Kyosho/Dyna Models Scorpion
This is my "replica" of the Japanese Dyna Models Scorpion from 1983, a 2WD off-road buggy that was based on the Kyosho Scorpion, or Cox Scorpion for you Americans. Dyna Models was a popular hobby shop in Yokohama City in the mid/early eighties, and in addition to having their own track and selling all the well known hop-ups, they also made their own parts. Their own team of drivers track and race tested the parts, and they made some sweet versions of popular buggies of that time, like the Tamiya SRB’s, the AYK Sidewinder, and this Kyosho Scorpion. This Scorpion was one of their more radical creations, where they had replaced the original chassis rails with a in-house made flat fiber glass chassis and top plate, not unlike setups seen on 1/12 on-road cars of the time. The front suspension mounts/bulk heads are also made by Dyna Models, and are machined from aluminum. The same goes for the front axle "splicer" that allows for easy adjustment of the front end. The front shock towers are fitted with RCH extenders. At the rear there is a Japanese Dirt Burners mono shock assembly, and the shocks themselves are from Parma. The body is a Parma Unser Buggy body that has been cut at the rear to make space for the mono shock. The nerf guards are from JG (I believe) and the original buggy had Thorp wheels. I think the rear aluminum cage is from JG or CRP, I’m not 100% sure which it is. The wing and wing mounts are from the Japanese Dirt Burners brand, made by Rainbow Products. The front bumper is from Japanese Dirt Burners/RCH, originally for the Tamiya SRB. The radio gear is from KO, and there's a double barrel Parma MSC, and Parma motor heat sink. The motor is some kind of Yokomo. I’m also guessing that the car is fully equipped with ball bearings, and that the gear box has a differential, either a Thorp ball diff or a Kyosho gear diff.
My "replica" differs a little from this original setup, mainly due to the rareness of some of the parts. The chassis plates I have never seen besides on some pictures in a Japanese magazine, so I had to re-construct them from scratch by looking at the images I have of the original car. After drawing them, I had Jeff Malar of Factory Works cut them for me. I also had to re-construct the front suspension mounts/bulk heads that was made specifically for this chassis. Derrick Durbin machined them for me, after I first had 3D printed some prototypes to check for fitment. The aluminum front axle splicer I also re-constructed, and Derrick Durbin machined it. Just like with the chassis plates, I have never seen these aluminum parts anywhere else than in that Japanese magazine. Those re-made parts should be darn close to identical to the originals, as I spent quite a while measuring, drawing, re-measuring and re-drawing to get them perfect. The front shock tower extenders are original RCH parts. The mono shock unit is also something I had to re-construct, before having them made at a local tech/mech school. This was something I had done some years ago, when I had a few sets made. This was my last set. I do have them drawn up, so maybe I’ll have Derrick cut me some more of those, as the ones I have are hand made and very rough. The shocks I used are the original Parma shocks, but where the original car used long shocks at the front, I decided to use the shorter version as the long shocks gave very limited shock travel. The body is a repro from TBG. I have drawn all the decals myself, and I had initially intended to just print them on my own home printer. I reconsidered and re-drew them as vector graphics that could be printed by Nathaneal Ellis/MCI Racing. The nerf guards that I used are not exactly the same as on the original, but the closest I could find. I do have some black kydex sheets, and I'm planning on making a set that is even closer. As for the wheels, I just couldn't find any Thorp wheels, so I had to find another solution. What I decided on was using AYK 566B Super Trail wheels, as those mount very much in the same way as the Thorp wheels, and they would also be correct for that era. I think they look good on the car, but if anyone has a set of the Thorp wheels, I'm very interested.... The rear cage/motor guard I also had to re-construct myself, as I couldn't find any with that distinctive rear "jump". I made a simple wooden jig, so I easily could bend some aluminum rods to the correct shape. The same here as with the wheels.... if anyone has such a JG or CRP cage.... The wing is an original Japanese Dirt Burners/Rainbow Products wing, but as the one I have is for another model, I had to drill some new holes to make it fit like the original. It’s not perfect as the holes for the wing wire are placed a little differently. I did however manage to mount it in a way that it’s still in the same position as on the original. I also didn't have the wing mount tubes that came with the Scorpion/Optima versions of that wing, so I had to use a set of Kyoshos own (optional) mounting tubes for the Optima. It's the same with the front bumper, same brand (Japanese Dirt Burners/RCH) but for another model, so I had to drill some new holes for it to fit. Mine is for the Tamiya Frog and has the same shape as the one used on the original. The receiver and the steering servo are from KO, and very similar to those on the original car. I have however used an era correct KO RM-7 Limited ESC from 1981 instead of the MSC. I do have an identical Parma MSC that I will mount when I have sorted out the wiring. At least that’s the plan. There is a Reedy/Yokomo motor with a Parma motor heat sink on my build, just like on the original car. The build has a full set of ball bearings, and a Kyosho gear diff.
You can see my build thread here:
http://vintage.dirt-burners.com/2017/01/31/the-dyna-scorpion-part-1/
http://vintage.dirt-burners.com/2017/02/04/the-dyna-scorpion-part-2/
And a little more about Dyna Models here:
http://vintage.dirt-burners.com/2017/02/13/dyna-models/
