Subaru Impreza rally car build

[Biz73]

That turned out great. Thanks for sharing.

I doubt Tamiya will switch to hex screws anytime soon. That's like asking for bearings instead of plastic bushings No other company can touch them as far as number of kits to build. They have tons!

[XLR8]

That turned out great. Thanks for sharing.

I doubt Tamiya will switch to hex screws anytime soon. That's like asking for bearings instead of plastic bushings No other company can touch them as far as number of kits to build. They have tons!

You're right. Tamiya wouldn't sell more kits if they added bearings and hex screws so why do it. There is such a large devoted community of Tamiya fans worldwide that will continue to buy their products even if they didn't include screws.
Another thing I've noticed with Tamiya, every kit (especially the vintage and re-re ones) seems to have known problems (a part that always breaks or a part that always wears out prematurely, etc.) yet Tamiya doesn't seem to care and does nothing to fix them. Tamiya fans just seem to accept it and find work-arounds. It's kinda crazy actually.
I've built a lot of RC kits lately from a lot of different manufacturers and when it comes to quality, you just can't beat Kyosho.

[winner_evo]

The Impreza looks amazing, you nailed it! Great job on the rear body mount, on both of mine they stick through the rear window which is not great.

I agree, the Tamiya body sets are really very good in detail and scale likeness. There are so many great looking on-road bodies that is difficult to decide what to choose. Before I got the Trans Am body, I was torn between the 68 Camaro, 66 fastback mustang or the BMW E30 M3 (Tamiya & HPI both do great M3 bodies).

[Biz73]

That turned out great. Thanks for sharing.

I doubt Tamiya will switch to hex screws anytime soon. That's like asking for bearings instead of plastic bushings No other company can touch them as far as number of kits to build. They have tons!

You're right. Tamiya wouldn't sell more kits if they added bearings and hex screws so why do it. There is such a large devoted community of Tamiya fans worldwide that will continue to buy their products even if they didn't include screws.
Another thing I've noticed with Tamiya, every kit (especially the vintage and re-re ones) seems to have known problems (a part that always breaks or a part that always wears out prematurely, etc.) yet Tamiya doesn't seem to care and does nothing to fix them. Tamiya fans just seem to accept it and find work-arounds. It's kinda crazy actually.
I've built a lot of RC kits lately from a lot of different manufacturers and when it comes to quality, you just can't beat Kyosho.

I am "patiently" waiting for the Ultima to come back in stock so that I can try my first Kyosho kit. Even Tamiya guys talk about how nice a job they have done with their re-re kits.

[matt1ptkn]

I'm a little envious. I've never owned a Subaru but I've admired them since the Brat was introduced back in the '80's.

You're probably gonna be a bit disappointed with the finished rally car as it is just box art.

Don't be too envious. Its a fun car, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't bring all the girls to my yard. Plus, I'm not at all disappointed with your build; it looks fantastic!

[XLR8]

I'm a little envious. I've never owned a Subaru but I've admired them since the Brat was introduced back in the '80's.

You're probably gonna be a bit disappointed with the finished rally car as it is just box art.

Don't be too envious. Its a fun car, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't bring all the girls to my yard. Plus, I'm not at all disappointed with your build; it looks fantastic!

Thank you Matt.
It's been a while but I have attempted to create a paint design that's completely original and not box-art or a copy of someone else's design but they usually end up looking horrible.
Lexan bodies and poly paint is expensive and the painting process can be time consuming so I tend to go with what I know will work.

[XLR8]

The Impreza looks amazing, you nailed it! Great job on the rear body mount, on both of mine they stick through the rear window which is not great.

I agree, the Tamiya body sets are really very good in detail and scale likeness. There are so many great looking on-road bodies that is difficult to decide what to choose. Before I got the Trans Am body, I was torn between the 68 Camaro, 66 fastback mustang or the BMW E30 M3 (Tamiya & HPI both do great M3 bodies).

Thank you Winner.
I've seen the 68 Camero and the 66 Mustang but right now I'm really liking the Trans Am. I think you've chosen wisely.

[Lonestar]

Whoa

The end-product is KILLER! Superb job and great attention to detail

Paul - moderately-modded STi X driver

[XLR8]

Whoa

The end-product is KILLER! Superb job and great attention to detail

Paul - moderately-modded STi X driver

Thank you so much Paul.

[XLR8]

Some final modifications before we hit the track.

The front bumper mount has this abrupt step that I think will present some problems on my very rough and rocky track so...

I've made an aluminum skid plate.

Also, I've added a tub cover to prevent rocks and other debris from collecting and fouling the steering, etc. This is made from landscape filter fabric and attached with velcro.

Also, after a few minutes run time on the driveway, the motor seemed to get very hot so I've whipped-up a simple heat sink.

Lastly, I've relocated the switch to the rear body/bumper mount.

The weather forecast here is looking good for this weekend so it's finally time to go out and have some fun.

[Coelacanth]

The dust shroud is a good idea but it's going to stop any airflow from passing over the parts that heat up; the motor and ESC. You might be at risk of frying those components, and possibly warping/melting the nearby plastic parts if they heat up too much. The addition of a heatsink is a good idea, but if you just cover it all up with the shroud, you still won't get the necessary airflow to make the extra surface area for heat dissipation effective. I would suggest trimming off the section of the shroud so it exposes the motor and ESC.

[XLR8]

Yeah, I've considered that adding a cover might reduce air flow so that's why I went with filter fabric. It won't entirely block air flow since it's very porous -- it's sorta like a nylon stocking. Anyway, I hope it will provide the needed air but I will stop the car every few minutes so I can check things out.
Also I actually don't think a hot motor will affect the plastic motor plate because Tamiya wisely provided a gasket to insulate the plate against heat. The ESC has thermal protection as well. In any event, I will certainly be monitoring the temps closely so that it doesn't go up in a puff of smoke. I certainly hope not anyway.
I really like you're idea about cutting a hole in the cover for the motor heat sink so I will be doing that. Thanks very much for that suggestion.

[Coelacanth]

I guess Tamiya is a lot smarter than Marui when it comes to hot motors and adjacent plastics...the gasket is a great idea by them.

[XLR8]

I've watched a ton of TT-02 build videos recently and it's amazing how many times the builder is baffled when they find that gasket in the bag. Some of them think is just part of the packaging and toss it aside.

BTW, I've been shopping for road wheels and tires for my small but growing collection of modern touring cars. For wheels, it seems like 52mm diameter x 26mm width and 12mm hex is very much the standard but the variety of available offsets is a little overwhelming. The wheels I tend to like best have negative offset and probably won't fit my car's bodies. I think it's "negative offset" -- increasing negative offset makes the overall track width wider while increasing positive offset makes it narrower. Is that correct? If so then the kit wheels for the Subaru and Mustang GT4 have a +3.8mm offset. I'm curious if anyone knows the wheel offset for say a TC3 or a Yokomo or other touring car from that era - are they anywhere near +3.8mm?

[XLR8]

What the....????
They've STOLEN my idea!
First the virus and now this!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-10-Rc-Buggy-Dust-Protective-Cover-For-Kyosho-Losi-Lazer-Hpi-Associated-rc10/324258617830?hash=item4b7f51d9e6:g:54wAAOSwnTxfMwVT

Actually, I think theirs looks better.