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Finally a little more progress. My take on this build took a huge leap forward when i managed to source an original Trinity upper chassis plate a few weeks ago. With that motivator, the shocks have now been changed as per the mag car, additional front upper shock mount holes have been added, and the rear lower chassis corners trimmed. To put my own slant on it i have added a set of my dad-turned alloys from the late 80's, still boasting their original foam.

Quick mock up looks like this.... she is getting there! Does anybody know what the white rear body posts from the mag car are btw?

WASP orange belt drive system fitted, front and rear anti-roll bars, freshly rewired Novak T1 esc and Novak receiver. Next to go in is a Futaba 131-S servo.

I have been pondering for a good while now on which bodyshell and subsequently paint job to go for on this build. It is such a treasured memory for me that this car deserved a little extra consideration. The mag photo it is based upon never showed a bodyshell, so it was a bit of a blank canvas really. Being Dec 1986 I had a good feeling what the colour scheme was going to be like however.... in my head at least.

I must admit i don't think the rear motor mount area of the HotTrick conversion is the prettiest looking rump in the world, and as the cells were in a saddle pack configuration, and quite inboard, the shell could be narrower than the usual standard Optima offering as it didn't have to house a stick pack, so i started hunting around for something a little more left-field, something with a more than decent rear-end covering. What I came across was the McAllister Wildcat II. I had only really seen period adverts of these and I don't think they ever made it over to the UK, but i eventually got my hands on one and had it shipped over.

It does look a bit J-Lo but being partial to a nice rear end i love absolutely it! Following a quick trim it fits a treat. I have only let it rest on the car for a pic but once i secure/pin it down properly it will sit a little lower and will certainly look very sleek and will be something a bit different for an Optima!

Quick mock-up / test fit.

Being a 1986 build I decided to go all-out 80's floro.... and spent a good while hunting online for inspiration from body shells past. I gathered up a few screen grabs of various themes i liked the look of and sent them off along with my body shell to my trusted paint guy.... he has never let me down before.

Turned out ok i think....






Couldn't be more chuffed. Just some carefully selected stickers to add now and then mount her up.

Wow. Dude, that's a totally talented painter.

dinglem wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 11:45 am Turned out ok i think....

Understatement of the year That came out awesome!

Great work and I love the paint job!

That looks awesome !!
Makes me want to break out the original Nintendo and play Marble Madness
Totally Tubular

That body looks fantastic !!

This must be the first time i have been reluctant to add too many stickers to a shell.

It is a perfect low-rider fit