Body Build - Yokomo HKS Hiper Silvia (S15), Part 1.

Body Build - Yokomo HKS Hiper Silvia (S15), Part 1.

Background details.

The Yokomo HKS Hiper Silvia (S15) is one of three S15 bodies that Yokomo makes, the other two being the Team BOSS with POTENZA S15 and the Team TOYO with GP SPORTS S15 SILVIA. However, while the Team BOSS and Team TOYO S15s have different livery and are different colors, there's actually very little difference between their two bodies with the exception of a duck-tail spoiler on the trunk of the Team BOSS S15. However, the HKS S15 features its own body kit, a VERTEX Ridge S15 Widebody System and this is why I selected it - I wanted a VERTEX-kitted body for my VERTEX-decorated chassis.

HKS introduced their S15 in February of 2002, winning the 2nd round at Ebisu and placing 2nd that year. In the following year, the S15 was introduced during the 5th round at Ebisu and placed 4th. In 2004, HKS raced their Toyota Altezza (also available as a body from Yokomo).

Photos of the HKS Hiper Silvia in Action:

Photos of the Yokomo HKS Hiper Silvia:

Comparing the two, the limitations of working in vacuum-formed lexan becomes pretty clear. The chin spoilers are slightly two high on the Yokomo body and not nearly as sharp as the real thing.

Team Tetsujin Selection Light System (SLS) Initial Look

Team Tetsujin Selection Light System (SLS) Initial Look

Unboxing of Team Tetsujin's new lighting system

Team Testujin released not too long ago a new, modular lighting system for RC cars. It is comprised of three parts, a controller unit, a wiring harness, and the LEDs. The controller unit plugs into a Y-harness that receives signals from your throttle channel. The wiring harness comes with or without LEDs in 7 different options (4 front, 3 rear). The LEDs come in 10 different colors, sold in pairs of the same color.

Packaging (from left to right) - TT-7510 Control Board, TT-7813 LED Set for Front 8 LEDs, TT-7815 LED Set for Rear 10 LEDs

Current Product List - LED Control Board, AC Adapter for Display (so you don't have to have it plugged into a car's receiver), Spare Cable for Front 10 LEDs (no LEDs included), Spare Cable for Rear 10 LEDs (no LEDs included), LED Set for Front 4 LEDs, LED Set for Front 8 LEDs, LED Set for Front 10 LEDs, LED Set for Rear 5 LEDs, & LED Set for Rear 10 LEDs.

Control Board

Rear Wiring Harness w/ Wire Keeper

Front LED Harness w/ Wire Keeper

Initial Thoughts - I helped a fellow driver install this lighting system in their car on Saturday and made the following observations:

• One side of the wiring harness is longer than the other so keep this in mind when attaching it to your car body.
• The wires tangle very easily so cut the wire keeper in half and use it to straighten out the two sides before installing it in your car.
• Plugging in the LED before installation will help you determine which LEDs go where. 

Body Build - Yokomo RS☆R JZA80 Supra, Part 1.

Body Build - Yokomo RS☆R JZA80 Supra, Part 1.

Background details & unbagging.

The Toyota JZA80 Supra, with its plethora of headlights and taillights, flowing body style, and 3-door hatchback design strikes me as one of the essential bodies to own. Compared to its sibling, the Toyota JZZ30 Soarer/Lexus SC 300/400 it is aggressive while the Lexus is refined, though both of them would look great sliding around your local 1/10 scale drift course. Several companies make 1/10 JZA80s, including HPI, Pandora, Tamiya, and Yokomo. As I own neither Supra nor Soarer, I decided to purchase the Yokomo D1GP option, complete with Sport-Service RS☆R livery. But before I show you what comes in the D1GP option's bag, let's take a look at both the real car and Yokomo's product photos:

Photos of the RS☆R Supra in Action:

Photos of the Yokomo RS☆R JZA80 Supra:

Comparing the two, several differences are noticeable. First, the Yokomo does not feature the fog lights mounted in the front bumper. Why this is, I do not know, but it could be due to changes in the car between its first appearance in the mid-2000s and how it appears now in the mid-2010s. Second, the sponsors logos in some areas have chanced, due to a change in sponsors. Third, the wheels have changed from 6-spoke Yokohama AVS Model T6s to some 12-spoke wheels, perhaps Rays Gram Light 57Extremes. Lastly, but more of the byproduct of manufacturing is the shape of the roof-line and the side windows. The Yokomo looks decidedly shorter when compared side-to-side with the real thing. Nevertheless, I think this replica would look great mounted on the upcoming YD-2 chassis.

Unbagging Photos:

Body Shell

Rear Diffuser and Side Diffusers (behind front wheels)

Wing, Wing Mount, Exhaust, Wipers, & Mirrors

Yokomo Body Catalog

Instruction Booklet

Window Masks

Decals for Lights, Carbon Fiber Areas, & Front Bumper

Front Headlight Trim & Window Decals

Livery Guide

Body Markings

RS☆R Decals

Sponsor Decals

Not pictured was the piece of pressboard that keeps the decal sheets from being crushed or wrinkled. While the body markings and RS☆R decals are precut, the sponsor decals are not so you will have to take your time and cut those out. A nice feature of the body markings is that there are guide lines that will help you with placing them. I do not intend to use the window decals or the light decals as I plan on using Yokomo's chromed light buckets for this body.

In part 2 of this series, I will be prepping the body for painting, selecting the paint color, and finally painting it. Applying the decals and accessory parts will make up part 3 of this series. Thank you for following along.

Happy Hachi Roku Day

Happy Hachi Roku Day!

A very busy day this year too.

Today is August 6, which many refer to as "Hachi Roku" Day in celebration of the classic Toyota AE86. Regardless of if it is a  coup or hatchback, has the Levin's fixed or the Trueno's pop-up headlights, these cars are definitely some of my favorite, with my personal favorite being the Trueno hatchback. For those who didn't know, Levin and Trueno are not Japanese words, but rather are the Middle English and Spanish words for "lighting" and "thunder", respectively.

 

I painted a Yokomo Trueno street-version hatchback shell not too long ago (featured in an earlier post) and I thought purchasing the opposite style, a D1GP Levin coup with T&E body kit, as a celebratory body kit but decided against it as I had already purchased several bodies last week. However, one body I would like to eventually purchase would be a modern 86/BRZ/FR-2 and Yokomo makes several D1GP replicas:

The HKS Racing Performer 86*

The Up Garage Falken 86*

 

 

The Drive M7 Advan Max Orido Racing 86*

Of the three, I like the HKS and the Up Garage the best due to the nature of their body kits. The Drive M7, while it has the increasingly popular rear-mounted wing that I like, has a rather busy front bumper. The HKS, with its rather simple single-opening for the intercooler is rather fierce and the Up Garage's #-pattern flows well into the front fenders. However, which shell do you like the best?

Overdose and Tamiya also make some rather nice body shells, though the Overdose shell is of the Scion FR-S and the Tamiya shells are more often than not subjected to an Addiction Rocket Bunny body kit, which would add to the overall cost and complexity.

*Images courtesy of Yokomo.com.

Mini Review - Mini Works Body Lines & Cherry Blossom Livery

Mini Review - Mini Works Body Lines & Cherry Blossom Livery

Details.

I feel that body lines are something that can add considerable depth and realism to a monotone RC drift body. There are several different methods to do this, including ABC Hobby tape, Gundam panel line markers, Copic Multiliners, and Sakura Micron pens. I saw these on an internet forum and because they were fairly local to me, I would give them a shot.

Mini Works Body Lines - $5.49 plus s&h

These come in a 50 pack, with 25 .7x225mm lines and 25 .5x225mm lines. I ended up using the .7mm lines for the door and hatch body lines and the .5mm lines for the hood and headlight body lines. However, the website suggests using the .7mm lines for the gap between hood and fenders and the .5mm lines for the door gaps and I think that the .7mm lines might be a tad thick for what I used them for, the .5mm lines being more realistic.

Applying them was fairly simple and straightforward, and unlike the ABC Hobby tape, you don't have to worry too much about the lines stretching during installation and then contracting and pealing off. I trimmed the lines in place with a pair of 4" Kai needlecraft scissors, which made installation a snap. My only caveat is that you should make sure that your lines are straight and taut before pressing down.

Mini Works Cherry Tree Livery - $9.99

These comes in a pack of two branches and 10 cherry blossoms, with two blossoms of each size that progressively grow larger. The branches, cut out in black vinyl, are mirrored so you can choose which side to put them on or even mount the on your hood. The blossoms, cut in gold foil, are really fragile and I managed to destroy 2 of them (one for each side) removing them from the backing paper as the die cut is a bit deep. However, you get 20 blossoms total so there is room for error.

When I applied my decals, I wanted to give the illusion of the blossoms being blown from the branch and towards the viewer, hence their growing larger towards the rear of the car.

Body Shell Projects

Current Body Shell Projects

Bodies Everywhere

I have a bad habit of picking up a new body almost every time I visit my local course/shop, even though I have nearly a dozen that need to be worked on and complete. While I'm partial to 4-door sedans, my collection is starting to grow to include some of the "iconic" cars along with some more esoteric ones, such as the Vellfire.

• ABC Hobby Nissan Sileighty - To replicate Sato Mako's from Initial D. Debating Wrap-Up S13 3D light decals for the front end and 180SX decals for the rear.
• ABC Hobby Nissan Sileighty - Not sure of the color yet, maybe PS-62 Pure Orange or PS Anodized Green? I plan to install either Addiction's BN Sports Sileighty body kit or a combination of Addiciton S13 and 180SX Rocket Bunny V2 body parts.
• Pandora Toyota Vellfire - Not sure of the color yet, perhaps one of the metallic colors.
• Team Tetsujin Liberty Walk R35 - To be painted PS-23 Gun Metal with the Overdose Voltex GT Wing Type-7.
• Yokomo AE86 Sprinter Trueno - To be painted PS-57 Pearl White with ghosted LB* rising sun graphics on both doors in a modified panda-style.
• Yokomo Blitz Dunlop ER34 - Not sure about the color, perhaps PS-59 Dark Metallic Blue or PS-47 Iridescent Pink/Gold but the latter would make it look a lot like the C35 Laurel.
• Yokomo C35 Laurel - Painted PS-52 Champagne Gold. I've installed some Wrap-Up Next 3D door handles and grill, but need to apply the stock decals, body-lines, and window-trim.
• Yokomo M7 RE-Amemiya (FD3S) - To be painted PS-6 Yellow or PS-54 Cobalt Green. I have a set of Strikers decals to turn this into an itasha if I go the yellow route.

Wrap-Up FR-D 3.0 Status Update

Wrap-Up FR-D 3.0 Status Update

Rolling Stock Complete

I just wanted to post a status update of my FR-D as I was taking pictures of the DIB275.

Adjusting the steering to where I want it to be has been tricky with the long sweeper arms, but I think I have it dialed in for now. I won't know until I add the electronics and take her to the track, but for now, she feels mechanically sound.

Yokomo DIB275

VIP Style

MSN-04 Sazabi - Mr. Boombastic.

Currently, and for at least the last year, Liberty Walk (LB*) and Rocket Bunny-converted bodies are very popular in the RC Drift Scene. Addiction has released several Rocket Bunny conversion kits for Yokomo and ABC Hobby S-series Nissans. HPI has just recently released their Rocket Bunny S14 Boss body. Tetsujin has their R35 and R37 Liberty Walk bodies (I own one of the R35 bodies, but need to finish it). This style is very fun and over the top, with wide-body kits with even wider wheel arches, swan-neck or duck-tail wings, and often super-saturated but matte finishes.

Another style, which I think deserves just as much attention, is the VIP or bippu style of cars. These are (but not always) four-door mid-size or larger sedans that have subtle body-work, tightly-tucked wheels often with noticeable negative camber, and a minimal amount of aftermarket body modifications, they are a different form of extreme. Traditionally, the paint colors associated with the bippu style of cars has been black, white, and darker shades of gray and blue. However, there has been a recent loosening of that palette so I decided to go with a metallic red as I'm keeping with my Gundam-themed cars. With it's large size and curves, I felt that the Zero Crown would be a great base for Char Aznable's MSN-04 Sazabi.

Shell - Yokomo Zero Crown

 Parts List -

• Shell - Yokomo GOODYEAR Racing ZERO CROWN 275 (SD-ZCRLBS)
  
• Paint - Tamiya Metallic Red (PS-15) backed with Gold (PS-13) backed with Black (PS-5)
• Lights & Light Buckets - Yokomo Light Parts Zero Crown (SD-ZCRL)
• Details - Wrap-Up Real 3D Front Grill Zero Crown (0023-01)

The paint job turned out rather good. However, the Yokomo decals had some trapped bubbles under then so they didn't want to sit flat where the windows meet the trim. I slit them slightly to release the trapped air and they look a lot better now. However, I plan on masking the trim and painting it or using some thin vinyl tape to better capture these details.

Chassis - Yokomo DIB275 w/ Grade Up 1-4 Kits

Parts List (Incomplete) - 

• Chassis - Yokomo DIB V2 
• Motor & ESC - Yokomo 8.5T Zero Brushless Motor w/ BL-PRO-3 ESC
• Servo - Futaba S9551
• Receiver - Futaba R2040E (No external antenna!)
• Gyro - D-Like Guild n one Gyro
• Wheels - Tetsujin Dahlia Super Rim
• Tires - HPI Falken Azenis RT615 T-Drift Tire (Rear), 2 Bros (Front)
• Misc - Usukani Front Knuckles

The chassis is currently what I'm driving at Kong's track while I work on my FR-D. It responds well to the use of throttle to kick the tail out and I'm really enjoying how it behaves around tight corners. I'm using the stock springs but with a slightly different shock placement. The motor and ESC wires need some trimming and I'm thinking about soldering bullet connectors to the end of the wires and to the motor to shorten things up. I might sleeve the wires as well, but for now, I need to drive it.