Hi folks - welcome to the portion of my site dedicated to the rebuild of a Kyosho Optima MID into a full blown 4wd racer. Unlike a lot of guys who buy all the parts and make sweet replicas, (see VintageRCWeb full of vintage rebuilds or check out The Optima House for awesome pics of Optima rebuilds) I'm going to attempt to prepare this car to compete with the top chassis' available today like the X-5 guys, Losis, Yokos and MRC's new beast. No need to laugh yet because I'm sure this is nuts but hey, if you guys have appreciation for rebuilds you'll love this.
 Last year (2006) I purchased a used Optima Mid on ebay for about $65. It wasn't stock and I could tell that the guy who had it must have raced it a little because it has a custom graphite chassis. The belt is in great shape and the tranny is smooth with the right amount of freeplay. The shocks are pretty much useless because they're too hard to adjust and I'm not sure what the spring rates are so I'm opting for a set of new Losi threaded bodies all around. Saw some on ebay for about $20.
 The Kyosho Optima body seems to be a rare find (in new condition that is). I saw two listed on ebay both out of country and both absurdly priced so I'm thinking about taking a different route, thermoforming my own! The ideal design is a 4 piece retro set [body, wing, underplate, gear cover] with a little style. Perhaps this will help me make a little cash on the side (at least to cover my costs). |
