NITO Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hello again chaps, I'm hoping to start on the Bruiser build tomorrow. I've set out the work area this afternoon before having to shoot out for family stuff. It's probably a bit too big for the missus' make up table so I'm out in the conservatory for this one! So here's the box art; Box contents; Here's the chassis and axles; And all set out ready for start tomorrow The kit comes with these tools; Here's parts bag A. Comes with threadlock paste and grease etc. Thankfully, unlike other Tamiya kits where you are constantly reaching for other part bags each containing the necesary parts for particular steps, it appears that the bruiser kit is in proper part bag steps, so steps 1-9 appear to pertain purely to parts bag A which should keep things somewhat tidier. At least that's how it looks for the time being, more to follow tomorrow I hope. Cheers Nito 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJJ Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Subscribed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smeghead28 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Build it! Build it! Build it! Repeat as many times as necessary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreXeL Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Subscribed. Would love one of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post NITO Posted December 28, 2014 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) Thanks Chaps, Ok, I've built the first four steps this morning before having to go out. It took me 2 and a half hours to do 4 steps! So, starting off, it's nothing like any previous Tamiya kit I've done. Can anyone say Meccano? Step 1 seems easy enough, undo some of the bolts holding the chassis braces in place, threadlock them and fit a few extra screws, also threadlocked. So the kit comes with a threadlocking gel (anaerobic gel). It can be a bit messy so I'm dipping the thread with the tweezers! Here's step 1 done. Quite a few screws required for step 2. There are a few other parts to fix with these screws Suspension turrets with rubber bushings and what looks like a rear bumper brace chassis extension Hurrah! I'm reminded it's a Tamiya kit as I come across my first piece of plastic on the kit!! Steps 3 and 4 are much the same involving mainly the fitting of the suspension leaf spring retaining linkages Step 3 complete and step 4 complete Next stage will be to build up the axles. I can't believe it has taken this long to do four steps but I'm taking it slow and taking pics as I go. It's so easy to miss something and my eyes are going funny from scanning the instructions so closely. I missed out a metal spacer in one pair of leaf spring linkages, fortunately I spotted that it didn't seem to move as smoothly as I expected and on re-scanning the instructions realised where I had gone wrong! As you can see, for the moment it resembles a Meccano set more than a Tamiya kit! The chassis and all the mountings are incredibly solid now it is all tied, braced, screwed and threadlocked together. It's very true to life also in so far as the details go, such as rubber bushing to the strut tops and what I believe will be the gearbox mounting bushings on the chassis. All the different pressed metal pieces are very intricate and detailed and exceptionally well thought out and executed. Although I'm staggered it has taken me this long to get this far, it's nice to see something taking shape and it beginning to resemble a proper ladder chassis. It pays to be well organised, I'm using the remnants of my kids lego calendar as divider pots for the different bags and a little pot to hold the open screw bags, although still keeping the parts in their individual bags but using the pot to make sure I don't lose any! It also has a lid so if I do need to leave the build I can put a lid on it so to speak. It's really not the kind of build you want to undertake with kids about or if you need to keep leaving it. I'm trying to build it over a few hits, a bit each day 2-3 hours. There are so many pieces, losing one would be a real ball ache! So, on to the next phase, I'd like to get the axles done tonight if possible but my conservatory lighting isn't really up to building a kit in the dark!! Fortunately the kids don't go out there and they're all engrossed with their Ipads at the moment so I'm getting some solitary confinement out there! Cheers for now, Nito Edited December 28, 2014 by NITO 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NITO Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 Hello again, About another 2 hours or so spent on it, which has got me to step 9, or the end of bag A!! Wow wow wow and wow. For me this has been the best part of the build so far. I really really enjoyed this step, which was building up the front and rear axles. The quality of the components and the way it goes together is quite simply awesome. This is much more like it, not that the first part wasn't good, but the quality of the Tamiya screws lets the ladder chassis part of the build down a little bit. It's probably a good idea to get an uprated stainless hex bolt kit before commencing the first 4 steps! Pleasingly the same can definately not be said of steps 5-9. I have never seen such high quality bearings, they are super smooth, highly polished and simply ooze quality. So, step 5, it's dark and I'm building this in the conservatory using a torch to illuminate the work area! These are the pinions and shafts which exit both the front and rear differentials. You can't really see the quality of the bearings or the gears from the photo, but trust me they are fantastic. I love all the little details of engineering in these axles. Here you can see how they go together, it's incredibly satisfying, the pin goes through the pinion and shaft and is then held in place by the bearing... Before adding the next items to hold it all in place. You can see the quality of the bearings and other components better in this picture... Step 6. The differentials... The diff on the left is all greased up, the one on the right is assembled dry for the photo just so you can see the components... Both fully assembled. The diffs are all bolted together and once again the quality and fit is second to none. No plastic here at all. Step 7 and the rear diff is ready to go into the rear axle which will be built up in this step. All greased up and ready to close up. Once again, everything slips into place beautifully. The smoothness of the differential and bearings is sublime and highly rewarding for your efforts. Step 7 complete. Step 8 takes us to the front axle. It's the same process virtually as the rear axle. This time around I've photo'd the locking diff option. I've left both of mine open, however if you want to lock them, you simply insert this extended grub screw through the diff housing and through the drive shaft which has a hole in it, this locks the shaft to the differential crown gear so the shaft cannot turn independently of the diff. It's a real neat detail. Anyway, I left mine open so that extended grub screw was removed which allows the shaft to move independently. The outer diff housing has a short grub screw which covers up this access point in the housing. So to lock the diff, remove the outer grub screw which can be seen in photo below, insert the extended grub to lock the shaft to the crown wheel, then reinsert the short grub to seal the housing. The photo below shows the front axle completed including step 9, which is to add the steering knuckles to the axle. Apologies if this build diary is a bit carried away. So far this build is everything I was expecting it to be, I'm delighted with what I've seen so far. The fact that Tamiya were producing this 30 years ago, (albeit I understand certain elements have been improved) is testament to how far ahead they were then and demonstrates why even vintage ones have stood the test of time so well. These were so expensive back in the day that for me they were unobtanium. The prices these can be had for now makes these far more accessible than they ever have been. The quality, engineering and detail has made this a very satisfying build so far. Suspension tomorrow!! I'm hoping I have enough threadlock and grease to complete the build. I've been quite generous so far, although I do have some medium strength loctite in case I do run out! That's all for now folks..... Cheers Nito 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoodoo Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Drool,drool,drool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smeghead28 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Great so far. Take your time,the build is always one of the best bits for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rover Man Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Great start. Keep the pics coming please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz! Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 That little diff locking feature is on the hi-lift chassis too, cracking idea and a nice little touch to a awesome kit! I did some detailing work on a original and the workmanship back then on first release was impressive as it is today. Can't beat old tamiyas though, the staple to any enthusiast really...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibo Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Great work and documentation, little tip for you,stick a bit double sided tape or blutak under the little lockthread pot,it will hold it still for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NITO Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 (edited) Thanks guys, Today I made a start on Bag B! and here are the contents... This covers steps 10-17. So, step 10 is to build up the leaf springs and shackles and mount them onto the axles. All sounds easy enough. Here's a close up of the parts, once again lovely quality. But then first snag of the day. "Synthetic rubber cement", I've never even heard of it. It's a poor show that the manual calls for it yet it doesn't come with the kit. I was really quite disappointed about this. Anyway, moving on because I wasn't going to delay the whole build until I tracked this stuff down and also it looked to me like the only purpose it really serves is to hold all the components together while you bolt it all up as you'd need about 10 hands without. I used my hot glue gun, a very thin spread on the items noted. Below you can see the items that required this cement, namely the black metal inserts on the white plastic and the silver blocks on the axles. With four bolts tightening up the U shackles I didn't think the cement would actually hold these items in place once installed, surely the clamping force would be sufficient. If not I'll need to re address it later but I'm sure it'll be fine. On the front axles I only used the hot glue on a couple of parts and juggled the rest. There are various requirements to set up here, angle of shackle against the axle, distance from the hub etc. The picture above shows the silver blocks in the wrong place, they actually needed moving in a bit! My wife had gone shopping with her mum at this point so I was left at home with the kids. In typical fashion it was right at this point that my youngest decided to start behaving like a monkey. He's 8 years old and came in disrupting everything. Anyway, long story short, eventually I managed to get it all where it needed to be. I didn't enjoy this step at all, in fact it was the worst so far, not helped by the circumstances! Sounds like my earlier warning of not building this with kids in the vicinity came back to haunt me! Axles built up below. This step with all the distractions and thinking about what to use in lieu of the cement stuff took me 2 hours and 20 minutes!! There were a couple of minor errors I made here that I later had to rectify thanks to various distractions. Anyway, with that all over, step 11 is where the kit starts to come to life. Bolting these up to the chassis. Step 11 is the rear axle first. And here's one I made earlier Step 12 adds the front axle to the chassis. As with all the chassis build elements, the only let down are the screws Tamiya use made of cheese. Not a problem really on plastic kits but on metal they are being tightened up more than on plastic. These ought to really be hex's made out of stainless as ibo has used on his build. It would have made this part more satisfying. and here's a shot of the underside of step 12. Change of scenery for step 13, this is the part of the Hornet build that I always enjoy, assembling the dampers... I love the old school engineering and quality of components used in these; On the bruiser you get 4! Interesting to note that the chassis has the pickup points on it to add an additional 4 if you so wanted. Of course then it would lose scale realism. and step 14 all complete, dampers filled with oil, burped and sealed up. Step 15 is assembling the wheel hubs; Some more nice bearings and some bits of black plastic that gave me a hole in my hand after pushing down 4Nr against the tiled floor to get them seated in the hubs! and all done!! Step 16 is adding the lovely dampers and hubs to the rear; and done. Finally step 17, which is the same to the front along with adding the steering arms and bash guard. Components shown below. and the finished item (in terms of Bag B anyway!!); and the underside shot... Just under 2 hours for the later steps, so in total today I spent about 4 hours and 15 minutes building. That's a cumulative 8 hours and 45 minutes from start to this stage so far. Of course one could go quicker and I'm busy taking my time and documenting it all. I think I'll probably be taking a break tomorrow and spending some time with the family. Between this and the Hornet I've had about 3 days out! It's nice to sit back now and look at the chassis as it currently stands with fully working suspension. It's tempting to whack the wheels on just for fun! The next step is the gearbox. I definitely don't want any interruptions there so I'll need to find a convenient slot. I'm estimating at my current snail pace probably 2-3 hours for that. The radio gear, esc and motor follow on from there then bodyshell but it'll almost be a pity to see light at the end of the tunnel. I made a couple of silly minor mistakes today, all now corrected but it does annoy me when I find I've made a mistake! One of the steering knuckles has a slight tight spot at full lock so I'll need to investigate that more in due course. It's only slight but I want this build to be as perfect as I can get it. Think ibo mentioned he had the same with his kit so seems it might not be a one off. All said and done, there are an awful lot of components that go into making this kit, very clever people who dreamt it all up initially. That's before even starting on the 3 speed box which is probably one of the more complex parts of the kit. I'm actually looking forward to that, hopefully it'll be as satisfying as the diffs! Ta for now! Cheers Nito Edited December 29, 2014 by NITO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibo Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Its great to compare notes and help each other out,then there again this is what this forum is all about,great members and loads of help and advice 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreXeL Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Loving it Those diffs look interesting, are they TorSen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJJ Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 So tempted to start my mountain rider kit but it's got to wait. I purchased a screw kit from here if it helps, they have stainless steel and black high tensile. Chosen black personally as I not a fan of silver screws. http://rc-schrauben.de/Screw-kit-for-the-Tamiya-Toyota-4x4-Bruiser-36RN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the watchman Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) Ive really enjoyed building mine, i to had the steering knuckle issue rubbing, i just filled the axle down slightly, inspecting the end of axle i could see a raised mold knub, so i just filled it down untill smooth Gearbox is pretty straight forward, plenty of grease in there, use grease on the 2 little balls that sit into the shift lever, to help hold them in place as you slide the lot into the gearbox case i also smoothed down the plastic C peices that sit into the shifters, just so they ran smooth on the shift rings, im well impressed with it though and how smooth it shifts gear, a testiment to its superb desighn even all those years ago, smoother than any hilift 3 speed ive had. Good thread as well buddy, nice well detailed build thread, top job. What set up are going for battery wise, and which esc are you using? Edited December 30, 2014 by the watchman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NITO Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 Thanks for that link, looks great, might treat my WT01 to a set. Interesting that the black (high tensile) is so much dearer than the stainless. Won't the black still rust though? Well the missus gave me three hours this morning to do my gearbox...managed to complete it in 3 hours 27 minutes without getting any grief So without further ado... deep breath, Bag C steps 18-26 - The gearbox. Bag C contents... Close up of some of the lovely quality components... Even more super quality bearings...looks like this gearbox is going to be a seriously smooth bit of kit...and it is... So to the gearbox. Step 18! During step 18... Completed... Step 19... Yum yum...lots of metal components... oh, and a couple of plastic ones too... I believe these are second and third gear... 1st (metal), second and third (plastic)...all assembled on the main shaft...along with shifter rings. I had a little play with this while it was in this state, working out how the truck shifts. It's really clever stuff, I take my hat of once again to the guys that designed this; figured it all out, the prototyping, R&D, signing off and commissioning of this lot. The gearbox is a real work of art, the quality is out of this world for an RC car and at the current pricing of these kits, surely they would never make back the work involved in bringing it to market if it weren't for the fact that it's a re re. I'm delighted with the way this is going together. So satisfying. I thought the axles were good but this is another step beyond...oh, cracked open the second tube of grease half way through this stage... Step 20...Shift mechanism...shift forks and slider, just keeps getting better... ...coz Grease is the way we are feeeeling!!! Insert...you can see the gearbox outlet for the front axle here. This engages with first gear, interesting to note that all cogs/gears to do with the front wheel drive part are full metal. Sub shaft assembly as Tamiya call it...Step 21 Art in progress...it's so satisfying, the way the rubber O rings slide over the cogs to retain the pins is great... Meet the second part of the gearbox casing... It's all taking shape now... Step 22...planetary gears...little bit fiddly this one, but great nonetheless... Can't believe I didn't get a pic of this step assembled...must have been so engrossed and excited in what I was building...getting towards the end of the gearbox build...covered in grease now too which makes taking photo's potentially mucky... anyway, onto step 23... again I didn't get a pic of this little assembly, this really was covered in grease...but here it is added to the gearbox...was debating whether to have the rubber plugs fully pushed in as on the right which gives a really tight seal and looks hard like an 80's stud lol! Or as on the left. Think it's supposed to be like the one on the left so I corrected it. I have seen some kits built like the stud look though. So here we are, step 23 complete, gearbox done. Bag C isn't finished just yet though, just the motor and pinion to add, prop shafts, then attach it all to the chassis, but it's a convenient stop point for now. I see the next step calls for cement for the circlip on the propshafts. It doesn't state which cement, so that's another irritating cement reference, wish they would sort this out, it's frustrating when everything else is sooo good! Great few hours, you wouldn't believe looking at the completed gearbox just how much work and componentry goes into it, and the sheer weight of it!! Hopefully the picture captures this to an extent, but it really is a rewarding part of the build. I never imagined it would be quite this involved. It's making me think I won't bother going brushless, the thought of ever needing to go into the gearbox again, not because its difficult or time consuming, but because the Titanic-esque components look so well engineered, bombproof and timeless, to have to go back in would almost be to do this work of art a disservice!! You just struggle to find true engineering like this nowadays, so to do so is a real treat...in case you hadn't guessed...I'm loving it!! Drexel, in answer to your earlier question, I don't know if they're torsen diffs, they look similar in design although not helical. All I can say is that if you turn one wheel, the opposite side doesn't go in reverse, it moves forward the same way if that helps. RJJ...what's the Mountain Rider waiting for? My only recommendations, buy some of that daft cement and the uprated metal screw kit. They're the only let down items. Not because it's a big issue but because the rest of it really is that good! It's funny because I don't think anyone really buys a Bruiser to knock it up, it's the pinnacle of Tamiya engineering and always has been, top of the tree and always revered as such. It's a really big step to take due to the purchase cost but looks like most really take pride and care in the build, so you want everything to be as perfect as possible. It'll never be quite the same again building up the stock kits after this lol. I have a Wild Willy 2 to build next, that'll be a 5 minute breeze after this, somehow I don't think it'll be in the same league of satisfaction!! Cheers for now... Nito 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NITO Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 Hi watchman, Yes I cleaned up the shifter fork inserts also as the mould nib would have rubbed on the shift rings. Thanks for the compliments on the thread, hope it captures the spirit of the build which you've obviously experienced first hand! It's too good not to share! I'm going to be fitting an HPI esc, I use all HPI stuff in my uprated basher, HPI ESC, Brushless and Lipo's, I love the quality of HPI stuff, runs Tamiya a close second IMHO and actually better in many things. I've come close to buying a Flux Savage in the past as a main basher but it's almost too extreme but I like what they do, where Tamiya have been pretty timeless in the stuff they knock out, HPI is a bit more extreme and leading edge with the newer technology I think. For this truck I'm going for this ESC; http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hpi-sc-3swp-waterproof-electronic-speed-control/rc-car-products/384395 It's waterproof, Lipo compatible, (I have a Deans to Tamiya harness anyway) so I can use the HPI round stick Lipo's I use on my basher if I want or use standard Nimh ones. It's 2s or 3s compatible, and has standard Tamiya plug. It'll go down to a 12T so seems ideal. This was originally a stop gap to going HPI brushless (4300Kv 9T equiv), but we'll see how it goes first before making any decisions on alternative motors! I've heard top gear is pretty quick on these anyway. Looking at the gearbox, I don't think it would struggle with brushless power, but the handling from the agricultural leaf spring setup might become interesting; we'll see, to early to call but for now I'm fitting the above esc! Cheers Nito Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the watchman Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) Ahh gearbox done sounds like your really enjoying the build. Yeah i looked at that exact esc, it seems like a cracker for the money, i to like hpi electrics, although on mine i opted for the tam teu104 esc, deans extension lead Edited December 30, 2014 by the watchman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NITO Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 It's nice to keep it all Tamiya, but if you're planning to use lipo be careful, I think the Tamiya escs don't have lipo low voltage built in, just low voltage for Tamiya life batteries which is apparently set too low for lipo. That, low turn and waterproofing is why I went for the HPI one. The HPI stuff like Tamiya also has that sobre understated tasteful elegance that suits my tastes rather than lairy anodised blue and the like everywhere which is really not my bag!! Cheers Nito Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJJ Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Just loving these detailed build threads, and you have done a brilliant job Nito. It's just personal preference on the black screws, I just like them to blend in more on my rc's. Have some other projects that I would like to finish up 1st, re re egress is my current distraction lol but at some point I will get it built up and post a couple of pics. Like you really want to sit down take my time and savour one of Tamiya's finest rc's imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the watchman Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 It's nice to keep it all Tamiya, but if you're planning to use lipo be careful, I think the Tamiya escs don't have lipo low voltage built in, just low voltage for Tamiya life batteries which is apparently set too low for lipo. That, low turn and waterproofing is why I went for the HPI one. The HPI stuff like Tamiya also has that sobre understated tasteful elegance that suits my tastes rather than lairy anodised blue and the like everywhere which is really not my bag!! Cheers Nito Yes nito, i thought keeping it all tamiya would be nice, the esc i went for is teu-104bk, it has lipo cut off but not waterproof but i dont intend on running this in water, i have my gelande 2 and ascender for that the other reason i chose this esc is the power switch size, its large and fits into the bruisers radio tray nicely, the switch then pops through the rear of the truck bed, it just keeps it looking tidy and i dont have to remove the body to switch it on and off, funny the 104 esc i have on order has just turned up litraly as im typing lol, ill get it swapped over today from my traxxas xl5 i have in there, also just waiting on another tamiya to arrive ill update my post when it comes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oodboo Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 The 104 has cut off but it's set for life. You'll need a separate alarm our something if you're going to run with a Lipo. Been following this build and I think I'd cry if it was death by Lipo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NITO Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) Nice, please do!! Good point about the switch, didn't really consider that. Are you sure about Lipo cut off, I looked into this way back, I'm not overly worried about waterproofing as its easy to waterproof them anyway (put in a balloon) , but the lipo thing is why I didn't go Tamiya. Have you actually tried the lipo cut on other models? Would be good to know as I can't confirm either way from Tamiya literature. Thanks RJJ, fancy an Avante myself, especially the jap market black but think I'm way too late to find one! Are you putting pics up on the Egress build? Edit: Oodboo, sorry our posts crossed I was referring to watchman when I said are you sure about lipo cut above. Thanks for the detailed info on the lipo cut in tour post below though. Watchman, think you mentioned a 959 the other day, there is one on ebay with a brand new shell for sale, was in the Edited January 1, 2015 by NITO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the watchman Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Damm, just reading the teu-104 instructions it does indeed say low voltage cut off is set at factory for LF batteries place i bought it from on ebay said lipo cut off lying git lol, its no big deal i have a few tiny lipo buzzers i can use, main thing for me was the switch size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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