Marui Samurai - for the track

[dinglem]

Well, this is the last thing I need with all of the projects I have on the go.....

Another car which has always been on my wish list has somehow come to me.... purchased on a bit of a whim to take away to work with me to ponder over during the festive season.

I have always wanted a Samurai and spent hours and hours watching the promo video spool around again and again in my local model shop as a kid.

I asked a few questions and the seller was suitably vague, and as a result i have spotted a few (common) issues but i will work through it and hopefully come up with something tidy in the end. We always modify our cars so hopefully i can add some strength wherever I can to make something I can actually use. I would love to be able to put it out onto the track eventually, so that is my final aim point.

The car came with the usual red shell, plus another one in black. I actually prefer the black but will do another anyway to add my own twist to the car.

If I think 'Samurai' the first thing i can picture is those stunning wheels, so i will most likely try to keep the originals on for the shelf, but on the track i will go for something a little different to enable me to run some more common tyre choices.

So here it is as delivered - they always did look great :-

Not too bad on first sight..... however upon closer inspection the very rear point on one of the grey chassis side ladders has cracked and been glue-repaired, and the rear gearbox also has a little crack damage. Both will require replacement if i intend to use this in anger.

Having posted up a couple of pictures on the book of face i stumbled across a guy who had made some adapters to allow him to fit alternative rims, and a short message later he offered to make me a set and send them over in true festive spirit, for just the shipping cost. Excellent - one box ticked.

I then saw a brand new pair of front rims and tyres pop up, so they came my way too.

Then this evening another eBay hunt revealed a poorly listed brand new pair of chassis ladders still in the packet. BOOM! With the help of a fellow RC buddy over in the US I made another swift purchase. Happy days.

So...... now on to the rear gearbox. Firstly, can anybody help on here? I have heard reports that somebody has had the rear gearbox casing 3D printed, which would be pretty epic.... if anybody has one going spare it would be massively appreciated so please get in touch.

Apart from that the car seems in good shape, although I have yet to fully test the diffs and transmission.

I have also ordered another bodyshell to add my own twist on to things

I will try to update the thread as things move forwards.

[Dadio]

Good luck with the build , I've always thought these were really nice looking cars , one of the nicest of the period , I've often been really tempted buy them on eBay , only thing that put me off was the reputation of them being made of compressed egg shell !
I know I'd never be able to resist driving one if I owned it and that would lead to eventual damage , I hope you can find a way to reinforce the chassis as if you can then maybe I can too !
Looking forward to seeing how you tackle this build with more than a little jealousy .

[dinglem]

Well that didn't take very long.... the lesser spotted rear gearbox!!

[orangemazda]

Very cool! Finding some great parts!

[orangemazda]

Very cool! Finding some great parts!

[dinglem]

Today is just getting better and better! All three Unicorn pieces sourced in 48hours

The elusive rears.

[dinglem]

Mad thin:fat tyre combo on these as standard.... i wonder what that was all about bitd? It's the total opposite of the fat:thin 80's BMX tyre combo

[Dadio]

Been thinking , one of the weak points is the rear shock mount onto the frame , could that area be braced from behind ? There are three mounting holes in that area that you could attach a brackett to from behind out of sight then have the shock screw go right through into the brackett maybe ?
It's looking like all the right parts are showing up , well done on the world wide hunt !

[dinglem]

Yes i have been thinking the same thing, and looking at areas where the load can be spread a little. Like you i have looked at the upper rear shock area as that entire triangle could be braced. There are a few other options but that method does seem to make sense. We shall see! I am also looking at beneath the rear gearbox as that area obviously takes a lot of punishment and is another known weak point.

I think a lot of these cars were street bashers rather than off-road racers so bottoming out off the curb will have done a lot of high impact damage compared to landing on softer surfaces.

I am also learning that there are alternative gearbox internals made of tougher nylon which are a direct swap so that is something else i will look into as i start building the new rear gearbox up.

[Dadio]

If it was braced permanently at the back and maybe a less pretty outer brace that is just for running and removable for the shelf ?
Again you could make a skid plate for running and remove it for the shelf .
The early dogfighters had stronger gears in later versions as well , it's kind of hard to know what type your getting till they arrive .

[dinglem]

We will be able to work it, i am sure.

They actually made an aftermarket skid plate - one sold on eBay in November.

The gears i mentioned are from a different car but are a direct fit and are made of tough nylon. (And cheap!)

[Dadio]

Cheap is cool

[Coelacanth]

If the Samurai is anything like the Galaxy RS I resto-modded, there will be numerous weak points in the design. One of them looks like the tie-rods. With the Galaxy, Marui used hinky-dink 2mm rods to connect the control arms to the steering servo (or maybe even smaller?). I upgraded them to 3mm turnbuckles and 4.8mm ball-ends and ball studs. That alone helped get rid of a fair amount of steering slop. Those stock tie-rods, if they're indeed 2mm or less, won't take much abuse. Both the original tie-rods on my brother's Galaxy were bent after a few not-so-hard curb bumps.

EDIT: The Galaxy stock tie-rods were a mere 1.5mm diameter. Not much better than piano wire.

I also replaced the Galaxy's stock plastic rear shock "towers" with carbon fiber plates to make them stronger. Looking at the Samurai, I'm not sure how that could be improved...but where there's a will, there's a way.

https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=18492

[dinglem]

You're right regarding the skinny tie rod joints across the steering. That will be a relatively easy swap out compared to the other issues. I have a couple of avenues to explore regarding the rear upper shock mount, both of which i think will work although one being much more extreme than the other. Rear gearbox casing, even though i have a new one, also needs to be addressed. Some sort of under-pan/guard will also be necessary - i am assuming i won't come across the optional upgrade that was offered back in the day all too easily.

All good fun, as they say. And it really is a beautiful buggy, so i don't want to change the aesthetics too much...

[Coelacanth]

You're right, the Samurai is a real looker. I remember when it first appeared at my LHS, where I worked at the time...and being a muscle car guy, those wheels...icing on the cake! If you're interested in pretty stuff to wear while sitting on the shelf, Pargu in Korea makes aluminum repros of the Samurai wheels.

http://pargustore.blogspot.com/2012/03/pargu2000-alloy-marui-samurai-wheels.html#!/2012/03/pargu2000-alloy-marui-samurai-wheels.html