My first restoration project

[madweazl]

I first saw the Optima Mid SE in a magazine article a cousin of mine had and itt was love at first site. I was 10 or 11 years old at the time and started saving everything I had in the hopes of obtaining one some day but I never did get enough cash together to make that purchase.

Fast forward 20 some years; I found myself on ebay the other day and searched "optima mid" just for the hell of it. I was surprised to see a number of them listed for sale. I initially bid on a Turbo Optima but lost the auction. The next day I found a Mid SE (the car I really wanted) and took extreme measures to ensure that I wouldnt miss this vehicle.

I knew going in that there were a few problem. The lower eyelet on one of the front shocks was broken and the rear gearbox was cracked at the wing mount. I picked up another pair of shocks via ebay today but I'm still searching for a gearbox (if you have a source, please let me know). The wing mount was bent up but I was able to find a replacement for that today as well. That is about it for the bad news!

The rest of the car is in very good condition and I couldnt be happier. I did a complete tear down yesterday and finished reassembly today. Everything is original. The engine looks brand new! Not a single scratch anywhere on it. The original owner installed an ESC at the time of purchase so the manual speed control didnt make it. I do have the metal link and resistor brackets however.

The underside of the chassis was actually in pretty good shape. The lower belt guards were installed using 2 sided tape and thread lock (green; came with the kit perhaps?). I was able to remove the thread lock with a chisel tip on the soldering iron and about 650f heat. The upper belt guard was also installed using thread lock and I was worried about removal but I was able to get it off with the soldering iron at a slightly lower temperature without damaging the fiberglass at all.

The tires were in very good condition; no rotting or cracks and very little tread wear. The wheels have a few dings in them but are in good overall condition.

The body was cut out but never painted. It has some scuffs but it could probably be cleaned up. The wing was missing. The belt guards and gear cover are in great condition.

Manuals were included for all the items: car, charger, radio, and ESC. The warranty card for the charger was included as well. The only item missing from the electronics side was the battery holder for the radio, I was able to find that on ebay today.

















If anyone has a line on the rear gearbox, please keep me in mind. I need both sides.

[treehugger]

you got yourself a nice optima there, nice job cleaning it up .

Paul

[RedScampi]

welcome to the forum and welcome to our addiction. Nice job on the Optima Mid, there a several of us here with that particular Kyosho fetish.

[briang]

Great looking optima!

[bdrmbully]

very nioce car!! good find glad to hear you recaptured a childhood dream ?:@)
now theres one more person to bump up auctions lol
welcome to the forum , there are alot of ppl with great info and perhaps can help you out with parts.

[RC10Eh]

Welcome, and nice car , be careful who you say the "K" word to . Great bunch of guys here !

[madweazl]

This is turning into an addiction really quickly lol. I've found a few NIB parts that I just HAVE TO GET! Also looking into 4wd from the other manufacturers that were out at the same time.

[bdrmbully]

haha i too love kyosho but am looking at yokomo and schuey's but can never have enough spares for all manufacturers so i just stick with kyosho ultima and optima's. otherwise you'll be flat broke lol

[madweazl]

I have the box for an old Yokomo. The JrX2 that I received as a birthday present back in 88/89 came in that box (used car from a Losi team driver my aunt worked with at the time). I think the box is still in my parents garage. If so, I'll track down the right model and add it to my collection

[madweazl]

Woohoo! Just found the gearbox on ebay (Germany). NIP OT-084. So excited.

[madweazl]

Couldnt help myself, found a brand new chassis on ebay as well

[RichieRich]

I have a Turbo Optima Mid SE also. I've had it for 3 years in "suspended" state. After finding the missing rear springs for the platinum shocks, all that's left is obtaining a body and wing. I have to decide now if I wanna spend 50 euros for one of Marwan's repros.

Oops, forgot to add: great work!

[madweazl]

I picked up one of his bodies last week but it hasnt arrived yet. I think I'm going to leave the original body unpainted. It's in pretty good shape (no cracks).

[madweazl]

New front shocks, new chassis, and repro body arrived today. Very exciting! Still waiting on the new front and rear gear boxes. I'm doing a box art paint job but I'm wondering if I should do the windows black like the box or leave them clear. Any recommendations? Guess it's more authentic if they're black. Oh yea, that wing has to be about the hardest damn thing to paint in the world!

[madweazl]

Got the new body painted up to match the box art. Came out pretty good; wish I had some airbrush skills, it would have been much nicer. I forgot to pick up a paint pen at the hobby shop today but I'll take care of the tires in the next week. Just couldnt bring myself to spray the windows black.