Tamiya Madcap barn find!
Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:12 pm
OK, so not quite a barn find, but giving the condition it is in, I felt the title was appropriate!
I've owned this Madcap since new - I'm not sure of the year - but it was a Christmas present from my parents sometime in the early Nineties. After owning (and destroying) a multitude of RC cars, mum and dad finally caved and agreed to get me a real RC car. I still remember going to the model shop with dad, and picking out the Madcap. I was given the kit a few days before Christmas in order to allow me to build it up in time for Christmas day. As far as I can remember, 14 year old me built it mostly by myself. My memory is a little hazy as to when I got the first drive, but I remember it was a dark evening (possibly Christmas Eve), when I finally got to thrash it about until the battery went flat! Good times!
The paint was originally highlighter yellow (no idea why I chose that colour - it was the Nineties remember!), but I think I cheaped out on the paint, which is why the shell is now clear. Somewhere along the line I peeled off the decals (again, no idea why). The car received an absolute hiding in my hands - my weekends were spent building ramps and jumps and performing stunts and the odd bit of circle work - usually resulting in the car ending up on it's roof - which explains why I went through so many heat sinks - and why the rear spoiler has been fashioned out of an ice cream container. Any yes, those are teeth marks in it...
The car has sat untouched for years, and aside from the dodgy body mods, the only upgrade I ever did was to splash out on a fast charger - because waiting 12 hours between drives was never fun!
Now the time has come to restore the Madcap to it's former glory, but I'm a little unsure on where to start... I figure a strip down, clean and rebuild is in order, but I'd like also to upgrade to an electronic speed controller (I always wanted one - but they we're soooo expensive back in the day!). I also have a new bodyshell from TBG, which I intend to paint (along with the current shell) in the original colours, and add some repro decals.
I have no intention racing the car, just wanna relive the good old days and thrash it about. Any tips for the rebuild and update would be greatly appreciated!
I've owned this Madcap since new - I'm not sure of the year - but it was a Christmas present from my parents sometime in the early Nineties. After owning (and destroying) a multitude of RC cars, mum and dad finally caved and agreed to get me a real RC car. I still remember going to the model shop with dad, and picking out the Madcap. I was given the kit a few days before Christmas in order to allow me to build it up in time for Christmas day. As far as I can remember, 14 year old me built it mostly by myself. My memory is a little hazy as to when I got the first drive, but I remember it was a dark evening (possibly Christmas Eve), when I finally got to thrash it about until the battery went flat! Good times!
The paint was originally highlighter yellow (no idea why I chose that colour - it was the Nineties remember!), but I think I cheaped out on the paint, which is why the shell is now clear. Somewhere along the line I peeled off the decals (again, no idea why). The car received an absolute hiding in my hands - my weekends were spent building ramps and jumps and performing stunts and the odd bit of circle work - usually resulting in the car ending up on it's roof - which explains why I went through so many heat sinks - and why the rear spoiler has been fashioned out of an ice cream container. Any yes, those are teeth marks in it...
The car has sat untouched for years, and aside from the dodgy body mods, the only upgrade I ever did was to splash out on a fast charger - because waiting 12 hours between drives was never fun!
Now the time has come to restore the Madcap to it's former glory, but I'm a little unsure on where to start... I figure a strip down, clean and rebuild is in order, but I'd like also to upgrade to an electronic speed controller (I always wanted one - but they we're soooo expensive back in the day!). I also have a new bodyshell from TBG, which I intend to paint (along with the current shell) in the original colours, and add some repro decals.
I have no intention racing the car, just wanna relive the good old days and thrash it about. Any tips for the rebuild and update would be greatly appreciated!
haven't yet tackled the gearbox strip down...