Kyosho Optima Teardown, Cleaning (, and rebuild...)

[lifeIsAnalog]

Well, someone here said my OPTIMA wouldn't be too boring as a forum addition, so here goes.

Racing as a kid, I don't ever remember seeing an Optima or anything close at the local track. Mostly RC10s (which I now have), production-class Tamiyas, etc. were the mainstream. So it wasn't until my adulthood after rediscovering my childhood passions that I got this Optima.

On the surface, it was not too dirty, but I really just enjoy taking things apart, cleaning and fixing, and making it new again. I especially love seeing how things work.



Body off; ready to take apart:
(and today, randomly, the battery in my PS3 controller down there won't hold a charge anymore )



Worn tires, but not too bad. Still, I plan to buy (repro?) replacements. Maybe they should be called "Reprocements" ?





Overall, it's in decent condition:





And the teardown deepens:




I was not expecting to find the key components of a bird's nest inside the gearbox:



Off to clean...

[lifeIsAnalog]

This is what an Optima boils own to:





After a thorough cleaning, the parts are clean enough to use at eating utensils:





I still have to clean this stuff, though:



As previously mentioned, I'll be looking for new tires but definitely hanging on to these since they are originals:



The electronics it came with:
- Futaba FP-R122JE Receiver
- Dynamite Power Pulse Speed Control (I'm looking for a PDF or scanned manual for this, FYI)




It's raining cats and dogs, but that didn't stop me from putting my whites outside for bleaching.
Gotta remember to bring them in at night 'cause of the racoons :





Of everything on the buggy, this is really the only part that was broken. Technically, I could fix it with some plastic weld, but I'd like to find a replacement:





Haven't decided if I'll try to remove the scratches and pits, or also look for a replacement:



Well that's it for now. I'll have more pictures during the reassembly.

[lifeIsAnalog]

My Optima came with this motor. I can only make out part of the words "Race Prep", and I had to color enhance the image to even get that part.

Does anyone recognize the Race Prep model # of this motor?

[SFC K]

Nice! I look forward to seeing this put back together. Those are really sharp looking buggies and the paint looks fantastic!

[Bormac]

My all time favourite car. It was also my first and I watch your project with interest.
Cheers-Jason

[mtbkym01]

My all time favourite car. It was also my first and I watch your project with interest.
Cheers-Jason

+1 to this, an original box art optima is my favourite looking buggy, just fantastic, project looks great, it makes me want to get out all my spares and see what else I need to assemble a 2nd one, watching with interest.

[RC10resto]

Looks like a period correct Race Prep 27T "Stock" motor.

[lifeIsAnalog]

Those are really sharp looking buggies and the paint looks fantastic!

My all time favourite car...

...an original box art optima is my favourite looking buggy,...

I think so too. Personally, I like the looks of the 80's models buggies, especially the RC10 and Optima style bodies. And the rollcage Javelins. I remember as a kid looking through the Tower Hobbies catalogs at all the Tamiya and Kyosho 1/10 buggies. Hours spent looking at the same pictures. I do have newer buggies, but I feel the older bodies have a timeless look.

[mugenbulldog]

What is your process for whitening the wheels?

[SFC K]

What is your process for whitening the wheels?

Soak them in peroxide. It works better in direct sunlight for a day. Parts need to be clean as possible for the best results...

[keithrc]

Glad to see your thread mate, your Optima looks decent for it's age. Shame about the bumper being trimmed like that and the lower chain guard, they can both be hard to find. I see the lower guard will need a bit of panel beating too, like most of them do.

The final pinion looks to be in good nic though, I'll have to check the condition of mine. What are your shock collars and chassis rails like?


Keith

[lifeIsAnalog]

Looks like a period correct Race Prep 27T "Stock" motor.

Thanks for the tip.

[lifeIsAnalog]

What are your shock collars and chassis rails like?

The shocks were next on my list to clean and inspect Sadly, all 4 collars are broken. I can fix them, but I'll be looking for spares (unless they have all suffered degradation).





Upon closer inspection, the rubber mounts are worn all around. This one is the worst:



The shocks, springs, and end caps are ok:





The chassis rails have some scrapes and marks, but they are straight. I don't know enough about the Optima to know what the common rail problems are:

[keithrc]

It's very common for the shock collars to be broken, Pargu does nice red anodized alluminium collars for the red shocks now. http://www.pargustore.com/kyosho-red-shock-clamp.html

You're lucky with the chassis rails, quite often they're bent at the front like mine was and often have cracks on the inner side of the holes where the screws go through for the steering bellcrank. Sometimes you'll get screws with the heads broken off where the front side guards attach to the chassis rail. Pargu also does repro chassis rails but you can still get new genuine Kyosho rails from ebay.


Keith

[lifeIsAnalog]

Glad to see your thread mate, your Optima looks decent for it's age. Shame about the bumper being trimmed like that and the lower chain guard, they can both be hard to find.

Thanks for the thread suggestion

Regarding the bumper, there is an optima on eebaye right now with a cut bumper. I can only guess people are doing it as a functional modification?