Part 2: First building steps
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| cutting tire inserts |
Wheels
I decided to start the build with the cool looking wheels. A leftover foam mat from packaging material provided a nice springiness to cut out tire inserts. I cut strips with a cutter knife and then found out that the small saw blade on the Dremel worked perfectly for cutting a step for the rim flanges.
With a 1,5mm drill bit I drilled additional holes in the rims so air can pump in and out of every camber. The final result still feels quite soft and provides a large contact patch, but with an improved cushioning.
I think it’s nice to start this build with the wheels, so I can lay them on the table and look at them while working on the rest. For me this is part of the enjoyment building a fancy Tamiya kit.
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| the inserts provide a nice dampening effect |
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| the wheels will appear quite huge on the car |
Helicoil
To screw directly into the plastic is something I like try to avoid wherever possible. Luckily I own a Böllhoff M3 Helicoil Set. I started with the chassis halves (D1, D2) an installed 7 6mm insersts (2d) to screw them both together, as well as two inserts in the wheelie bar (F7). Moreover 8 4,5m inserts (1,5d) went in the front and rear faces of the chassis halves, as the longer ones won’t fit here.
The Böllhoff Helicoil Set comes in really handy when you build plastic chassis more often, need to repair a stripped out thread or want to race them and work a lot on the chassis. However the initial purchase is quite expensive and probably not justified if only being used ones. Definitely nice if you know someone who can lent you the tool set but keep in mind that twenty inserts alone cost about 10€.
Before I screw in an insert I apply a drop of instant cement on the tip of a toothpick and twist it into the pre-thread in the plastic. After the thread-inserts where installed I left the parts to dry overnight.
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| Böllhoff Helicoil tool kit |
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| fitting the thread inserts |
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| part D1 of the chassis with Helicoils installed |
Wheelie-Wheel
The Tamiya Wheelie Roller Set (54473) is one of those Option Parts I fancied since first time I saw it. It’s definitely one of those blue bling item that pop right into your eye. Other than the plastic kit wheel (F8) it comes with two ball bearings that should improve durability. I also hope that the blue rubber tire enhances grip and stability when doing wheelies on asphalt.
The 5x21 axle (MD12) had a lot of play in the plastic wheelie bar halves (F6, F7). I applied two rounds of superglue on the walls of the holes to reduce their size and let it dry. Two 0,2mm thick shims where used on either side of the bearings to reduce the side play. Of course I also rinsed the grease out of the bearing with brake cleaner and applied some drops of 1up bearing oil.
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| Tamiya Wheelie Roller Set 54473 |
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| prepping the parts |
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| fancy tamiya blue wheelie-wheel |
Highgrip - Always getting high on 𝝁