Build Thread Chapman - Tamiya Neo Scorcher Build

[Chapman951]

July 31, 2023 - Ordered a Neo Scorcher off of eBay.

August 04 2023 - Packaged arrived. Fast shipment from Japan to The United States of America . Packaged well. Came by FedEx.

August 06 2023 - Everything is going well so far. Had to purchase sand paper/file to clean up excess plastic left behind when you remove the part.

Used a light coating of grease as required per the instructions.

 

[Chapman951]

August 6 2023 - Need to grease the engine mount next time. Then can continue.

Other than that, the build is going smoothly. Instructions are well laid out. Takes some time to read the instructions properly. Going slow and enjoying the build.

 

[Doom!]

Welcome to the forum and nice way to start.

 

[Chapman951]

Welcome to the forum and nice way to start.

Thanks for the welcome Doom!. Yes it’s very enjoyable build and hobby.


August 06, 2023 - Finished attaching the motor and motor mount. Applied a thin layer of grease to where it was needed.

I have not bent the terminals on the motor yet.

 

[Chapman951]

August 06, 2023 - Prepped page 7 of the instruction manual. Nail clippers and a file work well for cleaning up the parts.

 

[Chapman951]

August 06, 2023 - the rear control arms and rear bumper was installed today. The control arms was a straightforward process with no wax/grease needed.

The rear bumper had 1 screw that slipped through the plastic. A screw with a washer could be a solution. I removed the bumper, backed out the screw that slipped past the platic and re-installed the rear bumper.

 

[Chubaka]

Welcome to the site. Buggy looks like alot of fun. It's a shame more aren't offered in kit form.

 

[Chapman951]

August 07, 2023 - made some forward progress installing the front amd rear suspension. Instructions have been straight forward.
The instructions become much more “second nature” as I continue the kit. There is a list with pictures in the back of the book with all the hardware you will use. They are 1:1 scale with the actual screw size which has come in handy.

I am missing/lost 1 screw that holds in the front bumper. It probably fell on the floor. It’s possible I made a mistake and used an incorrect screw somewhere. Will wait until the end of the build to see whether I need to order a screw or not.
August 7, 2023 - Prepped the parts for installing front suspension components.

 

[Chapman951]

August 09, 2023 - busy busy .

-Built and installed the front and rear shocks. This was straightforward with the directions Tamiya includes. Pleased to have completed the suspension.



-Corrected mistake made previously. Accidentally installed part B8 instead of MB16. Was a 5 minute job to replace the part.


-Going to keep the front bumper off the vehicle until I order another screw. As mentioned before, I cannot locate 1 screw.

-Installed the wheels and tires.

-***Installed the steering linkage incorrectly***. I need to go back and install correctly.

Car looks epic now with the shocks, wheels and tires installed. Will appreciate this view of the car for a bit before continuing with the project.

Okay

 

[Chapman951]

August 10, 2023 - Spent a few hours installing various remaining items on the car. They were short and quick items compared to previous work like building shocks and installing the suspension.

Ended up with an additional MA1 screw. I used this for the front bumper. If I end up needing another MA1, i’ll have to order it.

Also properly installed the drivers side steering linkage.

Might be able to install a few more items before electronics, body work, upgrades or customization work could be done.

 

[Doom!]

Coming along nicely.

 

[Chapman951]

Attached a part of the servo steering system. Used sandpaper to smooth out a plastic insert for smooth operation.

 

[Chapman951]

August .21.2023 - Purchased a used and modified Neo Scorcher body on ebay. Suoer stoked. It will be nice to keep the original body + wing untouched. It’s also less work having to cut and paint one… although it would be nice to paint an original body in gloss Black (pucture down below).
Gifted myself a carbon fiber rear damper stay. I was listening on YouTube that the original ones have some flex to them.
Once the body arrives, I will start looking at a wing to purchase. I like the one pictured below. Leaning towards the raw aluminum one.
This car was primarily going to be something I can drive down to the mail box (it’s about a 15 minute walk) but they are opening up a skate park locally which makes me want to take it their.

BODY Purchased: - believe some racing history involved with this body. Very cool!

Potential wing purchase

August 21 - 2023 - I like the blue aluminum wheel nuts. I think they would look great on a black painted neo scorcher. Would tie in the the blue stripes on the body.

I like the look of the Tamiya Plasma edge painted green with the OEM decals. Maybe buy one of those in the future.

Also image of the carbon fiber rear damper stay.

Ordered

 

[Chapman951]

Future projects -
-figure out esc and other electrics
-epic wing
-silver “tamiya” decals on body?
-epic servo with cooler fan?
-duct tape underside of body shell?
-chassis guard?

Looks clean:

 

[Chapman951]

The rear carbon fiber damper stay arrived today amd was installed. Stickers included too . Option No.1 is the conpany.
Great upgrade! The flex is completely gone. Looks great. Easy install. Nice hardware. The front damper does not have much flex.

 

[Chapman951]

August 26, 2023 -
Started to stance the Neo Scorcher. I’ve been trying different wheel and tire set-ups to find something I like.
I really like the look of using the front rims on both the front and rear of the car. The original rear rims look a bit too offroad for me. I’m looking for more of an indoor carpet racer with truggy vibes for this build.
But yeah super pleased that Tamiya lets you change the ride height from the control arms and damper stays.

Learned a lot about, ESC’s, brushed + brushless motors, and battery in this thread:

https://www.rctalk.com/forum/threads/is-this-an-okay-esc-i-found-on-ebay.139193/

 

[Chapman951]

Ordered a few more goodies

 

[Chapman951]

Sept.04.2023
Few more goodies ordered.

 

[Chapman951]

Sept.06.2023
Wheels arrived!
-The Blue wheels are a darker/deeper blue than I expected… think they look absolutely wonderful! Better than expected.
-The yellow wheel looks very “rc” to me. Stoked on it too. I accidentally ordered “front” yellows instead of “rear yellows”. Might order the correct yellows down the road.

 

[9x19]

Looks good... those plastic yellow shocks are so Tamiya!