After an excruciating 8-month hiatus, I'm back on the ball and working to get caught up with my Tamiya builds. I randomly picked this one from the queue, not realizing I was digging into a hardshell build with interior detail! The manual specifies 14 different paints required for proper detailing. Fourteen! I guess this is gonna be a long one!

First order of business is getting the obligatory fresh-out-of-the-box photos:

http://www.ultimaterc.com/gallery/th....php?album=953

Does it atleast give you the masking stickers? It would suck real hard...

No, it does not, but at least the Martini stripes are decals -- you can see the decal sheet in the gallery, along with the manual which has painting instructions spread through the second half.

Is this the Martini with the frog/brat front bumper and the not so scale width?

Good luck on the build, Jang! Don't have a moth land on this one!

EDIT: nevermind, that's a different car!

Lol thx for the wishes. Gonna be on pins & needles spraying the main color on! Gotta make a run to Hobbytown tomorrow to get the 11 colors I don't have.

I'll post a chassis update tonight.

Let me know how much fun you have with the 2 Heads ya gotta paint yet.

Seriously! And I just finished doing one for the Frog last night!


Update 1:30am PST Friday:

Okay, update time. Chassis is 100% done! This was a pretty straightforward & typical Tamiya onroad build, actually. One thing that particularly intrigues me is the use of offroad-style a-arms that are angled down and with shock mounts positioned well below the pins. The suspension feels really nice in stock form, though, if a little high in the back. It's rather plush, which goes with the generous ground clearance, though this is distinctly an onroad vehicle, never intended for light jumping & dirt drifts like most rally fans enjoy.

Build tips:

• On step 1, be sure to lubricate all surfaces of all moving parts, not jus tthe specific sides shown. Hit the top & bottom of the "star shaft," both sides of both large gears, and both sides of the large shims ("washers").
• On step 2, before bolting down the bottom plate, I went ahead & inserted the diff outputs ("gearbox joints") shown in step 5 in the manual. It's just a little easier to line the parts up when the diff itself is still exposed and accessible.
• Step 4 is an easy one to get wrong (guess how I know). Double- and triple-check the orientation of the arms before securing everything down.
• On step 5, use thread locker on the set screw.
• At step 6, be sure to push the inner bearings all the way into the hubs. It may take some force. Also of course assemble the hubs fully, with axles, before attaching the assembly to the caster block.
• At step 8 I did the same thing as for step 2, stealing from step 12 to insert the diff outputs before sealing up the chamber.
• When attaching the motor in step 15, decide whether you want to use the stock gearing. Note that they give you a 14T pinion, but the chart says you can use a 20T with that same stock motor. They recommend that you switch to ball bearings to accomplish this, to avoid overheating and premature wear. I think something in between, like a 17T, would be a good compromise for starters, because the 14T undergears the car significantly. If you're building with ball bearings from the start, though, you're golden. Either way, be sure to use a little threadlock on the set screw.
• When assembling the shocks, steps 16-22, again triple-check your parts usage. The front shocks use the Q tree parts, which come in a clear bag, and the short shafts which are dark in color. The rear shocks use the W tree parts which come in a blue bag, along with the longer, chrome-coated shafts. Don't forget the spacer under each rear shock's piston.
• At step 26, leave the upper screw on the belt tensioner just loose enough to be able to rotate the assembly, and barely tighten the moveable one (with the washer) at all. This will help you get the belt on later.
• Speaking of the belt, at step 28, the belt inserts from the front of the car. Once you have the car fully assembled later, turn it on and give it a quick run in the air to get the belt settled in, then set the tensioner where you want it & tighten it up. I fould the fresh belt to be tight enough to warrant leaving the tensioner all the way down. As it wears in, it will need more tension to take up the play that develops.
• In step 32, take great care to keep wires away from the belts, and make sure they're not likely to migrate up into the belts with vibrations & bumps. Just check things every once in awhile to make sure nothing is rubbing.
• For step 33, the wheels are completely plated, so it's worthwhile to sand off the tops of the beads and also scuff up the troughs with a flat wire brush on a rotary tool. This will go a long way towards ensuring solid adhesion.
• Step 36 pulls a fast one on us. Notice the body pin in the illustration, being inserted into the battery stop bracket. It's bent up at the edge. I'd suggest doing this (before you insert it) to help you get an easier grip on it. Better yet, use a longer body pin here, but still bend it up.

Now I get to take on the arduous task of detailing the body! Fourteen different paints!!!

Lookin' good! What's up with the street tires though? I thought this was a rally car meant for some offroad, like the wrx and others . Also, is that a carbon fiber brace along the length of the chassis? Looks nice! Those a-arms look good, too - it looks like the kind of plastic that Tamiya uses on the 501X.

It'll be great to see that body, worth it's weight in paint.

There are actually a pretty fair number of rally races that are run on tarmac, and with the exposed belt and open tub chassis of this car, I think it's a good idea that they didn't try to push it as an offroader.

Ah, I see. I knew it was on onroader, but didn't know why they made it onroad, or that they really had rally races on tarmac. Thanks for the enlightenment.