Kyosho Optima: keep it vintage or upgrade?

[Nero45]

I've purchased a Kyosho Optima for a good price with some ware but no major damage that I can see. I know the shocks are shot and will need new tires however I'm kind of at an impasse on what else I should do. I know this was made before electronic speed control due to it uses a servo setup with wiring to regulate the power to the motor like dimmer switch. So I'm thinking a update is in order with a newer motor and speed control, however I've also thought about keeping it original with a new/old motor (if I can find one). In addition I'm not sure if I should keep the older chain drive or upgrade it to the belt drive or not. I plan on making this a fully usable RC that I will run at times but I have not worked on a Kyosho before. I've only ever worked on Team Associated type RCs so I'm a bit out of water here. So I guess what I'm asking, is it possible to upgrade this to work with the more modern equipment and should I? Any help would be appreciated, thank you

[HatTrick]

I would get a Hobbywing 1060 ESC so you can run LiPo but still use vintage or newer brushed motors.
Also get the repro Gold shocks from Xtra Speed at rcmart.com.
Check diffs and gears for wear and replace whatever looks too worn. Parts can easily be found on Ebay or in FB groups like "Kyosho Optima Series" or maybe through members on this board.
If you want new tires that look like originals then check out Marwan RC.

[coxbros1]

Make sure u go with a LeMans motor. Nothing else will be acceptable. It doesnt have to be a 240s...but it would cool if u could find one

[MrChin]

I've purchased a Kyosho Optima for a good price with some ware but no major damage that I can see. I know the shocks are shot and will need new tires however I'm kind of at an impasse on what else I should do. I know this was made before electronic speed control due to it uses a servo setup with wiring to regulate the power to the motor like dimmer switch. So I'm thinking a update is in order with a newer motor and speed control, however I've also thought about keeping it original with a new/old motor (if I can find one). In addition I'm not sure if I should keep the older chain drive or upgrade it to the belt drive or not. I plan on making this a fully usable RC that I will run at times but I have not worked on a Kyosho before. I've only ever worked on Team Associated type RCs so I'm a bit out of water here. So I guess what I'm asking, is it possible to upgrade this to work with the more modern equipment and should I? Any help would be appreciated, thank you

I had the same dilemma last year with an original Optima. I was forced to change the shocks because the rear ones it arrived with were the wrong size, think they came from an Ultima. They all would have needed re-anodizing anyway so I ended up getting a full set of re-re shocks which look awesome and perform well, but do detract from the originality a bit. On the transmission, I was very tempted to do a belt drive conversion but when I went through all the manuals and figured out what needed updating, the list was long. Add into that LiPo's, brushless motors, new ESC and charging equipment (all of my electrics are vintage), and it was looking very expensive. So I left the transmission alone. It runs great though on the original chain drive, and is still lots of fun at vintage speeds

[Bakauata]

As suggested by others, and based on what you've said, I would replace / upgrade the basics such as the speed controller and shocks to get it working, and check for anything else which might need replacing or restoring. My only experience with chains is on bikes, where chains stretch with use, and one should check that it is still within tolerance for pitch. Not sure if this is applicable to RC though. When chains wear, their pitch changes and eventually they only pull on the the last couple of teeth on the cog they mesh with. Ideally you would want the chain to pull on all the teeth it meshes with. Eventually, the chain starts to jump around on the cog because the pitch of the chain does not match the pitch of the cog. Maybe someone with more experience in the matter can correct me if I'm way off here.

[coxbros1]

I have dealt with the chain issue on a rere optima i raced on brushless 8.5. Yes the chain will stretch and skip, once it does, pull one link out. No problems after that. I even did it on my vintage 834B yokomo. Works like a charm

[Coelacanth]

I kept one of mine original, with the exception of adding every gold aluminum upgrade I could find:

https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=16938&start=49

But I went the resto-mod route with my other Optimas, because I didn't want to keep building the same car over and over again.

I turned one into a on-road car:

https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=17726&start=111

One of them, I beefed up every weak point I could find and made an absolute beast:

https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=21530&start=172

I even re-engineered an Optima Mid into a mid-motored RWD chassis, because I already had 4WD Optimas and wanted to build something different:

https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=30216&start=90

So, there's a lot you can do with the Optima...keep it simple and rebuild it period-correct, or go to town. You'll have fun either way.

[DennisM]

I´d say, if You got it really cheap - buy some used original parts and run it with a mild brushless system.
If You find it attractive to run and want to go harder/faster, buy a used re-release and tie-wrap the throttle trigger

Seen from a "financial" perspective, there´s no idea in pooring money into restoring an original Optima, install a fierce motor and then take it bashing - It will breake at some point Original nip parts for the original are expensive.

Edit: Trying to spell

[Coelacanth]

I agree with Dennis. The original Optima had a lot of weak areas and the replacement parts for those areas tend to be ridiculously expensive. I probably wouldn't want to invest in restoring one and then bash it, unless you had a good source of spare parts.

[Nero45]

Thanks for the help, I think I'll do a bit of shopping around after I break it down and check for damage and other issues. I was thinking about value but really it's not a problem because it is used and looks used. If it was fresh out of the box then I would worry about value. The one issue that I keep coming up with is the rim/tires. Right now Kyosho is making them but for how long? I've hit the same snag with my vintage RC10 that both tires and rims are impossible to find. An upgrade to 2.2 rims would be great but parts seems to have dried up. Any help with this area again would be appreciated, thanks again. Once I get this project going I'm going to post some pictures.

[DennisM]

JC racing products from the UK has 2,2" pepper pot rims.
And with the re-release of the Turbo optima, Kyosho know offers pepper pots in the original 2" size.

[HatTrick]

JC racing products from the UK has 2,2" pepper pot rims.
And with the re-release of the Turbo optima, Kyosho know offers pepper pots in the original 2" size.

And you also have the regular Optima re-release rims and tires. If you want tires that look exactly like the old OT-30 Sand Supers then check out the repros by MarwanRC, http://www.marwanrc.com/product.sc?productId=40&categoryId=4.