Optima is back!!

[DennisM]

They´ve done a great job on the driver - looks a bit more scale´ish.

Looking forward to cutting an Optima body with cutting lines

[Coelacanth]

There's no pics of the axles *without* the aluminum hex on there. I do see a set screw, so I'm REALLY hoping these aren't those press fit pieces of garbage.

Why garbage?
I never had one come loose

If anything.........sometimes they were hard to get off.

Exactly...those hexes sometimes seemed like they were WELDED on! And yes, I've had some slip too.

[Coelacanth]

I'm hearing a street price of 299

You are correct. That is the listed preorder price. Available March 31. I just preordered mine
It looks like the bumper is mounted differently. Hopefully no more bent or snapped front support.

I wonder what they're using for a battery? Finding a LiPo pack that fits in the original Optima's battery receptacle is now damn-near impossible. Years ago, I managed to find some Gens Ace 2S packs that were very close to the original 8.4V NiCad pack dimensions, but even those required some minor filing down of the plastic battery holders in order to fit. Modern 2S LiPos--shorty or otherwise--don't even come close to fitting without major modifications. Furthermore, 8.4V NiCads were too long to fit inside the Optima body...the Turbo Optima had a wider body to accept the longer packs.

[GoMachV]

They say it's lipo compatible so they must have changed the mounts.

[Coelacanth]

They say it's lipo compatible so they must have changed the mounts.

I'd love to know what LiPo battery with vintage stick-pack shape is short enough to fit inside the Optima body...I'll buy some immediately.

[GoMachV]

The length of a lipo vs a stick pack isn't much different....not sure why it would be a problem?

[Coelacanth]

The length of a lipo vs a stick pack isn't much different....not sure why it would be a problem?

A LiPo is about as long as the old 8.4V stick packs...which didn't fit the original Optima body. Even the now-impossible-to-find Gens Ace packs I bought that have similar dimensions to the old stick packs BARELY fit inside the Optima body.

http://www.hobbypartz.com/98p-25c-4000-2s1p-hardcase-direct.html

This is the only one I found that barely fits; but it has been out-of-stock for years now. It's a major challenge to find anything like this one now. Try finding a current 2S LiPo that's rounded on the edges and less than 140mm long...

[BoostCreep]

2s Lipo packs that fit the original Optima.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AHRZURI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A228X9FCLLPZ6D

[Coelacanth]

2s Lipo packs that fit the original Optima.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AHRZURI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A228X9FCLLPZ6D

Those should work...never even heard of that brand, though. Thanks for posting that. I've spent hours going through eBay and Googling trying to find decent 2S LiPos that were short enough, and other than the apparently discontinued ones, I found nothing.

[BoostCreep]

Those should work...never even heard of that brand, though. Thanks for posting that. I've spent hours going through eBay and Googling trying to find decent 2S LiPos that were short enough, and other than the apparently discontinued ones, I found nothing.

I bought some of the 4000mah variety and they've been working just fine so far. Price is right too.

[DennisM]

My standard size 2 cell LiPo hardcase are 136 mm long which is about 6 mm longer than a standard NiCad battery.
They fit fine under the std. Optima body.

[Coelacanth]

My standard size 2 cell LiPo hardcase are 136 mm long which is about 6 mm longer than a standard NiCad battery.
They fit fine under the std. Optima body.

Those won't fit the stock Optima battery receptacles though. Hardcase LiPos are square-edged, not rounded, so you either have to mod or remove the stock receptacles, which are curved.

[yellowdatsun]

Everything else that has been re-released, by any company, has been modified to accept Lipo packs. I don't see why the Optima would be any different. The Tomohawk and Scorpion both accept Lipos now.

[Coelacanth]

I realize that. Go back to my first post on the matter and the picture showing what appears to be a standard stick-pack that's quite short...it's not a LiPo, from what I can tell. Other than the battery packs linked by BoostCreep, a curved pack that's 2S and short enough to fit is very hard to find.

[DennisM]

My standard size 2 cell LiPo hardcase are 136 mm long which is about 6 mm longer than a standard NiCad battery.
They fit fine under the std. Optima body.

Those won't fit the stock Optima battery receptacles though. Hardcase LiPos are square-edged, not rounded, so you either have to mod or remove the stock receptacles, which are curved.

The battery mounts on the re-re are flat, so it shouldn´t be a problem
http://reports.kyoshoeurope.com/en/legendary-series-optima-toutes-les-photos/