johninderby Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Psycho 4x4x4 (Tamiya Agrios) Build Thread I had been looking at this since it came out last year and finally decided to give it a go. Sold a few RC cars and some other bits that went a long way to paying for the project. Kit arrived a couple of weeks ago from Fusion Hobbies. Best price by 50 quid and also fast delivery. Not that Tamiya kits ever seem to be a bargain but still every few quid off helps. Lot of bits in the box, as you can see in the photos, and typical Tamiya quality. I am of course going to make quite a few changes during the build, not that the kit isn't already very good, but I just can't help myself and a lot of the fun of building a kit is that you can make into something a bit different. Why the name Psycho? Well Agrios means either wild or angry and as mine is going to be a bit beyond that Psycho seems to fit. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Subscribed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 Step 1: Gearbox assembly Fair number of parts but assembly is straight forward. The gears are the resin type but quite beefy and I haven't heard of any durability problems with them. The kit does include a full bearing set thankfully. I'm using a pair of Etronix Sport Tuned 27T motors that should give adequate performance. The motor pinions are aluminium, but I'll use them for now and will replace them with steel pinions once I know if they are the right ratio or need changing. The cooling fins may not be needed but are just a little insurance against overheating and don't look too bad either. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 And a little teaser of things to come. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 They aren't from the box marked Tamiya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 They aren't from the box marked Tamiya Not that the Tamiya shocks for the Agrios aren't very nice indeed, but must be made of solid platinum judging by the price. The ones I've bought are still very good and they'll do me. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Tamiya OEM branded parts, aka a license to print money! Rofl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) Step 2: Chassis The chassis looks a lot like a proper monster truck. Centre section is two thick aluminium plates with aluminium cross bars connecting the sides. Then there are two long aluminium side rails on each side of 7.5mm dia. rod (the structural parts) that go full length with resin parts cast onto them for the upright detail and lower frame bars. Should be quite sturdy. There are just a few nuts & bolts to hold it together though. John P.S. Couple of little boxes marked Savox just arrived. Edited July 6, 2014 by johninderby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Nice. Pictures on MS make it hard to see exactly what is made of what, now, alles klar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 Chassis sides and bumpers assembled. Few minutes rest from all that bolting and I'll assemble the chassis with gearbox. The kit isn't cheap but once you start the build and handle the various parts it feels like really good value. Lovely quality. Feels like I'm getting my money's worth. When I totalled up what the build will cost with all the extras it's about the same as a 1/10 Summit, but this will look like a real monster truck. John PS: I actually like the Summit, great basher, but I wanted something different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) Basic chassis assembled. The bumpers are made from a flexible plastic that will bend rather than break. The aluminium crossbars fit through the bumper mounts but aren't fastened to them. Allows the bumper to deflect sideways a bit when hit which again helps prevent damage. Next step will be the axle assemblies and the four link set-up. Hate the stock bumper/skid plates that hold the axle mounted servos. Really oversize and clumsy looking. Spoils the look of those nice axles. I've included a photo of a stock Agrios so you can see what I mean. I'll be doing a behind the axle steering set-up and have designed the new parts, Now just got to make them. The Savox servos and Kimbrough 124 servo savers arrived today. What you call just in time delivery. Unfortunately there's 75 feet of 10 foot high by 5 foot deep Pyracantha thorn hedge that needs reducing down to 6 foot high by 3 foot deep, so there goes Sunday afternoon. John Edited July 5, 2014 by johninderby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 6, 2014 Author Share Posted July 6, 2014 Step 3: Axles Made the carbon fibre servo mounting plates for the behind the axle steering and test mounted them on the axle housing. John 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 Axles assembled. Usual Tamiya innards in the axle gearbox and dif. The bevel gears are steel and the shafts are stainless. Seems fairly robust with the shafts and bearings being larger than the usual Tamiya. I'll have to fit the axles and four links and shocks to the chassis next before doing the steering linkage to make sure everything clears. Looks like I'll have to make a flat carbon fibre link for the main steering link so it can fit higher up and clear the lower suspension links. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 They look very sturdy, time will tell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Basically the same as the Juggernaut's. My Jugg's on twin 550's and is still fine. Getting close to 'moved in' to the new house - will complete my Bigfoot. I've mounted the servos on the axles as well - inboard - to keep the outside clean like Bigfoot. Keep the build coming - looking good. Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 The RC4WD wheels (ordered last Tuesday) have just cleared customs and are on their way to the local depot so not much longer. Hopefully the wheel wideners from Korea won't be far behind. Forgot to order new rod ends for the links, but now ordered from MS so should be here tomorrow. Don't care for the Tamiya rod ends. They get sloppy very quickly. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Here's a few photos of mine - RC4WD wheels with TXT-1 tyres on. You've spurred me on to finish it - sometime! Moving house has frustrated me too much - don't want to break anything!! http://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/gallery/image/28181-/ http://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/gallery/image/28177-/ http://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/gallery/image/28175-bf-20140313-01/ Have you decided on a colour scheme? I think mine is Bigfoot 18 - world record 'long jump' record holder. Bigfoot 19 looks good. Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 Looks really good. Bought the Tamiya PS-16 blue paint a couple of weeks ago so it'll be a bit like Bigfoot 18. Just trying to decide if it's going to be just blue with the "bed" (back?) in black or to have some white along with the blue. White bonnet (or should that be hood) maybe? Managed to find a dealer with a set of the older RC4WD wheels with the 24 bolts on the beadlock rings. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Yeah, the older ones look more 'scale', but be careful tightening the bolts up. The M2's can 'snap' - or one of mine did. Perhaps it was just me being heavy handed. The shell on mine is ALL paint - Mark of Outlaw Graphics did a great job. Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 Yes you can't be heavy handed with the older version and "fingertip tight" is enough. I'll admit I had thought about a Bigfoot replica but decided to do something a little different. Bigfootish rather than Bigfoot I suppose. Just paid the customs charge/handling fee ( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 The RC4WD wheels were delivered today. All the wheels were individually wrapped in foam sheet in a box made for the purpose. They were even better looking than the pictures suggested they would be. Very pleased indeed. There are 24 bolts on the front beadlock ring although 12 of them just screw into the beadlock ring and fit into plain holes in the wheel. The other 12 bolts do screw into the wheel. On the back there are just eight bolts. The imitation planetary unit in the centre of the wheel is one large CNC machined part with bolts screwed into the front and the whole thing screws into the wheel centre and covers the mounting hole in the wheel. There are another ring of bolts around the inside of the wheel as well. No fake bolts anywhere. The dream wheel for the bolt fetishist. Mounting the tyres was a pleasant surprise. The tyre bead simply slipped into the wheel and stayed there flush with the wheels edge waiting for the beadlock rings. No struggling or fighting unlike some of the beadlock wheels I've dealt with. Putting the bolts in actually went quickly as I only had to place the rings in position and then tighten the bolts down. Why can't all beadlocks wheels be this easy. These wheels are VERY heavy though at 519 grams for each wheel on it's own, and each complete wheel/tyre weighs in at 837 grams. All of a sudden having two big shocks for each wheel seems appropriate. I've still got the stock tyres and have mounted them on black 3.2" Revolver wheels (binned the ugly and cheap looking stock wheels) and will keep them for bashing. They're just that little bit small looking for this truck, but are are actually really good bashing tyres. John 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Looking good. I've the 'newer' beadlocks with the M3 bolts as indicated on my 'Bigfoot'. I use the same ones you have on my Juggernaut 2 - powered by a Traxxas EVX2 and 2x 550 Kershaw brushed motors and slightly larger pinion. Goes OK, but these things are more for scale show than Maxx, Savvy, LST-style pace and handling. Keep the thread coming - looking good. I was tempted by the Delrin wheels to keep the weight / inertia / transmission strain down. Still went for the alloys!! Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) Yes I thought the Delrin wheels were a lot more practical but I just didn't like them. With these wheels jumping doesn't seem like a good idea. John Edited July 12, 2014 by johninderby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Orange or blue? Orange or blue? Orange or blue? Had the paint to do the body in blue but now leaning towards orange. Anyway I've gone and ordered the orange paint so in a few days I'll have to make up my mind. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oodboo Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Get another body as well then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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