XV Pilot

Today I received a TRG F103 bodyshell to replace the one I traded away to a mate not long ago. I wasn't too keen on how it looked as a raw moulding, but saw it on my mate's chassis with paint and stickers the other day, and changed my mind.

They take paint fine if you remove the chrome first. You can do this by spraying them liberally with oven cleaner and leaving them sealed overnight in a plastic bag or similar container.

De-solv-it graffiti remover works wonders on ABS hard bodies. I got mine from B&Q.

Back in 2014 many people would have agreed, but then the Bigwig was re-released last year, and some places still have stock. An example: https://www.timetunnelmodels.com/live/catalog/tamiya-47330-bigwig-2017-release-complete-deal-bundle-p-60520.html If anyone fancies a modded Bigwig but still has an original like the OP, they can now keep their original one original, and mod a re-re...

If it is just the rears losing drive, and the fronts are working normally, this suggests a rear diff issue. It may also be a case of one or both rear wheels slipping on the axles, possibly due to a drive pin or hex issue. That is where I would start my investigations.

The motor mount looks great - possibly a bit more Brunel than Chapman in its approach, but I don't see it failing any time soon. Also nice to see it is UK- made. The brass pinion that comes in the Lunchbox kit is quite good in terms of longevity - certainly a lot better than the lightweight alloy pinions supplied with most Tamiyas. I wouldn't say a steel replacement is a priority, but it won't do any harm either.

Running the motor off a D-cell battery is Tamiya's way of breaking in the brushes and commutator. Not a bad way of doing it, but not the only way, and some would argue not the best way either. For testing purposes, running it briefly on a standard pack under no load won't cause any faults.

The Swift is quite a stylish little shell, and while being XB might take some of the building fun away from the equation, you need to take most of it apart again to fit bearings, so you get the fun of reassembly.

How about the TB chassis variants? Some nice JTCC shells on those. Or for something quite different, how about a F103GT?

Tony is a very reputable trader. I get most of my spares from him as do many other members of Tamiyaclub. I'm sure he'll put things right. Keep us posted and let us know how things turn out. Good luck!

Me? I'm just a hobbyist like most others on here. No trade aspirations. Thanks for the offer of support though. Which trader did you buy the motor from? All but the worst of them should realise that a motor won't be damaged by connecting it to a battery - they are after all designed to run off full battery voltage when you drive at full throttle. If anything, saying that you tested it by connecting it straight to the battery should help your case, as it makes it clear that the motor is at fault, not the ESC or radio gear.

You are not taking liberties at all. We like helping out on this forum! Nothing wrong with the Mtroniks ESC - I use them in many of my runners. They are simple and reliable, but best suited to NiMH power. If going for LiPo, the Quikrun 1060 with its built in cutout would be better. The Absima combo would fit the Lunchbox, but would make it almost insanely fast, especially if you run it off a LiPo, omit the motor adapter and fit a Hornet pinion or its steel equivalent. It would probably be quite spectacular until it hits something and disintegrates...

No problem - that is what we are here for. As for your power options, the Lunchbox has a good, strong gearbox so you can go quite wild of you want to. Just bear in mind that it is a stunt vehicle and thus inherently unstable, not best suited to speed runs. The faster you make it, the more difficult it will be to control. If you want to stick with brushed tech, the Quikrun 1060 ESC is highly regarded, waterproof, rated down to 12 turns and LiPo capable. It would easily handle a BZ, once you have one that works. Or you could use your current ESC in brushless mode with a sensored brushless motor from Turnigy or Speed Passion for example. That its what I have in most of my brushless cars - a TBLE-02 ESC and 13.5t Speed Passion motor.

You might perhaps consider a Dirt Tuned motor instead? The 23t BZ is a bit of a stretch for the TBLE-02 ESC, which is only rated down to 25t. The 27t Dirt Tuned would be a better match.

That indicates a dud motor I'm afraid. All indications are that your receiver and ESC are fine. Can you return/exchange the motor for another?

Green is good - this indicates that the ESC is in brushed mode. However the ESC should beep a maximum of three times upon start-up. If it keeps beeping, then there is a problem. Let us know what the results are of your motor test. That should tell us more.

Another thing - just to confirm: when you turn on the ESC, what colour does the light flash, how many times does it beep, and are the beeps sort or long?

All the things you have checked appear to be in order, except the above. To check the motor with just the battery, you need to hold the bullet connectors from the motor against the contacts in the battery plug, making sure each connector touches a contact, but that they do not touch each other. When you do so, you would expect a small spark when touching the second bullet connector to its battery contact, and the motor should run. If you get a big spark and no movement from the motor, disconnect immediately. This would indicate a short within the motor.

No problem. Let us know how you get on. Hopefully it is something simple and you'll be up and running again soon.

Quite a few things you can check: Does the motor turn when you try to rotate it by hand? Does the gearbox run freely if you turn the wheels with the motor removed? Does the motor do anything if you try to run it straight off the battery? Does the steering servo work in response to the throttle stick/trigger if you plug it into the throttle channel on the receiver? Is the battery freshly charged? Has the ESC been freshly calibrated? Does your transmitter have endpoint adjustment, and if so, are they set to 100%? Is the pinion properly attached to the motor shaft?

Apart from occasional short test runs in the street, I never RC alone. Bashing is always done with my wife and sometimes nephews too, while racing is with workmates over lunch or at the not-so-local club when my shifts allow it.

All the parts that are gunmetal on your kit are red on the standard TA-02.

Those plastic gears are tough, to the point that they are considered an upgrade over the partly metal gears used in the DF-01.

It is quite a bargain. It was even more of a bargain a couple of months ago when it was on the Tamico weekly special at €50. It was too good a bargain to pass up, so a group of workmates and myself bought a bunch of them, and we race them over lunch and sometimes at a club on weekends. It comes with a brushed-only ESC and 27MHz radio, as well as a Tamiya branded servo which AFAIK uses Futaba internals. Motor is a standard 27t silver can, shocks are friction items. Bushings are standard. I fitted mine with a bearing kit, Super Mini CVAs, 60D S- grips at the rear and stock kit tyres at the front. The receiver was swapped out for a Spektrum compatible Orange GR300R, and the motor for a Torque Tuned with a steel pinion. It is a great little runner, almost as fast as my brushless M-05 in terms of lap times, and a fair bit easier to maintain.

The Kamtec Manta Ray shell is significantly sturdier than the Tamiya original, not quite as crisply detailed, but very close, and far more durable for running purposes. Well spotted! That is indeed my Manta Ray that Kamtec use in their ads.