thezeronumber

Welcome new Bullet user! Generally speaking you want alloy replacements: Front and rear hub carriers, front and rear suspension arms and the front knuckle. The carriers/knuckles can be "torn" in two when put under a lot of stress and the suspension arms have a problem of the holes cracking and slipping off the rod which attaches to the body if you put enough force onto the tyre, such as a bad landing or bumping into something at a decent speed. There is a common problem of dogbones popping out of the sockets so installing some bump stops using fuel tubing should help that though I don't know of a better replacement for those drive shafts. If you are a heavy basher then metal shock towers and anti-bending plates are the next go-to upgrade. There are other bits and bobs such as metal wheel hexes and steering assembly but I wouldn't say they are essential, just there if you need them. Further details of these parts and sources can be found in the last few pages but you should expect to spend

Yes, that's correct. All of the screws are easy to tighten and you can do them by hand aside from the last turn which needs a good twist with a screwdriver/hex tool. The screws don't seem to dig into the material like they did the stock parts but that's what you sort of expect with metal replacements. I'm going to purchase some screw/threadlocker which should do the trick. It's just a shame that I'm required to buy it as I didn't need it for the stock parts! Edit:

So, I found a problem. Yesterday I went to a friends house and gave it some speed runs outside. Everything was fine for 5 minutes until the dogbone popped out on the front right side, the end towards the wheel. It had churned up the new parts a little but was otherwise fine so I put it back in and went on my way. 2 minutes later it happened again on the front right side. Put it back in, tried again. Another 2 minutes later and I noticed the front right wheel was slanting at a funny angle. On closer inspection I found the bottom screw connecting the knuckle and the hub carrier had vanished, which is why it was wobbling. I'm not sure if the screw was there for the first 2 times the dogbone slipped out but it wasn't there now! The dogbone is pretty bent and twisted now so I need a new one (I have spare screws from the stock parts I replaced). What confuses me is how that screw got loose. I notice the screws are a lot easier to tighten in metal parts than they are in plastic but that shouldn't make a difference, should it? I know I tightened them up a great deal when I was putting in the new parts so I don't know how it fell out so easily. I hope this isn't going to happen over and over.

A mix of bad timing and bad weather has stopped me from giving the Bullet a good run around but I did give it a 10 minute blitz up and down the road outside my house after fitting the pieces and everything looks fine. I can't see any imperfections or differences between the stock dimensions and the upgrades: Where important stuff should be is where important stuff is. When I was researching online I didn't find any negative comments either so I will say go for it.

The parts arrived on Monday and I finished fitting them this morning. Replacing components has made me remember how much I loathe e-clips, especially the smaller ones that are supplied with the hop-ups. I spent two-thirds of the time trying to get the old ones off and the new ones on with a few moments of "where the hell has it gone now", but it's done now and my RC looks gorgeous. I wonder how long it will take to stop looking shiny! I held off on the other bits in the hope I could find them somewhere else but no such luck with that, so I will be buying a package of rod ends and shock parts later today (I'm still annoyed that I have to spend

My parts left Hong Kong this morning so I reckon they'll arrive in a few days. I still need to get my hands on a rod end for the front turnbuckle (cracked), a disc that sits under the spring on the shocks (lost), some fuel tubing to make bump stops and some velcro to secure the battery lid/a new battery case (some of the locks have snapped off). Unfortunately getting the rod end and disc means buying a whole load of other parts that come with them. I don't suppose any of you have some of these lying around which I can take off your hands in exchange for a couple of quid (perhaps a bit of fuel tubing too)? I'm going to make do with the front dogbones for now, despite them being ever so slightly bent at one end. Are there any good replacements for those or do we have to stick with the stock version? I've seen the CVDs but they are expensive and I haven't found many reviews on them. @ mattvrx1: That's a lot of dirt on those spring socks! It's quite funny seeing the contrast in part cleanliness. @ tolysk8: How are the hop-ups? Noticed an improvement on the repairs, or hopefully lack of them?

@ Mattvrx1: Have you put those new parts in yet and did you have any problems with the installation? Mine should be arriving next week.

Thanks for the replies but the parts are gone as I nabbed them while I had the chance, sorry! Here's the seller regardless: http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/rc_parts999/&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2754. They are a GPM distributor so it's literally the same parts on Asiatees, just in a limited "get what you are given" supply. I purchased a pair of front suspension arms, rear suspension arms, front knuckles (in silver), front hub carriers and a steering assembly (in blue) for a bit over

I know the top two are suspension arms, the middle two are the steering crank and rear hub carrier and the bottom right are some hex adapters but what is that on the bottom left? Did you purchase this stuff from Asiatees? Is the steering crank a weak spot or was it one of those "because why not" purchases?

Thanks, I had a look at those sites this morning. When I started looking I just wanted some front suspension arms but seeing all of these metal parts has reminded me of other things which can go wrong with the Bullet. For example, in the past I had broken a front hub carrier (#101209) when I slowly grazed the side of a garage door so I know a metal replacement of that would be great. I can imagine the front knuckle and rear hub carrier (#101208) breaking easily as well if you were to do a lot of awkward landings. HPI have aluminium replacements for these parts (#108078, #108077, #108021) but of course they are all out of stock. Asiatees has the suspension arms and the front knuckle but Integy has all of those parts plus the front and rear hub carriers. Integy is definitely pricier: The total cost would be around

Back in 2011 this RC car was my first and still only purchase but that same year I had to put the hobby on hold. After a long break I've started up again and while it's good to be back I have run into some issues. On the last run I did before packing up the hobby I broke one of the suspension arms at the front of the car where it connects to the suspension shaft that holds it to the body. One of the two holes where the shaft fed through had cracked and slipped off the rod, allowing the dogbone drive shaft to pop out too. I removed the entire wheel section and knowing I wouldn't be able to use it for a long period of time left it in this condition. Fast forward to last week and here I am, looking at the car with the same newbie excitement I had when I first bought it and completely forgetting why I had left the car with its wheel off. I investigate the dogbone which has a very slight bend at one end and thought to myself "I must have dislodged it with some force and all I need to do is put it back", so I did. Some charging of batteries and a trip to a grassy area later I was putting it through its paces. Everything was going well until I turned too tight and put the Bullet in a cartwheel. Usually that'd be fine but I noticed something was up so I took a look and that was when I noticed the same suspension arm had popped off: Suddenly it all came back to me! So I took the arm off, put some electrical tape on it and sent it back out. The tape held amazingly well and I had no more problems with that arm for the rest of the day, even with some more flips and cartwheels. But then I goofed up and ran into a wooden bollard at maybe half-throttle. You might have guessed it; I cracked the suspension arm on the other side and it had slipped off the shaft. Not only that but I cracked the rod end that attached to the turnbuckle and hub carrier plus lost one of the discs that slips under the shock springs, as well as dislocating the dogbone. Electrical tape fixed the arm and turnbuckle (much to my surprise again) but I will need to find a new disc. Since the crash I have noticed that side acting a bit wibbly-wobbly but I'm currently investigating the issue and will post here when I find out the problem. The bit where the arm connects to the suspension shaft seems like such a weak point. I'm assuming metal replacements are better than buying the same plastic ones again. The only place I have found some so far is through a Hong Kong distributor on Ebay and while I don't mind going down that route I'd prefer to have official HPI ones (none of which exist) or from somewhere closer to home and with likely better customer service. Thoughts?

The only part i enjoy of the repairs is to get them done so i can get back on the road. It just seems that every-time i do that it breaks again and i'm hardly crashing or treating it hardcore (no huge jumps or anything like that, in-fact no jumps at all). I wouldn't be so frustrated over the breaks if the parts had a, well, decent reason for breaking. So far i've had things broken by a tyre gripping a wall at a weird angle and a light hedge clipping the wheel as it went by; i was expecting breaks when it came to large jumps and huge crashes at high velocity, so i'm a bit disappointed by it all.

I don't use my Bullet too much due to having other things in life getting in the way, but every-time i do use it i vastly enjoy the privilege. Hoping to get some more run time with it next year as i'm moving house in a couple of months time and with that comes a nearby field that seems to be fairly well maintained. However... It seems i am constantly breaking things; parts which i rarely see being broken by other Bullet users. The Upright Set and Wheel Carrier for the front-left side got ripped in two when i awkwardly caught the wheel on a wall as i was doing a fairly slow turn. When trying to install the new parts the screws stopped catching, so i had to PVA glue them to the holes (poor-man's Loctite). And what happens when i finally get it working? I clip a hedge, the car stops in it's tracks, and it breaks again. This time a suspension arm on the front has a crack running across one of the two holders that the rod fits through when attaching to the body, so while one was a perfect "O" and held the bar fine, the other resembled a "O" but on closer inspection was more a "C" and the rod was sitting outside of it completely; it literally yanked its way through. To add insult to injury, the rod itself is also bent to a degree and took some VERY hard pulling to get out. Right now the Bullet is sitting with a limp wheel and i'm feeling pretty gutted about it. I've barely crashed the thing at all and for a newbie (well, a few months old to this now) i would rate myself pretty highly on the control side of things. But when something does go wrong, it seems to always break something. I've not even started jumping the thing yet (been doing light bashing) but i'm already worrying over the results. If these things keep happening, i dread to think what will happen to the dog bones, drive train, shock supports, etc. A bit down about the whole thing. Maybe i have terrible luck but my original thought of how robust it was is slowly fading and i'm starting to feel i could of put £300 to better use.

Thanks, got the bearings out and everything is replaced. Wahey! ...Or not. Taking the screws out was a job and a half because they were done up so tightly. I almost cut my fingers open trying to get them out! And when i finally did, one of them won't screw back in; just slides through. I tested various holes and parts and i'm 100% that it is the screw, even though it looks identical to the other one. Not very pleased about that so i'm now trying to find some more, but there goes my plans of getting it running this weekend. Edit: Since ordered a pack of 6 for £2.98 from eBay. Seems a lot of money for something so trivial but oh well, it was the cheapest i could find and i just want to get back to having some fun! I will probably invest in some Loctite too and see if the dodgy-screw will actually hold in-place with some applied.

The Bullet has its problems but what RC unit doesn't? I personally think it is worth the money because it seems the only time it will break is when you push it really hard or have some awkward/unlucky collisions, and the parts which do break are pretty darn cheap to replace. HPI have already ironed out issues with the dog-bones and i am fairly confident the company (or even the hobbyist community) will find a solution for a couple other things. Each to their own though, admittedly it is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Kudos to Model Sport for their quick delivery on the replacement parts.

Great, shall look around the net for the best prices now. Thanks.

Hello again, been bogged down with a ton of things and never got round to looking for the parts! A while back i detailed what happened to my RC car and asked what i should order as i wasn't aware of the names. To refresh memories: Someone told me to buy an upright set and wheel carrier, so to double check are these the right parts? Not sure if i am ordering from this place but i want to know if i have the right things! http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/65395/ and http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/65396/

As mentioned before, importing them is illegal. I wouldn't just be risking the loss of my money and item but possibly my ability to stay out of prison too. Without knowing for definite, i'm not going to risk getting one shipped over as it could land me in some serious trouble. D: EDIT: Scanned the web and found a Policeman talking about the law on a Knives hobbyist forum: "You cannot import, buy, manufacture, sell, advertise for sale, expose for sale, lend, make a gift of, take into a public place etc etc a Ballisong/Butterfly knife. You may happily admire and play with at home one that was beamed into your living room." On the same forum there was a lot of talk about how people kept "finding" these in coats or jackets purchased at charity shops or they were miraculously discovered in a box that they had ordered online. Basically, they are illegal to purchase but people still try and find a way around it. They are also 100% legal to own, permitting one magically appears in your house over night... We now know buying a genuine Balisong is against the law but i'm still not sure on the novelty/non-bladed items: Those are the ones i really need to find information on.

Trust me, i would love to get a Benchmade 40 Trainer or a 42 if i can cover up the edge for safety, but they aren't heard of at all in the UK and are primarily a US based brand. I've checked out two official dealers of Benchmade items here in the UK and both stated that they cannot sell any Balisongs due to the law preventing them from doing so. As the Wiki states, they are "legal to possess" but everything else to do with them is against the law it seems. "Carrying one in public is an offence", so if there were places selling these the moment i step out the store i'd be committing a felony, although that would be unlikely in the first place seeing as the sale of such an item is against the law too. I also cannot import them from over seas so while it might be an eBay policy, badger, it's also against the UK law if they permitted such an action. What it doesn't cover or detail is buying one. It states that "sale" is illegal but does that include purchasing just as much as selling it off? Say for a moment that i did find a place in the UK selling a Balisong of any shape or form; the seller would be breaking the law but would the buyer? I know someone here has said that it wouldn't be illegal but on what basis have you made that statement? Likewise does this whole law include Balisong novelties and tools such as Bottle openers, Rulers, Combs, etc. It's hard to tell if the Knife is the issue or if it's the whole "Balisong stigma/image". Gah, it's never easy!

For a couple of years i have been fascinated with Balisong Knives (sometimes known as Butterfly or Fan Knives). I couldn't care less for the Knife itself though, rather my interest is in the folding mechanism and the "art" of flipping as a means of entertainment. Unfortunately Balisongs are considered illegal in the UK and i have never pursued the ownership of one for that very reason. However my interest was sparked again a couple of months back when i found out about the "Baliyo": A Pen with Balisong handles that is perfectly legal everywhere in the world! Naturally i was eager to get hold of one but came across a few drawbacks that put me off. First is the price as the best i could find was

For the past few months things have been getting progressively hectic... We've almost moved house twice and have gotten screwed over the same amount of times, the current home is filled with boxes of items that we don't dare un-pack in case we do find a property, our dog is needing to go out more and more as time passes (down to his epilepsy medication that makes him thirsty) so leaving him for certain periods of time is a big no-no, my Mother's car has broken down 5 times in the past 3 months, etc. That is literally the tip of the iceberg. Anyway, i am trying to look for work at the moment but being 21 years of age and with the current situation included, it's tough to find the right hours to not only suit me but everyone else in the house-hold, and then there's the constant battle with the thousands of others out there which are also unemployed. So i was thinking, "what about working from home"? It would be ideal for me as then i can keep an eye on the dog yet still get some cash coming in. The question is, does this exist or is it a myth? A few times i have heard (and seen) scams that request you "buy" the right to work from home or that you need to purchase "materials" for such a job, but i am wondering if there are genuine vacancies behind the ones that try to trick you. I don't really mind what the hours are like, if they be set in stone or flexible, nor am i that fussed about how much i earn, i just want to do something and have some money coming in. Even if it's monotonous data entry work that gives minimum wage for 10 hours a week, it's a start! Has anyone ever had success with these sort of positions? Suggestions on sites, agencies or companies to look into? Advice? I'd appreciate any and all input!

That's not what i wanted to hear, although it explains why a slow crash caused this. Are there any reinforced versions of this part? Can you tell me what the part is called? EDIT: Upright set and wheel carrier, cheers Snowy.

Howdy! A couple of you may remember me from a while back when i was still getting to grips with my first ever purchase. A few months on and i am a very satisfied customer, despite not having as much usable time as i would of liked with the typical English weather. Yesterday i got the opportunity to not only go somewhere for a Mother's day meal but also make use of my RC at the same time with the perfectly cut lawns there (a rare gem for any RC hobbyist). Had some decent times until an unfortunate event happened. I was powering over the grass nearing a gravelled road so i braked softly in order to glide over the gravel and spin around for the return journey. I was going about 5-8 mph as i swept around the spacing but i clipped the wall on the left side at the last second of turning and to my horror i saw the wheel roll off on its own accord. What confuses/bugs me is that i'd understand a breakage happening if i was going high throttle, but this was hardly an aggressive move and i have done worse in the past to come out fine on the other end. It's quite bizarre how a slow crash could do this. Anyway, below are some images of the damage. It seems to be contained to a single part although i have no idea what it might be called because i'm still a newbie at this sort of thing. I recovered the dogbone and spring compressor disc that also fell off during the incident. Has anyone ever had problems with this part? Do you think i would be able to get a free replacement sent out to me if i explain how the incident happened or would i have to buy a new one? I'm asking this because i've crashed at far higher speeds and nothing has broken before, yet this tore apart with a slight bump. D: