diabolic-mind

for just a little more than the cost of the cheap wal mart heli's you can get a quad, check out banggood.com, they have some super cheap ones, shipping takes awhile (about 2 weeks) but for such a low cost you cant go wrong. and the cool thing about quadcopters is that the only moving parts are the props, so there isnt much that can break. with a cheap heli, you have alot more moving parts. but i would say if you do want to start with a cheap heli, air hogs is the way to go, that is where i started out years ago, with the havoc heli. they are fun to play around with, but dont offer alot in terms of controlability. air hogs actually has a nice quadcopter coming out this fall, its the helix x4. its going to be around 90 bucks, which is alot more than alot of the ones around of the same size, but the props are enclosed, so breaking them is next to impossible. i plan to get one!

http://youtu.be/01jCrEHP7kM

ToraKitsu

You know....considering this thread's title, maybe we should continue by PM?

diabolic-mind

lol, true, but it is still mostly tamiya related. just as you predicted, i stripped the gear in the gearbox, not from running it at speed and braking, but i cut a turn to wide and hit a corner, motor was at speed when the tires made an abrupt stop, made one hell of a noise! so, its time to order a **** LOAD of spares lol. do they make delrin gears or metal gears for it?

ToraKitsu

Hate to say I towja so...... No, there isn't anything available that's stronger than the stock parts, unfortunately. Instead of buying lots of gearsets, buy one gearset, and just reduce your motor. I know it's not as exciting, but in the case of the M05, it's just not meant to be "hopped up" with anything hotter than 27T. They're just not durable enough (time to think about that ABC Hobby Genetic! ).

diabolic-mind

yeah, honestly i would rather replace gears regularly lol. seeing this thing fly across the parking lot is just a blast. ran a brand new battery in it and im sure it must be going well over 26mph. still need to confirm that though with gps. it also appears that i didnt have the pinion positioned in the right spot on the motor shaft either, looking inside the hole where the motor goes, just the edge of that gear was worn down, so i slide the pinion out a bit further on the motor shaft and its good now, so it looks like ill get a few more runs out of it while waiting for the replacement gears to come in.

ToraKitsu

O.K., up to you! When you open it up, you'll find you can flip the gear that's eaten up, and use the other side, so you can get more from it, but don't quote me, it's been a while since I've seen the inside of my M05. I think it's do-able, though.

diabolic-mind

from what i remember of having it apart recently there is no way to flip the gear around. the gear that stripped is the one that the motors pinion meshes with. the one side of it has the same gear mesh as the pinion, and the other side of it has the larger teeth that mesh with the gearbox gears. there is a small local machine shop here, im thinking i could probably get them to make me a batch of gears for the m05, then i could keep a few sets for myself and sell off some online. i know they take on small projects too which is cool. i used to have a 1/6th scale tank awhile back, and one of the sprockets for the track broke, i had them make me a new sprocket for it as parts were not readily available for it as it was a older toy. cost was a bit steep, but worth it for the part, i bet i could get some custom metal gears made up! would be pretty sweet, and im guessing they would sell online too

ToraKitsu

If you do that, you'll only have to do one gear - the offending one. Might cost you, though... Machining isn't cheap, but in the event you do have it done, only one gear needs to be done. Why? If you do all of them (with the exception of the diff), they'll have to be meshed perfectly, or they'll destroy themselves inside the chassis halves, and you'll have no way to inspect them. You can drill a hole in the chassis halves, to allow application of grease directly to the topmost gear, and it will "travel" to the others with use, but that's as far as I would go, even with metal gears. This is where you run into the design limitations of the M05. It's also why I push the ABC Hobby Grid and Genetic. If you want speed, the Grid is the way to go. It can handle hotter set-ups (I know - I've done it), and won't end up destroying itself in the process, and it's faster than the M05, even in stock-spec trim! I have two Grids....One for tight track racing (27T motor), and another with a 13.5T BL set up in it. The BL one gets to 45 MPH, and can handle it well. I've not broken anything on either yet, from my mods. You really ought to try the Grid, if you want speed! Another commenter here just received his Genetic, and he's real happy.

diabolic-mind

yeah i will eventually get the genetic i think, im still interested in a awd on road car. right now though these two buggys are what im driving most. starting to notice some wear on the tires of the m05, she really has some power in her. a buddy of mine is interested in buying the duratrax buggy, if he does i think i will be using that money to upgrade the m05 diff, and either getting shocks for it or tires. havent decided on which yet.

ToraKitsu

If you're satisfied with the way it handles corners and small bumps, get the tires. Those will benefit the M05 better for now, then upgrade the shocks when you get a chance, because they aren't the parts that will benefit it right now. Get some Sweep 33's for the fronts, and 25's for the rear. You can get them pre-mounted, if you don't want to glue them up. I have tons of those tires, and they work rather well on the M05. The fronts being a slightly harder compound will wear better than the stock Tamiyas, which aren't that good a compound. Tamiya's S-Grips are good, but wear really fast. I like Sweeps, because their wear characteristics are better. And KEEP that B4! It's a nice buggy, and a lot better quality than other company's buggies. EDIT: Don't get the ball diff specced for the M05. Get the TA03 diff! The diff specced for the M05 is too fragile, and will fail fairly quickly. Just an FYI.....

diabolic-mind

yeah i have the TA03 diff bookmarked for when im ready to order it lol. just a click away from getting it delivered. for now, yeah im pretty happy with how it handles bumps, at top end it does get a bit squirelly on bumps, but sofar nothing that i havent been able to control. im getting better with knowing when to let off the throttle to corner around the curbed islands in the parking lot here too. its still a blst to drive around at half throttle, but nice being able to open it up and satisfy my need for speed when i want too. for its size, and weight im surprised at how quickly it gets up to speed, its a little beast.

ToraKitsu

Not to keep harping on about it, but if you like the M05, the way you have it now, the Grid would blow your socks off! Not to put too fine a point on it, but the Grid is the best "M" class FWD one can get. I was skeptical at first, but after reading the review at rcmini.net, I had to try one, and they were absolutely right, on every point they made! Though my M05 S-Spec is nice, it just won't come close to the Grid.

diabolic-mind

so on the grid, does it have the ability to corner better than the m05 at higher speeds? obviously i understand that cornering and speed dont mix, but is the sliding effect less noticeable on the grid than the m05? i do like fwd cars now, they are rather impressive designs. and the fact that EVERYONE that asks me about my m05 is shocked whem i tell them and then show them that it is front wheel drive is just pretty cool to me. most people expect it to be rear or all wheel drive lol.

ToraKitsu

The Grid does "push," when at higher speeds, just like the M05 will, but it does it at a much higher threshold than the M05. It also is capable of running MUCH higher powered systems without self-destructing (I have had 12T brushed and 10T BL in my high-speed Grid, with no ill-effects nor even any appreciable wear!). The chassis has enough flex in it to add to the dampening effect the shocks aren't really good at, but even though they are "friction" type, the Grid scoots well, regardless. The Grid is an anomaly. The HPI Switch is it's closest competitor, design-wise, yet the Switch is a piece of junk, by comparison! It does require a few mods, but they are easy to accomplish, and inexpensive. It shares many design elements with the M05, but it's motor is mounted farther forward, which is why it handles as well as it does. It's gears are hidden by a small cover, so they're easy to get at and service/replace, and there are two different sets of gearing. One for the track (slow set) and speed (high speed set). It comes with the high-speed set, which is curious, because it drives better with the slow set, even at higher speeds! (???!) I suggest you get the slow set, and just hop up from there. Sweep tires also work exceedingly well on the Grid. If you decide on the Grid, I'll give you all the set-up adjustments and parts recommendations for both racing and high-speed. There's nothing to warn you about it, because the thing just flat works.

diabolic-mind

nice, and with the grid is it able to run a variety or pinion gears? and setting gear mesh, can you actually see the pinion and spur gear when setting the mesh? one thing i really dislike about the m05 is that when the motor is in, i cant see the damned spur, its nice that the gear mesh is set automatically, but not knowing if the pinion needs to go in or out on the motor shaft just seems rather odd to me. and had i been able to see its position i probably would not have stripped the one gear that i stripped

ToraKitsu

Yep, you are not restricted to a certain size pinion, and in fact, the Grid's gear reduction is so high, a large pinion is included with the roller. The cover over the gears is held by only one small body clip, that is easily removed. The only thing to adjusting anything under the cover is you have to remove the right front wheel, but that's a small thing. As always, you'll have to go through it, bolt by bolt, screw by screw, and adjust it before attaching any electronics (most are excessively loose, especially those in the steering). If you want to be able to adjust it's toe, you'll need to get links, ballcups and ballstuds. I used Associated titanium links (4) and Tamiya ballcups (8) and TRF ballstuds (8), on the steering links and rear toe links, so the Grid's chassis is now fully adjustable. The grid comes stock with non-adjustable plastic links, that are tough, so if you don't want the extra flexibility, the stock links are more than strong enough. It also comes with pillow ball suspension, which is much tougher than C-hubs and knuckles, and camber adjustments are easy! The grid, even though a plastic chassis, has droop/chassis height adjustment screws! The thing is so inexpensive, in comparison to an M05, and works so much better than an M05, It's curious why there is still track racing with M05's, and Grids are banned at most tracks that race M05's! That's how large the performance differential is, between the two. There's a short vid at rcmini.net, that shows a race between an M05 and a Grid, and the Grid wins. In the text, they explain that the Grid does that, every time. I have to agree with their findings, because my own grids outdo my S-Spec.

diabolic-mind

nice, that is pretty sweet. hey i had a question, i was looking online last night for replacement gears to replace the stripped gear in my gearbox, and i noticed that there is a pair of reinforced gears for the gearbox, are they any good? and are they actually stronger than the stock ones? im thinking of grabbing them but i thought i would ask you first.

ToraKitsu

I'm not familiar with them, so may as well try them, because of the extra load you're placing on the stock gears. If the cost differential isn't high, see how long they last, in comparison to the stock units.

diabolic-mind

it was 6 bucks for them on ebay, worth a try i guess, might even grab a couple pairs of them and a couple pairs of the stock ones, just incase. better to have parts and not need them than to need them and not have them lol. im debating on selling the m05. i do love the car, but after running this buggy, man does it provide! thinking of selling the m05 and going straight to the grid. i love speed, i just cant enjoy driving a slower car. for me, even if im going super fast in a straight line, its more fun. this buggy though, i went and grabbed some proline suburbs front tires for it, and cant wait to try them out, the tire compound is much softer and stickier than the stock ribbed front wheels, so i have a very good feeling it will handle loads better now. just waiting for a ride to the lhs to get some parts to fix the buggy, had a mishap with it this morning, buggy at top speed, plus understeer  plus a curb equaled total destruction of the left front arm lol. grabbed some aluminum parts earlier, but the pins for the stock front arms are too fat for the aluminum bulkhead i got, so i need a few more parts to finish the job. sigh, this hobby gets expensive, but man is it fun, and cheaper than a date with a woman lmfao

ToraKitsu

That's because you've not raced the M05 on a tight track yet. Take it from me.....Racing makes all the difference, and the "slower" speeds aren't even a factor. If you could get friends to get their own minis, and race with them, the lack of speed won't even enter your mind, I guarantee you! It's only because you're the only one, that it only seems like speed is the answer. I have somewhat of the same problem, because I'm the only on-roader for miles around me. The owner of my LHS has confirmed this, because I'm the only guy who orders on-road stuff from him. It's also why I have two Grids - one for tight track racing, and one for speed.....kill two birds....you know the deal. Yup, speed will cost, which is why I've "toned down" my speed fix. Nothing I own goes faster than 45 MPH, and I never get farther than half-throttle, most of the time. I just don't have enough extra cash to be fixing broken parts all the time (because I'm always finding better ways to squeak out a little better handling from my on-roaders), so tend to run a bit more "conservatively." My off-road I don't really care, as they are going to get trashed, because that's just the nature of off-road, but my on-road stuff I take much better care of. When you get tired of spending on replacement parts all the time, you'll go the way I did. Have you ever given thought to trying drifting? I'm a BIIIIG drift fanatic, and am in the process of CS'ing (countersteer) my two upper-level drifters. I've done 50/50 for about five years, but wanted to try CS, so am waiting on parts to arrive (some today, the rest maybe Monday). If you think you might like it, I know where you can get some excellent quality drift chassis (NIB) for about the same cost as a Grid. Let me know!

diabolic-mind

drifting, yeah ive thought about it, and ive tried it a few times, but honestly speed is king for me, i just like driving fast. speed for me is as exciting as flying my quads and helis. drifting would be fun though, but like the m05, im the only person doing it, i have a buddy i go bashing with, but his vehicles are all offroad, and im more for on road driving, so the fun factor of racing together is zero. got to rum my new buggy today with the new front tires on it, and man am i sold on proline tires. at first i took the proline bowties off the duratrax and popped them on the rear of the brushless rc10, which was a drastic improvement, only at that time the front couldnt bite enough to keep traction during steering. so then today i bought the proline suburbs front tires for the buggy (there just as skinny as the ribbed, but softer and much stickier) and now when i jab the steering it hugs into corners, at higher speeds the fronts grab so well that the rear tires actually kick out lol. so next im getting the proline barcodes for the rear which are almost exactly the same tire tread and compound as the rear. should make it one mean onroad buggy!

ToraKitsu

Yah, off-road is much less precise, so my whole outlook on it is just "run it." I'm not nearly as fastidious with off-road as on. Funny, since everyone around here is off-road, and they just bash. None of them have ever raced, so they're yayhoos, to me. I did competitive rock crawling for a while, too, and though extremely slow, speed doesn't make that much of an impact, because you're so caught up with what line you're running. Like drift, crawling is a precise part of RC, too. My parts arrived today, and the CS kit for my Tamiya VDF got here, too! So I'll be working on it most of the evening. I already installed the CS kit, and for as few parts that need to swapped, it took a while to install because so many screws had to be removed. It's coming together though, having taken almost two months to get this far, I'm really jazzed to see it drift! All I have to do is install ESC/motor, adjust the links, then final adjustments. It will be a new experience CS drifting, as it's quite a bit more difficult, because everything I learned, to do 50/50 drift has to be thrown out. So now I'll have four - two 50/50 mini drifters, and two CS 1/10th drifters!

diabolic-mind

nice, you should post some pics here of them. i was in to crawling for awhile too, it was pretty fun, i didnt do it competitively, just went out and made obsticles to drive over and what not. i had a hpi crawler king, was a great truck, i did the servo mod and mounted the servo to the front axle, and added alot of weight to the axle as well. i have videos actually, ill post one here for you to check out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2nD7...N0V2dzT1N0rRaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REQhl...N0V2dzT1N0rRaw

heres my M4A1 walker bulldog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REdrN...N0V2dzT1N0rRaw

ToraKitsu

I can't post pics or anything, because I don't use a pic sharing site (too much hassle), but that tank vid was cool! In a few shots, it looked like the real thing, clanking across terrain! I really should get back into crawling, since summer's coming.......I have an Axial Wraith I outfitted with a dig unit, so I may break that sucker out. It really needs new shocks and a few other parts, but still climbs really well, despite that. You said "was,"....you don't have the CK anymore? Crawling was a passion of mine for quite a number of years (I was into it before there were "kits" available), but when drift got popular, I couldn't resist the pull! Detailing is something I really love to do, so drift and crawling /trail trucks just seemed like natural fits!

diabolic-mind

yeah past tense, i sold the crawler. it was fun but once winter rolled around crawling just got boring for me as i didnt enjoy freezing to death outside running it lol. i would however love a traxxas summit, have a crawler and a race truck in one. its a sick truck, a bit expensive though.