Just arrived, Marui Samurai, dirty!

[Doomed]

This just got here today, probably paid too much but its another one I have wanted. Some pics...









I need the round white plastic holder, front axle cup, the aluminum donut that the wheel tightens to and a bumper. Anyone have these parts? Maybe? Please?

Now its time to start deconstruction and cleaning...

[Bormac]

I found that when I drove my Samurai the gray chassis rails would brake in the rear and also the rear gearbox housings tent to crack pretty easy. Both of these parts are very hard to find and also come with a damn significant price tag when you can find them. If yours are in good condition then i would say you have a very very good start.

If you do plan to run this car, I would recommend you fashion some kind of underguard from light alloy plate. It should stretch from the back of the front bumper and run under the gearbox. This would save you a lot of greif and I will do something like this for my next Samurai for sure.

These cars are ACE to drive, not only do they look white hot but also drive relatively well for such an old machine.

Enjoy!

[Doomed]

Thanks for the info bormac. I can't find any cracks in the frame or gear box so I think its a nice one. I'm not sure if I am going to run it. I think after I take it apart and clean and inspect everything then I will decide. I cleaned the wheels and tires tonight to see what was under the mud from what seemed to be 1972. They look pretty nice, a little road rash, but I am pretty happy. Hopefully the rest of the car is as nice...

[Lonestar]

I found that when I drove my Samurai the gray chassis rails would brake in the rear and also the rear gearbox housings tent to crack pretty easy. Both of these parts are very hard to find and also come with a damn significant price tag when you can find them. If yours are in good condition then i would say you have a very very good start.

If you do plan to run this car, I would recommend you fashion some kind of underguard from light alloy plate. It should stretch from the back of the front bumper and run under the gearbox. This would save you a lot of greif and I will do something like this for my next Samurai for sure.

These cars are ACE to drive, not only do they look white hot but also drive relatively well for such an old machine.

Enjoy!

You drove a Samurai? Tell us more!!! any video by any chance?

This is one of my old time faves... I have a NiB one I bought late last millenium from Jim Sourbeck iirc... Coolest RC rims ever. Never dared to assemble it haha... Let us know in detail how it really feels to drive this thing!

Thanks
Paul

[Bormac]

Yeah the Samurai was one of those cars I used to drool over back in the 80's when I'd canvas the hobby shops around my city. The artwork looked killer and every picture I did see in magazines made the car look white hot!
I think a combo of space frame and roll cage, chrome spoked rims, driver figure and it being a chain driven 4WD used to get my goat going. LOL!

After seeing Retro R/C drive his new built car at the very first vintage meeting here in Sydney around 4 years ago I was inspired to track one down. That I did and I drove the backside clean out of my car on dozens of occassions at every single track I have been to in NSW and QLD over the past few years.

Suprisingly the drivetrain is very efficient from what I could make out. My Tamiya Sports Tuned motor seriously got this car moving and it was very easy to drive with a neutral feel coming from the 3 diffs. Even the kit tyres work well!
For me the Samurai could turn a good speed when set up with ball bearings and was easy to drive almost flat out at the tracks I took it to. I gave my car hell hitting up most of the jumps at speed and had a ball doing so too.

I ended up tracking down another car for spares plus a few nip parts along the way too. I must have completely rebuilt my car atleast half a dozen times replacing a couple of worn out or broken parts when needed. Not that there was need for much aside from the little white plastic cup halves that hold the front upright pivot balls secure.

As for motors I ran the tamiya Sports Tuned and also an older brushless SPORTS TUNED made by speed passion a few years ago. The car was ACE to drive and I'd very happily get another in the near future. I had some video but my camera crapped itself recently and now the footage is stuck on miniature tape.

Anyway Samurai's are cool, everyone should own one atleast once.

[airdreams1]

cool looking car... I love the wheels.

[Doomed]

^definitely some of the best looking stock wheels in RC.

I found someone who has a bag of what looks like the "#120 Wheels hub set" but it says #310? They look the same but are they? Maybe for another model?

[Coelacanth]

Working in a hobby store in the early to mid-80's, and being a lover of muscle cars, when the Samurai came along, I immediately loved the wheels, which looked just like the slotted mag wheels countless muscle cars sported back then. The car's body & wheels and overall design looked tough and badass, and it looked like Marui could actually perform competitively with the 4WD racers of the time and not totally embarrass itself.

Inside, the kit looked a lot better than the entry-level and weak plastic-laden Hunter and Galaxy, but alas, it was no Optima. The Samurai was a far cry better than those cars, but I didn't like the exposed chain or Tamiya-esque materials. I also realized that the Marui name didn't lend itself well to racing and 3rd-party hopup parts would be few & far between. However, it was a helluva strong stab at making a competitive car from a company that was only making low-end cars at the time, and if I could've bought those wheels for my Kyosho, I sure WOULD have!

That said, the Samurai was a very attractive car and they're very rare. You're fortunate to have one!

[Doomed]

I little progress, I have acquired the parts to complete the Samurai. The seller came through and sent me the white part and the metal hub. Nice person, great seller. Next was a bumper and some new front arms. Now to start tear down and cleaning...

[RedScampi]

That's a good looking rig! It's high on my want list!