TOPIC:

This is a copy of the thread I did on Tamiyaclub, just to get you started.
-Lars

I got bored yesterday and decided to build one of my vintage Tamiya.
The Racing Master series has lately grown on me, and because I had a NIB 58032 Tornado, I decided to be cracy and build it

I know some will say that the decision was stupid, money-wise, but I am not in it for the money (except to spend, that is...). I am in it for the fun of building and restoring old Tamiya models.

It will not be much restoring involved in this build, but some good building should be possible.

Here goes....

It all started with this nice complete NIB with all blisters intact and nice...




After only minutes, this was left...
The parts themselves are hardly an impressive sight. I kind of get the point of nice box and blisters...




I'll start on item 1 in the manual tomorrow, and work my way through, so stay tuned!

-Lars

Item 1 in the manual:

The first step is to build the gearbox and motor. Straight forward buliding, no problems...



And this is the result.

BTW: How does anyone (even Japanese) get four fingers into the "handle" at the rear of the motor??



Next step is 2, the radio plate.

-Lars

Step 2:

Here is the parts for step 2 the radio plate.
Note the "soldering socket". As far as I can understand a mistake by Tamiya, but I will come to that later...
The fibre glass plate is pretty rough on the edges, so some gentle sanding is recommended.



Some poor production from Tamiya?? This rubber grommet should not have this "collar" or at least not one this big. I had to cut off the excess.



And Step 2 finished. Agian easy and straight forward.



Next step is 3, the main chassis.

-Lars

Step 3:

Here are the parts for step 3, the main chassis.

Absolutely straight forward, if the well ut is in good condition, like this was. They can often be hard from age, and then not suitable.
Again, rough edges on the fibre glass.



All done. Don't ask why the straps for radio and battery had to go on now, they are really in the way... But, this is according to manual



Next step is 4, the rear axle.

-Lars

Step 4:

Ok, the rear axle is next.

The axle comes pre built with the left shrinked on. It's just a matter of sliding on the correct items in the correct sequence.
The short tube is a distance piece mounted on the axle on the left side.

There is one detail to remember:
The two small bevel gears has a small tap still on, presumably from the mold. This has to be removed to make the gears turn in the diff.



The final stage is to add the very tiny washer, and the e-clip at the right end of the shaft.



Next step is 5, the front end.

-Lars

Step 5:

The front end.

The front end is nice and neat on this one. The flimsy plate for the receiver looks very thin for the nescessary stiffness, but I guess it will be ok.



Here it is, all mounted. I could not figure out which side was up on the bomper (other side is "rougher").



Next step is 6, the steering.

-Lars

Step 6:

The steering on the Tornado or more like racing than most other models I have. But lets start on the top..

The parts for the hubs and uprights is nothing exciting... Nylon hubs I believe? (or some weird kind of pastic?)



Uprights mounted and the steering components ready. Note the pre-assmbled steering rod.



74 mm according to the manual



The whole front end assembled.
One thing you should notice is the yellowed nylon parts. They are not only yellowed but also hardened. They are now so fragile that they are starting to crack only because of the assembly and screws. So yet another reason to never run these originals



Next step is 8 to 11, the MSC.

-Lars

Steps 8 to 11:

At first I did not intend to put radio gear in this model, but after realising that both the steering and speedo would be hanging loose in the chassis without the servos, I dug out an old Futaba set. The set is used, and I don't know if it's from the exact period, but it's what I had lying around

The MSC is similar to the Super Champ one, with leads for powering the receiver (non BEC). Also needed (and included) were a resistor required if running 7,2V packs (as opposed to 6V). My receiver has BEC so I left out the extra resistor, and joined in the correct Futaba plug, planning for a 7,2V battery.



The MSC is quite fiddly to get right onto the servo. The important thing is to centralize the hole in the MSC with the servo axle, and this is not very easy because the double sided tape sticks at first try.




Next steps are 12 to 14, the Steering servo and receiver.

-Lars

Steps 12 to 14:

The steering servo is pretty straight forward. There are som nice small details to it, but nothing difficult.



Here are the MSC/Servo, steering servo and bracket for switch ready fo mounting. Note the screws for mounting the servos: same as the screws for the 360/380 motors on the very early models (934/935, etc)



Both servos in place and adjusted.



And the receiver in place. It is quite crammed with the wiring and on/off switch, but not too bad.




Note the receiver antanna wire, wound up and the end soldered to the base of the steel "antenna". (hard to see on the photo) As I mentioned earlier, this must be a mistake by Tamiya. I believe the reception is very much dependant on antenna wire length, an soldering it to a steel "post" would not be an improvement. I am not sure, but I have only noticed this solution on this model and the C100 (let me know if I am wrong )

Next steps are 15 and 16, the wheels

-Lars

Steps 15 to 16:

One of my favourite tasks, putting the wheels on
The blisters will die!!!



The parts in all their beauty.
Note that the wheels/rims are in a darker grey colour than earlier models using the same design rims.



And here it is, the chassis all done. Looks the business to me.



And now, the body is next. Always the most time consuming bit, and always the steps that will either "make or brake" a nice model.


Next steps are 17 to 19. :o

-Lars