Restoring a Hornet

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SMOKE-DOG
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Restoring a Hornet

Post by SMOKE-DOG »

I picked this vintage Tamiya Hornet out of a classifieds ad. It came with the original box, manual, MRC catalog, spares, Parma Cyclone II, charger, and a Futaba Magnum Jr. The buggy wasn't in bad shape, but was a lil dusty and rusty sitting around over the last 20+ years. It had Wild One tires but the original tires/wheels were in the box. I also found a full set of bearings in the box, not in the buggy for some odd reason.

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No that's not a glare. That's white spray paint on the tire.

I started with a complete teardown to clean and rebuild everything. I had enough new spare screws in the box to replace almost all of them which was a plus since most of the screws on the Hornet were corroded.

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Dirt was falling out with every screw removed.

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

Post by SMOKE-DOG »

All the metal parts needed some love so I gave em a little.

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A quick cleanup, some sanding with 800 grit paper and a lil Mother's polish.

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The ad showed a pic of this Parma Cyclone II in the box. When I got it home, to my disappointment, I saw that it wasn't new in box. It was in decent shape though, just a little dirty. I'll clean it and throw it up on the lathe later.

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

Post by SMOKE-DOG »

I sprayed the faces of the original 3 piece wheels pure white and the centers black. Helps them look less plasticy and a little more realistic.

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The rear shocks were rough and the springs were rusty.

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They cleaned up well enough.

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

Post by SMOKE-DOG »

@tamiyadan
I will be using a re-re body but will do a different livery. Never been a big fan of boxart. You're right about the transistor opening, didn't notice that. I won't be using the MSC though...

I lettered the tires as usual with a Sharpie paint pen. Quick and easy and makes a model stand out.

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Front end is nice and clean now. Using the old logo Futaba S148 servo that came with the car, still working well.

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Chassis complete. Body next.

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

Post by SMOKE-DOG »

Done. All vintage and original except for re-re body. I used the remainder of a can of Tamiya yellow and period correct decals from my collection to finish off this budget resto.

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

Post by 1300GT »

Looks good SD. Have a look at this link about halfway down. Pretty cool motor for your Hornet.
http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=3023&hilit=igarashi
Chris.

Toys.............they are!

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

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1300GT wrote:Looks good SD. Have a look at this link about halfway down. Pretty cool motor for your Hornet.
http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=3023&hilit=igarashi
Man, you're right. Would go perfectly.

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

Post by DerbyDan »

Man! 8) This is great.... these sort of projects are often the most satisfying - a real budget build but with everything just 'happening' to be available or to hand to turn this old Hornet into a real looker & performer :D

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

Post by R/Cat »

DerbyDan wrote:Man! 8) This is great.... these sort of projects are often the most satisfying - a real budget build but with everything just 'happening' to be available or to hand to turn this old Hornet into a real looker & performer :D

Agreed! Great project and result. After building a re-re that ended up being too nice to run, I took on a similar project with an early original broken beater that needed some love. I went ultra-low budget build only replacing broken parts with some re-re replacements, a quick clean/rebuild followed by the addition of period-correct radio, motor and MSC that I had laying around since the 80's. Its a blast to drive just like the one I had back then.
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Re: Restoring a Hornet

Post by ca-rj »

Man, I love this! I have much love for the Grasshopper/Hornet series. You've inspired me to do my own budget restoration of a Grasshopper chassis I've had sitting in a box. Question for you, what did you use to clean up the plastic?
RC10 Short Arm | Novak Tempest ESC | Tamiya Torque Tuned 25T | Savox 1258 | Stealth Trans w/ Exotek Slipper Eliminator (geared 24/81)
RC10B3 | HW Just Stock Club Spec | Reedy 13.5 | Savox 1258

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Re: Restoring a Hornet

Post by rcnj »

SMOKE-DOG wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2015 10:22 am Done. All vintage and original except for re-re body. I used the remainder of a can of Tamiya yellow and period correct decals from my collection to finish off this budget resto.

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This is a spectacular restoration! My first car was a Hornet... You are inspiring me to get another one!

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