RC cars

Yrkoon · 10 Jan 2026 at 00:22

any one know how to fix a unresponsive dx3c scroll wheel? eg you have to rotate it loads just to get it to scroll down a setting.

its annoying me as i have loads of perfectly good old speccy rx units but the scroll wheel on the transmitter is faulty through heavy wear and tear, the rx unit in my mini cooper pic is an example and first time i have used one of them in years, im not paying the rx prices for the new spectrum receivers they were all ready pricey at 27 quid but now their much dearer.

i opened up the dx3c a few years ago and i couldnt see any thing obvious on the scroll wheel and i wasnt too bothered untill speccy rx prices got jacked up on the new ones.

the scroll wheel on this bad boy

Nutty667 · 10 Jan 2026 at 09:37

BongoHunter said:
Penguin do a great TS reproduction: https://penguincustombodyshells.co....rra-scorcher-bodyshell-and-wing-reproduction/

Oh fantastic! Thanks for that

Yrkoon · 12 Jan 2026 at 20:33

started putting decals on the mb-01, still got a ton more to put on there are so many

Tackle_Berry · 13 Jan 2026 at 09:39

Nutty667 said:
Are lithium batteries more explosive when charged ?
I have lithium-phobia, I stick with NiMh's.

I'm the same, I've had ammo tins etc years back for FPV drones but now I just use 2x Bat-Safe boxes for my larger RC batteries.

andy_mk3 · 15 Jan 2026 at 21:15

Yrkoon said:
any one know how to fix a unresponsive dx3c scroll wheel? eg you have to rotate it loads just to get it to scroll down a setting.

its annoying me as i have loads of perfectly good old speccy rx units but the scroll wheel on the transmitter is faulty through heavy wear and tear, the rx unit in my mini cooper pic is an example and first time i have used one of them in years, im not paying the rx prices for the new spectrum receivers they were all ready pricey at 27 quid but now their much dearer.

i opened up the dx3c a few years ago and i couldnt see any thing obvious on the scroll wheel and i wasnt too bothered untill speccy rx prices got jacked up on the new ones.

the scroll wheel on this bad boy

Funnily enough, I had a similar problem on my DX3R which I fixed today. The scroll wheel would jump all over the place while barely touching it. I soaked it in some electrical cleaner after stripping it down and it's been working perfectly since.

andy_mk3 · 15 Jan 2026 at 22:40

I've been out the RC game for a very long time. For whatever reason, I've felt like now is the time to dig them out and get them functioning again. Not really used these properly since my late teens, which is getting to be quite some time ago now lol.

Pictured here is my Traxxas Revo 3.3, which I got sometime in 2007 I believe, and an Acme Condor Pro, which I believe I got in 2004 or 2005 when I was 12 or 13. Excuse the mess, my workbench at work is already busy enough without these added to the mix

Neither have run in a few years at this point.

So far, I've stripped down the Condor engine, cleaned out all the gummed up after-run oil and reassembled it, got that running on 15+ year old fuel without too much trouble. I do have some more fuel on order! Apparently you can't even buy Byron fuel any more, times have changed in the nitro world that's for sure. I don't have a receiver battery for it, so I've ordered a 4x AA battery holder as that should be plenty enough for it. Other than that, I've re-fitted the receiver to it that works with my Spektrum, as I removed them several years back with plans to sell the Spektrum kit. Powered it off the Revo battery to test and all the servos are working nicely still. So that's not far off ready for a test run. Oh, I ordered a new air filter for it too as the foam has completely crumbled on the original from age.

Onto the Revo, the engine is currently in bits about to get the same treatment as the Condor engine. I don't think this thing has seen much more than half a gallon through it, so it's in pretty decent condition all round. Fitted the receiver to this as well to test the servos, throttle servo didn't want to move at all, and the steering servos are very noisy sounding. I stripped down the throttle servo, all was well with the gears, but the motor was struggling, so I put some oil into it and let it spin for a good minute, put it all back together and that now works lovely. Steering servos are going to need the same treatment next.

I'm probab;y not going to be getting back into RC big time, but I certainly feel the urge to enjoy them once again. All this work will help preserve them even if I don't end up using them much again.

Yrkoon · 21 Jan 2026 at 22:31

first test run a success on the mini cooper, its quite a twitchy wee car and i managed to flip it as well on the stock tamiya motor lol

it had a habit of vearing off to the side suddenly at speed but went straighter when i lowered or cut power, i know its not the servo, the ground was pretty wet with no traction im guessing maybe the diff might be tighter on one side or it was just the diff with front wheel drive trying to gain traction and knocking it off course, i need to try it in the dry and see how it handles, it is my first front wheel drive car and has massive understeer compared to a tt-01

also put the rebuildable motor into my rc10, it must be a lot more torque as i had to tighten the slipper clutch up quite a bit which i never had to do on the weak old one and they are both 21 turn motors, might put that old motor in the mini for a laugh

andy_mk3 · 22 Jan 2026 at 21:43

Awesome

Wearing some battle scars from a first outing is signs of fun being had lol.

I got this out of the attic the other night. I got it when I was around 7 years old, I think!

Hasn't run in a very, very long time. Probably need to grab a new battery for it.

Yrkoon · 23 Jan 2026 at 21:43

andy_mk3 said:
Awesome Wearing some battle scars from a first outing is signs of fun being had lol.

I got this out of the attic the other night. I got it when I was around 7 years old, I think! Hasn't run in a very, very long time. Probably need to grab a new battery for it.

hehe aye some scars from hitting a little stone then the whole mini flipped and rolled about 5 times but it landed the right way up lol

your madbull looks in pretty good shape, a lot better shape than any thing i used as a kid

you could grab a electronic speed controller for not much monies and then you have the option of lipo batteries on 2s or the old nimh type ones, something like https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/hobbywing-quicrun-1060-brushed-waterproof-esc-sbec-404964

a 2s lipo would offer better run time and a bit more ooomph, i use they esc's in my lunchbox and grasshoppers and more or less any thing with brushed motors, just make sure theres still grease in the gears

incase any of the bearings have seized up or worn bushes you can get a full bearing kit for 6 quid and replace any of the bushes with bearings https://www.rcbearings.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=28&search=mad+bull

andy_mk3 · 23 Jan 2026 at 23:17

Yrkoon said:
hehe aye some scars from hitting a little stone then the whole mini flipped and rolled about 5 times but it landed the right way up lol

your madbull looks in pretty good shape, a lot better shape than any thing i used as a kid

you could grab a electronic speed controller for not much monies and then you have the option of lipo batteries on 2s or the old nimh type ones, something like https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/hobbywing-quicrun-1060-brushed-waterproof-esc-sbec-404964

a 2s lipo would offer better run time and a bit more ooomph, i use they esc's in my lunchbox and grasshoppers and more or less any thing with brushed motors, just make sure theres still grease in the gears

incase any of the bearings have seized up or worn bushes you can get a full bearing kit for 6 quid and replace any of the bushes with bearings https://www.rcbearings.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=28&search=mad+bull

It is in good shape, I was always very precious about things like that so I was always very scared or ruining them

Thanks for the info! I will likely swap out the ESC for sure, the old mechanical one is pretty horrific lol. Memories of the bloody thing getting stuck at WOT! I think I'll probably strip it down before I run it. It likely needs some loving at this point. I'll likely just grab a cheap nimh battery for the amount of use it's going to get, which isn't going to be a lot.

I've got both the nitro RC's running now. The Condor I ended up fitting a new clutch as the springs were either very weak, or just the wrong ones so it was constantly trying to drive off. Luckily I had a new replacement from 15+ years ago still. The Revo seems to be running sweet from a short bash in the yard outside work!

Yrkoon · 24 Jan 2026 at 00:14

andy_mk3 said:
It is in good shape, I was always very precious about things like that so I was always very scared or ruining them

Thanks for the info! I will likely swap out the ESC for sure, the old mechanical one is pretty horrific lol. Memories of the bloody thing getting stuck at WOT! I think I'll probably strip it down before I run it. It likely needs some loving at this point. I'll likely just grab a cheap nimh battery for the amount of use it's going to get, which isn't going to be a lot.

I've got both the nitro RC's running now. The Condor I ended up fitting a new clutch as the springs were either very weak, or just the wrong ones so it was constantly trying to drive off. Luckily I had a new replacement from 15+ years ago still. The Revo seems to be running sweet from a short bash in the yard outside work!

when i was in primary school i used to abuse my original rc10 gold tub and think it was unbreakable because it was metal lol, nothing actually broke on it lol and my kyosho tracker was amazing at primary 6, i stupidly sold that to get gran turismo 3 lol

https://www.rcscrapyard.net/kyosho-tracker.htm i had it black on bits and mostly metallic blue, was a lot of money back then radio gear and rx 220 quid or 180 cant remember watching dad build it was amazing for me

edit: i done a rookie error when building my mini when i put it in garden for first test run it did have one problem, it lost all drive after 3 seconds lol

turns out i used a pin that was too long on the spur gear instead of fitting in the indent for a secure snug fit it was on top to big to fit in the indent and it popped out inside the gearbox oops, hence motor spinning and no power to the wheels lol

Yrkoon · 27 Jan 2026 at 23:10

this looks mad for the price, i think it might be my first ever arrma, a clear traxxas mini xrt competitor while been a bit smaller and lighter and 100 quid cheaper while coming with a chassis brace alloy skid plate and fans and heat sinks out the box, smaller motor than the xrt which is a 10 scale set up while been a 12 scale model full size motor and esc, servo etc, the reviews sound awesome i am super tempted

Arrma 1/16 Mini Kraton 3S (Battery and Charger Included) Teal C-ARA2508ST2

C-ARA2508ST2 - Arrma 1/16 Mini Kraton 3S (Battery and Charger Included) Teal

www.modelsport.co.uk

Tackle_Berry · 29 Jan 2026 at 09:29

Yrkoon said:
this looks mad for the price, i think it might be my first ever arrma, a clear traxxas mini xrt competitor while been a bit smaller and lighter and 100 quid cheaper while coming with a chassis brace alloy skid plate and fans and heat sinks out the box, smaller motor than the xrt which is a 10 scale set up while been a 12 scale model full size motor and esc, servo etc, the reviews sound awesome i am super tempted

Arrma 1/16 Mini Kraton 3S (Battery and Charger Included) Teal C-ARA2508ST2

C-ARA2508ST2 - Arrma 1/16 Mini Kraton 3S (Battery and Charger Included) Teal

www.modelsport.co.uk

Yeah I think it's a really fair price, I've seen a few people on FB groups say its overpriced but I disagree. I have the 6S EXB V2 and it's been amazing so far.

andy_mk3 · 29 Jan 2026 at 20:58

Yrkoon said:
when i was in primary school i used to abuse my original rc10 gold tub and think it was unbreakable because it was metal lol, nothing actually broke on it lol and my kyosho tracker was amazing at primary 6, i stupidly sold that to get gran turismo 3 lol

https://www.rcscrapyard.net/kyosho-tracker.htm i had it black on bits and mostly metallic blue, was a lot of money back then radio gear and rx 220 quid or 180 cant remember watching dad build it was amazing for me

edit: i done a rookie error when building my mini when i put it in garden for first test run it did have one problem, it lost all drive after 3 seconds lol

turns out i used a pin that was too long on the spur gear instead of fitting in the indent for a secure snug fit it was on top to big to fit in the indent and it popped out inside the gearbox oops, hence motor spinning and no power to the wheels lol

Awesome!

Side note, that RC Scap Yard site is pretty handy, it has all the parts listings etc for my old buggy.

Nice easy fix at least for you

Yrkoon said:
this looks mad for the price, i think it might be my first ever arrma, a clear traxxas mini xrt competitor while been a bit smaller and lighter and 100 quid cheaper while coming with a chassis brace alloy skid plate and fans and heat sinks out the box, smaller motor than the xrt which is a 10 scale set up while been a 12 scale model full size motor and esc, servo etc, the reviews sound awesome i am super tempted

Arrma 1/16 Mini Kraton 3S (Battery and Charger Included) Teal C-ARA2508ST2

C-ARA2508ST2 - Arrma 1/16 Mini Kraton 3S (Battery and Charger Included) Teal

www.modelsport.co.uk

That does look awesome value to me!

andy_mk3 · 29 Jan 2026 at 21:11

Stripped my Condor down earlier. Mostly to get the gearbox out and apart. It turns out the one way bearing is knackered, which is what I suspected as it was losing drive. Already got a new upgraded one on order from Aliexpress

I'll be stripping the rest down, rebuilding the diffs, cleaning it all up etc.

I also got a set of new wheels and tyres, but the offset of the rear wheels is slightly wrong, so I have some spacers coming.

I have a new body shell for it, which I bought maybe 15 years ago I think? Needs cutting to fit so I'll have to have a go at that too lol.

Yrkoon · 29 Jan 2026 at 22:07

andy_mk3 said:
Stripped my Condor down earlier. Mostly to get the gearbox out and apart. It turns out the one way bearing is knackered, which is what I suspected as it was losing drive. Already got a new upgraded one on order from Aliexpress I'll be stripping the rest down, rebuilding the diffs, cleaning it all up etc.

I also got a set of new wheels and tyres, but the offset of the rear wheels is slightly wrong, so I have some spacers coming.

I have a new body shell for it, which I bought maybe 15 years ago I think? Needs cutting to fit so I'll have to have a go at that too lol.

glad you noticed the one way bearing was duff, i used to get em going duff miles from home on the hpi mt2 and savage with the rotostart, went through so many one way bearings with that dang rotostart and usually at the worst times lol

i loved my starter box on the hyper 7 etc though

edit pro tip on the shell, to reinforce it good use drywall tape on the inside with rubbery adhesive like shoe glue etc it really helps avoid cracks etc and holds it together good if your bashing it hard

andy_mk3 · 29 Jan 2026 at 23:34

Yrkoon said:
glad you noticed the one way bearing was duff, i used to get em going duff miles from home on the hpi mt2 and savage with the rotostart, went through so many one way bearings with that dang rotostart and usually at the worst times lol

i loved my starter box on the hyper 7 etc though

edit pro tip on the shell, to reinforce it good use drywall tape on the inside with rubbery adhesive like shoe glue etc it really helps avoid cracks etc and holds it together good if your bashing it hard

I guessed it had to be that, the clutch was engaging, the gearbox was spinning, and the shafts weren't

I've never had one fail on me before, especially in the engine. I've never owned a starter box, I do remember lusting over one as a poor teen lmao. I remember getting a blister or two from the pull start in my early teens on the original engine in the Condor, that thing never ran well.

The old gearbox as definitely seen much better days, it has a few damaged teeth, one missing altogether. One too many hot suppers for that old thing.

Thanks for the tip on the shell

Yrkoon · 30 Jan 2026 at 00:31

andy_mk3 said:
I guessed it had to be that, the clutch was engaging, the gearbox was spinning, and the shafts weren't I've never had one fail on me before, especially in the engine. I've never owned a starter box, I do remember lusting over one as a poor teen lmao. I remember getting a blister or two from the pull start in my early teens on the original engine in the Condor, that thing never ran well.

The old gearbox as definitely seen much better days, it has a few damaged teeth, one missing altogether. One too many hot suppers for that old thing.

Thanks for the tip on the shell

hehe i had to get a starter box for my hyper 7 black, that engine had something wrong with it and would be slowly idling about and pop out the pull starter from the back plate and it happened frequently no matter what i did with os/8 glow plugs which were peak for that engine, i went screw it and got a starter box for it and removed the spring from the pull start assembly and didnt have a problem since, it is now converted to electric and going well, there was only so many pull start spring rewindings i was willing to put up with and slashed fingers lol

Yrkoon · 30 Jan 2026 at 00:41

i think i have a solution to escape from the traxxas mini xrt eco system of batteries and chargers, https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/1368511 got one of them to replace the stock and restrictive battery holder and the 2 batteries i bought a while back should pair up good in paraell on their side.

Zeee 2S Lipo Battery 2200mAh 7.4V 50C RC short Battery with XT60 Plug for FPV Drone Quadcopter Helicopter Airplane RC Boat RC Car RC Models(2 Pack): Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games

www.amazon.co.uk

and 1 of these leads,https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/409312 so i can fit and run 2 of they batteries at the same time for a grand total of 4400mah

all i have to do is unscrew the rx box and double tape it some where else on the chassis as that was blocking that as it overhanged over the battery compartment a little and also have a xt60 connector on the esc instead of the traxxas one

andy_mk3 · 30 Jan 2026 at 21:22

Ideal

I didn't get a ton done today, and even less pictures haha. Got the front end stripped down. Rebuilt the front diff, the old grease wasn't all that bad, although there was very little of it. One of the front spring/shock mounts is broken, so will likely have to get some replacements for them. Cleaned the front suspension assembly in the parts washer at work, and it came out really well. Also test fitted the new steering linkage I got off Aliexpress.

Now I'm off to hunt for more parts