Bunny_Basher

Is it just me.... On my 5ive T, I wanted to change from the stock springs.... ..simple job me thinks..... But oh no... Seems that Losi used thread lock on nearside rear shock machine screw. So that when I tried to remove it the screw just kept turning and I couldn't withdraw it. In the end I had to cut the swing arm to expose enough of the screw to cut the screw. Bloody annoyed as I had to buy a pair of swing arms just to replace the damaged one. Fast forward to today and as part of my 5ive Mini to Buggy conversion I am fitting a NRP shock tower and a pair of rear shocks to the front... ....or so I thought, as Yes, its happened again, seems the person who assembled my Mini used %#&%@ thread lock again. The machine screw just turns and can't be withdrawn I've noticed the offending fixing is chrome button hex head machine screw, not the normal black ones. Before I take the saw to this swing arm/fixing.....anyone got a simple tip on how to remove fixings from stripped thread plastic mounts? And, no I was being very careful, using a hex T-bar, not a cordless screwdriver.

If weight is not an issue, stick with the lead acid battery. A 7Ah lead acid costs £10 - £15, the same capacity LiPo will cost >£60? + add another £30-£50 for a LiPo charger!

What type of battery will you be using? If it's a lead acid battery, then you should be okay... ....but if it is a LiPo, or NiCad then.... ...have a fire extinguisher handy. Also that charger will take forever to recharge a depleated 7Ah battery. Okay if you leave it charging overnight, but if you want a quick 1hr boost or so... you might be left waiting

Something no one has yet mentioned is the fact that spraying a polycarbonate shell from the inside also requires a bit of planning and thought! This is because you are spraying 'back to front', i.e. if your paint scheme has multiple layers / colours in its design you have to spray the 'top' colours first, then build up and back up with the background colours/design. It can be hard for first timers who are used to surface spraying to get the technique right ....practice spraying small designs on the inside of some transparent food containers first before you advance to an expensive shell...

I would strongly advise against that compressor, if spraying 5th scale or even 8th car bodies you need a receiver to balance out the air pressure. The problem with direct feed compressors is that you will get pulse effect from the piston which can affect the spray pattern on some airbrush needle/nozzle/paint combinations. Hence, IMHO the most important advice regarding choice of airbrush compressor is to get one with a receiver. Even one with 1litre tank is better than one without, but as with any type of paint spraying, bigger is better

Probably okay as your first airbrush. However the one I linked also has a quick release included... When you get the bug, you'll soon have 2 or 3 or so airbrushes for differing spray pattern's and details, it becomes an essential thing to have quick release on your hose/gun...

I can't find a link to my airbrush, but as a starter, I'd say try this... http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=321935994135&alt=web It comes with 0.2/0.3/0.5 nozzels and needles, which gives you the flexibility to spray fine detail and cover fairly big areas. This airbrush is a topfeed, so does not hold a lot of paint, meaning you will need to top up regularly if spraying a large area of one colour... But if airbrushing you surely are looking to do fine detail work of varying colours You could also get a suction bottom feed airbrush with glass paint container for bigger single colour areas...just make sure you also get a few glass containers to enable you to swap colours on the fly. For me the Iwata and similar airbrushes are great but for the hobbyist painter they are overkill and overpriced. An airbrush as I linked will do you proud, just keep it clean! The other big consideration is what type of paint will you be spraying?, if solvent based, then maybe an Iwata or similar big name brand might be justified. But if you intend spraying mostly water based acrylics, then you really don't need to spend £100+ on an airbrush. Airbrushing is like many hobbies, there are fanbois of this brand or that brand of paint, gun, compressor etc...so make up your own mind

I have a huge compressor and receiver in the garage for spraying 1:1 cars, a silly little direct feed airbrush compressor that's okay for painting models and the like, but splashed out on a proper twin piston airbrush compressor with a decent sized receiver when I started painting 5th scales. This is a link to the same compressor I bought...(after much research and checking out what was available in the UK). TC90T airbrush compressor http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=331784357425&alt=web I really can't fault the compressor, but as anyone who has done any airbrushing knows...the most important component is the airbrush itself. I'll append a link in a later post when I can find it.

Thirded Doing a good job on my 5ive T and ordered another set for my Mini (soon to be Buggy conversion). Although I would say that I went full hog, so have already (and will be fitting) carrier, housing and brace and units which does bump up the cost

Trying to get a shell direct from Grafil, if no joy then Bulldog it might have to be Thing is, I don't like the look of the cab foward style, but the lower two cars do show that with a good/well thought out paint job they can be made to look 'okay' (to my eyes )

I did consider a rally style shell, your earlier posts/topics on the subject (Escort Mk1 in particular) got me interested However, I already have a fully enclosed chassis stock shell 5ive T, which I run as a basher. I really have a desire to try a buggy, with exposed wheels for racing. I spent most of Sat faffing around with the RR5 shell and even heating and reforming the shell, I can't make it fit (£75 up the swanny & lesson learnt - in hindsight, I should have sent the shell back and accepted a restocking charge) I've tried ordering a Grafil G-Magma shell direct from Sicily. Payment went through and their webstore shows stock so will wait an see - thing is their webstore says they will only ship outside Europe... However their EU distributors don't have/cant get stock...all a bit wonky if you ask me

RoverMan, you are being a little unfair here. I've already said, I'm happy and able to get my Dremel/hacksaw out....indeed that's what I consider a reasonable level of effort when undertaking a few mods! However, templating and creating a bespoke chassis from scratch, using a full blown machinist skills on a milling machine... Well, come on, be honest how many rc car owners would really consider that as a little mod! From Andy's build post, its clear that he created the chassis so that he could fit RR5 pods, hence the shell fitted like a dream. I've had a look and there's no sensible way I can get RR5 pods to fit a 5ive T chassis. Even if I could, the shell would not fit as the chassis is too wide at the rear. I've got all the other bits coming, i.e. different shocks, shock tower, NRP mounts and wing, front bumper and will be carrying out a 'few mods' to convert the Mini to a buggy... I guess the shell will have to wait.

Hook, line and sinker... I went ahead and purchased the RR5 shell directly as a result of this post. Turns out that the particular car pictured started life as a Losi 5ive T donor, but has a bespoke milled chassis, reduced length drive train, full set of MCD skirts, MCD fuel tank, ....it certainly involved quite a bit more than a few mods...in essence it is a new/bespoke car! (An impressive adaption, but involved metal machining and access to equipment I don't have. Anyone who wants to see pictures of the build search CyberSarge on Losi5fiveorum). Hence why I am after advice from someone who has actual experience of the conversion.

Oh well...this topic ie 'where can I get one' was answered. But seems I'm not allowed to start a new topic about the detail of how to fit one! So, for anyone who has actually used a RR5 shell in a Losi 5ive T Buggy conversion... I would be grateful for some pictures/advice on how to fit the shell or adapt the pods/skirts on the Losi. ... comments along the lines of 'cut the pods' or 'needs some adaption', whilst given in good faith are as much use to me as a chocolate teapot... ...ideally I'd like to have advice from someone who has actually carried out the conversion...with pictures would be perfect. I've trawled the web to try and find any images of Buggy conversions without the shell, but can't see any where the pods have been cut/adapted. I am perfectly capable of getting my Dremel or hacksaw to work, but I'll only get one chance and it could be a costly mistake if done incorrectly.

Okay MCD RR5 shell arrived yesterday... I now need advice or tips from anyone who has also used the same shell/body on a Losi 5 T Mini chassis Buggy conversion After losely laying the shell over the 5ive, I can see that the shell does not cover the side skirts - the front is not too bad and I reckon I can get it to fit, but the rear of the shell narrows too much and leaves the backend of the skirts exposed/uncovered.... Any advice or pictures from those that have already done the conversion gratefully received

Puppeli, where are you getting your SCZ from? I got mine from Adam (Baja cars), but not sure if he still has stock.

And thnx for the help guys, great support on this forum. A credit to the Hobby.

RR5 shell ordered and soon to be on its way Oh...now I have to dream up a colour scheme... ...I've got some shocking bright fluro pink, yellow & green, metalic gold and silver, boring black and white.... Decisions, decisions

only need the shell. Seriously considered having a go at thermoforming my own, but cost of making a frame/vacuum form + bed plus cost of polycarbonate is about same as this kit! Okay I'd be set up to make more shells..... but..... .... Not sure I've the time.

As title, can anyone point me in the right direction to get a shell? It appears that all of the Grafil shells have been sold (for some reason not available for a few months). Tried NRP, and a number of resellers in Europe and US, but rarer than rocking horse $hit. I want to convert my WRC Mini and lack of a suitable shell is stopping me.

I would like to place a large order (~£250) on parts with RC Models ... ... any current discount codes?

Check out Tri County Bashers, on FB and www. A friendly bunch with a newly constructed 1/5th scale track 40mins away from you...

Ah... But if you're a Sir, Lord or whatsit ...then as a fan of GoT you'll also be aware that those who aspire to lofty heights don't seem to last very long

Just to add, no issues with the engine from my perspective. I have done an extensive mesh mod to my SCZ, which I have noticed does result in higher than Id like temps after running hard. In reality what is happening, is that grass and mud are being very effectively stopped by my mesh mods, but this debris then builds up such that it effective blocks the cut outs and air inlets in the crank/pull cord housing. Result being that I need to clean the debris off every 10mins or so. Now this has been when running in wet/muddy conditions, so the debris is sticking to the mesh...maybe in drier conditions the grass etc may fall away easier. 10min run times between cleaning is not long enough for me, so I might look to fitting some sort of Outerwear - but really wanted to avoid that solution. After some issues with tuning, I changed the WT-1048 carb to a WT-1107. Cannot honestly say I've noticed any reduction in power. Lastly, I originally fitted a 2-shoe metal sintered clutch with 8k spring, which was good for bashing (as you tend to run mostly 'on throttle'), but when racing on a track (constantly blipping rhe throttle) the high revs and torque of the SCZ will burn the shoes quite quickly. Hence I am now looking at differing types of adjustable multi shoe clutch. So far the SCZ is proving to be a cracking engine. I'd deffo say buy one.

The slot is there so you can tie a piece of string to it, so you don't lose it... ....what is it for you ask.... easy ..... its another piece of tat for us to waste time trying to find when reassembling our cars