Russ528

Well, sorted the problem. Sold it on for parts and got myself an FTX carnage 2.0. Got the brushed one as the running gear is the same as on the brushless version. Swapped out the brushed motor for a brushless 3100kv, dropped the pinion gear from 17t down to 15t, changed the **** water shock oil for some losi 30wt and slapped in a 2s lipo..... and it's bloody great. Also put in a different receiver so I can use my fs-gt5 transmitter with both my cars. Appreciate its not an expensive truck, but I've already got a blinged up brushless xstr and just wanted something fun to smash about the local park and woods, and this ftx now ticks that box very nicely. It is surprisingly well balanced when airborne, handles pretty well and is quite hard to flip, and is perfectly quick enough acceleration and top speed for what I'm using it for. Plastics seem pretty good, the only thing I'm not overly keen on are the steering links, they just seem a bit cheap and awkward to adjust, although they do the job to be fair. Highly recommend these as a first truck, I mean, for £120 you can't go wrong even with the brushed version (which is a bit slow).

Just reading about the diff issue. I gather it was due to diff gear meshing being dodgy on some of the cast aluminium gears, so some people shimmed the gears to sort it out. Others had new gears from HPI. Others had no problems. Could be a show stopper I guess, but then again, the car is pretty old already and the diff's seem ok, so maybe it was one of the later ones with the situation solved?

it does have a slipper spur?

Sorry, I cant seem to figure out linking to images externally......at least you can choose what to look at though! LOL!

To be fair, the only outlay in terms of cost so far is for a receiver so I can use my FS GT5 with both models, and a motor mount that was a tenner. Yeah, that profile picture is waaaaay old! It was my old e39 528i ( nicely modded....lowered, not slammed, aero front splitter, upgraded headlights, m50 manifold modified to fit with rebored throttle body and a remap. Was pretty nippy for a big old barge and handled well....it had a few nurburgring trips too). Sorry, a bit OT, but I've had (in chronological order since passing driving test!): - 1989 E34 525i (standard but did lots of now "standard" things, like retrofitting remote central locking! - 1992 e36 325 sport coupe. Slightly modified nothing too off major. https://i.ibb.co/wNFvmbj/frontcorner.jpg - e39 528i - lots of stuff done....so much to list https://i.ibb.co/n6LfZt5/Russells-528-1.jpg https://i.ibb.co/VwXHCDf/ringexit1.jpg - e46 325i sport - nice enough, changed the wheels but that was about it. No quicker than the 320, but thirsty as the 3ltr.... - Mazda RX8 (whoops....was fun, but died) - e46 330i sport - Lush. LED read light upgrade, M3 paddle shift retrofit, nice wheels..... detailed the life out of it. https://i.ibb.co/4THJqvX/42ab0451.png https://i.ibb.co/V2SV3LZ/20120628-191628-1.jpg https://i.ibb.co/1LkWBR4/20121007-143847.jpg - e92 335i - lots done here too. Dechromed, Rainbow full audio replacement (sounded immense), Viper smartstart, lowered, Quantum44 alloys. https://i.ibb.co/wsS4CLd/20150619015427-IMG-0237.jpg https://i.ibb.co/6nqR6Sw/20150619015625-IMG-0241.jpg - F32 435i sport - left completely stock, as I bought it from new and so specc'd it to the hilt. https://i.ibb.co/cx136Kt/11226213-642780075858773-3919255477484604651-o.jpg - F06 640i sport Had the wheels redone in ferric grey, retrimmed steering wheel with M colour stitching and a bit fatter than standard. That's about it....it's lovely..... Oh, throttle tuning module fitted, so isn't quite so lethargic as they are out the box. Now has a very similar urgency to the 435i. Was going to remap it, but honestly the pedal box has made a massive difference https://i.ibb.co/DfMqbzw/20190410-082340.jpg

So, I got an HPI MT2, along with all the radio gear, rotostart, etc at the weekend.....for free. Looks used, but in decent shape, nothing bent or buggered. Anyway, I've got some spare bits and pieces laying around and the idea was to convert it to electric. I know it's an old truck, and also that there are no conversion kits available, so I'm going to have to hash it together myself, and i'm fine with that - it's just going to be a fun tinkering project (got an HPS XSTR heavily upgraded, brushless buggy to actually use at the moment!!). So when I've been asking around a few model shops for any advice as to what other bits might fit and that i could use, pretty much every one of them (and I messaged about 6 or so) said "i wouldn't bother, HPI are dead and buried. Getting parts will be impossible - just buy this nice new Arrma / whatever (at hideous cost)" Seems a shame really....are HPI parts for this are harder to come by, I appreciate - and the only thing that's making me a bit nervous is that there is that concern of if I do get it all up and running and prang it, it could be useless if I can't get a replacement bit..... That said, i've read places that HPI from back in the day, were actually build pretty well with decent plastics? Any thoughts?

3900kv SMD motor and 60a ESC, with just a 2s 6000mah battery.

Brushless conversion on my HSP Xstr, pretty nippy! Got myself some road wheels/tyre too, save my knobblies getting destroyed on anything that's not mud or grass! 😂 20200718_150740.mp4

I know, I was thinking the same. Yet everyone who says "don't worry about it" then explains how they keep them buried in a pile of breeze blocks, or always stores them outside in a bbq or something, so I didn't know what to think or believe...... which is probably what everyone does after they Google "lipo storage" which then brings up countless videos and websites explaining how these are in fact the most lethal consumer product in the world.....and then just end up doing the same "lipo bunker" route everyone else appears to do., just becuase it seems like the done thing.

Must admit, having spoken to a few model shops and generally caught up a bit with how and why lipo fires start, I feel a bit happier about the situation. I took the car out for it's first proper run in some open space on Wednesday evening, and it's such a hoot - smashed it around for a good 40 mins or so, most of which was flat out speed runs and high speed cornering) before the pinion gear decided to come loose (and I didn't take that size allen key with me!) - but no major dramas. Anyway, checked the battery during use and it was fine - didn't get hot or anything (slightly warmer than when I connected it initially, but that's to be expected). Checked it when I took it out at the end of the run, and it was fine. Still not hot, no signs of puffing or anything. I checked it when I got home and it was at 3.81v, So, still a tad concerned about storing the batteries in the summerhouse (which I'd really rather not burn to the ground), I was investigating what I could keep the lipo bagged batteries in. Found this for what seemed a reasonable price https://www.screwfix.com/p/master-lock-5ltr-fire-chest-352-x-284-x-156mm/1567j Granted it is supposed to protect the contents inside from fire and heat, but the construction is simply a highly fire and temperature resistant compound encased in a plastic shell (plastic inside and out)- so i kind figured that if the hot stuff was ever to be on the inside, it'd do just as good a job of keeping the outside safe! It's pretty heavy and will also protect the batteries from getting accidentally knocked/bashed. It does say not to store ammunition, handguns, explosive or combustible materials in it - presumably because storage of such things would need various different certifications which this does not have, as it's only meant to be a fire chest. I was going to look at drilling some vent holes in it as I'd envisaged it being a well sealed thing, however having had a look at it, there's no rubber seal and it's not airtight as such, so if it's left unlocked, should the pressure generated be that great in the event of a lipo fire, the lid will just lift (and probably in a controlled fashion, as the lid itself is pretty weighty too). and pressure will be released.

Hey guys Am I right in thinking the majority of cars shock absorbers have the same size diameter top and bottom fixing points? Can anyone recommend some 95-100mm shocks? Thanks

Asked a few model shops as well. First answer I got back is below: Hi Russell, Firstly you are right to worry, but don’t loose too much sleep over them, we have 100’s on the premises and they are just kept on the shelves. Lipos tend to only set on fire if treated wrongly, remember many home appliances such as laptops, iPads, phones all have Lipo batteries in them and nobody worries about them. My advice - Never leave a LiPo plugged into the car Always store in a LiPo bag Never discharge below 3.5v per cell Never charge above 4.2v per cell and ALWAYS BALANCE CHARGE Never leave flat or fully charged around 4v per cell is perfect If the LiPo looks damaged or is swollen put in salt water for a week and then send to recycling Follow the above and all should be good, obviously you always get the odd issue but its extremely rare. Thanks

A little thought occurred to me, plumbers soldering mats are flame and heat resistant up to 1000 degree s or more - could use one of these in a metal container of some description?

I've seen the ammo crate suggested various places, but the heat from any potential lipo fire will take that box temp up to silly levels, which itself could start a fire? Keeping them outdoor is probably all well and good if you're not in the UK, as the cold temperatures can kill them. Appreciate the "it's all good, chill out" post mate, but this is all giving me a headache!

Ah man...see this is what makes me freak about leaving the batteries anywhere! Do you use that whilst charging, or just to store them in when not being used? Honestly, i'd feel safer/happier keeping a box of grenades in the summerhouse. than a freaking Lipo.