As promised Jim ;)

So I've done some more work on the Optima Mid tonight. I've stripped and cleaned quite a few bits and my first batch of replacement parts arrived in the post this morning.
Attachment 73827

These are definitely the wheels I'll be going for.

Thanks for the info :thumbsup:

I noticed the thread concentrating on the mid, but must say you've got some very nice other cars inthere too.
The hotshot with that chassis is the rarest of the bunch, and thereby my favorit. But that Yokie is following close behind: excellent vintage race machine, and a classic optima is something every rc enthusiast loves on his shelf.

Thanks for that. I've done the mid first because it was the most complete. As soon as I started it I realised there was a lot wrong with it but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end. The car I really want up and running is the Yokomo which I will start in the next few weeks. I never really thought of the Hotshot as rare but I suppose they are.

The Hotshot is not rare by itself (especially with the re-re a couple years back), but that custom chassis is rare for sure.

I got given that car when I was about 12 or 13. I've done some research on the Internet and it looks to be a TMS chassis. I don't really know much about it other than that?

YZ870?
 

Just wondered if you were considering selling the 870?

Sorry but I can't. That's the one car I really want to get back up and running.

No worries, had to ask!

So most of the parts have arrived for the Optima Mid and it's coming along nicely. New parts so far at this stage on the build are: chassis, drive belt and full screw kit. Thanks to Oli for the diffs and gearbox parts :)
Attachment 74039
I've got some new drive belt covers but should I fit them if I'm only running the car indoors?

fit them because carpet fibers could damage your gears too.

Won't that Lazer rear shock tower interfere with the gear cover btw?

It shouldn't do as its mounted on the rear of the mount, the normal mid tower is mounted in front of the mount (closer to the gear cover), with the top-link mount sitting on the rear.

You're right, I overlooked that the tower is mounted to the rear. I was thinking about a car of mine that has a Corally chassis, and similar shaped rear shock tower. The previous owner did mount the upper shock on the front and had to cut a part of the motor plate and gear cover to make room for the shock mount.

I'll fit the covers this evening. I never really thought about carpet and dust fibres.

I thought about changing the shock towers for Mid ones but the Lazer ones look to have loads more adjustment.

These are also more rigid, due to the different shape. The stock alu ones tend to bend with a hard impact, and the fiber upgrade parts can develop hairline cracks. Dan (Danb4) use(d?) to run 2 self made fiber ones, in sandwich construction for better durability.

I'm also in the process of giving my Mid a make over.

I feel 2.2 inch wheels look a bit out of proportion on the short wheelbase Mid, though it might also be the picture, as the front right wheel seems much bigger than the other wheels, due to lense distortion no doubt. The Ultima RB5 body looks pretty sleek on it. I wasn't expecting that to fit this well.

Nice car and the body looks cool too!

Made some more progress tonight but progress slowed down when I realised the new screw kit I've got doesn't include the M2.6x12 screws to fasten the upper rods to the tower. I've found some screws and nuts on fleebay so hopefully they'll be here early next week. I've also put all new suspension shafts in the wishbones as they were badly worn.

Picture so far:
Attachment 74049

I did a bit more this morning before work. Can't believe how tiny it is compared to my B-Max2 V3.
Attachment 74050

Doesn't a mid motor 2wd have extra long wheelbase, making the swb Mid look even shorter?

The Lazer ZX is a similar wheel base to the B-Max2. I can't wait to try the mid after 20 odd years of being sat in a box.

Made some more progress tonight. Stripped and rebuilt the shocks with new Pistons thanks to Oli. The car's built exactly to the manual so it will probably need some tweaking and I've decided to go brushless with a 10.5 motor. Hopefully the gearbox holds up.
Attachment 74094

Looks nice, those Mids always clean up nicely with some TLC.

Thanks for that. It's got quite a few new bits but the main of its original and it's cleaned up well. I took it into MB models earlier to see which Lipo would fit and ross commented that it was almost too nice to use.

Its still one of the best cars on the track now, shafts are not really any quicker.

You mean lazer zx or optima mid..or both ?

So the mid is almost there buddy. Are you going to test run it at Cully next time?

Must be the ZX. The Optima Mid looks almost primitive on comparison.

Some more progress this afternoon. It's running a new Orca 10.5 motor, an old speed passion speed controller I had and a new Savox 1257 servo. Has anyone tried the replacement shells, wing, decals and undertrained on eBay?
Attachment 74120

Looking good

Alcyon, you know me, its my ZX. As you know ive proved with your layshaft it is as quick as the current cars out there, if not quicker. Now we have done the layshaft how about doing the diffs, ive got the design and we just need to make it.

If you mean the Lazer ZX-R, the gap may not be as big as it seems. Both have the same shocks, the Custom Mids have about the same wheelbase. Biggest difference is probably the longer suspension arms, creating more leverage, and making it easier to absorb bumps.

Some have combined the Lazer ZX-R suspension with the Custom Mid. Dan has one of these "hybrids" and I've done one as well, see the attached pictures.

As for bodies and decals, the body used on this "hybrid" is from Marwan, and the decals are from MCI Racing. I trimmed this body a little different than stock, as it's fitted on a long wheelbase car.