Building an RC: Tamiya Super Storm Dragon - Lancia Stratos Dragon - Hornet (Time Lapse)
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- Опубліковано 17 сер 2021
- This is a time lapse build of a custom Tamiya Super Storm Dragon adapted into a Lancia Stratos Rally buggy concept. At the end of the video I show the complete results. Of the Tamiya Grasshopper chassis, the Super Storm Dragon (SSD) body in it’s box art form is my least favorite-but I’m sure it’s relevant and admirable to fans of the ‘80s Japanese manga/anime RC series where the Storm Dragon originated from. I also feel the body is too long for the chassis but perhaps that was the intent. It’s probably supposed to represent a slender mythological Eastern Asian dragon but all I can see is Falkor from the Neverending Story. However, I do like the greenhouse (windshield). Whenever I see it one thing comes to mind-the Lancia Stratos HF from the 1970s.
I wonder if the illustrators of the SSD got inspiration from the Stratos, if they did I wouldn’t be surprised. The Italian Stratos came out in the ‘70s and was purely developed and designed for the World Rally Championship. Designed at Bertone by Marcello Gandini (he also did the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, Ferrari Dino 308 GT4, and De Tomaso Pantera to name a few). Timeline wise, the SSD came out in the early ‘80s and that Stratos’ greenhouse was already an iconic thing. I always thought if an SSD fell on my lap I would frankenstein it into a buggy version of the Stratos. And so over a year ago I came across an SSD on sale for about $86 USD and I couldn’t pass it up.
I didn’t want to slap stickers and call it a day. I wanted to at least have a little effort in translating it. The SSD body was trimmed and shortened (the Stratos has a relatively short body/wheelbase). I wanted to stay within the rally Stratos color palette and that also meant a careful selection of the parts and electronics color.
Since I don’t have any off-road track in my area I knew this would run on tarmac or very abrasive surfaces. I installed a Tamiya Super Stock RZ (on-road 23T, 27k RPM) and at least had to upgrade the stock rear dampers with big bore ones (plus 500 damper oil and hard springs) and compress the front springs for a stiffer ride. The rear suspension axle mount was replaced with an aluminum one that can accommodate the beefier dampers. In addition, a longer 8mm T4 Works rear billet aluminum hanger was added with a makeshift mount/brace to lock the rear suspension in place-just like the Grasshopper’s. I feel the Grasshopper performs better on flat surfaces vs the Hornet due to the rear suspension design-the SSD has the Hornet’s. The front arms and suspension brace were upgraded to aluminum, the servo saver/steering rod was replaced with T4works aluminum servo saver and steel turnbuckles. Of course the plastic bushings were all replaced with metal ball bearings. The result is very apparent when running it. It’s quite stable, runs straight and fast, and the suspension just right (not as bouncy). A few caveats: because the front suspension is set very low and the aluminum arms/knuckles are not adjustable, it has more negative camber than I would like. That would probably be an area I would fine tune in the future. The aluminum arms creates some rattling noise as it doesn’t have a snug fit. I think adding rubber sleeves on the connection points to the chassis might solve it. To further improve handling, I need to replace the tires (didn’t have the right ones when I did a test run). And for the first time I tried a Dynamite ESC and I think it’s a tad glitchy. With some more fine tuning work, this setup can be quite a serious basher.
All this work and parts are not to just add bling. I genuinely wanted to find out what the potential of this iconic beginner chassis is. Ironically, I think it’s not worth it if you just want a simple basher (at least on tarmac/flat surfaces). If you’re going to “casually” run this on flat hard surfaces, I wouldn’t bother with this Hornet/Storm Dragon chassis. I highly recommend going a step down and getting a Grasshopper instead. I’ve built a Grasshopper for someone and tried a variety of motors in it (380, Sport Tuned 380, 540 silver can, and Torque Tuned 540) and once we got to the Torque Tuned motor, it was lively, fun, just right, and relatively precise. In fact, I love how the Torque Tuned Grasshopper drives that I can’t wait to drive it again. However, this Stratos Dragon evolution definitely has more potential.
Parts:
Tamiya Super Stock RZ Motor
KO Propo KR-212FHG receiver
Dynamite DYNS2210 ESC
AGFRC B44LS low profile servo
Metal ball bearings
Robinson Racing steel pinion gear
T4 Works: aluminum servo saver, steel turnbuckles, aluminum motor mount, 8mm billet aluminum hanger, aluminum wheel star disk
YR Big Bore rear dampers
Generic rear aluminum suspension mount
Avante front bumper
M&M rear bumper
Associated rear wheels
Schumacher rear tires
You-G Japan front tires
Tamiya Black DT02 front and rear wheels
Tamiya DT02 front tires
Tamiya Dual Block rear tires
Tamiya rear hex adapter
GPM alloy parts (front arms and brace)
Custom decals
Fabulous looking model. I also love the Lancia Stratos. 👏🏻👏🏻
Now that's what TAMIYA should have released. Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, John! I appreciate it and thanks for watching.
Let’s hope Tamiya and Kyosho release some new designs sometime soon. Personally I’d like to see some APCs, and other military models released.
I appreciate the commitment to a color scheme. Ive always wanted to build a hornet with 100% orange/black aluminium upgrades, but god dam, i could probably buy an avante for that price.
The tried and true Grasshopper/Hornet chassis.. never seems to get old.
Thanks for watching, leeit2me!
Your builds are on an entirely different level than the majority of builds, Just breath taking, I could watch you build these rigs all day long, Thank you!
Thanks again, Bee Sod! And thank you for watching/supporting the channel ;)!
When the Hyflex gloves come out you know shits about to get serious 🔥
Haha! Yes, that's true hehe. Thanks for watching!
People really don't like this body. But man it as you have shown has great potential. Awesome build.
Thanks, Ryan! I appreciate it and thanks for watching.
Well, after only about 25 seconds, I can already tell you that you've improved on the factory livery by several orders of magnitude, sir.
Thanks again! I appreciate it and thanks for watching.
Impeccable build and artistry. Simply a pleasure to watch and witness the development. A true Tamiya custom build from top to bottom
Thanks, hortn123! I appreciate the comment and thanks for watching!
What a result, this is such a fantastic build, attention to detail is amazing
Thanks, Brass Castle RC! I appreciate it and thanks for watching.
It is rare that you can do a better color scheme than Tamiya, except you did it. Very well done.
Thanks, M Parker! Thank for the comment and watching!
Love the way you build your RC vehicles!
Thanks, Race Runner-R! I appreciate the nice words and thank you for watching!
Absolutely impressive. I’m about to start restoring my hornet & watching this has has raised the bar. 👍🏼
Loving the alloy lower front arms.
Thanks, Mr Potato chips! Good luck with the Hornet restoration and thanks for watching!
my first RC car was a grasshopper that i eventually upgraded to a hornet then bigger motor bigger battery and all kinds of custom mods like steel studded tires etc.. it would shred grass!
Wait, what?! That vinyl job is awesome! Well done with that classic livery. Really suits the shell. 😶
Thanks, Askonti! I appreciate the comment and thanks for watching.
Stance is spectacular! Great job sir!
Thanks, Scale Builder's Guild! And thank you for watching. Love your videos, by the way.
What an amazing build! Thanks for the inspiration, and sharing some of your techniques and styles.
Thank you and thanks for watching!
Outstanding artistic interpretation & homage to Lancia's amazing looking Stratos! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, TachyonDriver! I appreciate the words and thanks for watching!
Beautiful workmanship. A true professional 👌🏼
I love this time lapse where the dragon turns into a Lancia Stratos. Gold wheels complete the look. You are genius!
Thanks, helixworld! I appreciate the comment and thank you for watching.
Wow, meravigliosa Buggy Lancia !! Wonderful !!
Thanks, 7eugenio7! And thank you for watching.
A tamiya buggy I hate the look of to one on the best I have seen! Unbelievable transformation, would never of thought of making a stratos buggy. Maybe your best work yet 👍
Thanks, MrAldo20! I really appreciate the comment. Glad it worked out. And thanks for watching.
The Lancia Stratos is in my top 5 best car designs of all time as well next to the Lamborghini Countach, the Ferrari 288 GTO, the Lotus Esprit and the Ferrari F355. I wouldn’t have seen the potential of creating a Stratos hommage in that Tamiya kit but you did. Bravo!
Thanks, Wim De Pril! Definitely the Countach is in my top 5 and Esprit is in my top. 288 GTO is up there too. Sadly, I'll only be able day dream about them.
Absolutely sensational 👍🏻
Somebody once told me “You can’t make a Silk Purse from a Sows ear” ,well, obviously nothing could be further from the truth here. Your tool kit is as equally impressive to by the way. Tamiya really need to lift their game with what they turn out with all their
resources compared to what’s being done here at home. Excellent stuff.
Thanks! I appreciate the comment :). I do wish Tamiya made more proper TRF level tools available and accessible. It's so hard to get them (like the TRF drivers) and then they're expensive or discontinued. One day...
Beautiful work. God bless you!
Thanks, USH Hobby! And thank you for watching.
Never has a more appropriate home for a set of weathered yellow star dishes existed 😎😁👍🏻
Thanks! And thank you for watching.
Outstanding! And, finally a good reason to own a Grasshopper. Very nicely done.
Thanks, B W Jones! And thank you for watching.
Amazing!!!! I was always a Fan of the stratos. And this result is incredible!
Thanks, Puerto Musumeci! Same here a fan of the Stratos. Thanks for watching.
Amazing, your work is always a pleasure to watch!
Thanks, dsoupashis! And thank you again for watching.
Awesome work - love the finished build. Well done!
Thanks, Ant Beckley! And thanks for watching.
Mind-blowing... One of my top 3 of yours. There are few things a like more than sleepers.. The cheaper the car the better to turn it into something amazing and you did it again.
Hey Edu, thanks again and thanks for watching! I hope all is well.
Another great build, love the body work modifications
Thanks again, Lucas! And thank you for watching.
Gorgeous! The stock decal scheme on this car made me totally overlook the design. You completely transformed this machine!
Thanks, Mikey Fourbarrel! And thank you for watching.
Wow, just amazing!
Those is one of the bodies I do not like, but after you work this is how it should have looked from factory.
And the Stratos livery was just perfect!
Thank you for the comment and thanks again for watching!
Absolutely amazing, again. Thank you for this beautiful video.
Thanks again :)! And thank you for watching.
Outstanding build as always my friend, always a pleasure to watch. Thank you :)
Thanks, Chris! I appreciate the words and support-thanks for watching!
Truly Artwork! Thx for sharing :)
Very nice! Your builds are getting better and better.
Thanks! I appreciate the comment and definitely that's the goal--to get better.
That build makes a cheap looking buggy simply awesome😍 Love your work and your creativity👍🏻
Thanks, RCnerd74! Thank you for the nice comment and for watching!
Really good work! Excellent components and fantastic resemblance to the Stratos!
Thanks, denny75t! And thank you for watching!
Wow such amazing work, quality!!
Thanks, HyperKnight! And thank you for watching!
@@MechanicAfterHours thank you for the reply and great episodes, new sub 🤩
Lovely work.
blooming beautiful 😀love it👌👍👍
Thanks, rc play time! And thank you for watching.
Always amazing work! Sincerely mind-boggling the ideas that you can produce. Works of art.
Do you have a link of the M&M rear bumper? Searched Google and I am coming up empty.
Thanks, Mike! I appreciate it and thanks again for watching!
Mike, the bumper is vintage and the company doesn’t exists anymore but I looked in ebay and just search for “Vintage Tamiya RC 1980's Grasshopper Hornet Nerf Bar Rear Bumper Hop-Up”
Awesome. Love it!
Thanks, Alex! And thank you for watching.
That looks awesome! Gerat work.
Thanks, Plan3tBob! And thank you for watching.
Stunning build, you deserve way more attention for this level of craftsmanship and attention to detail. Keep it up man 💪
Thanks, Rex Morgan! I appreciate it comment and support. Thanks for watching.
God damn man. We got 1 of these on the shelff at work....... gonna have to rewatch for a parts list absolute beauty
Thanks, Trowa Jakuard! And thank you for watching.
Amazing! Loving your work! Great videos. You are super skilled. Your designs are first class.
Thanks, Stefan Oakes! I appreciate the comment and thank you for watching.
That´s a high quality build, turned out really nice. Well done.
Thanks, Mattias RC! And thank you for watching.
Lovely build! The Lancia livery suite it well.
Thanks again, Graham! Glad it did and thank you for watching.
Work of art!!
Thanks, Trippy FPV! And thank you for watching.
That sucker looks SWEET!!!!!
Thanks, Wayne! And thank you for watching.
That’s sick. Nice attention to detail with the lights.
Thanks, B Simpson! Glad you noticed the lights! Thanks for watching.
Man I just hope you make a good living doing this because you’re awesome at it - bravo!
Thanks, Wade! I appreciate it and thank you for watching.
Lookin good! Thinking outside the box, great stuff! 👌👍
Thanks! Love your videos by the way. And thank you for watching.
That is so cool very nice work
Thanks, Jamie! And thanks for watching.
Yep..that looks great.Lancia stratos was a favorite car of mine when younger.
Thanks, Ian! One of my favorite cars too. And thanks for watching.
Another amazing build, your vision and attention to detail is stunning, great job on this one 😎
Thanks, onkouth! I appreciate it and thanks again for watching.
@@MechanicAfterHours no problem, you’re absolutely brilliant, I love what you do , let’s get you recognised for your talent, come on people like and subscribe, this guy he is cool and it costs nothing to reorganise such talent 😎
Your work is fantastic and your skills are excellent. Really enjoy your videos and amazed by the endresult. And thanks again for your help! 😊
Hey Sergio! Thanks, I appreciate it. Hope the parts get to you soon! Can't wait to see the build.
Absolute awesome! 🤩👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks, RC on my Mind! And thank you for watching
Really interesting seeing your technique drawing the design then cutting with the vinyl plotter. The solid rear axle platform and green and red colours brings back memories of my friend's Tamiya Grasshopper, at a time when I had a Marui Hunter with positive rear camber on droop! The Hunter was actually run over by a car and survived, the tub chassis was so strong on those.
Thanks, Craig! I remember the Marui Hunter! That's a tough and awesome one. I remember the rear inboard suspension. I wish Marui still made RC cars.
Very pleasing to the eyes! It got me wanting to build my own RC, but then, I know that I don't have that kind of attention to details, so I'd just subscribe and watch your vids first. 😁 Very nice video!
Thanks, Stephen! I have a good feeling that you can do an excellent job building one-as long as you can enjoy the process of building and then running the car. Good luck and thanks for the sub!
That looks sensational, well done 👍🏼
Thanks, Paul! I appreciate the comment and thanks for watching.
The car and the video are both great 👍🏻
Thanks, mitsuman5555! I appreciate the comment and thank you for watching.
You sir, are an artist.
Thanks, Jason! And thank you for watching.
absolutely amazing!
Thanks, JURacing! And thank you for watching.
That stand for the instructions is a good idea!
Thanks! And thank you for watching.
fantastic video love the Lancia Stratos one of my all time favorite cars
Thanks, Oscar collie dog! And thank you for watching.
Your video's are super zen to watch!
Thanks, Kevin! Glad it has zen to it. Thanks for watching.
What a great interpretation of the Lancia Stratos, the Statos is such a beautiful car. Your workbench is so clean, you have inspired me to keep mine much more organized. Would you consider making a video showing the tools that you use, such as the soldering iron, files, screwdrivers, etc? I have purchased the Tamiya 8 piece tool set which is really nice to use, but I would like to add a few more pieces. Look forward to your next video.
Thanks, happy beatnik! That Tamiya 8 piece tool set is one of the best deals that's hard to top. I take it with me when I run RC cars because it almost has every basics needed and comes in that compact case. I will one day feature tools as that is one of the most requested video. However, I might just do entries on my website-still building it. Stay tuned! And thanks for watching.
@@MechanicAfterHours tool video please!!!
You made a car i don't like the look of, make me like the look of. Hat off to you sir!
Thanks, Bandit Darville! Thanks for the comment and watching.
Oh my them wheels 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I think Tamiya need to give you a job.
Haha! Thanks, Matt Taylor. Never thought of that but probably would be fun and interesting.
Unbelievable I’d love to see you do a upgrade of the hornet 🐝
One of them in a carbon and full billet would be amazing to see. Keep up the amazing work. Love from 🇦🇺✊💯👌👍
Thanks! That could be fun. Maybe one day ;)
Very impresive.
Thanks, Superf103! And thanks for watching.
That was great to watch, as always with your videos! Just like you, this wasn't a kit that I like originally, but you managed to make it look great, good job!
Thanks again, Mschdk rc! Glad it turned out ok. Thanks for watching!
This is next level job.
Thanks, StankoPerko! And thank you for watching.
So cool, I love the Alitalia color!!
Thanks, Suzuki-RC! And thank you for watching.
That's a nice assembly video. And this video will be good information for people. Good job. 👍😍😍💯
Thanks, Yeo-chang yoon! Love your crawler videos. Thank you for watching.
Un lavoro magico. Molto azzeccato lo stile degli adesivi, dato che la linea del parabrezza ricorda molto il parabrezza della Lancia Stratos.
Grazie! Apprezzo il commento e sono contento che abbia funzionato. Grazie per la visione!
Great build and idea, I like it! Cheers from Switzerland🇨🇭
Nice parts selection(including color choices), top job with the custom stickers, some good customizations, loveit, respect.
Thanks, MAC #13! Hope all is well in Switzerland. I appreciate the comment and thanks for watching.
Awesome!!
Thanks, DustyFingers RC! And thank you for watching.
Damn! This is so cool 👍🏻
Thank! And thank you for watching.
Among all others, great music taste!
Thanks! Glad you like it. And thank you for watching.
@@MechanicAfterHours whats the name of that opening music?
Hi Heru Saleh. It's called Gliteratti by Fox Morrow
I was not interested in this kit at all, ..that was until I saw what you made it into! WOW!
Thanks, Eric! I appreciate it and thank you for watching.
There is no doubt...!! It's a legend...!!
Thanks, Edson Maia Carlos Filho! I appreciate the comment and thanks for watching.
Man i juat foubd your channel and i tell you if you keep making videos of this insane quality you'll one day be able to buy a stratos🙏🙏
I have the Mini4wd version of this I might just have to paint mine up this way. Looks great!
Thanks, Blast Arrow! I saw a Mini4wd version of the Storm Dragon. I think you should try it ;)!
putting a cm or two length of low gauge heat shrink wrap around the ends of the cable braiding is what i do to cover up and prevent the ends from fraying more once i get stuff installed. nice work. also putting bearings instead of the stock bushings and a lower wind rotor in those tamiya RZ motors can really make them shine if you have a high enough amp ESC. i threw an old orion 13x2 in my RZ with a few shims to get it to fit right and a fresh set of trinity bearings instead of the stock bushings (yuck) and it really woke up with a hobbywing 80amp brushed esc. i have also tried the reedy radon that they still make, the rotor from the radon 15T 4100kv is a good upgrade matched with the beautiful RZ can. also definitely ditch those old style bullet plugs on the motor wires for new ones or some deans. cheers love the videos
Thanks for watching, k k. Thanks for the recommendation. I keep forgetting to buy large heat shrink tubes. Yes, there are times when I use bearings and switch rotors too since I have other (including older) brushed motors. As for bullet plugs, I actually don't use them as much if you watch my other builds. I just did for this as I just wanted to test the RZ motor. I think the Torque Tuned although slower is much more fun on the Grasshopper chassis.
@@MechanicAfterHours Haha, yeah I guess that motor is probably already overkill for this chassis anyways. But it's a Stratos! It's gotta be ridiculously overpowered! Looking forward to more of your immaculate builds! Would love to see any vintage motors you have or anything like that featured in future build shoots. I love collecting old race motors
I hate that buggy normally but you made it look sick 👌🏻
Thanks, Ben Walker! I appreciate the comment and thank you for watching!
Lancia Stratos is one of my favorites. But I can't come up with this cool idea like you.
Thanks, K Take! And thank you for watching.
Man,
You're an awesome builder!!!
;)]
Thank you! And thanks for watching!
外国人って、こういうのセンス良いんだよな。
Ummmmmm.......OH HECK YES!
Outstanding work 👍 subscribed 👌
Thanks! And thank you for the sub!
I’ve built a lot of two stroke engines and I’ve just got back into RC I’m really feeling a build.
Thanks for watching, Jo Ski. Two stroke sounds like a cool thing build and do. At least RC's are probably less work.
campagnolo logo on rear wheels are good!!!
Thanks, はぎーさん。And thank you for watching.
Insane!!!
Thanks, Friant Adhitya! And thank you for watching.
Absolutely mind blowing what you can do! Incredible as always. Could we see you take a Lunchbox to the next level in a future video??? I would love to see that! Hats off my friend. Keep up the most excellent content! 🎩 👏🏻🙌🏻
Thanks, The OAG! I appreciate the words. I have to think about the Lunchbox, a friend just built one and I was just test driving it. Wasn't as excited about it, unfortunately. But I think it's because I still have an unbuilt GF01 which closely resembles it. Probably will build the GF01 first.
@@MechanicAfterHours can’t wait to see! Keep up the great work pal. It inspires us all to get better at this hobby.
This was great, I would love to see a video on all the tools you use.
Thanks, Ben Prints in 3D! No promises but I will do something about it one day.
Great video and build as usual. You should do a video of your workbench/tools. Would love to see all that stuff!
Thanks, Omar! I appreciate it and thank you again for watching. I think I need to do tools, etc. at some point since I do get requests/comments about it.