Your thoughts on my 1987 Tyco/Taiyo 9.6v Twin Turbo Lamborghini Countach please?

[Ukcanuck]

Hi folks,

 

I have a late 1980’s Lamborghini Countach 1/12 R/C car that I’d like attempt breathing a little life into...if possible.  I’ve had it from new (bought as a teenager in Canada) but it hasn’t run since the early ‘90’s.  It’s a two motor car, with the second activated by a deeper pull on the trigger (referred to as a ‘twin turbo’ in North America.)  A web search suggests this was made by Taiyo and branded Tyco for the USA/Canada market and was a pretty good car for its’ time and my interests in restoring it are purely sentimental.  I would think it’s a pretty simple setup by modern standards, so hopefully I can bring her back to life.

 

First of all is a battery pack.  It has what appears to be a Tamiya style plug, with a square plug and a rounded square.  So the first of what will no doubt not be the only dumb question is whether I’m on the right track thinking that the pack in this link will be ok?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384107798899

 

I am not an expert in this area, so am feeling my way forward on this one...and don’t want to do something dopey and make anything worse. 🙄

 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or assistance.

 

Richard

Edited May 8, 2021 by Ukcanuck

[Stormbringer]

check the dimensions to make sure it will fit 

[Lone-wolf]

I am guessing you no longer have the original battery, it would be helpful to check voltage and connector, but i think you would be right on Tamiya connector

[Ukcanuck]

4 minutes ago, Stormbringer said:

check the dimensions to make sure it will fit 

Just checked...

A pack of 8 x AA’s fits into the cavity perfectly, leaving space remaining for the connector.

[Ukcanuck]

6 minutes ago, Jack Reacher said:

I am guessing you no longer have the original battery, it would be helpful to check voltage and connector, but i think you would be right on Tamiya connector

No, that’s long gone.

It was 9.6v though, I’ve found that online.

 

https://images.app.goo.gl/DcWxyTJSHiSg2tfw9

[Stormbringer]

i meant check the dimensions of the new pack 

[Ukcanuck]

23 minutes ago, Stormbringer said:

i meant check the dimensions of the new pack 

Ah, ok.

Done that now, should fit with a few mm’s to spare in every direction.

[Stormbringer]

cool mate 

[PraetoR]

Definitely worth rescuing, for nostalgia's sake! I recently bought an extremely rare, pretty pricey toy-grade RC, purely because it was the same as my first ever RC. Nostalgia is powerful!

 

If the circuit board and all the components all still working, then you'll be sorted. If not, you may need to look into replacing with a modern ESC (which can still drive the older motors), as well as (potentially) a proper servo, but all that'll start being a lot more involved. Good luck!

Edited May 9, 2021 by PraetoR

[Ukcanuck]

44 minutes ago, PraetoR said:

Definitely worth rescuing, for nostalgia's sake! I recently bought an extremely rare, pretty pricey toy-grade RC, purely because it was the same as my first ever RC. Nostalgia is powerful!

 

If the circuit board and all the components all still working, then you'll be sorted. If not, you may need to look into replacing with a modern ESC (which can still drive the older motors), as well as (potentially) a proper servo, but all that'll start being a lot more involved. Good luck!

Thanks!

 

I’ve ordered the battery pack, so I’m hoping to try powering up this week. 🙂

[Lone-wolf]

does the transmitter power up

 

[Ukcanuck]

2 minutes ago, Jack Reacher said:

does the transmitter power up

 

That’s a good question...

I just put a battery in and the light came on?  Can I interpret that as yes or is there a way to test signal strength or something?

[Lone-wolf]

14 minutes ago, Ukcanuck said:

That’s a good question...

I just put a battery in and the light came on?  Can I interpret that as yes or is there a way to test signal strength or something?

for now take that as a good sign, now to wait for a battery to arrive and also consider how you will charge the battery

[Ukcanuck]

18 minutes ago, Jack Reacher said:

for now take that as a good sign, now to wait for a battery to arrive and also consider how you will charge the battery

It comes with a USB charger that will no doubt take days to fully charge...but it’s something. 🙂

[walkbythesea]

24 minutes ago, Ukcanuck said:

It comes with a USB charger that will no doubt take days to fully charge...

You did want the full retro experience 😂👌

[Raul]

This "Chinese" battery does not fulfill what it advertises: it does not have 2400mAh and the discharge current may be small (you will notice if the car is slow).

Better batteries are those of brands such as Tyco, Nikko or New Bright although the capacity is lower but the discharge current is higher.

Edited May 12, 2021 by Raul

[Ukcanuck]

20 hours ago, Raul said:

This "Chinese" battery does not fulfill what it advertises: it does not have 2400mAh and the discharge current may be small (you will notice if the car is slow).

Better batteries are those of brands such as Tyco, Nikko or New Bright although the capacity is lower but the discharge current is higher.

Thanks.  It still hasn’t arrived yet, but I’ll keep that in mind.

Hopefully it will be enough for me to simply test and see whether the car still has any functioning parts...and if so, which ones.

[Stormbringer]

Be nice to see it running again 

[Juanmacine]

On 12/05/2021 at 16:25, Raul said:

This "Chinese" battery does not fulfill what it advertises: it does not have 2400mAh and the discharge current may be small (you will notice if the car is slow).

Better batteries are those of brands such as Tyco, Nikko or New Bright although the capacity is lower but the discharge current is higher.

Agree with this, in the past I have Nikko NIMH batteries like the OP found and are better than chinese no btand.

[Juanmacine]

On 08/05/2021 at 20:28, Ukcanuck said:

Hi folks,

 

I have a late 1980’s Lamborghini Countach 1/12 R/C car that I’d like attempt breathing a little life into...if possible.  I’ve had it from new (bought as a teenager in Canada) but it hasn’t run since the early ‘90’s.  It’s a two motor car, with the second activated by a deeper pull on the trigger (referred to as a ‘twin turbo’ in North America.)  A web search suggests this was made by Taiyo and branded Tyco for the USA/Canada market and was a pretty good car for its’ time and my interests in restoring it are purely sentimental.  I would think it’s a pretty simple setup by modern standards, so hopefully I can bring her back to life.

 

First of all is a battery pack.  It has what appears to be a Tamiya style plug, with a square plug and a rounded square.  So the first of what will no doubt not be the only dumb question is whether I’m on the right track thinking that the pack in this link will be ok?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384107798899

 

I am not an expert in this area, so am feeling my way forward on this one...and don’t want to do something dopey and make anything worse. 🙄

 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or assistance.

 

Richard

Very nice unit mate, ¿do you finally can run it?