Minature Touring cars

[touringlegend]

Thanx for the pics Hobson.

I have to say the DTM Astra would look the part but my heart is set on a Lexus.

About the deacls thing, I'm sure the body would some with the decals. Surely you don't have to buy a whole new chassis??
Anyway, I suppose if I needed to buy a new chassis, I'm sure it wouldn't do any harm.

Here's a pic from the Tamiya catalogue about the Lexus from the Spare parts page and it displays the body with the decals.

[Hobson]

Buying a new chassis would be cheaper in the long run, but you don't have to spend on the new electrics. As I said, you get the shell you want and a spare chassis for parts, or a basis for a project at school or something.

I was wrong about the decals, they do come with the shell. I asked my local hobby shop and they said a Lexus IS200 by Tamiya is £42 for the shell and £79 for the kit.

BTW- see my thread in the gravel trap.

[touringlegend]

£42 is a lot but the Tamiya's are certainly the most accurate and detailed you can get.

On the verge of getting a job, so I might save up that extra 30-odd quid, or even take it out my bank!

[Hobson]

Now you know which shell you want, what colour scheme will it be? A replica of the ABG Lexus, or the B&Q Lexus you drew a while back?

If its the B&Q Lexus, then I can give you the website for a company that professionally paints bodyshells. They are very good and are also quite cheap aswell. I'll post some of their work.

[Hobson]

www.bodyshells.co.uk

Here are some designs:

[Hobson]

[touringlegend]

Anyone else would think your a salesman Hobson!

Cheers for the pix, I'll seriously consider that option as well.

[Hobson]

[touringlegend]

Hobson, that www.bodyshells.co.uk site led me on to links which features my local club!
Have a look www.arccc.freeuk.com Quite nice, isn't it? PS - I never knew they even had one!

[Hobson]

That is one cool site! I even learned something from it (the crystal colours). When are you going to race there?

I have just painted a new shell with my friends airbrush. I think it is pretty good. I'll post a picture and tell you an interesting story about it.

[Hobson]

I painted it and I thought that it was good. I sent a pictue to my brother in the USA and he thought it was great. He knew the guy that owns headcase-rc, a body painting service. He liked the design so much that my shell is on his website as a design that he could do!

[touringlegend]

Saying that bodyshell is bloody, marvellous, great looking would be an understatement Hobson!! It's great looking! What type of car is it anyway? Looks a bit like a Honda Accord

About racing, I'll do it as soon as I can be bothered to move my arse of this seat!
Seriously though, my cars always playing up, ie the radio is ****ed, I'm not sure whether I should invest in a whole kit (the Lexus with chassis, but with the radio as well, not the handset), and wait a small while. I'm going to phone this guy sometime anyway.

Has your club got a site Hobson?

[Hobson]

It is Protoform Honda Accord '99. The wheel arches are now cut out and the whole thing is fully decalled, with a Honda 'H' on the black/blue space on the bonnet.

What is wrong with your car? If it is just the transmitter, then get a new one (about £8- £15).

My club hasn't got a site yet, but I may do one because I haven't got anything better to do!
A club that I sometimes race my oval car has a site though, www.thefullmini.freeserve.co.uk

[touringlegend]

It's the reciever on the car that picks up the signal from my transmitter. The Aerial once got ripped of by the wheel, then the motor got tangled with it. It's been soldered on once, but I have just placed it next to the reciever box, though I will need to sort it.

I would love to go and see about it in my local model shop, but one of the guys isn't that friendly, and any spares as such that I've got have come from www.modelsinmotion.co.uk who are really friendly and helpful on the phone.

I've got a small idea though. I'm recieving money to the bad side(for me anyway!) of 2k in a months time, and thought I could scale up a full TL 'works' attack on the ARCCC championship in 2002 with my Lexus. My Pug's paint is peeling off(first time mistake of putting too much on, it's rubber-like in some bits!), and my Focus isn't what I like really when I see it now.

My chassis is needing some hop-ups first and I would need to do serious testing of it as I would feel a fool if it goes backwards(as it does now, unexplainedly), in front of pros. Also Hobson, is it best to have a spare chassis? Would it save money buying evrything at once rather than bits and pieces now and then.

It sounds good to me, and I think my parents would support my cause for the money as they can see I would be enjoying it.

[Hobson]

A spare reciever costs about £20.

If I was you and I had that much cash, I would get a better car than the Tamiya TL-01. It isn't really suited to racing, more of a fun car. Go to your club and see what everyone else are running. At Newark RCCC (My main club) I use my HPI RS4 Pro 3, but Pro 2s and Schumacher SST Sports and Schumacher Axis 2s anre common. The beginners have Tamiyas because the model shop here tell the buyers that they are fast but when raced, they are like BTCC Pug 406s - uncompetitive.

See www.modelsportuk.com They have loads of kits, and is the place where I go when the model shop here has run out of parts (very often )

If you do want to run your TL-01 first instead of getting a good car( ), a spare complete chassis is a good thing. Do you have an ESC? I have everything in my Pro 3 held in by velcro instead of servo tape, so swapping electrics over is easy to my spare car, a Yokomo.

Get your parents involved in everything and get them to be a part of your new team. I got Dad to do routine checks on the car and Mum to clean in after each race. Dad now goes to each meeting with me and helps me to set up the car as he now races aswell as me!

[touringlegend]

Originally posted by Hobson
It isn't really suited to racing, more of a fun car.

I did think about that and I am still thinking about that, though as you say I'll need to see what everyone else races first

The beginners have Tamiyas because the model shop here tell the buyers that they are fast but when raced, they are like BTCC Pug 406s - uncompetitive.

It's amazing what you learn when you know somebody in the know. That's what the buggers told me!

Do you have an ESC?

Yes, there's one on the top right of this here keyboard.
What is it anyway???

I have everything in my Pro 3 held in by velcro instead of servo tape, so swapping electrics over is easy to my spare car, a Yokomo.

That's a good idea.

Get your parents involved in everything and get them to be a part of your new team. I got Dad to do routine checks on the car and Mum to clean in after each race. Dad now goes to each meeting with me and helps me to set up the car as he now races aswell as me!

Bloody hell, my dads as lazy as the days long!

[touringlegend]

Just realised that ESC is electronic speed controller.
I haven't got one, I've got one of those ****ty Machanical ones, there ****! Really dodgy sometimes! That was what was wrong with my car and how it wouldn't go a few weeks back, the SC wasn't tight(ie metal wasn't making contact).

ModelSport - most full of models sites I've seen.

[Hobson]

Get an ESC and it will improve your speed, duration and throttle control. Depending on wether you want the a forward only or forward and reverse speedo depends on the price. Fwd/rev costs more than than Fwd only.
A good one that I use is a Speedmaster Cool Force X200, £49.50, or a Speedmaster PowerStar V40, £49.50. X200 is forward only and V40 is forward and reverse. Both are very reliable and cheaper than its competitors.
Available from Modelsport.

[touringlegend]

Do ESC's need the adjust from the handset(transmitter)? You know the small thing that goes back and forward.

[Hobson]

Only if it is a Fwd/Rev ESC.

[touringlegend]

That'll be the one I'll get if I decide to buy one.
Afterall, racing cars are meant to go forwards!!!!

[touringlegend]

Phoned up the guy on Friday night Hobson, and from what he's said it's more or less banger racing!!

On a serious note though, the guy told me not to worry about what type of car, chassis I had etc, etc. He says just to go along, and have fun with whatever bodyshell I want, and I've been told plenty of others folks cars are tatty!

The club starts it's Winter Season on Monday 2nd September from 6.30pm for 3 hours, so I think I'll either go to it with my tatty car, or just spectate. 4 heats and a final race.

They also race outside during summer, and they are acquiring an old BMX track, but it needs loads of work first and tarmac put down, which requires sponsors.

Only electric cars are raced, all 1/10th scale and there's normally 20-30 people every club night. They also take part in the Scottish Championships.

Saying all that though, I am still pressing ahead with plans for my Lexus, and I think it'll come with a spare chassis.

[touringlegend]

Ok Hobson, I'm using my Pug 406 for the first meeting, but can you take off the paint, because I, when I originally sprayed it, I sprayed it too thick. Silly me!!! So can you do it with a hot hairdryer, or chemical. I'm not going to do it with a knife!!!

[Hobson]

You can't take paint off a shell, but if your Pug is a replica (yellow) then I would use some yellow tape on the inside of it, giving the colour back, and re-enforcing the front in a crash.

[touringlegend]

You obviously haven't seen my Pug Hobson!!! Putting yellow tape on it would double the weight.

There's paint off on every section, this due to the car have#ing a mind of its own, not driver error by me!