Optima Mid - Which One Is It? - Help Needed Please, Optima mid Pics
 

Hi all,

I am a 30 something who has rediscovered rc cars again. Anyway the old optima mid i used to race is looking to be restored.

What i wish to know is which one do i own? Please see pics

chassis length is 32cm
chassis width is 12.8cm
Length of wheel to wheel is 27 cm
It has a hologram effect chassis (is this carbon fibre?)
4wd
Bubble air vent in body
Gold/brass shocks.
Came with pink wheels as well I think.

I would be extremely grateful if someone would let me know what it is, and also if anyone knows where i can get decals for it as i have a new unused body too for it.

Many thanks in anticipation

Paul Stephenson (UK)

Just out of interest - where did you get that car from? Only it looks really familiar. Very much like the one I sold off way back then to get a Yokomo!

Anyway, its probably an original Optima Mid converted to LWB. The reason I suggest that is I don't think they ever sold the carbon chassis as part of a complete kit (it was an aftermarket add on, standard cars were alloy) but they sold a SWB to LWB conversion with the carbon chassis. Thats certainly where mine got its one from.

I think it's an Optima Mid Custom Special however i am prepared to be shot down on this.:)

It looks like one I had which was an optima mid with lwb carbon fibre chassis (and maching lwb shell) - not sure if they released a car with this setup as it's a bit after my time, but the alloy shock towers point to it being a base mid, with the lwb conversion added.

But I could be wrong! :thumbsup:

It was bought from my uncle (based in birkenhead) about 1991 so i dont think it is the same!

alloy shock mounts were the norm although they also had the grp ones. Carbon effect chassis I think was the lwb conversion though, dont think that came as part of the kit though

Here are some more pics of it!

I have received this reply. Does anyone agree?

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It's an Optima Mid Custom, identified by the long wheelbase chassis with alloy shock mounts and no suspension turnbuckles. It has been upgraded with Kyoshos gold shocks, as used on the other Mids.

If you are happy with repro stickers, Marwan is who you need to contact:
http://www.tamiyaclub.com/trades_mod......470&id=5484

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If so, and no reason to assume its not, thats not the normal chassis. I'm sure the Custom had an alloy chassis as standard.

The Custom Mid did have an alloy chassis but this does look like one.

si coe do you think you may have owned this? It was bought from the northwest

i would say its the opti mid custom special lwb,mine came with gold shocks, alloy towers and black chassis looked like carbon but im pretty sure it wasn't,

No - I lived in Essex till '93!

Its just the silver trim down the belt covers, the carbon chassis and alloy towers (carbon chassis were rare, and mostly fitted by carbon fetishists who would also fit carbon towers) and the fact you mentioned pink wheels, which mine had.

But then I remembered mine got fitted with Lazer front wishbones and hubcarriers shortly before I sold it, so its not like mine at all.

I still reckon its an original Turbo Optima Mid, fitted with the Option House Carbon LWB conversion. Thats what mine was.

it has the yellow wheels on it now, they are kind of bland with gaps at thr top

Yep I had a custom special many years ago from new and I am sure it had a black chassis and gold shocks, was a lomg time ago mind you:lol:. there is a guy some were out in the land of tamiya club who has just finished his collection of MIB Kyoshos....yep every one of them in box:woot:, I did see a custom special in there so if you can find him he may well be able to give you the 100% answear.

I've been doing some asking of my own and it appears that yes some versions of the Custom Special came with the carbon chassis. The carbon chassis never sold well (it wasn't much lighter than the alloy one, not as strong and cost a lot more) so Kyosho had a lot of stock left before moving to the Lazer. So the last versions of the Custom Special had a carbon chassis as opposed to the alloy of the earlier ones.

Ah that makes sense! I have been looking at the optima mid custom on google and i think that is it, right down to the wheels (off yellow) and shocks. One more problem though - my original shell had a bubble vent in it.

does that give any more clues?

Thanks all for your continued help

oh and it has a wide bumper.....

The bumper is a Kyosho aftermarket part. It came with a shorter one originally.

I think the bubble vent was found on models that came with a manual (wiper) speedo so as to clear the linkage.
Thats not a Custom Special shell for sure. They had a sort of jet fighter style bubble canopy.

The bumper is from a Burns. I agree, it looks like an Optima Mid (not Turbo because of the alloy shock towers and standard turnbuckles) upgraded with the LWB kit ("graphite" chassis and that exact body). Tyres are from a Schumacher Cat.
Memories :lol:

Oooh that ESC!! LOL

That bumper is the optional optima mid bumper isn't it? I still have a scar from cutting that bumper on my lwb optima mid - my car wasn't custom-anything and looked exactly like this car - including the giant bumper which was an optional part.

The alloy chassis was only on the early versions of the Mid Custom. The Mid Custom Special always had a grp chassis, and later versions of the Mid Custom also had the grp chassis.

The only kit that had a carbon chassis was the limited edition Turbo Optima Mid Special.

The body with the bubble on the side was the Mid Custom body.


The Mid came with a tiny front bumper as standard, but as the BRCA rules at the time meant a full width bumper needed to be fitted Ripmax drilled a couple of extra holes in the Burns bumper and sold it as a Mid upgrade.

Looks like an optima mid which has had a LWB conversion done !

Check out the link below for the geneolgy and pictures.

Mid custom special came with ally chassis gold shocks ball diffs I belive!

Mid custom ally chassis plastic shocks etc

http://theoptimahouse.blogspot.com/

Yes it is Jimmy.:)

I had the exact same car from brand new it is a standard spec optima mid custom( not custom special). The only thing this car has that is not standard is the front bumper, which was a kyosho hop up. The chassis came standard but is not carbon it's a dyed grp one!! Even down to the wheels and shell this car is correct. Just google optima mid custom

And here we have the winner

just plain mid with lwb chassi kit and optima mid custom shell

mvh isobarik

Steve, I had a Mid Custom but it had the alloy chassis and black hard plastic shocks. A friend had the special which had the gold option house shocks and looks pretty much like this guys.

yes custom ally chassi and turbo optima mid special carbon chassy and this has also the ally towers from the optima mid hence why

optima mid with LWB and custom body since it has the bumb for the mechanic speed control.


mvh isobarik

New Battery
 

Hi think i'm gonna get a new battery. Whats with this lipo business? i have an old charger and a 1400mah battery and it lasts for 20 mins. can i just buy a battery with an increased mah and keep the same charger (a cheap tamiya one that charges from my car battery)?

I am also gonna get a optima mid custom shell and repro graphics from marwan for display purposes in my house - what do people think to that or should i leave it!

Only if you fancy a house fire. Lipos must never be charged on a NiMH/Nicad charger.

However lipo capable chargers aren't expensive and with a 5000mah pack you'll be running all week!

Edit - of course you'd need a cutoff too, so skip that. Just buy some modern NiMH's. But aware that they are slightly larger than the Mid was designed for though.

I have one of Marwan's Mid LWB shells and they are the business and the decals are good as well - I'll post some pics later once I get home.
I only run mine indoors as I don't want to break it! I have a Losi for outdoors.

Cheers

Graeme


http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/e...y/DSC_0240.jpg

nice motor mate! do you get the side wing decals too?

Damn - both of the battery holder clips have snapped due to corrosion. does anyone know what they are called (are they called battery holders?) - they are small plastic loops on either side with small screws in them

many thanks all

Here's the image of what you get. Plenty of Optima Mid logos and I think there even some Hooker header stickers whatever that means!

If it's the straps that go around the battery, not surprisingly they are called releasable nicad straps, part number is 1704 and they are available from any Kyosho dealer - but if you are searching online don't buy from Ben Racing as they have been shut for some time even though their website still exists.
They will have snapped because they aren't supposed to have the screws going through them.

If you want to see what's included, here's all Marwans bodies for sale.http://www.tamiyaclub.com/trades.asp?id=5484

For the bodies that fit your chassis, there's the Turbo Mid Special, Mid Custom and Mid Custom Special
Each link will show you the body set and complete repro sticker set included with each body.

Your Buggy
 

Yes,
That is correct. I have 2 of them.

Optima series.
 

Im going to do my best to do a run through the first to last OPTIMA models. Feel free to correct me if I stuff this one up guys.....;)

Optima
Turbo Optima
Optima Pro

Optima Mid
Turbo Optima Mid
Optima Mid SE
Optima Mid Custom
Optima Mid Custom Special.

Sure Ive left out the Javelin and possibly a couple others but you get the idea. Ive owned a couple of OPTIMA MID CUSTOM SPECIAL cars and they came with the very rare (and expensive) carbon fibre saddle pack chassis kit. Im certain its the same wheelbase as the MID CUSTOM and MID CUSTOM SPECIAL but I think Kyosho released this kit to help racers convert the shorter wheelbase Optima Mid's into the longer wheelbase car. The kit included belts, chassis plates and lexan cover Im sure.
Anyway these were the two cars I owned.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...TIMAMID2-1.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...OPTIMAMID3.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...OPTIMAMID4.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...YDsoldMID5.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...MidCustom5.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...MidCustom3.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...MidCustom4.jpg

Easily one of the sexiest vintage racers!

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...TOMSPECIAL.jpg