Tamiya Ford Cosworth - Radio control and battery?

[dealmaker]

So in about 1993/94 my then girlfriend (now wife) bought me a Tamiya R/C Escort Cosworth.

I built it, played with it a bit, got bored, and then it went in the cupboard.

Fast forward 17 years or so..................Dealmaker junior finds it and thinks it's ace - and wants to have a go.............

problem...whilst the car is in perfect nick...the controller, battery and charger seem to have gone AWOL over succesive years and house moves (think I might have skipped them unfortunatley!)

So question is - can anyone advise what controller I could buy (ebay?) that would work with said R/C car....and what battery and charger combo? - I am assuming battery technology has moved on seriously since then (these were old style Ni-Cad pack from what I remember) - but I guess it needs to be something that is backwardly compatible and wont blow the thing up!

Thanks for any tips/suggestions!

Edited by dealmaker on Sunday 10th October 18:16

[Silverdaz]

I would probably go for a cheap second hand acoms radio set, are the servos and reciever still in the car? I would of thought they would be and it should be 27mhz, so dont pay more than a tenner for the radio and a pair of crystals, thats if you need the crystals.
You would need to get a 7.2v battery, i would avoid the lipo ones as the mechanical speedo would not handle them. Get a fast charger, again i would avoid one of the cheap slow chargers. You can get the fast ones them cheap on ebay. You should be able to get it all for around £30, i would post some links but cant cos on work computer.

[dealmaker]

Hi

Thanks for the response - Yes it still has the receiver and servos fitted so I guess I need the correct controller and "crystals" ???

Any links or suggestions much appreciated. Especially for a battery and charger!!!!!

[Emsman]

There you go-

Battery-

http://alshobbies.com/shop/lookupstock.php?pc=4123...

transmitter-

http://alshobbies.com/shop/lookupstock.php?pc=3053

[Mighty Flex]

Nimh batteries require more regular charging than nicads to stay healthy, but are worth it for regular use for the extra torque (more amps) and longer run times. Go for a basic fast charger. avoid the really cheap 3800 nimh packs in green shrink wrap with generic logos
Find a basic used transmitter and a set of crystals of the same brand as the receiver. Matching your crystal brand to the receiver and transmitter is important as certain brands don't like each other (don't know why this is, but I've experinced the problem myself with Hitec xtals and a Futaba radio).

The Tamiya Cossie is a classic, I recommend looking after the original shell if its in good condition as they are pretty rare and collectable now, at least until junior has learnt to avoid the walls. Plenty of used 190mm shells on ebay that should fit (may need new holes drilling) that will take a bashing to instead of the Escort

have fun!

[Dan_1981]

Mighty Flex said:

The Tamiya Cossie is a classic, I recommend looking after the original shell if its in good condition as they are pretty rare and collectable now, at least until junior has learnt to avoid the walls. Plenty of used 190mm shells on ebay that should fit (may need new holes drilling) that will take a bashing to instead of the Escort

have fun!

Tell me more about this little bit please!

I've got the exact same model (complete with controller and battery ) sat in the loft - its in pretty good nick - not perfect but not knackered by any stretch of the imgination.

Would it really be of interest to people 2nd hand?

[Blakeatron]

I would be interested in it if its not to shabby...

The going price for runner models is between £30 - £60 depending on condition. New-in-box (NIB) models can go for £200+

[Bungleaio]

This is the car that got me into the hobby. I never owned or drove it but a lad at school had one, I never realised kits were available until I had a chat with him.

Anyway, if you've still got the mechanical speed controller and the car its self then you could go for something like http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=ShowSpec...

but I would get a new motor and electronic speed controller while you're at it. Something like these two would give it a bit of extra zip without being too fast for your young lad to learn how to drive with http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=ShowSpec... and http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=ShowSpec...

I would strip and rebuild it before you run it as all the grease would be past it's best by now.

Alternatively why not get one of these http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=ShowSpec... and build it up with him. The mad rat is a great car and will run on grass with no problems.

[Simond S]

If you have a local model shop try and use them. We've lost another big one this week and they need support.

(and that's as an owner of an online rc shop!)

[Mighty Flex]

Dan_1981 said:

Mighty Flex said:

The Tamiya Cossie is a classic, I recommend looking after the original shell if its in good condition as they are pretty rare and collectable now, at least until junior has learnt to avoid the walls. Plenty of used 190mm shells on ebay that should fit (may need new holes drilling) that will take a bashing to instead of the Escort

have fun!

Tell me more about this little bit please!

I've got the exact same model (complete with controller and battery ) sat in the loft - its in pretty good nick - not perfect but not knackered by any stretch of the imgination.

Would it really be of interest to people 2nd hand?

Indeed it would. If its really good but used condition it could be up to £80, a ropey one nearer 30-40, but it depends on what is bad and how easy it is to replace, with maybe the shell making £30+ of that, if not it's not such a worry, but a new escort bodyshell is very rare now, and a new unpainted one with decals will cost around £70 , so if you like it, it's best looked after.

[Dan_1981]

I'll dig it out - its in the loft at the moment and see what kinda condition its in.....

[Dan_1981]

Got it out....

Shell is in pretty good nick - couple of the decals are peelign away - namely the front headlight. It has a 3/4 inch crack on the near side front arch and an inch long crack on the rear bumper. Other than that no damage.

Its also fully boxed with instructions etc etc and some bits and pieces left over fromt he build.

If anyone is interested and wants a couple of pics please feel free to drop me a pm.

And OP - apologies for the thread hijack!