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Hello from Philadelphia, returning after a 30 year break
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 5:46 pm
by asciibaron
in 1985 i begged my parents to get me a Kyosho Pegasus. I really wanted an RC10, but that was too expensive for a 14 year old according to my parents (boo). after spending two summers completely trashing the Pegasus, it was stolen from our back porch... it was well used and worn out. after mowing a bunch of lawns i picked up the brand new Tamiya Blackfoot and then an AYK Radiant. a track opened up near my house and once i got my driver's license i picked up the then new Losi JRXT. i raced it as both the truck and the buggy so i could run in twice as many races. i still have the three cars and have been working on getting them going. i picked up a Kyosho Turbo Optima Gold, the car i really wanted when i got the Radiant.
looking forward to keeping the vintage cars going and adding to the collection with a couple of re-releases, a vintage car or two, and possibly a new buggy. i'm not interested in racing, mostly just messing around in the neighborhood like when i was 15. the rekindling of my interest in rc cars also is leading me into 3D printing. i have some mod ideas i'd like to experiment with and i can get back into prototype design, something i miss doing. i have worked in drafting, electrical engineering, project management for scale model trains, but now am a system engineer. i like hands on things and rc cars lets me enjoy a mix of my mechanical and electrical skills.
i might get an RC10 after all mom.
Re: Hello from Philadelphia, returning after a 30 year break
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 6:34 pm
by Toaster
Welcome back! Looking forward to following any prototype builds you may start.
Re: Hello from Philadelphia, returning after a 30 year break
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 8:00 pm
by asciibaron
here is a bit of teaser on the AYK Radiant... after getting it running i remembered how terrible the steering was. since i don't need two servos i can make a new top plate that will also have a hook and loop strap on each side to hold the battery. the steering linkage in the chassis had become loose and to get to it meant tearing down the car... a bit of a pain to service. i'm hoping to resolve the steering once and for all. my attempts when i was 15 left some damage by using a steering setup from some other manufacturer that did nothing to fix the problem and left a hacked up bit of plastic with nothing to show for it. it makes me mad just looking at the hack job i did. i was young and foolish.
holy crap even with rotted tires this thing is fun
this is a bit of poor design that has far too much sloop and the screws work loose under the load of steering
testing moving the steering servo forward for a far more simplified top plate layout. the long throw arm and weak servo can be replaced with a much shorter throw and high torque servo, maybe.
Re: Hello from Philadelphia, returning after a 30 year break
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 9:45 pm
by jwscab
Welcome aboard!!
There are plenty of radiant threads on the boards, it's quite a collectible car. I have a pro radiant mid myself.
Sounds like you had the bug like most of us. Nice story and stable of cars.
Whereabouts are you in Philly? There are a few of us in the northeast area, I'm about 50 minutes north of Philly. Couple jersey guys here and Scr8p, one of the moderators is a bit north of me.
Re: Hello from Philadelphia, returning after a 30 year break
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 10:45 pm
by asciibaron
jwscab wrote: ↑Wed Nov 09, 2022 9:45 pm
There are plenty of radiant threads on the boards, it's quite a collectible car. I have a pro radiant mid myself.
Sounds like you had the bug like most of us. Nice story and stable of cars.
Whereabouts are you in Philly? There are a few of us in the northeast area, I'm about 50 minutes north of Philly. Couple jersey guys here and Scr8p, one of the moderators is a bit north of me.
the Radiant is an interesting design, i'm glad i kept it all these years. i'm in the north west corner, right by the Wissahickon, moved here a decade ago from Baltimore. there are some trails i help build/maintain and can run the cars on part of them. some good jumps as it's also built for mountain bikers.
thanks for welcoming me here.
the collection last week.
Re: Hello from Philadelphia, returning after a 30 year break
Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2022 2:32 am
by Dadio
Welcome to the forum , looks like your going to fit in great , very lucky to still have your cars .
Re: Hello from Philadelphia, returning after a 30 year break
Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2022 10:35 am
by asciibaron
Dadio wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 2:32 am
Welcome to the forum , looks like your going to fit in great , very lucky to still have your cars .
while still having the cars is pretty cool, they were all very well used and abused. the least challenging to get back to running condition is the JRX2/T - it needed parts for the shocks and will need bell cranks as they are splitting at the ball joint holes. the Blackfoot is now running but it will be some time until it is where i'd like it to be. the Radiant is going to be the most challenging as parts are rare and it was not well treated by my 15 year old self.
thanks for the warm welcome from everyone, looking forward to learning and sharing with the group.
-Steve