Lunchboxer

No video?!

lbshelfqueen

a poor quality one. i wish esc would behave like msc. you can go from full speed reverse to half forward an the front wheels hover while going backards, then just as they dip you accelerate half power to keep them up then full power and it flies!!!!

i have the worst suspension though... stock.. without the rubber tubing. i will sort that then give it a real test.

best bit is i dont regret doing it

Eman77

Reading Phil's post makes me want to get an LB for my son (he's 6). Hmm, I think getting an LB is moving up to the top of my list.

It's cheap, too!

Lunchboxer

Join the club, Eman!!

Philsthrills

Here are some pics of our progress. The first is with the electronics in and the second is the transmission.

Eman - Here are some tips for doing something like this with a 6 year old:

1. I believe that my 6yo is pretty patient with this kind of stuff, that is why I did it. None-the-less, the building sessions should be kept to a minimum. I have a lot of education and experience teaching kids. My advice for activities with kids is to ALWAYS make them stop while they are still enjoying it. Promise to come back, but make sure they leave while they are still smiling. If you wait until they are ready to leave the project, it may be too late.

At first, Jaz was really into cutting parts off of the tree and looking for screws, small parts, etc. After a while, though, these activities become arduous for her and take away from her real building time. After a few days of building (half hour sessions or less) I started going down to the workshop beforehand and laying out all of the parts for a specific part of the build. I then put all screws and small parts in a small cup for easy access. Now everything for our build session is ready to go and we do not waste any time looking for parts. You can see our next build session already prepared in the pics. This allows for a more productive building session and she feels a better sense of accomplishment. A sense of accomplishment each time is also important, so try to plan your building session so that you achieve something. For example, one session we did the electronics and one we did the tranny.

2. Small screws are not kid friendly. I have not built a car in 25 years, so I forgot how many small screws there are and how difficult they can be - especially for small hands. Jaz can get the screws started, but cannot finish many of them. We are already to the point where she starts it and as soon as I see her struggle, I take over and finish it for her. I make her start them, though, since we are very clear that it is her project.

3. Directions are useless at this age. I am sure that there are kids who are advanced enough at 6 to read the directions and apply them, but that would be a rare case. Jaz cannot - at all. Everything she learns is just from watching me do it on my vehicle first. I anticipated this and that is why I got two. Once she sees me do it, she can do it herself pretty easily.

So far, with the exception of turning tough screws, she has built everything by herself just by watching me.

I'll try to continue to post as the project progresses.

mechanizeddeath

Just got myself a Lunch Box.

Been wanting one for a while, ever since I got my Tamiya Brat about 2.5 years ago. Painting the shell right now!

mechanizeddeath

Bit of a (personal) history lesson here: This thread was one of the first ones I found and read in late 2007 when I became interested in RC. In fact, it may have been the very first one I read. In a nutshell, I was looking online to see if there were a lot of other guys my age (25-35) getting into RC for the first time or getting back into it after many years. Specifically, if they were enjoying the vintage re-release RCs I'd see from Tamiya, or if they were going more toward the modern offerings instead.

Since I ended up deciding on a re-release Tamiya Brat, you can imagine this thread had an impact on me. So LB, I'm not sure if I ever told you this, but you are at least partially responsible for me buying a Brat instead of a Stampede or Rustler. And while I have nothing against those vehicles, I'm certainly very happy I decided to go old school instead. [8D]

Phil: You made the right decision, the Lunch Box is big on fun and a delight for children and adults of all ages. I have several RC cars, and the one that is the most consistent crowd-pleaser is the Grasshopper. Created around the same time as the Lunch Box, and using the same gearbox, as I understand it was originally intended as sort of a trainer model for young people. Inexpensive and quite forgiving, I can full speed into a wall without breaking anything. The combination of the vintage look, fun stickers, bouncy friction shocks, and a driver doll make it a favorite among my friends as well as random bystanders.

mechanizeddeath

Rather than creating a build thread, I figure I may as well add my own photos and progress to one that's already established. Especially since this thread is arguably the premier spot for Lunch Box related information on the web. [&:]

I decided to do this build a bit differently than the rest. I'm not a huge fan of trimming and painting, so I normally leave that for last. This time, I decided to do it first.

I had a can of Krylon Fusion yellow somewhere, bought specifically for the Lunch Box I would someday own, however it got lost somewhere at my parents house and I can no longer find it. So it was off to the store to buy another can, along with some glossy clear. I had good luck with this paint on my Grasshopper, so I decided to use it again.

I washed the body and tires with dish soap, then rinsed and dried them thoroughly. With that complete, I did a light coat of paint on the van body.

As you can see, the cap is close but not an exact match to the wheels, and at least with one coat, the body is still much lighter.

mechanizeddeath

With the paint drying, it was time to do a little bit of building in between coats.

But first, time for the fun inspection of parts. I always love the presentation of Tamiya kits from the moment you open the box. It isn't just a jumble of parts, but a well organized collection of awesome.

mechanizeddeath

Some of the bigger and more interesting pieces: The chassis, the beautiful chrome parts tree, the TEU-101BK ESC, and of course the Silvercan power.

mechanizeddeath

The Lunch Box is different from the other RCs I've built. The steering servo is normally added toward the middle of the build, after the front suspension is assembled, and rx and esc are typically toward the end, just before the body is placed on the chassis. In the case of the LB, however, these steps are done at the very start. Good thing I had a servo handy: A Futaba S3003 standard servo, excellent for steering.

When I built my first RC, I forgot to center the servo before attaching the servo saver. Thankfully it was another vintage RC, the Brat, and so it was trivial to remove and recenter the servo saver. As my batteries were in another room I decided to grab some AAs and use one of the rx battery boxes I had laying around to power and center the servo.

I've only ever used Futaba servos, and I've noticed that dead center will never line up perfectly with the servo saver. It always has to go a little bit one way or the other. I guess that's what trims are for, and fortunately I have a Futaba 2PL so I can set and forget the trims in most cases.

mechanizeddeath

Onto the actual build! The first step is to assemble the steering servo. With the servo saver built and the plastic blocks attached to the mounting points, it is ready to be installed at the front of the chassis. Looks like anyone can turn over my Lunch Box and see that I used a S3003.

mechanizeddeath

Another early step is the installation of the body mount points. I knew they were shiny, so I actually looked in the metal parts bags first, before realizing they were likely plastic and would be on the chrome parts tree.

After that I needed to add the ESC and power switch. From here I deviated from the instructions a bit, deciding to use the plastic ON/OFF switch cover and standard black screws instead of the shorter chrome ones with washers shown in the instructions. I will also wait to place the ON/OFF sticker until I am putting the stickers on the body as well.

mechanizeddeath

Unfortunately, I can go no further. The next few steps require bushings, and as I have bearings on order it would be silly to continue, only to have to disassemble it and reassemble it later. To be continued...!

Casper06

Nice finally Mech you'll love the car for sure. It was the LB that brought me back after not touching RC cars for years. Saw it while casually walking through a hobby shop and had to get it.

Lunchboxer

I'm sure that's what you guys all told your family / wives / etc.

"LB made me do it"...

Anyway, congrats on the LB.. you will like it for sure!!

You might want a stiffer servo saver to tighten up the steering somewhat.. but you can always do that later.. !!

Have fun!!

mechanizeddeath

haha wife? No such thing! Not yet anyway! [&:]

And yeah, the guy at the hobby shop seemed about as thrilled as I was to see that big cartoonish van that seems to jump right off the box art. I think I'll bring it back when I'm done with it so he can see one in person again.

Actually, the first thing I noticed about the servo saver was that it felt a lot stiffer than the one that came with my Brat or even Grasshopper. I'm not sure if it was changed or not, but the plastic was darker (kind of a light tan as opposed to a bleach white) and it took a lot more effort to pop the pieces into the plastic collar. For sure, there's a lot more resistance than I remember.

I just checked, and it does feel stronger, but it could just be the fact that it is new. I also have one I bought for my Brat, one with a metal collar, that I can try later.

mechanizeddeath

I'm happy to report that after several coats, the body is very, very close to the wheels in terms of color. In some lighting it looks identical, so I would give the Krylon Fusion yellow an A- in terms of paint match to the wheels. Close enough for me, as this will be a basher. Oh yes, it will be bashed.

Looking at some of the older pics on this thread, it looks like most of you elected to not paint the window and tail light frames. It looks good, so I think I'll skip that as well.

Also, I see holes where the headlights are. Any idea where I can find LEDs for these holes?

Yellow355F1

Good to see this thread back active. Well, it has been a while since I posted the progress. But, my yellow LB is done, has been for a bit now. Been running the heck out of it, and have been getting unheard of runtimes out of my 3300 batts on it. But, also have to add I didn't wait for a lexan and ran it anyway got a few scuffs but, oh well. I painted it with Tamiya Camel yellow. It looked like the perfect color till it dried and darkened up. But I like it anyway. If I remember straight there was another member in this very thread somewhere that did thiers in camel as well? But, man that would be a lot of pages to scan to confirm..... Hey Mech. good work you won't be able to put it away once you run it the first time.

mechanizeddeath

Indeed! I have half a dozen RCs and I can't wait to run this one. Waiting for the bearings to get here is going to be a killer. I ordered them 3 days ago and don't even have a tracking # yet. [:@][:@][:@]

mechanizeddeath

I normally advise against "skipping around" on instructions for a variety of reasons. But as my progress has been halted by the lack of 5x11 bearings, I decided to jump ahead and do the two parts I knew were bearing free: the front arms and the wheelie bar.

Assembly of both is pretty straightforward. I've done similar, if not identical arms on the Grasshopper before. One item of note is the nuts for the screws securing the shock bottoms are actually plastic, located on the soft plastic parts tree of the rest of the suspension components. I remember getting confused on my Grasshopper, looking in the metal parts for a nut that wasn't there.

The wheelie bar is only 5 parts: the metal bar, plastic wheel, screw, metal barrel/bushing, and as with the front arms, a plastic nut. I spent a bit of time sanding the wheel smooth where it had attached to the parts tree, but that seems kind of silly in retrospect as it will end up being dragged across the pavement for about a quarter mile. [&:]

Lunchboxer

I skip around on all my builds so it would slow me down... otherwise the build is over too quickly!!

Casper06

What a snob. lol

mechanizeddeath

Earlier this afternoon I decided to do the stickers. I have a love-hate relationship with stickers, I love how they really make the box art come to life in your hands, but at the same time placing the stickers can be a nightmare.

I was especially worried about the giant "lightning bolt" stickers for the sides. With their size and angular orientation, there really wasn't an easy way to guide placement. I ended up starting them at the front wheels and then lining up the rear edge with the vertical line at the rear of the body. It worked out pretty well, however I did end up placing them a bit lower than intended, and there is some overlap with the "BIG WHEELS" sticker at the bottom of the body.

After stickers were finished, I went and visited my friends, one of whom is a hairdresser. I'm a bachelor and lack a hairdryer, which I like to use for stickers. That professional hairdryer just about melted my fingers, but it did a great job smoothing out the stickers over the body lines.

With the stickers placed, it was time for a gloss coat over the stickers. This is something that was recommended to me here on RCU, and I must say it has worked pretty well. In addition to protecting the stickers from peeling, it also tends to darken the color just slightly. This is a good thing in my case, as the body is just a hair lighter than the wheels without it. The top coat is still drying as I write this, but looking at it so far it is really, really close to matching the wheels.

Lunchboxer

LOL, I didn't mean that I'd finish it in 2 hours.. I just want it to last a few days... !!!