An Exceed-ingly rare beast

[markbt73]

This thing has been kicking around our local Craigslist site for a month now, price slowly dropping, and finally I decided to put the seller out of his misery and just offer him $50 for it. Apparently no one else knew what it was...



It's a Nichimo Exceed 443. 4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steering, 3 diffs. And, apparently, 0 miles...



It appears to be missing the tie rods that run from the servo to the steering bellcranks, and the front bellcrank post is broken. But the rest of it is clean as a whistle, except for some dust. I'll take a closer look when I have time. I kind of hate to run a never-run vintage car like this, but part of me really wants to see such a complicated beast in action.

[GoMachV]

I was wondering if it would be you or I that ends up with it trust me, I was close a couple times.

[Coelacanth]

Nice example. The hobby shop I worked at in my 20's sold those old Nichimos (Spirit FF, Exceed) and the rear tires fit Kyosho Turbo Optima wheels. From the pics it looks like your tires are fine, but if the rubber's drying out or whatever, I have a set of those rear tires in excellent condition, stored in a Ziploc bag all these years. PM me if you're interested in them. Good luck with the resto, though it doesn't look like much work is required.

[RichieRich]

Excellent score!

[DennisM]

I would hate to pay 50 dollars for a rare buggy that abused
Cool!

[markbt73]

I was wondering if it would be you or I that ends up with it trust me, I was close a couple times.

I kept expecting you to snatch it up, but it kept getting re-listed... I actually got the cash out for something else; there was a graphite RC10 in Salem listed for $50, but I couldn't get a hold of the guy, and since this was close by, I figured I'd offer him $50 and see what happened. He couldn't say yes fast enough. He's one of those guys who buys stuff at estate sales and re-sells it for a profit, and I think he expected this to fetch more. (He was clearly going by "Buy It Now" prices on ebay that no one actually pays.) So I think he just wanted to be rid of it.

[GoMachV]

You saw his ad for the rc10 right? He said something to the effect of "these go for $1000 on eBay, so it should be worth $100 to someone" lol

[Hcp22]

Nice score!

[perfectsplit]

Before you put ANY miles on it:
-You will want to replace the wheel uprights and threaded metal ball studs with the corresponding parts from the Nichimo Spirit FF. The threaded ball studs of the Exceed are small and cannot withstand the stress of hard cornering – even with the stock motor. They will strip out. The Spirit FF's ball ends are bigger and more durable.
-If you are going to use a modified motor or any motor more powerful than the stock RS-540S, then use an electronic speed controller. The stock mechanical speed controller cannot handle the high current draw of a modified motor.
-If the front steering bellcrank screw strips out, one solution is to get antenna mast tubing and cut out a small sleeve to place in the hole for the bellcrank screw, creating a new “hole”.
-If the car runs extremely slow, the setscrew in the joint end of the 4WD shaft may be loose. You will have to disassemble the box chassis in order to tighten it.

[perfectsplit]

My parents spoiled me with the Nichimo Exceed in the Christmas of '87. It was similar to the Tamiya Hotshot and was probably based on the Hotshot. The tires never wore down, because they were extremely hard. To access the electronics, I had to disassemble the box chassis. I won a silver medal at an early R/C race with my Exceed. The race track had many turns and no long straightaways. The 4WDs & 2WDs competed together. Having the only 4WD gave me a huge advantage.

Despite my success in that race, my Exceed had many durability problems (as you can probably tell from my advice). In retrospect, I can see that its durability problems were bad karma from getting spoiled so rotten by my parents. I ended up tearing that Exceed to pieces and cannibalizing it for parts for other cars.

In retrospect, I would been better off with the original Kyosho Optima or Turbo Optima, since I am guessing those cars were durable. Not to mention they were upgradeable and had potential for serious competition. The Exceed could not be upgraded for anything.

[tamiyadan]

.

[Lowgear]

I was wondering if it would be you or I that ends up with it trust me, I was close a couple times.

I kept expecting you to snatch it up, but it kept getting re-listed... I actually got the cash out for something else; there was a graphite RC10 in Salem listed for $50, but I couldn't get a hold of the guy, and since this was close by, I figured I'd offer him $50 and see what happened. He couldn't say yes fast enough. He's one of those guys who buys stuff at estate sales and re-sells it for a profit, and I think he expected this to fetch more. (He was clearly going by "Buy It Now" prices on ebay that no one actually pays.) So I think he just wanted to be rid of it.

That I don't understand. The guy knows vintage R/C items can potentially command high prices on eBay which is seen globally yet thinks he will get the same by selling it through his local Craigslist. It's one thing if it's a large item that can't be shipped but this is an easily shippable item so why not just put it on eBay? If he did he could have easily gotten $200 for it. It serves him right. If he's in the business of reselling estate sale items, than he should be setup with the various methods of reaping the maximum profits. Maybe I'm missing something here.

Excellent score by the way! His ignorance definitely worked in your favor. I was going to bid on one that recently sold on eBay in similar condition but missed the end of the auction.

[tamiyadan]

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[Lowgear]

Maybe this one and the one on eBay I was referencing weren't NIB but they are in about the best shape you'll find otherwise. The one on eBay fetched $208 which I think is a good amount. For an item that's easily shippable, I don't see how Craigslist is a lot simpler to deal with on the sellers end. I've bought and sold a great number items using both over the years, and eBay is by far easier overall. I would go into a long winded spiel why but that's neither here nor there. The bottom line for me is you would think a person wouldn't mind using the eBay method for the extra $150 they would make.

You said both parties were happy but it doesn't sound like from what I read the seller was thrilled about finally deciding to let it go for 50 bucks when he had some knowledge about the potential value. It seems like he assumed he could get eBay prices selling locally, and he learned a lesson. Anyway, I'm happy that markbt73 got it for a heck of a deal which is all that really matters at the end of the day.

[GoMachV]

Since taking ownership of this a while back I set out to finish the roller. I found the rest of the speed control and servo mounts, a new trans case, and I'm currently sourcing the needed ball joints and rod ends. I wanted to update with a pic showing the radio layout.... It's a tight fit... And also a video of the third diff in action. It's an interesting idea, and patented (well, it was anyway lol)

[youtube]F1XmDQQ4tJM[/youtube]