Optima Mid

[mr_bungle]

Hi all - I'm new to this forum and just got back into R/C after a 15+ year hiatus with a Traxxas Slash.
I used to own a number of vehicles back in the day - my favorites were the Optima Mid, JR-X2, and YZ-10.

I recently purchased an Optima Mid off Ebay and would like to make it into a runner, as the Optima Mid was my favorite car when I was a kid. I do have a couple questions about the Mid, which is why I put my first post in the Kyosho forum:

1. Which wheels can I use which will work with "modern" tires? I tried to use RB5 wheels, but the hex nut part of the tire didn't seem deep enough for the Mid.

2. Isn't the stock spur gear a metric size, so the standard American pinions won't work? That's what I recall, anyway.

3. Where can I view an Optima (standard, not a Mid) owner's manual? In addition to the Mid, I also purchased a standard Optima with the belt drive. I never owned an Optima, but always wanted one.

4. Are there any preferred ball bearing vendors for the Optima Mid? I do see some on Ebay for roughly $16 shipped, but I wonder about the quality - and they are apparently shipped from Hong Kong.

5. Any websites that have "setup" information for these cars? Shock oil, etc. I realize these cars were less adjustable than the current vehicles, but if there any setup sheets I'd love to take a look.

6. I need a new kingpin for the Mid. Are there any current vehicles/suppliers that would offer this?

Thank you in advance for anyone who can answer some or all of my questions! Attached are the "raw" vehicles I just got off Ebay...both will need some minor restoration.

Kevin

[ROH73]

Welcome to RC10Talk!

You can't go wrong with any of the Optimas. They make great vintage runners!

1. I believe HPI Superstar wheels (like these: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCEA1) will fit without any modification. They take modern 2.2" tires.

2. Yes, you need metric 32p pinions.

3. http://www.retromodelisme.com/manuels_pages/42/optima-kyosho.html

4. I usually buy from Avid RC; all their bearings are $1 a piece and the quality is great. They don't sell kits for particular cars, but you can just order what you need. Website: http://www.avidrc.com/shop/?action=category&id=1

5. None that I know of. Optima House (http://theoptimahouse.blogspot.com/) is a good resource for all Optimas in general. Perhaps the webmaster can get you started if you contact him.

6. No idea...

Regards,

Robert

[mr_bungle]

Thanks Robert! 5 outta 6 aint bad.

[uzzi]

Optima mid uses 0.6 module gear pitch or the metric equivalent to 48DP gears....the original Optima uses 32DP gears.

[RichieRich]

You can use the same screws that the Tamiya Frog uses for kingpins. Those are usually the easiest to find.

[highwayracer]

When you say kingpins, are you referring to the 3mm threaded shoulder screw that holds the front aluminum hubs to the hub carrier?

If so, you can use the ones from the yokomo yz10 / yr4. I seem to remember that the frog uses a self tappind thread vs. the machine thread.

As for the spur gears, you can easily adapt standard spur gears to the mid. Robinson also made spurs specifically for the mid, but those may be hard to find & $$$$.

As for the set up, do you want to set it up based on the manual...2 hole red pistons, green oil, black front and gold rear springs?...are are you looking for modern setup information? Weight of the oil, actual degrees for the camber instead of a picture in a manual saying "it should be this long"

HPI wheels will work, but they only come in the rear size. If you want to use narrow fronts, you have to cut the inside edge of the wheel. Another option would be to get the wheels from the newer lazers. They appear to have wide and narrow sizes.

Good luck on your project...

Regards,
highwayracer

[Mr. ED]

The RＢ５　ｗｈｅｅｌｓ　ｓｈｏｕｌｄ　ｂｅ　ｆｉｎｅ , but yes they do have a little less offset than the old optima mid wheels. Lazer Zx5 front wheels will make it a tad wider in the front. (But watch out you don't take the later version as they shift the wheel very much inward)

Some Tamiya wheels have an offset which is closer to the original mid wheels (I think the ones of the gravelhound for example)
For the kingpins: there are some from yokomos contemporary cars you can use I think.

Welcome back

[RedScampi]

Welcome back to the hobby!
Looks Familiar:

[mr_bungle]

Thanks to everyone for their assistance - I am very grateful for all the help.

I'm not sure if I can tell which are the older vs newer style of wheels for the ZX-5. I don't mind if they widen the stance - in fact, I figure that's a good thing for performance.

If I'm reading correctly, I should probably avoid the Frog kingpins (which screws into the aluminum wheel hubs), and try to get some for the YZ-10. I actually have parts from an old YZ-10, so I may give those a shot.

I think I read somewhere that some solvent could be used to remove the (obviously horrid) paint job on the Optima Mid I bought. Does anyone know offhand which solvent would be best for this purpose?

Lastly, does anyone know of a manufacturer of reproduction Optima Mid stickers? I saw some originals on Ebay, but a bit more than I wanted to spend.

Thanks again.

[Mr. ED]

The lazer wheels narrow the car down, pitty heh.

The wheels of tamiya which are similar in offset might be the rising storm aswell. Not sure anymore, sorry.
The solvent to use depends on the kind of paint used to lay it down in the first place. Nitro fuel is one of the products that will work for acrylic paints.

I guess the sticker sets you found are of Marwan? I don't know anyone else doing these repros for the optima.
Personally I don't care to make my own cars look boxart; saves me out on the search and related prices

[RichieRich]

Thanks to everyone for their assistance - I am very grateful for all the help.

If I'm reading correctly, I should probably avoid the Frog kingpins (which screws into the aluminum wheel hubs), and try to get some for the YZ-10. I actually have parts from an old YZ-10, so I may give those a shot.

Frog kingpins work fine. They are not self-tapping as mentioned above. They screw into metal carriers just like the Optima's (3mm shoulder screws). I can usually find Frog parts more readily than Yokomo parts. May not be the same in your area.

[mr_bungle]

Sloooowly doing a restoration on the Mid - making it good enough to be a runner, anyway.

Here's an easy one for many of you - what turn motor is the 480 Gold? I presumed it came with the one of the 240's, but instead it came with the 480 Gold. If I remember correctly, this is a "better" motor than the stock, but don't remember the # of turns.

I have repo stickers on the way, and hope to make the paint scheme similar to the box. Should be pretty straightforward once I have the stickers.

Thanks all.

[highwayracer]

The 480 Gold is a 25 turn quad.

Lemans motors are labled based on the number of seconds of run time that you get with a standard 7.2 (1200mah) battery pack. So the 480 gets you approximately 8 minutes. The Gold series comes with the aluminum end bell vs. the colored plastic.

Be careful with the mounting screws because the lower end is also made of aluminum.

Regards,
highwayracer

[fakiee]

I had a mid a while back and it handled like a demon. As far as wheels go I used the tamiya star dish wheels that you see on thier top force, destort gator, rising sotorm (i think), etc. Not sure how common they are now though.

What YZ10 were you looking for? I'm guessing a yz870c, or possibly the '91?

[aip47-2008]

How many kingpins do you need? I have many available, and would gladly send you the one or the couple you might need!

Aaron