zbeams q-steers (customs)

[z-beam]

hey guys, got some pics using the not so good but very handy psp camera attachment.

the 4 basic cars available here at the moment.

gravedigger monster truck donor body in its original state next to the in progress ford hot rod. hit a problem in that the windows and the body are all black plastic and wont let the IR signal through. options are at this stage to cut out the windows and do them in clear plastic and give it a sunroof or finish it and have a go making a mould and casting it in clear resin.

detail of the front end so you can see how much scratch builing is needed.

some spare bodies found from “kids r cool” 2 pack of racers from coles (mx-5), a toy story 3 pack of pull backs (bus) and a single pack “zipper” pullback from the trackstars line in a safeway store.
the kids r cool stuff is so bad quality, but a nice place to start with modding. the toy story stuff is overpriced and the 3 packs arnt random so you allways get some junk body thats a repainted x-trek shell (the lame sci-fi looking ones). the zipper had decent paintwork and the detail is as good as q-steers only the windows are painted onto solid colour plastic. still bargains for under $3 a peice.

[dgs73]

damn mate that Ford is too cool, shame about the i.r. issue. Further, you’ve got too much time on your hands… hahaha… Nice finds though, how do things line up off the get-go? Wheel arches, etc? Much modding in your future?

[z-beam]

had to expand both wheel arches using sandpaper wraped around a pen. they line up nicely now.

anything that is a choro-q clone mates up perfect with a q-steer chassis. the problem arises with the lack of transparent windows and in low bodies like the mx-5 the guts prevent the body from fitting at all.

with an hour to kill today and no latex/resin to make a mould i decided stuff this im going to cut those windows out. the back end of the van got in the way so of that went, its now a ute.

still think the windows are so small i might need a sunroof in the cab still. havent seen many rods with sunroofs however so im a little stumped on how to do it.

[z-beam]

quick update…

did a lot of chopping, and a little shopping. found some nice railway HO scale aluminium mesh for the grill and rebuilt the back end. figured on modeling a hard top ute rather than an open tray.

all the windows are empty now. i might leave em like that. didnt end up doing the sunroof. figured ill save that for the next gravedigger body, im planning on doing a full mod on it to become a t-bucket.

[z-beam]

heres up to date pics of the hot rod finished wit matt black paint.

[z-beam]

a group shot with the other muscle cars.

from left to right: ’32 ford, firebird, prince skyline (its a chevy! i swear!) and corvette stingray.

the ford is a complete custom job, the firebird is a converted choro-q that is a little crusty but finished (i bought 2 of these so this was the practice run), the prince is in the process of being modified to fit the q-stter chassis and the stingray is a purchased q-steer.

[z-beam]

ok now the off road custom and wip (work in progress).

this is the land cruiser done in tamiya froggy green metalic. started at a baby blue choro-q that was waaay to short in the front to fit the chassis. with a bunch of chopping i got the wheel arches to line up and made a custom front bullbar to make up for the half cm of shortness to cover the front chassis tab.
its a little goofy, but it worked 🙂

raised it a little also front and back.

[z-beam]

group shot with the off-roaders.

L to R: land cruiser, hummer,jeep wrangler and the grasshopper buggy.

the hummers a bit long and the wheel arches dont fit the chassis (choro-q), the wrangler is a bit short like the cruiser but ill get it to fit and the buggy is stock but the battery is stuffed.

[betty.k]

they look fantastic! i love a matt black muscle car and that’s no exception!:smiley16: :8ball:

[tim93au]

hey, can some1 tell me how to take the shell off my Q-steer, i dont wanna brake it!

[z-beam]

ive broke the tab off one shell (the pretty corvette 🙁 ) out of ten.

what i do is use a really small flat head screwdriver and pop the front end off first. get the head between the shell and the chassis one either side of the tab where its glued and tilt the screwdriver till the glues seal breaks.

te back end is a little more tricky, depending on the ammount of glue a little twisting can break the seal and ive had to trim the glue with a scalpel (razor blade) a few times. the screwdriver can be handy here also.

unfortunatly there is no fool-proof way of learning how to do it so take your time and be gentle with the small cars.

[tim93au]

thnx man,

the front came off easy and because i changed the coin holder at the back it just didn’t need much seeing to at all.

[tim93au]

This isn’t really so big gut a lot of people dislike the flap at the back where you can put a coin. And when you tell the shell off it can snap. With it shortened the shell comes off easily and i think it looks better. Especially on my R34 as you can see the tail lights completely. I’ll post some pics soon.

[z-beam]

im not to fussed about the coin slot to be honest. allthough i have contemplated what one without it would look like.

i look forward to seeing the pics of the skyline tim.

[tim93au]

here a little how to. Simple but its easy to stuff up.

[z-beam]

i like that. looks more lik a number plate now. a very simple but effective mod 🙂

[tim93au]

cheers mate, it is also better on a R34 because you can see the tail lights completely

B.T.W does can any1 recommend a paint to do the shells with?

[z-beam]

sorry didnt see the edit.

using tamiya sprays and masking tape ive had decent success before painting small shells. took a bit of practice however and i havent painted anything small in a long time.

[Admin]

Can i see more mods please?
Motor upgrades,batteries?

[z-beam]

batteries hmm… you can buy silver oxide ones which last a little longer and have a tiny bit more voltage i think. best batteries are decent ones like energizers for a q-steer, watch batteries from a jeweler cost way to much and are over rated.

as far as motors go every bcg motor (bit char-g) causes interference ive found, and ive tested pretty much every one i own which sucked. some people have said it works for thm however.
they will make the care drive faster, but the interference plays havok with accurate steering.

ive been having a go constructing micro suspension for the front from plastic tubes and rods and not getting very far with the positioning.

also the rear axle could easily be repositioned to make the chassis longer. ive spent a while looking at all the options. not only would it make the car handle a little different but bcg shells might be the right size.

[Admin]

i have just bought another q-steer with high speed motor.
The motor really makes alot of difference!
i wonder y they put the ‘normal’ motor in there instead?! it sucks!
I’m trying to transfer q-steers IR board over to a BCG ,and ordered some zipzap motors and gears to test it out.May test 3 cells for a change….
Going for a FAST ride…

[z-beam]

if you read around here ive taken some photos of successful gear tests using bcg gears. also the tamiya/tomy micro buggies have a blue capped motor that fits the q-steers and runs nicely.

what colour is the high speed motor you found d1?

[Admin]

@z-beam 227138 wrote:

if you read around here ive taken some photos of successful gear tests using bcg gears. also the tamiya/tomy micro buggies have a blue capped motor that fits the q-steers and runs nicely.

what colour is the high speed motor you found d1?

still waiting for my zipzaps parts to come,currently on q-steer orange motor wif orange gears.

[z-beam]

@d1nzfe 227139 wrote:

still waiting for my zipzaps parts to come,currently on q-steer orange motor wif orange gears.

one of the best set ups available, and the best from using only q-steer parts.

built a track yet?

[Admin]

no track yet…
fitted zipzap orange motor + black pinon gear+ orange spur gear…
WOW it flies!
:smiley14:

[z-beam]

it might fly but can you still steer it and is there any interference at all?

[Admin]

@z-beam 227155 wrote:

it might fly but can you still steer it and is there any interference at all?

i do notice at 1st but now running ok!
no interference!maybe its run-in?

:smiley14:

[z-beam]

could be, but i tested all the motors i had from bcg’s for about 30 seconds a peice and everyone of them was run in ( on the bcg chassis) and caused interference on the q-steer.

[z-beam]

Picked up a few more in Singapore, as well as a robo-q.
Managed to find the blue skyline one mat cuircut set for $25 aus. The white rims are nice and the corner prices are great.
Saw a bunch of buggy sets (the ones with hop ups) but for $70 not to worthy.

The q robo is interesting, the auto mode makes me crave for a car with the same system. Ai drivers to navigate would be sweet on a track!

Anyone know if the tomy caul cars controller is larger and compatible with a qsteer? The tiny remotes are a nightmare for my big thumbs!

[Author]

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