Optima Mid Questions/Help

[billpete]

Hey Everyone!

New to the board. Really enjoying what I've been able to read and learn; or re-learn.

I was able to get my original Hotshot and FAV while I was home with the folks. Got me all excited about R/C again.

My all time favorite I had was my Optima Mid. Put it on layaway, saved my money, and loved that car. I cannot remember what happened to it.

Seeing that this appears to be a great forum that is pretty active, I'm looking for help on how to best re-acquire a Mid.

I had the "original" Mid--not a turbo or Secor anything. Although I think that most of the models are generally the same, correct?

Are there better options than eBay? I have found a couple there, but I am interested in the consensus of the hive.

Thanks guys, and I'm excited to be a part of this place.

BP

[rccars4sal]

IMO. best way to build mids is to buy up a couple or a few relics from ebay. Often in a job lot of parts cars there will be some rare parts, or some nice hop ups. This way one can build their dream car, and then have spares,, and possibly sell off a couple after enjoying the builds.

Folks try to get big $$ for a restored mid, but they arent worth much. You never know how good the restore job actually is. I would suggest building your own. They can be found cheap if patient. Its my all time favorite car.

[tintin74]

You might also find some in the various rc groups on Facebook such as "old school rc" or "Kyosho Optima Series".

[billpete]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the awesome replies. I'm searching through eBay and will keep my eyes peeled for deals.

A couple more questions.

How good is the b/s/t section on the site? I like how strict it is to get in--limits shenanigans for sure.

Second, with Kyosho America releasing kits, the Optima is out again. Do you think/hear about a mid release?

Finally, what are the parts compatibility for optima to optima mid? I would suspect that outside of the chassis and rear transmission, most parts would be the same?

Thanks again!

BP

[tintin74]

Only the Suspension arms and knuckles of the Optima rere is compatible with the Mid.

[TomEG]

As of January 2017, Kyosho had not decided if they should re-release the Mid.

[billpete]

Only the Suspension arms and knuckles of the Optima rere is compatible with the Mid.

How about dog bones, and other "external" drive parts--will they work too?

[Delorean]

Hi Bill

Welcome to the site

yes the rere cvds also fit the mid, you'd need to get the hexes and pins too as they were smart enough to not use the friction hex setup on the rere

i agree with the comments of others here too, i bought an ok car and a parts car, put the best bits together, got a couple of parts off ebay to replace bits that on both cars were shot (primarily rear gears)

one car i bought off a mate, the parts car came from ebay, keep an eye out on local classifieds too like craigslist, people find these old cars, assume they arent worth much and sell them for cheap

i am a little suprised at the softness in the price in the market for mids in general, the Lazers seem to be more highly sought after. its good for me though as i've been able to build a nice race-worthy mid and not had to pay the earth to do it

You also can "lazerfy" the mid if you like which is the next phase of my build so you get the best of both worlds, the great single belt drivetrain of the mid with the more capable suspension of the Lazer

Cheers

[billpete]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah it is exciting to get back into the hobby. I am so excited--been all over eBay and I need to have some patience and see what shows up.

My initial thoughts are to go the route of a parts cars like everyone is saying. There seems to be a couple of great stores on eBay for Kyosho parts which is great. I think that the rere can also offer some assistance in getting some parts updated/replaced as needed.

What is a fair price for a complete car? I have seen a couple "shelf queens" for $300ish.

[rccars4sal]

Optima mid is probably the best car to get started in vintage rc collecting and restoring. Parts are plentiful, cars are plentiful. The platform can be raced hard core, and everybody loves a mid!

[Coelacanth]

Rear diff prices--and front diffs too, to a lesser extent--are quite ridiculous these days. I don't know if I'd call them plentiful, and IMO certainly not affordable. A parts car would probably be a better purchase. I agree that the Mid is an excellent car to restore and even drive, as it addresses many of the quirks of the original Optima series.

[billpete]

Speaking of gear boxes and diffs...

I know that technology has GREATLY improved since the optima mid first came out. What are some common and readily available improvements that allow the mid to handle some of these?

I assume that there are some aftermarket accessories available for drive stuff--gears, diffs, drive shafts, etc.

Thanks!

[wydraz]

Hi BP,

Feel free to join my group on facebook called "Kyosho Optima Mid Fanpage".

My 1st car was a Turbo Optima Mid when I was 9 years old and I'm still a huge fan. I have over 20 Mids of all variants.

I recently built this Turbo Optima Mid 2017 which, although looks stock from the outside, has a wide carbon chassis, associated slipper clutch, modern driveshafts, alloy c hubs, alloy ballraced steering and more

[billpete]

That is a sweet car!

I am not on Facebook--never did establish an account there.

I love those wheels--they were the same on my original optima mid. I can't believe how expensive they are now.

I will PM you to get some ideas on parts and vendors.

Thanks!

[rccars4sal]

If running a mid, then top of the hop up list would be thorp or mip hardened center gear. Other than that, the car can handle brushless and lipo power. EVerything else is just gravy. Although, the more serious a person is regarding racing, then the more important the upgrade path becomes. I wouldnt consider running 1 without a center gear upgrade.