Meantime (II)...

Not much more has happened with the Clodzilla since I last posted here. I've done a bit of fine-tuning with the radio but it hasn't been outside yet. The main reason for this is that I was worried about the vulnerability of the front and rear steering cranks, being as they remains the stock plastic items. The truck itself certainly has some ooomph, and a crank is sure to get wiped out the first time it meets something hard. I've looked at the various bumper options, and to be honest I think the standard items are as good as anything else. They just have to be black though, so to this end I've ordered the relevant sprues from Japan, being as this is the only place I can get them from. The newer chrome edition Super Clodbuster has black bumpers, instead of the red, blue or yellow ones from the other models. They're here now so I can get going again. In the meantime I've built a couple more cars (well - a buggy and a truck) for my partner's kids to use. They've both had lesser RC vehicles before but now they're entering proper Tamiya territory! I had to get them for them otherwise I'm not going to get a look in myself with the 'Zilla. My go... My go... My go...

Kala's Rising Fighter:


Kala has just turned 8 and this one is for her - a new and completely standard Rising Fighter, although it's been sprayed a nice shade of pink (as was her wish) and has dinky red wheel nuts. The Rising Fighter is one of Tamiya's latest buggies, and uses a Grasshopper 2 chassis and running gear. It's a 'parts bin' special by all accounts, virtually eveything comes from one existing car or another. It goes quite well though and it's also very easy to drive. It surprised me with the good run-time we got out of one 1900mAh battery pack - the blue New Bright TL-01 truck (see below - 3 July post) just about killed two 2400mAh packs whilst running alongside and sometimes behind!

Sean's Army Truck:


'Twas Sean (nearly 10) who was driving the blue truck at the same time as Kala was getting used to her buggy - this might go some way to explaining the battery life, all that I can really say is that he is a bit more throttle happy although she is a better driver! For his truck it's another second-hand TL-01 chassis, this time from a standard 190mm car. I've given it longer Seben Racing (TL-01B clone) monster truck shocks and Tamiya Mitsubishi Pajero wheels and tyres. It's got a 540J motor against the blue truck's shiny Mabuchi RS, and it seems to be a fair bit torquier (if that's the right word/spelling? - it's not in my dictionary???). The Pajero tyres are also a lot harder than the F-350's, so it wheel spins a hell-of-a-lot more and does neat doughnuts. Indoors on a smooth wooden floor it manages a fairly good impression of being a drift car!

Anyway we'll see how long both of these cars last and how much abuse they can endure. I will keep you posted...

BTW - here are the figures for the two different motors just to prove the point (and also just in case you are interested in making a similar choice somewhere along the line):

RS-540J Johnson:

Torque at best efficiency: 255g-cm
R.P.M. at best efficiency: 14,500rpm (7.2V)
Current drain at best efficiency: 7.9A (7.2V)

RS-540SH Mabuchi:

Torque at best efficiency: 194g-cm
R.P.M. at best efficiency: 15,080 rpm (7.2V)
Current drain at best efficiency: 5.9A (7.2V)

Because of this, the blue truck may well be getting a new motor quite soon. The choice will probably be between a Tamiya "dirt tuned" 27 turn motor, part number #53929; or a Tamiya "lightly tuned" 28 turn motor, part number #59383.

The available figures for comparison are:

Dirt Tuned:

Number of turns = 27
Usable Voltage = 7.2
Torque at best efficiency = 380g/cm (7.2v)
RPM at best efficiency = 17,000rpm (7.2v)

Lightly Tuned:

Number of turns = 28
Usable Voltage = 7.2v
Torque at best efficiency = 564g/cm (7.2v)
RPM at best efficiency = 16,300rpm (7.2v)

Current drain for either motor is not quoted, although I expect it to be a fair bit higher than either of the two 'stock' motors.