Buggy Malone

First Run today of my new Vantage and it could only manage RWD only. It didn't even start on 4WD so I had a bash around on 2WD for a few minutes before retiring the car. I thought these things were supposed to be 'RTR'! I've started to strip things back but it appears that the central drive shaft does not engage with both sides. Any advice appreciated. Cheers guys, Andrew

Cheers Paul, thanks for the advice - that is very useful. I'll have a think about what next to buy. Thanks again, Andrew

Today I checked the motor codes in the Brushed Outlaw and the Brushed Vantage and they both appear to be the exact same 550 15T lump. Both cars also come with the option of running a 17T or 23T pinion so if the FTX brochure is to be believed then the 550 should be OK. I'll give the Outlaw a run or two in the New Year and report back.

Hey Paul, I've watched some of your vids today and I am mighty impressed with your car collection. A quick question if I may please: I like the look of the Tamiya Neo Scorcher but in your opinion how would it hold up to a high Kv Motor on 2S. Keep the videos coming. All the best, Andrew

I'm very pleased that you lot keep an eye on me or else I'm going to end up blowing up my stuff fairly quickly and regularly. "Boom, there goes one more model, lol". I may just transfer the brushed gear to one of my old Tamiya buggies and leave the Outlaw on the shelf for a while. Yep, keep an eye on me guys as I'm sure there'll be a few more cock-ups to come. All the best, Andrew

That sounds very good to me. I'm also thinking along the same lines as you, i.e. 3S power is just too much and will break things quickly. Thanks again for the advice - much appreciated.

My little project is nothing like some of the fantastic machines you see on here but I'm trying to bodge-together something that resembles a modified Toyota MkVI Supra on a Tamiya TA-02W chassis. The car and the shell were secondhand but it has come up OK when painted. I'm just not sure how I go about making the style of decals that I want to apply. P.S. The passenger window doesn't have ripples - that's just a reflection.

Thanks mate but I refuse to use Amazon (*) so it looks as if I'll be sticking with Gens Ace, Overlander and Voltz. (*) Due to the wasteful packaging of Amazon etc, so the missus and I have made a stand.

You wrote a cracking post with loads of interesting info but it was this bit that I liked the most. How lucky are you eh!!

Here's a pic of my Vantage 2.0 BL conversion which I completed yesterday. I transferred the BL stuff out of the Outlaw and the initial results seem very good. I didn't realise how big the standard 15T 550 motor was compared to the 2,950Kv motor so that's created an even bigger aperture between the motor and the chassis from underneath - this gap will need covering by a thin alloy sheet. I've not upgraded the spur gear or pinion yet so that'll be next along with a potential test using a 3S and a possible further upgrade to a 4,000 or 4,600Kv motor-esc combo. Question: Which Kv motor upgrade (over 2,950) would you guys opt for, if only using a 2S. Cheers All, Andrew

I've asked a number of times about which batteries are best and the answers (incl Youtube) always seems to revert back to Gens Ace. I purchased a couple of 4000mah from ModelSport the other day and they were cracking value, i.e. size and reputation versus cost. Which ones woukd you choose? Cheers, Andrew

...........and boom, bang, bust

I'm still trying to get my head around things but what you've written in your post is what I've been pondering over. I'm thinking of ordering a 4,600Kv & ESC combo and seeing where that takes me. I may also add a small 3S to the shopping list to see how that works out too. Pinions, spur gears and gear ratios, motor sizes and heat effects, battery sizes, ESC capacity, mechanical stresses and component reliability........... ..........This is not an easy subject for us newbie folk, lol.

I would have put money on it being a DR8 - that's why I don't gamble, lol. Enjoy your Xmas present

A quick update guys: I had some spare time yesterday so I decided to move all of the Outlaw' s BL gear over to my new Vantage 2.0 Brushed and vice versa. I've now got a Brushed Outlaw running on the standard 15T motor & 60A ESC combo. This makes more sense as the slower speed of a brushed Outlaw on our local BMX track will serve me better. I'm tired of the disappointment of continually repairing it so the slower speed may actually enhance my enjoyment.

This looks to be a good honest report on the DR8

Cheers for that, very useful......so in theory my new card should work but it doesn't. It's the small things that cause the biggest problems :-)

Cheers guys, you're a good bunch

Team, I'm after some advice please from the experienced guys. When attempting to increase the speed of your buggy do you first opt for a larger Kv motor or more cells. All of my new Gens Ace Lipos are 2S and in the interests of standardising my gear I was hoping to stay 2S only. Any advice appreciated. Cheers All, Andrew

Hold the phone again - I've just checked the ModelSport website and it says that my SBS unit is designed for the Photon 2.1W ESC - pic below, so I was correct when ordering. I'm now confused, lol.

Hold the phone - I've just checked the picture with the unit and mine says Photon SBS whereas the instructions has a pic of a Photon 2.1W. My ESC is a Photon 2.1W. That could be the issue.

Thanks mate, my card is the same as the one being advertised in the standard FTX Outlaw BL instructions - pic below. The ESC is the kit-supplied 60A unit so by my reckoning I should have the correct one. All the best Andrew

Just one more small point Nick: What does 'Skill Level 2' mean on your model ratings. I press the green box on the specification section only to be taken to your home screen so I assume the link to the skill level is not working. Cheers, Andrew

I bought a Etronix programme card from ModelSport the other day and it was a total waste of my money (£10). If I attempt to re-programme the ESC to allow for a faster motor speed or a safer battery depletion level (3.2v or 3.4v instead of the factory set 3.0v) then the buggy just goes into limp mode. It's not until you revert the changes back to standard that the buggy starts running again. A useless system if ever there was one.

Some great work there - I think we're all looking forward to seeing the body painted and complete. Very smart indeed