Typhon Typhon Tales

[LipoShirly]

up the ramp... on the trampoline....off the trampoline.....down the slide....repeat.

 

[Sphexish]

Step 111:
Receive package with stickers (and some other, irrelevant metal bits and pieces).

(Wonder why they included a drill bit...
Drilling wasn't mentioned in any of the product info or Youtube videos. )

UPDATE: Found this in the small print on the M2C website. Apparently they included the drill specifically for this scenario?

"we see this issue from time to time. but it is not a consistent problem.
All we can determine is since the casings are injected and they have more than 1 pc. in the molds ,it seems that one of the molded parts is about .01 off on the motor mount.
on all three of our sample parts, the part fits perfect. we also checked our parts to the origional motor plate and the 3mm screws all line up perfectly.
It is not uncommon for a part to warp when it comes out of a mold a little. Since the molded parts have a 3mm hole in them. any kind of warpage in the case can throw off a part.
the simplest way to solve the issue if it happens to you is just drill out the case with a 1/8 drill. this will allow a little play in the case to allow the screws to go in."

Source


Step 112:
Spot the differences:

Step 113:
Marvel at how much beefier the M2C part is than the stock plastic one. Then realize you still need to remove that nylon nut from the old part to be able to bolt in the new.

Step 114:
Said nut is -- of course -- very, very stuck, for reasons unbeknownst to all but nutkind.

Step 115:
Take the hex bolt that normally screws into the chassis brace from the bottom of the car, screw it into the bottom of the nut (so that it still sticks out a bit from below), then press the red plastic piece down on a flat, sturdy surface to make the nut pop out.

Step 116:
Study the added lip on the M2C motor plate, which makes it fit very snugly. Hope it will help keep out dust and debris (as advertised).

Step 117:
Set gear mesh, which is a breeze with the (undamaged) slots in the M2C motor plate, which even have an extra little depressions around them that perfectly fit the included washers for the motor screws. Then reassemble the power module.

(Also added a few strips of velcro tape -- the soft side -- around the slot for the spur gear to further keep out debris.)


Step 118:
Struggle to get the power module back in to the Typhon chassis. Discover some sand is keeping it from sliding smoothly into the slots. Try to pull it back out, but accidentally smash the motor can into the little plastic support for the bearing that holds the center driveshaft. Thereby snapping it.

Step 119:
"Thank you for your online order!"

(Please wait while we check whether we actually have this part in stock like we said....)


Step 120:
Bolt the chassis brace to the motor plate with the supplied screw and threadlock it like the rest.

Step 121:
Last but not least, you guessed it--

(Gettin' kinda full...)

---

up the ramp... on the trampoline....off the trampoline.....down the slide....repeat.

You forgot the big finale! A double backflip off the Lil' Tykes playhouse slide -- over the kiddie pool and the inflatable flamingo therein -- only to land perfectly in the sand pit.

 

[Sphexish]

Step 122:
Commence project Elrond "Stop The Typhon From Overheating With Those Huge-Ass Tires Slapped On".

(And since we're cracking open the receiver box anyway, might as well upgrade the servo, too!)


Step 123:
Behold! Pandora's Box. Still neat and tidy now, but woe to any mortal who dares uncover the waterproofed horrors within...

Step 124:
Stare into the abyss.

("I unleashed an UNSPEAKABLE EVIL!")


Step 125:
Pull out all the wires in much the same way anyone working at an intensive care unit absolutely shouldn't.
Also try to remember how everything is supposed to go back in. This is crucial.

Step 126:
Instantly forget how everything is supposed to go back in.

Step 127:
Take out the new ESC, servo, and fan, hook them all up together, add a battery, and subsequently feel like some kind of mad scientist as you power up this horrible abomination of loose, tangled wires just to center the servo and -- of course -- test whether you plugged everything in correctly.

(Sidenote: DAMN, that fan is LOUD!)


Step 128:
You did not plug everything in correctly. Go back to step 127.

Step 129:

Step 130:
Attach the (elusive) Arrma 25T servo saver and the old servo horn. Use a hobby knife to trim those little plastic tabs for a better fit.

Step 131:
Servo mounted without much hassle, much to your surprise. Now for the daunting task of figuring out the wiring...

Step 132:
Place everything loosely in the Typhon. Decide to put the ESC in the alternative position, at the bottom of the chassis, as opposed to back on top next to the servo. Struggle to get all the wires to route correctly, and to fit through the thin wire way on the side of the receiver box.

Step 133:
Discover (a tad too late) that you should NOT use the old 16mm bolts to screw down the ESC in this new location, as they will actually drill through the bottom of the chassis without you noticing, since you're a big ol' dumb-dumb.

Step 134:
Hunt for an additional 12mm M3 bolt for the ESC in your spare parts bin (since you already have the one from the button box), and use the 16mm hex bolts to screw down the lid of the receiver box & the ESC button unit instead.

Step 135:
Cable tie the everlasting crap out of everything.

PS: Except your wife.
PPS: Unless she's into that sort of thing.

Step 136:
Et voilà!

Mounting the fan turned out to be a breeze, comparatively.

(*Chef's kiss*)


Step 137:
Go through the process of setting the end points on the transmitter again, and test if everything is still running smoothly with the new ESC.

Step 138:
Realize (much to your dismay) that NONE of these new parts came with any stickers(!!)

 

[Doom!]

Once again, great write up and pics!

 

[Sphexish]

Step 139:
Finally get fed up with the fact that you were basically forced to stop running your T-Bone Racing chassis skid -- shortly after purchasing it -- due to reasons of this:

(It's like a black hole, from which no clump of grass can escape...)

Step 140:
Loosely screw down the skid until you discover which one of the holes is misaligned, thus causing the terminal case of gappage displayed above.

Step 141:
Find the culprit.

(Either there's a lot of variation/warping in the plastic Typhon chassis (chassises? chassisi?) or someone was very, very drunk...)


Step 142:
Decide that, instead of trying to fix the rather inconveniently-placed hole that goes into the battery spacer (which you already removed anyway), you're going to drill a new one in a spot where the Typhon chassis already has a superfluous one, right next to the power module.

(Find the hole! A fun game to play, particularly with the missus.)


Step 143:
Since pen or pencil doesn't really show up on the dark plastic, steal some of your kids' glue and use a toothpick to put a small dab of it in the screw hole.

Step 144:
Return glue to a bunch of irate kids who suddenly and inexplicably have an incredibly urgent need of it right this very second.

Step 145:
Take out your frustration on the poor, unsuspecting chassis plate with a horrific instrument of torture (AKA a Dremel).

Step 146:
Do a test fit, using an M3 Nyloc nut and one of the M3x10mm flathead screws you had left over after you'd put in the longer screws supplied by T-Bone.

Step 148:

Step 149:
Be content in the knowledge that the cockamamy ramp you constructed will now be slowly eroding away the skid instead of your actual chassis.

(Much less of an eyesore & pebble-collection device now!)

 

[Sphexish]

Step 150:
Take out your steering bellcrank, discover the bearings are somehow super grimy and that one of them feels less-than-smooth. Decide to replace the lot with Avid Revolution-style bearings.

Step 151:
After removing the metal posts, find that one set of bearings -- the bottom ones, which sit flush with the plastic -- are quite easy to push out from the opposite side, but that the other two -- which sit a bit deeper -- have a plastic divider beneath them that makes it hard to get any real purchase on the actual bearing with a screwdriver or what-have-you.

Step 152:
Improvise with some random Lego Technic part that happens to be the perfect diameter to push these pesky bearings out.

Step 153:
Read this thread and decide to also have a go at reducing steering slop in your rig while you're at it.

Step 154:
Recognize that, next to your unhealthy obsession with stickers, you are beginning to develop an inordinate fondness for wafer-thin metal shims.

Step 155:
After putting in the new bearings, place a total of 4mm worth of 5x7mm shims on top of the two bearings at the top of the bell crank assembly.

Step 156:
Next, unscrew the steel-collared bolts threading into the two nuts at the other end of the assembly, and (after a bit of experimenting with what works) decide to put a single 3mm shim on top of those.

(Just make sure not to overtighten the bolt after this or you'll lock up the movement of the bell crank)


Step 157:
Compare side-by-side with your wife's un-shimmed Granite and find just how much wobblyness and slop a few tiny bits of metal managed to resolve!

Step 158:
Being curious, go out for a test-drive and enjoy the more precise steering. However, do not give the transmitter to your wife, since you obviously require an unfair advantage during the next "friendly" race.

Step 159:
She gets hold of the transmitter anyway, using her feminine wiles.

Step 160:
Break out the pack of shims again and do the same modifications to your wife's RC car.

 

[Sphexish]

Step 161:
Notice that the rear shocks on your Typhon -- perhaps also because of the addition of the M2C brace & motor mount -- cannot quite handle the weight, sagging a little and failing to spring back up fully when compressed.

Step 162:
Accurate representation of your shocks' current Bounciness Level:

Step 163:
Double-check if nothing else is 'sticking' by removing the shocks and wheels and letting the a-arms drop purely on their own weight.

Step 164:
Refill the shocks with fresh 60wt oil.

Step 165:
Do some research on stiffer springs, and eventually purchase some of these:

Step 166:
Install the new springs and find that they solve the problem -- on top of looking significantly more badass.

Step 167:

Step 168:
Accurate representation of your shocks' new Bounciness Level:

 

[Sandracer_NL]

Good and funny thread @Sphexish
After the 168 steps when are you planning to actually run it?

 

[Sphexish]

Step (1)69:
Nice.

Step 170:
To make a delicious new Typhon body, one takes the following ingredients:

Tamiya PS-5 Black
-- PS-12 Silver
-- PS-15 Metallic Red
-- PS-23 Gunmetal
-- PS-46 Iridescent Purple/Green
-- PS-53 Lame Flake
-- and two (2) flame masks

Step 171:
Prepare the required utensils (marker, hobby knife, small scissors and tweezers) as well as some masking tape in various widths, and proceed to mask up the body shell. For the windows, we stick down a large patch of masking tape, use the marker to make the lines on the outside of the body clearer, and then proceed to carefully cut the window masks into shape.

Remember to cut nice, even chunks -- and for heaven's sake, don't lop off your fingers, because we don't want the whole body to be red!

Step 172:
You may find that applying flame masks is a massive pain in the butt.
You would be correct in that assesment.

Here's a fully masked up body I prepared earlier:

(I used paper to mask off larger sections, particularly on top of the flames since I was worried I'd pull them off along with any masking tape layered on top.)


Step 173:
We begin with the main ingredient: iridescent paint. The main problem with this delectable stuff is that it is nearly invisible without the black backing paint, yet you don't want to layer it on too thick, which would ruin the effect. Just do multiple light dustings and turn it around in the light to check if you've achieved a nice, even coating. I did four coats: one very light dusting -- which is what I always start with -- and three good additional coats.

Step 174:
Next, we remove the masks on the side skirts and the air scoops in the rear, since it's time to spray on the prerequisite coat of black to make the color-changing paint do its thing -- and we want these to be purely black as well. Smooth out and press down all remaining masks with fingers to ensure they're staying down.

Step 175:
It is vitally important that this coating of black sauce gives complete coverage of the entire dish, since we don't want any of the underlying coats to show through. Hold it up to the light and focus on any areas that aren't fully opaque yet. The head chef personally used up the entire can of PS-5.

Step 176:
Let simmer overnight until fully cured. When removing the detailed flame masks, we do not want to accidentally pull off bits of surrounding paint.

Step 177:
Remove flame masks -- carefully. Then season to taste with PS-53 Lame Flake -- another nearly invisible special coating that won't really show up until the backing color is applied. Fortunately, in this case, we can judge roughly how glittery everything is from the overspray on the surrounding black paint. Yours truly went for three coats.

The can itself recommends PS-5 black as the best backing, but other, dark colors work just as well, so long as they aren't metallic, chrome, or anything else that requires a mirror-smooth finish.

Step 178:
Add Gunmetal backing color, focusing on the side areas with the flames. Again hold it up against the light to ensure there aren't any light spots, since we'll start working with bright red soon, and we want distinct flavors, not a mish-mash of dirty colors!

Step 179:
Check out the resulting glitteryness in the sunlight at your make-shift painting booth and exclaim things like 'ooooh' and 'aaaah'.

Step 180:
At this point, I decided to add an additional backing of the side areas with PS-12 Silver. This served a dual purpose:
- Backing gunmetal with silver lightens it up a little bit, more towards grey instead of black, and allows the more metallic look to flourish
- Silver is extremely opaque paint and therefore perfect as an intermediate layer if you're painting lighter colors over dark, making absolutely sure that nothing will bleed through.

Step 181:
Remove the masking for the secret ingredient of this ancient family recipy: the stripe running along the length of the body.
After all, everyone knows cars go 10% faster (at least!) when they have stripes.

Step 182:
Begin spraying the stripe area with PS-15 Metallic Red, making sure to hold the body up at various angles to ensure the spray reaches the deeper recesses. Four coats later, we have achieved full coverage, although the color remains vaguely transparent...

Step 183:
Remove the remaining (window) masks and coat the entire body with the remaining silver paint in the can, focusing especially on the windows and the red stripe -- this because the metallic look of PS-15 really isn't done justice without a backing of silver. Additionally, the means we end up with one neat, even color on the inside of the body.

(I chose not to go for transparent windows because I run a dust cover and a test-fit beforehand already showed that this looks butt-ugly.
Otherwise, just leave the window masks on until the very end.)


Step 184:
Now we just need the all-important seasoning! Piece together the name of your creation from scraps and apply a multitude of other stickers from either the official sticker sheet or other stuff you've received on the side.

Because stickers.

(Protip: use those stickers especially to cover any areas where masks bled through a bit or where you messed up.)

Step 185:
Bon apetit!

Step 186:

 

[Sphexish]

Good and funny thread @Sphexish
After the 168 steps when are you planning to actually run it?

Thanks! But... what is this 'running' you speak of?

Certainly not anything that would risk damaging my Typhon? Or -- infinitely worse -- my precious stickers?

 

[1coopgt]

Step 161:
Notice that the rear shocks on your Typhon -- perhaps also because of the addition of the M2C brace & motor mount -- cannot quite handle the weight, sagging a little and failing to spring back up fully when compressed.

Step 162:
Accurate representation of your shocks' current Bounciness Level:

Step 163:
Double-check if nothing else is 'sticking' by removing the shocks and wheels and letting the a-arms drop purely on their own weight.

Step 164:
Refill the shocks with fresh 60wt oil.

Step 165:
Do some research on stiffer springs, and eventually purchase some of these:

View attachment 154381


Step 166:
Install the new springs and find that they solve the problem -- on top of looking significantly more badass.

View attachment 154382

View attachment 154383


Step 167:

Step 168:
Accurate representation of your shocks' new Bounciness Level:

If you don't mind me asking , who makes your dust gaurd and where did you get it ?

 

[Sphexish]

If you don't mind me asking , who makes your dust gaurd and where did you get it ?

No problem at all dude!

It's a Dusty Motors cover. They don't sell a specific cover for the Typhon but if you get their Universal Shroud size L, it'll fit on the Typhon pretty much perfectly.

You can buy directly from them (which gives you a few more options, mainly in terms of color) or from various resellers, both in the US and Europe.

 

[1coopgt]

No problem at all dude!

It's a Dusty Motors cover. They don't sell a specific cover for the Typhon but if you get their Universal Shroud size L, it'll fit on the Typhon pretty much perfectly.

You can buy directly from them (which gives you a few more options, mainly in terms of color) or from various resellers, both in the US and Europe.

Thank you very much!

 

[Homebrew]

Your body looks amazing! Yes, I said it.

 

[Sphexish]

Your body looks amazing! Yes, I said it.

Well, the body paint has now fully cured and I just finished wrapping it in sexy black tape and piercing it with body clips, so now I can safely say:

"My body is ready!"

 

[Harriot10]

Well, the body paint has now fully cured and I just finished wrapping it in sexy black tape and piercing it with body clips, so now I can safely say:

"My body is ready!"

Awesome thread @Sphexish. You dropped a lot $$$ on that build!

 

[Sphexish]

You dropped a lot $$$ on that build!

Hahaha. Don't remind me... Or at the very least -- if at all possible -- don't remind the wife...?

Seriously though, stuff like the Lunsford turnbuckles and M2C motor plate were fairly expensive and probably a bit overkill, but I'm trying to show restraint and not just replace everything with chunks of aircraft-grade aluminum. I've also discovered that a few well-placed shims or a cheap servo can already make a world of difference!

Upgrading your rig to better deal with what you choose to throw at it is loads of fun, but it's quite easy to go overboard.

 

[Homebrew]

Hahaha. Don't remind me... Or at the very least -- if at all possible -- don't remind the wife...?

Seriously though, stuff like the Lunsford turnbuckles and M2C motor plate were fairly expensive and probably a bit overkill, but I'm trying to show restraint and not just replace everything with chunks of aircraft-grade aluminum. I've also discovered that a few well-placed shims or a cheap servo can already make a world of difference!

Upgrading your rig to better deal with what you choose to throw at it is loads of fun, but it's quite easy to go overboard.

You're absolutely right. I installed those same turnbuckles, but I think it'll be worth it as half of mine were bent anyway. Did I need to put fancy red aluminum pivot balls everywhere? Well, ya, cause they look cool. So never mind!

 

[Harriot10]

Hahaha. Don't remind me... Or at the very least -- if at all possible -- don't remind the wife...?

Seriously though, stuff like the Lunsford turnbuckles and M2C motor plate were fairly expensive and probably a bit overkill, but I'm trying to show restraint and not just replace everything with chunks of aircraft-grade aluminum. I've also discovered that a few well-placed shims or a cheap servo can already make a world of difference!

Upgrading your rig to better deal with what you choose to throw at it is loads of fun, but it's quite easy to go overboard.

I’ve already been down this road. I’ve got a Granite and BR that I’ve dropped ~$1000 into each. I own 10 RC’s, if my wife ever found that spreadsheet that I keep of all my costs, I would be sleeping in the garage with my RC’s

 

[Sphexish]

I’ve already been down this road. I’ve got a Granite and BR that I’ve dropped ~$1000 into each. I own 10 RC’s, if my wife ever found that spreadsheet that I keep of all my costs, I would be sleeping in the garage with my RC’s

Oof. Yeah, it's a bit addictive... Not to mention the cost of maintenance and repair!

Also, garages are no fun to sleep in, and RCs make terrible pillows...

Fortunately, my wife really seems to enjoy the hobby herself, hence why I bought a Granite for her and my son (who obviously doesn't mind playing with a $300 RC toy much either). I've been a lot more sensible with that Granite, only really going for the upgrades I thought the most worthwhile based on my experiences with the Typhon, which allows them to 'keep up', so to speak.

But with just two RCs that get bashed sporadically, I'm already noticing the cost of just keeping them running -- so I've slowed down a bit in the fancy-upgrade department.