Playtron Lynx quick resto
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2018 4:52 pm
Picked up a “vintage white plastic chassis and parts” on eBay and I was surprised that it was in pretty good shape. I quickly disassembled it and gave it a simple Dawn and hot water bath in the ultrasonic cleaner. I didn’t go crazy with it. One part, the front idler gear, was cracked but it was such a simple piece I was able to use a pinion gear on a shaft to replace it. Here are some pics from along the way.
If you haven’t seen a Lynx (or even a Doberman) they are very cool. Obviously they were heavily influenced by the chassis shape of the frog, but the rest is pretty unique. The shocks are very much like early kyosho shock (just as bad). The front has one way bearings in the wheels and a spool. It’s a very compact Gearbox and uses some tiny 3x8mm bearings. The 90* gears are identical in the front to rear- no reduction. In the rear gearbox, the idler gear has a shaft fixed to it that protrudes and drives the 90* gearbox. I would say it wasn’t an afterthought, butseems like it could have been decided midway in the design. The rear arms are quite sturdy. They have a hole in the arm to access the joint. Also interesting to me is the layout of the electronics. The front servo mounts to the chassis, and the rear of it attaches to a sliding plate much like a frog. However on this one, it also attaches the throttle servo, which then attaches to another sliding plate that keys into the chassis. If you were to lose the front servo screws the whole assembly would float front to rear. Also of note is the very odd recommendation for servo orientation. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, so I went with the alternative installation. The speed control has variable forward and brake, and full speed reverse.
If you haven’t seen a Lynx (or even a Doberman) they are very cool. Obviously they were heavily influenced by the chassis shape of the frog, but the rest is pretty unique. The shocks are very much like early kyosho shock (just as bad). The front has one way bearings in the wheels and a spool. It’s a very compact Gearbox and uses some tiny 3x8mm bearings. The 90* gears are identical in the front to rear- no reduction. In the rear gearbox, the idler gear has a shaft fixed to it that protrudes and drives the 90* gearbox. I would say it wasn’t an afterthought, butseems like it could have been decided midway in the design. The rear arms are quite sturdy. They have a hole in the arm to access the joint. Also interesting to me is the layout of the electronics. The front servo mounts to the chassis, and the rear of it attaches to a sliding plate much like a frog. However on this one, it also attaches the throttle servo, which then attaches to another sliding plate that keys into the chassis. If you were to lose the front servo screws the whole assembly would float front to rear. Also of note is the very odd recommendation for servo orientation. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, so I went with the alternative installation. The speed control has variable forward and brake, and full speed reverse.