Thank you my friend. I bought this kit many years ago and have only just got round to building it. I really enjoyed the construction of the chassis because it went together very nicely. The body is a huge amount of work though. Lots of parts to paint and then glue in place in a specific sequence so it is not a quick job. I think it will look fantastic when its finished though.
Wow, just wow. I had no idea these custom parts were available for the XR311. It looks awesome. 😎 When I (eventually) get round to building mine I'm seriously considering going with the RC channel upgrades.
The parts look stunning and have a great high-quality feel to them. Of course, you pay a high price for such nicely produced low-volume components. RC Channel also produces some amazing parts for other Tamiya vehicles and I am very tempted to buy some for my vintage Boomerang.
For me, this is one of my favourite Tamiya kits. It is not the best performer and it is not technologically advanced. However, it represents the very beginning of Tamiya RC cars and this metal chassis upgrade makes it even more special. The real vehicle on which this model is based also has a very interesting story. It is rather sad that FMC took the risk to develop this vehicle as a private venture, it was tested by the US Army and was highly regarded but at that moment in time they didn't buy any. FMC sold the rights to AM General and just a few years later the US Army actually ordered a very similar vehicle and AM General made a substantial amount of money over many decades.
As you know, it is important for me that the RC vehicles in my collection have good scale realism. This one is particularly interesting because, firstly, it is a very rare and unique vehicle in real life and, secondly, it is nicely reproduced by Tamiya. I know it will not be the best driving vehicle ever but that isn't my number one priority in this case.
When you look at this model, it is clear that Tamiya was very concerned to get the scale realism as accurate as possible. They actually looked closely at the technical characteristics of the real vehicle and replicated them where practical. The suspension layout is similar to the real car. Another thing to consider is that Tamiya started off building RC tanks. These used torsion bar suspension that had some similarities to this model. Also, because this was a very early RC car, the static model kit heritage is clear to see. They carried this attention to detail through to their RC cars. In fact, in the first catalogues they showed diorama ideas for the display of RC cars along with accessories such as work tools, garage equipment and mechanic figures.
Great video. I used 2 cable ties to help mount the servo to its mounting plate. I also added Dampers to the rear to absorb the bumps. I am thinking of getting another of these kits and doing the full upgrade, but with a race livery. 👍
Hello there and thanks for watching. When you set up your steering, did you have the steering link rod at an angle to the servo or perpendicular to it? In my video, you will see that my range of steering movement is poor so I will probably need to adjust the servo position to give an angle on the link rod. Have you seen the crazy zebra paint scheme for the XR311 in the 1979 Tamiya RC Guide Book? I was actually looking for an XR311 body set with the aim of doing a custom paint job but I couldn't find one in stock, just very expensive vintage body sets. Since the XR311 kits are still available, I would have thought it ought to be possible to buy a spare new body? It is a pity that Tamiya never re-released the Lamborghini Cheetah version. I can only assume that there is an issue with licensing on the body as it would be easy to repeat the chassis. The upgrade parts are getting harder to obtain nowadays. I checked on the RC Channel website and a lot of the upgrades are out of stock. I believe that some items were originally made in small batches and it is not clear if they are going to be available again. For me, the parts are expensive but the finished chassis looks superb. With an RC car like this, it would be nice to have a runner and a display model.
In the early days of RC vehicles, there was a lot of emphasis on scale realism. This particular product was a static model kit quality body with RC equipment integrated into the chassis. As the electrical components developed and performance levels increased, manufacturers looked at ways to make the bodies more robust. This meant that lightweight flexible polycarbonate bodies started to replace hard-moulded ABS bodies. Consequently, some amount of detail and realism was lost. Nowadays, I think there is also a culture of "bashing" where customers demand products that have high levels of durability and ultimate performance but don't care so much about looks. These are not my priorities so I look for vehicles with better scale realism instead. Often this means older kits but there are some brands that still care about realism if you know where to look.
The metal upgrade parts are not cheap. The Front and Rear Metal Kit cost 140 GBP, the Shock Absorbers Set cost 45 GBP and the Evolution Under Panel Kit cost 44 GBP. So, 229 GBP in total. Bearing in mind that the complete kit only cost 199 GBP, it is quite an investment. Cost in USD is typically very similar to the cost in GBP due to shipping and taxes. Along with the radio equipment and paint, I have over 500 GBP invested in this model. The XR311 is the car that started Tamiya's off-road RC car journey so for me, it is one of the most important Tamiya products ever made. Without it, we may not have had the Special Racing Buggy series and all the other products that followed. I bought a set of steel bearings when I originally got the kit. It is only 8 pieces in the set as it is such a simple chassis. With the metal upgrades it does look superb though!
That is a good suggestion. I wonder how easy it would be to get the spoken words to correspond with the text on the screen? I have already looked into this based on your comment and think I might see if I can implement it as a trial on one of my future shorter videos.
I built mine years ago. The build was easy, putting the body together was hard. I did not know that it was possible to get after market parts for the car. My cars is basically stock. I did install bearings in it. I could not find all of the bearings that I needed. Thoughts?
I know what you mean about the body. I would love to assemble a lot of the detail parts prior to painting as it is sometimes difficult to hide the glue. However, with parts such as the mesh on the rear end, that isn't really possible without a lot of masking. I purchased a full metal bearing set when I bought the kit, but that was quite a few years ago now. This seems to be the current offering: www.modelsport.co.uk/product/yeah-racing-steel-bearing-set-8pcs-for-tamiya-xr311-1355924
The pinion gear is 15T, high speed gear is 35T, medium speed is 45T and low speed is 63T. I believe that the three gear ratios are 9.3:1, 16:1 and 21:1. Perhaps with the right surface, you could exploit the top speed but I think this model is best suited to low speed driving due to the fragility of the body.
hi B... ' i have good XR311 car and myself some homemade chassic with low rider hummer... tamiya cheetah and kyosho blizzard in here... ' ruclips.net/video/JAc43Cuxfl8/видео.html
The Tamiya Cheetah is a real classic now because, unlike the XR311, it has never been re-released. I wanted to buy an extra body set for my XR311 to try a custom paint scheme, but I just don't see the body available on its own like it used to be.
@@bestamerica Yes, the chassis uses most of the same parts and the wheelbase is adjusted by one hole position on the chassis bracket. As for the body, I think that Tamiya was unable to re-release the Cheetah because there was a legal dispute with Lamborghini soon after the real car was built. Lamborghini built the vehicle for a company called Mobility Technology International (MTI). The trouble is, MTI basically copied the design of the FMC XR311 leading to the legal problems.
I appreciate your feedback. So please tell me, what sort of background music would you prefer? Maybe just calm mood or something cinematic or possibly just nothing at all? I totally understand the background music can affect your enjoyment of the video.
I always enjoy your videos 👍 Keep up the good work with this, my friend😊🎶🤝
Thank you my friend. I bought this kit many years ago and have only just got round to building it. I really enjoyed the construction of the chassis because it went together very nicely. The body is a huge amount of work though. Lots of parts to paint and then glue in place in a specific sequence so it is not a quick job. I think it will look fantastic when its finished though.
@@BlackSeaRC😆🎶👍
Wow, just wow. I had no idea these custom parts were available for the XR311. It looks awesome. 😎 When I (eventually) get round to building mine I'm seriously considering going with the RC channel upgrades.
The parts look stunning and have a great high-quality feel to them. Of course, you pay a high price for such nicely produced low-volume components. RC Channel also produces some amazing parts for other Tamiya vehicles and I am very tempted to buy some for my vintage Boomerang.
Allways a pleasure watching such comprehensive reviews. 🙏👏
For me, this is one of my favourite Tamiya kits. It is not the best performer and it is not technologically advanced. However, it represents the very beginning of Tamiya RC cars and this metal chassis upgrade makes it even more special. The real vehicle on which this model is based also has a very interesting story. It is rather sad that FMC took the risk to develop this vehicle as a private venture, it was tested by the US Army and was highly regarded but at that moment in time they didn't buy any. FMC sold the rights to AM General and just a few years later the US Army actually ordered a very similar vehicle and AM General made a substantial amount of money over many decades.
Very nice video with all history of the vehicles, that tamiya looks awesome
🔵🔵🔵🙂🙂🙂👍👍👍🔵🔵🔵
As you know, it is important for me that the RC vehicles in my collection have good scale realism. This one is particularly interesting because, firstly, it is a very rare and unique vehicle in real life and, secondly, it is nicely reproduced by Tamiya. I know it will not be the best driving vehicle ever but that isn't my number one priority in this case.
I've never seen a model with torsion suspension, tamiya is really crazy
When you look at this model, it is clear that Tamiya was very concerned to get the scale realism as accurate as possible. They actually looked closely at the technical characteristics of the real vehicle and replicated them where practical. The suspension layout is similar to the real car. Another thing to consider is that Tamiya started off building RC tanks. These used torsion bar suspension that had some similarities to this model. Also, because this was a very early RC car, the static model kit heritage is clear to see. They carried this attention to detail through to their RC cars. In fact, in the first catalogues they showed diorama ideas for the display of RC cars along with accessories such as work tools, garage equipment and mechanic figures.
Great video. I used 2 cable ties to help mount the servo to its mounting plate. I also added
Dampers to the rear to absorb the bumps. I am thinking of getting another of these kits and doing the full upgrade, but with a race livery. 👍
Hello there and thanks for watching. When you set up your steering, did you have the steering link rod at an angle to the servo or perpendicular to it? In my video, you will see that my range of steering movement is poor so I will probably need to adjust the servo position to give an angle on the link rod.
Have you seen the crazy zebra paint scheme for the XR311 in the 1979 Tamiya RC Guide Book? I was actually looking for an XR311 body set with the aim of doing a custom paint job but I couldn't find one in stock, just very expensive vintage body sets. Since the XR311 kits are still available, I would have thought it ought to be possible to buy a spare new body? It is a pity that Tamiya never re-released the Lamborghini Cheetah version. I can only assume that there is an issue with licensing on the body as it would be easy to repeat the chassis.
The upgrade parts are getting harder to obtain nowadays. I checked on the RC Channel website and a lot of the upgrades are out of stock. I believe that some items were originally made in small batches and it is not clear if they are going to be available again. For me, the parts are expensive but the finished chassis looks superb. With an RC car like this, it would be nice to have a runner and a display model.
Why is it that a lot of the older models are far more interesting than the newer ones you can buy nowadays?
In the early days of RC vehicles, there was a lot of emphasis on scale realism. This particular product was a static model kit quality body with RC equipment integrated into the chassis. As the electrical components developed and performance levels increased, manufacturers looked at ways to make the bodies more robust. This meant that lightweight flexible polycarbonate bodies started to replace hard-moulded ABS bodies. Consequently, some amount of detail and realism was lost. Nowadays, I think there is also a culture of "bashing" where customers demand products that have high levels of durability and ultimate performance but don't care so much about looks. These are not my priorities so I look for vehicles with better scale realism instead. Often this means older kits but there are some brands that still care about realism if you know where to look.
How much was all the metal pieces and how many ball bearing dose it use?
The metal upgrade parts are not cheap. The Front and Rear Metal Kit cost 140 GBP, the Shock Absorbers Set cost 45 GBP and the Evolution Under Panel Kit cost 44 GBP. So, 229 GBP in total. Bearing in mind that the complete kit only cost 199 GBP, it is quite an investment. Cost in USD is typically very similar to the cost in GBP due to shipping and taxes. Along with the radio equipment and paint, I have over 500 GBP invested in this model. The XR311 is the car that started Tamiya's off-road RC car journey so for me, it is one of the most important Tamiya products ever made. Without it, we may not have had the Special Racing Buggy series and all the other products that followed.
I bought a set of steel bearings when I originally got the kit. It is only 8 pieces in the set as it is such a simple chassis. With the metal upgrades it does look superb though!
Great model 👍 Why don't you use a computer generated voice to read the text? Sometimes it's easier to listen to video without reading
They sound shit, many of us skip those videos as soon as it becomes obvious it's not a human voice.
That is a good suggestion. I wonder how easy it would be to get the spoken words to correspond with the text on the screen? I have already looked into this based on your comment and think I might see if I can implement it as a trial on one of my future shorter videos.
I built mine years ago. The build was easy, putting the body together was hard. I did not know that it was possible to get after market parts for the car. My cars is basically stock. I did install bearings in it. I could not find all of the bearings that I needed. Thoughts?
I know what you mean about the body. I would love to assemble a lot of the detail parts prior to painting as it is sometimes difficult to hide the glue. However, with parts such as the mesh on the rear end, that isn't really possible without a lot of masking.
I purchased a full metal bearing set when I bought the kit, but that was quite a few years ago now. This seems to be the current offering: www.modelsport.co.uk/product/yeah-racing-steel-bearing-set-8pcs-for-tamiya-xr311-1355924
@@BlackSeaRC Thank you!
Is what is the spur and pinion size in the gear set for high speed?
The pinion gear is 15T, high speed gear is 35T, medium speed is 45T and low speed is 63T. I believe that the three gear ratios are 9.3:1, 16:1 and 21:1. Perhaps with the right surface, you could exploit the top speed but I think this model is best suited to low speed driving due to the fragility of the body.
hi B...
'
i have good XR311 car and myself some homemade chassic with low rider hummer...
tamiya cheetah and kyosho blizzard in here...
'
ruclips.net/video/JAc43Cuxfl8/видео.html
The Tamiya Cheetah is a real classic now because, unlike the XR311, it has never been re-released. I wanted to buy an extra body set for my XR311 to try a custom paint scheme, but I just don't see the body available on its own like it used to be.
@@BlackSeaRC
hi B...
'
cheetah and XR311 are the same chassics / gear with 540 motor...
both plastic bodys and tires are different designs
@@bestamerica Yes, the chassis uses most of the same parts and the wheelbase is adjusted by one hole position on the chassis bracket. As for the body, I think that Tamiya was unable to re-release the Cheetah because there was a legal dispute with Lamborghini soon after the real car was built. Lamborghini built the vehicle for a company called Mobility Technology International (MTI). The trouble is, MTI basically copied the design of the FMC XR311 leading to the legal problems.
Good video
Rubbish music
I appreciate your feedback. So please tell me, what sort of background music would you prefer? Maybe just calm mood or something cinematic or possibly just nothing at all? I totally understand the background music can affect your enjoyment of the video.