442 - Tamiya BBX: The Brushless Conversion Is Almost Done!

Spite the few time to dedicate to the hobby I've almost completed the installation of the brushless ESC/Motor in my BBX. 

With the narrow spaces between the cage's tubes doing cabling is always a PITA and I've been forced to dissasemble the rear cage the sensor cable is a new entry to me but it's a disturbing presence already.

The curiosity to do a short shake down was much strong so,  before putting the rear cage back, I've putted a battery on and I gave gas for a time or two (three... four...) on the entrance driveway and I've noticed that with the brushless motor NiMHs struggle, I guess it is the time to consider to buy a pair of LiPo packs, again! 

441 - FlashBack Friday: My Tamiya Cr-01, Part #1

 

Back in 2008 Tamiya entered the RC crawler market with the CR-01, I've decided to get mine in 2012. The build had taken a lot of time, considering other classic builds,  mostly because all screws need threadlocker and because suspensions and transimission are engeneered in the usual, peculiar Tamiya way. Enjoable build, anyway.

At firs I've choosen an almost stock setup adding a third part straight axle on the rear and a googy radio box built from scratch.

440 - My Tamiya BBX Gets Its Brushless ESC... And Its Bundle Of Cables!

The swap from brushed to brushless is going on and, this time, I've started understand how to place the QuicRun 10BL120G2 120A ESC in my BBX. I have to say that this thing is big, its fan increase its height a lot and the number of cables involved drive crazy the order freak in me.

At first on the battery cables I've soldered a pair of 4mm bullet plugs and they looks long enough ro avoid the use of an extension.

For sure I will avoid the use of the ESC cover/canopy/whatelse because it won't fit and because I don't know where I put it.

439 - My Tamiya BBX Gets Its Brushless Motor

That moment has come: after stripping all the parts involved (or that could be involved) I've started the swap of the entire power plant in my Tamiya BBX. At first I've swapped My Reedy pink dot with the Ruddog RP540 13.5T Brushless Motor bought some weeks ago, of course it has been the easy part in this step in to modernity and, at least, it still keep its look and it doesen't looks unnecessarily cumbersome like modern car engine bay.

438 - Simplify, Then Add Lightness

 

"Simplify, Then Add Lightness" : a simple phrase (but not a simple though), the Colin Chapman motto the to me has became a kind of mantra so I've decided to ask to my friends at Tag Your T-Shirt to embroider it on a trucker cap (in racing british green, of course) I will use for my outdoor works at our home on the alps.

437 - A Song For Billy Ray: Custom Decals

Finally the awaited custom decals for the Blitzer for the young Billy Ray have been arrived. The inspiration comes from the legendary Troy Lee graphics, unfortunately result isn't perfect because I've tried to hide some body imperfections giving to the decals a white background... I hope that Billy will be focused on the flames and to the performace and will forgive his old uncle 😎

436 - The Unexpected Upgrade For My BBX: Brushless Power!

Yes, I gave in, I swallowed my pride and I’ve bought a brushless motor and a brushless ESC.

The reason is that my BBX (and the BB-02 in future) using a brushed set-up is ever on the edge between reasonable perfomance and lavic temperatures.

Ad my usual, I’ve surfed the Web for some infos and to find something that could make for me and, in the end, I’ve bought a Ruddog  RP540 13.5T 540 Sensored motor, the  Hobbywing QuicRun 10BL120G2 120A G2 Sensored ESC and the Hobbywing Led Program Card.

Hobbywing boxes looks a bit aseptic, I miss race proven/90s graphics.

Of course I will keep NiMH batteries because my experience with LiPo have been a little catastrofic and I don't trust them.

435 - Wild One Updated: Savox Sc-0252MG Servo

 

As said my Wild One has a new servo. Some adjustment have been necessary to use it with the #51000 servo saver: some tiny spacers unser the servo mounts and 5mm uniballs for a easier installation on the servo saver horn (smallest ones have a much shorter thread).

First set up (dating back to the build of the car) with smaller ball adjusters now swapped with bigger ones.

Steering rods look a bit angled to my preferences but it's the best config with #51000 servo saver, all works smoothly so I guess it's good enough.

434 - A Song For Billy Ray: A Quick Check

 

During the shakedown I've noticed that the LRP that powers my Blitzer felt a little hot so I've checked if the pinion is the 13t recomended for faster motors.

The installed pinion is a Carson one made out of steel as a straight copy of the Tamiya made out of aluminum: it's roughly machined and, as the rust on its surface witness, without any treatment.

433 - A Song For Billy Ray: Shakedown!

So the day for the first run has came! I've used the battery charged a week before without repeaking but the result have been pretty satisfying. Maybe it needs a thicker grease for the differential and I have to check if the 13t pinion is installed (motor was a little hot).

432 - A Song For Billy Ray: Quick Forming Charge

 

I've found the time to give to the Carson power pack I've bought for the Billy Ray project a quick forming charge of 0,6mAh. I hope to be able to do the radio set up in the next days and so I will do a short shake down to understand if the choosen motor is quick enough.

431 - Savox Sc-0252MG Ready For My Wild One

 

The servo I choose to replace the old KO on my Wild One is a Savox Sc-0252MG that I've prepared  for the installation using the #51000 servo saver, and two tiny plastic spacers to raise enough to avoid rubbings between the servo saver and the chassis.

As in my habits I've "shorten" wires using heat shrink tube and double sided tape.

Dealing with the three infamous C springs have been easy than I expected... I'm learning the right way to build the #51000 servo saver, maybe.

430 - A Song For Billy Ray: Almost Ready For The Fire Up!

 

Well, all is almost ready: a new NiMH power pack and the essential Tamiya' Screwdriver set have been delivered. After good forming charge I will be ready for the basic setups and for the last step: the great custom decal I drawn weeks ago.

429 - LRP Touring Motor: Finally Sold, It Deserves A Better Life

Another motor have been sold! I'm pretty happy because, being a buggy guy, this touring LRP motor (that is a blast) remain unused in a box for a while but deserves a better chance to be appreciate. It has been on sale for some months on the bay and last week it has been sold to a guy that plans to run it on a Kyosho TF-02, sounds interesting

428 - Wild One:It's Time To Say Goodbye To The KO Servo!

A new Savox servo has been delivered to my door in the last days, so it is the time to retire the last veteran from the original build of my Wild One.

With the occasion, as said, I will make a further attempt to use the #51000 Tamiya servo saver in this car also. I never tought before but I guess that some spacers will help and, unfortunately, I have to deal (again) with the infamous springs of that servo saver.

427 - A Song For Billy Ray: Filling Some Holes

The body designated to revamp my Stadium Blitzer was originally destined to my CR-01 so  the existing mountig holes need to be filled.

Previously I've reinforced the body by the inside usign some duct tape and after I've used some Tamiya R/C Polycarbonate Body Reinforcing Cement bough on porpouse. Of course I'm not going to repaint the body from the outside so the filled holes will be covered with some custom decals.

426 - The New Tamiya BB-02: The Way Tamiya Tamiya Raises The Level

Just after the middle of august 2026 Tamiya (via this video from Tamiya USA) shows to the world its way to raise the level: the BB-02.

A brand new car, a brand new model that is strongly linked to the previous buggy version of the BB: the BB-01.

A model with deep roots in the Tamiya tradition because the buggy has been followed by a Beetle that shares the same concept: as the Sand Schorcher followed the Rough Rider back in the days.

Now it's my turn, as modeller, to start to save some moneys and to star to gather the electronics to put in this new milestone.

425 - Taking Care Of My Wild One

As previously written, during last holidays, I had much fun with my Wild One on my -not perfect- lawn: the ESC+motor binomial made perfectly its work without fails or overheating but the car needs some care, anyway.

In running the car on the grass I’ve experienced much rollovers due to the excess of grip of the choosen Schumacher tires. I love how the car looks with its rims wrapped with four serious buggy’s tires so, to keep them, I’m considering to shave one of two rows of pins from the rear ones.

The second correction/upgrade I’m considering is about the steering servo and the servo saver. In the past I’ve made some attempts to improve the steering with the Tamiya #51000 servo saver without finding a way to use it but, thanks to the relax of last holidays, I’m pretty sure that I will do the work using some spacers. At this point I will upgrade the car with a new servo because of the old KO one is showing its limits.

424 - GForce Pit-Cube 300: A Tiny Giant!

During last holidays I had the opportunity to finally use my new GForce Pit-Cube 300 charger.

Of course it has been helpfull to do the charging job but I wanted to test its cycling capabilities so I've cycled my neglected NiMh power packs.

The Setting of the charger is rapid and intuitive task and every pack, spite the single cycle and the quick charge, reached its full capacity. I figure it is a proof of the quality job done by this tiny giant.

423 - Windmills Friday: Sharing Some Worries

Well I'm not Don Quixote biggest fan on earth, I'v read his adventure once when I was a teenager but the expression "tilting at windmills" remains the most suitable for this post, for some past ones and for several future ones.

In general I'm worried about some trends defined in the last years: RTR instead of kits, cheap electronics from China (the crap factory), Lipo batteries that are stupidly dangerous and rubbish blings-blings instead of pure modellers crafmaship. I will go in to details in single posts written on porpouse, stay tuned!