Kyosho Sandmaster??

[RedScampi]

Ok, that's what the listing said anyway. I wasn't really looking for another Optima but there was a BIN and it seemed like a fair price. I've paid more for less. Besides, the shipping is free so that makes it hurt less. Hopefully it will turn out to be decent when it gets here. I'm really not sure what all the other stuff in the pic goes to, it may be headed for the trash. I will provide some more pictures when I get it.

[highwayracer]

Nice score Gary. That's the best looking sandmaster I've ever seen Can't wait to see the final product.

As for the otehr parts, it looks like you have a gearbox, front suspension, shocks and front wheels/tires for a hornet. The rear wheels look like they're from some type of nikko...that uses the same mounting style as the hornet.

Regards,
Roger

[RedScampi]

Thanks Roger. And thanks for the parts ID. This was seriously an impulse buy, so I hope it's in fair shape. I do have quite a few parts so I can probably make it a nice car. Now to find the time...

[DennisM]

Nice Turbo Optima -
Judging by the looks of the front bumper it appears to be in decent shape.

[Coelacanth]

Nice Turbo Optima -
Judging by the looks of the front bumper it appears to be in decent shape.

To be honest, you can't really tell that until you see the bottom...that's where all the wear & tear will be. Better indicators of the car's condition and level of abuse it sustained would be the bumper brace and straightness of the shock towers. All those items seem to be intact and unbroken/cracked/bent, so those are good signs.

Indeed a nice score! And is that a Le Mans motor in there, maybe a 480 Gold? Doesn't look like a stock Mabuchi 540 to me. If you need parts to fix it, PM me...I might have what you need.

[DennisM]

Nice Turbo Optima -
Judging by the looks of the front bumper it appears to be in decent shape.

To be honest, you can't really tell that until you see the bottom...that's where all the wear & tear will be. Better indicators of the car's condition and level of abuse it sustained would be the bumper brace and straightness of the shock towers. All those items seem to be intact and unbroken/cracked/bent, so those are good signs.

Indeed a nice score! And is that a Le Mans motor in there, maybe a 480 Gold? Doesn't look like a stock Mabuchi 540 to me. If you need parts to fix it, PM me...I might have what you need.

Thanks for putting me right on this one. I must have been out of my mind suggesting that the buggy could be in decent condition just because the front bumper isn´t wrapped around the brace

[Mr. ED]

"frame buggy" Isn't that a term Nikko used a lot?
Maybe that body belongs with the Nikko tires

[RedScampi]

Thanks guys, I'm happier about the purchase every time I look at the pic! Dennis, I think that just having the bumper attached is a great indicator. Marc, you're right, the bumper brace is what I usually look at. It can indicate a hard hit (or several!)
I seem to have a bit of a Kyosho fetish going. This is my 2nd Turbo Optima but I can't get enough of the engineering in theses old things.

[Coelacanth]

I have 2 or 3 Optima bumpers in my parts baggies, and they all look to be in great condition...until you look at the bottom.

[losiXXXman]

Being publicized/listed as a Sandmaster, I'm guessing that avoided many of the Optimaniacs' radars. I'll bet you got it for a song - lucky dog!

[RedScampi]

Being publicized/listed as a Sandmaster, I'm guessing that avoided many of the Optimaniacs' radars. I'll bet you got it for a song - lucky dog!

I wouldn't call it a "song" but it was less than they usually go for in any kind of ok condition.

[RedScampi]

Well, the Optima has arrived and, well, it's a used Optima.
The main thing that wasn't identifiable in the auction picture was that this car sustained a very hard front end crash. The bumper is bowed badly under the car and the front plate and brace are mangled. No worries, I believe I have spares that are at least nicer than these and I'll probably try to straighten the skid plate. The rest of the car is dirty from sitting a long time, tires are flatspotted, but overall a decent basis for an easy project. I like the original seed control, and the case of the Lemans 240 motor seems to be in pristine condition. Most of the other stuff that came with the car is junk as far as I'm concerned. Nuts and bolts will go in my parts box, the radios to the surplus radio box and chargers to the charger box. Am I the only one who gets buried in stuff like this? Seems I get a radio with every car I buy! Enjoy the pics!

[Coelacanth]

Looks like you have a pretty decent skeleton of an Optima to rebuild. The Kyosho Gold shocks are always a nice upgrade, might possibly be the best 1/10 offroad shocks out there. The belly plate is a Turbo Optima/Salute upgrade, you often don't see those on Optimas & Javelins. The Le Mans 240 motor is a nice unit if it's in good shape. If the shock towers are straight, that's a good thing, too.

The chin-guard is almost always bent with a used Optima, but there's one option: To simply Dremel off the bent 45* angle part, do away with the front stabilizer assembly (it's not too useful anyway, from what I've read) and lose the bumper brace. Not an option for a shelf-queen, but for a runner, is perfectly fine.

Looks like you're missing the D-shaped gearbox hatch cover and gearbox cover. If you need those, let me know.

[losiXXXman]

Looks like you're missing the D-shaped gearbox hatch cover and gearbox cover. If you need those, let me know.

Can I let you know too Marc? I need a gear cover for my Ultima

Scampi - Looks like a good start. I think It'd be real cool to do an all-out Optima build and try to run with the modern 4wd cars. At least just once. There's a lot of this running the old with/against the new in 2wd, but you don't see much in the 4wd segment.

[Coelacanth]

Looks like you're missing the D-shaped gearbox hatch cover and gearbox cover. If you need those, let me know.

Can I let you know too Marc? I need a gear cover for my Ultima

Sure, PM me. I have several used gearbox covers, they would just need to have the old, crusty sponge rubber gaskets removed and a fresh one applied. I've even received parts cars that people ran with no gaskets between the cover & gears...I'm sure that worked GREAT to prematurely wear the gears by allowing dirt, rocks & crud inside.