad lading as the Twister 3D is renown for it

Roop

6,012 posts

283 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
Cool Hornet...! I have got one of the re-release ones. Forget running the motor in, simply not required if it's the stock RS-540 kit motor. Build it, get it outside and thrap it...!

What I would highly recommend is chucking all the nylon and brass (if applicable) kit bearings and replacing them with ballrace ball bearings. They are cheap these days and a Hornet can be fully ballraced for under a tenner. Results is a smoother drive, longer run-times and (not that it matters on the Hornet) better handling.

Have a look on eBay for a bearing set - this will do : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

Here's a few pics of my Hornet - specially imported direct from Japan on the day they were re-released and built in a couple of hours :












UKbob

Original Poster:

16,277 posts

264 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
slartibartfast said:
thanks for sorting out the posting of the pics Bob, ain't got a clue these days...must be killing too many brain cells.

regards the chopper, it coes ready to fly (almost) for £130 off perkins
you need a speed controller, gyro and your radio gear, then 3S1P lippo battery pack and charger.

flies really well and i did my first loop last year with it.
i replaced the aluminium made shaft with a home made carbon fibre shaft which is still perfect, the ali one bent on the first bad lading as the Twister 3D is renown for it
I think it'll be a plane next (next year) and then a chopper for me. Did you need lessons before you could fly it, I gather they arent the easiest of beasts to control at first.

Roop said:
Cool Hornet...! I have got one of the re-release ones. Forget running the motor in, simply not required if it's the stock RS-540 kit motor. Build it, get it outside and thrap it...!

What I would highly recommend is chucking all the nylon and brass (if applicable) kit bearings and replacing them with ballrace ball bearings. They are cheap these days and a Hornet can be fully ballraced for under a tenner. Results is a smoother drive, longer run-times and (not that it matters on the Hornet) better handling.

Have a look on eBay for a bearing set - this will do : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

Here's a few pics of my Hornet - specially imported direct from Japan on the day they were re-released and built in a couple of hours
Cool post Roop. Im loving those pics thumbup What made you go for the hornet then, nostalgia?

Right, no motor warmup then. I bought this > the combo kit, a second battery, and they also strongly recommended the ballrace set so I snapped that up as well. Ive been doing other stuff all day so Im going to start building it in a minute. How long do you reckon it will take? With luck I should be out tomorrow driving

Bungleaio

6,323 posts

201 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
I've got s couple of models that are working 1st is a Losi LST 1/8th scale monster truck, It's fast, loud and great fun



The body was profesionaly sprayed, i've never driven the truck with it on, I've got another body to smash up.

Next is an Xray 1/18th scale car. despite it's size it's fairly rapid





I had a bit of a try at choppers a couple of years ago






I have been playing with RC for years and I've still got a number of my old race cars stashed away. I have never built a tamiya though, I have aquired a Falcon, but I have never driven it.

UKbob

Original Poster:

16,277 posts

264 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
Nice pics Bungleaio. The xray looks pretty cool, very compact(!) and the pro spray job on the monster truck is brilliant! How fast do your petrol/nitro cars go?

You should get the Falcon out, its a fun car to drive. What is it with RC enthusiasts and their toys, when it comes to dust gathering they seem to be pretty good at it wink

Roop, how long does it take to retro-fit the ballrace set at a later date? I ordered the uprated bearings, paid for them, there is a tick box next to them on the invoice/packing note... but no bloody steel bearings, just the plastic ones irked

UKbob

Original Poster:

16,277 posts

264 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
edit: found em, in a tiny tube which looked nothing like the packaging on the website... ahem

Roop

6,012 posts

283 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
Good luck with the build UKbob...! It's easy. Just take your time and there's nothing to it. If your batter charger can do trickle as well as fast charge, I recommend a thorough trickle charge prior to fast charging the packs. They will last longer both in terms of run-time and years of service / number of recharge cycles that way.

Look forward to seeing the pics of the finished article...!

ETS : Just seen the combo - that's the same charger as I have - it trickle charges at around 100mA. You need to look at your battery pack, see what the capacity is and work out the trickle charge time from that. For example, a 3000mAh battery takes 30 hours at 100mA.

Edited by Roop on Saturday 21st July 19:02

Bungleaio

6,323 posts

201 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
UKbob said:
Nice pics Bungleaio. The xray looks pretty cool, very compact(!) and the pro spray job on the monster truck is brilliant! How fast do your petrol/nitro cars go?

You should get the Falcon out, its a fun car to drive. What is it with RC enthusiasts and their toys, when it comes to dust gathering they seem to be pretty good at it wink
Cheers mate, when ever i run the lst at the park it always pulls quite a crowd. I guess it will run at about 30-35mph as it's running the stock engine and gear ratios. I have spent quite a lot of money on making it a lot more robust so that I can ramp it. It's been well over 20ft in the air before, it just bounces around and drives off.

The xray can do about 20-25mph i think it may be more, but due to it's size small stones etc on the road make it bounce around. Its 4wd though so it grips pretty well. I've found a vid on youtube if you are interested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaNC_9WZA6k 

To get the falcon running I would need to sort out another reciever and get a resistor for the speed controller or get hold of an electric one. But to be honest I might sell it/give it away as electric doesn't really do it for me anymore.

Good luck with the hornet mate, RC is a great hobby.

UKbob

Original Poster:

16,277 posts

264 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
Roop said:
Good luck with the build UKbob...! It's easy. Just take your time and there's nothing to it. If your batter charger can do trickle as well as fast charge, I recommend a thorough trickle charge prior to fast charging the packs. They will last longer both in terms of run-time and years of service / number of recharge cycles that way.

Look forward to seeing the pics of the finished article...!

ETS : Just seen the combo - that's the same charger as I have - it trickle charges at around 100mA. You need to look at your battery pack, see what the capacity is and work out the trickle charge time from that. For example, a 3000mAh battery takes 30 hours at 100mA.

Edited by Roop on Saturday 21st July 19:02
scratchchin

They sent the ACX1 instead.

* Microprocessor controlled
* Delta-peak detection
* Suitable for NiCad & NiMah packs
* 7.2v-8.4v
* 1400 to 3500mAh
* Mains or 12v supply

As well as not being a model builder, I know nothing about voltages amps and electricity. I read the instructions, but it doesnt actually say how long to leave the battery charging for, nor does it say what happens when its finished. How will I know? It also doesnt seem to have a switch for trickle or fast charge - is it... not a great charger?



The batteries I got were these:

" Modelsport Max 3300 stickpack. 6 cell, 7.2v, 3300 mAh NiMh. High temperature silicone lead with Tamiya style connector."

Ive read the instructions three times now. It seems you cant decide how to charge the batts, ie its a fast charger, but then switches to trickle mode. Unless Ive understood that wrong. Still not sure how to tell when the batts are fully charged, it doesnt say.

UKbob

Original Poster:

16,277 posts

264 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
Bungleaio said:
Cheers mate, when ever i run the lst at the park it always pulls quite a crowd. I guess it will run at about 30-35mph as it's running the stock engine and gear ratios. I have spent quite a lot of money on making it a lot more robust so that I can ramp it. It's been well over 20ft in the air before, it just bounces around and drives off.

The xray can do about 20-25mph i think it may be more, but due to it's size small stones etc on the road make it bounce around. Its 4wd though so it grips pretty well. I've found a vid on youtube if you are interested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaNC_9WZA6k 

To get the falcon running I would need to sort out another reciever and get a resistor for the speed controller or get hold of an electric one. But to be honest I might sell it/give it away as electric doesn't really do it for me anymore.

Good luck with the hornet mate, RC is a great hobby.
That video is brilliant, and bloody hell - that car is fast! Looks quite durable too smile

20 feet in the air! yikes Thats higher than some of the miniature pico-z helicopters go biggrin

UKbob

Original Poster:

16,277 posts

264 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
ing hell! Im covered in grease, and feeling like Im missing something, like an Advanced degree in watch making and screw finding!

Its good though isnt it biggrin Ive also never drank half a beer so slowly in my life before, I fear if I had a tablespoon full too much, the 250 screws and washers would cause my mind to cave in.

Bungleaio

6,323 posts

201 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
UKbob said:
ing hell! Im covered in grease, and feeling like Im missing something, like an Advanced degree in watch making and screw finding!

Its good though isnt it biggrin Ive also never drank half a beer so slowly in my life before, I fear if I had a tablespoon full too much, the 250 screws and washers would cause my mind to cave in.
It's great fun, you can't help squeezing the shocks, spinning the diff etc. You are making me feel quite jealous mate! I've not built a new kit for a while now.

Looking at your charger operatin - It appears that when you connect the battery it will start to fast charge, when the charge has detected that the battery has taken as much charge as its going to take (this is the peak detection) it will switch to trickle charging to keep the battery topped up. With battery technology nowadays i wouldn't think you need to trickle charge before you use it for the 1st time. I'm sure you'll be dying to plug it in and drive anyway

Roop

6,012 posts

283 months

Saturday 21st July 2007
quotequote all
Bungleaio said:
Looking at your charger operatin - It appears that when you connect the battery it will start to fast charge, when the charge has detected that the battery has taken as much charge as its going to take (this is the peak detection) it will switch to trickle charging to keep the battery topped up. With battery technology nowadays i wouldn't think you need to trickle charge before you use it for the 1st time. I'm sure you'll be dying to plug it in and drive anyway
Agreed, it's a NiMH battery - don't bother to trickle charge. If the charger has adjustable current, keep it below 3 Amps.

UKbob

Original Poster:

16,277 posts

264 months

Sunday 22nd July 2007
quotequote all
Cheers.

So when the fast charge is finished and the lights change to trickle, I dont have a fixed amount of time to remove the battery before doing damage to it, ie I can leave it on over night if need be? (apologies if Im coming across as being a bit thick regarding this charging malarkey)

Yup, Its loads of fun Bungleaio smile I'll be doing the shocks this morning, and yes... first thing I did was spin the diff, over and over wink Anyhoo... I'll be back with pics as soon as its done. And Ive stopped playing with it.

Bungleaio

6,323 posts

201 months

Sunday 22nd July 2007
quotequote all
You should be ok leaving the battery on trickle charge over night, in theory you should be able to leave it on trickle charge indefinately but I don't recomend it.

When I was racing seriously (about 10 years ago) I was paying around £50 for a 1700 pack over batteries I can't believe how much the technology and capacity has improved. There is an art to charging batteries with an amazing aray of chargers and dischargers available.

Basically if you fast charge before you want to use the car and make sure the battery is run down before you put it away for the day you won't go to far wrong