Wow loads of work on this one, I have to say that ball pivot on the rear gearbox looked like a good idea to stop the slap of the rear and probably worked good.
Im excited to watch this build series i just bought one of these off ebay to restore unfortunately it didnt come with a body and im sure its going to be nearly impossible to find one
Oh they are easy to find. No one really cares about these so a lot of people just have a random one sitting around...post on vintage forums and keep an eye on ebay.
Cool car! I like that pivot ball rear suspension that's super unique. That front shock Tower assembly looks quite similar to the one on my first gen Sears Lobo buggy.
The kit i have comes with a mechanical speed controller, RTR came with the pcb boardOn my runner i upgraded the steering ends with tamiya 'hornet style' for better simplicity!
I nearly bought the Panda variant on ebay a year ago when I had just gotten back into RC. It was in yellow and in great condition. I got outbid at the last minute though, sold for more than I was willing to pay. I always have an eye out for another though. Maybe it sold for quite a lot because of the colour, I haven't seen a yellow once again since then. Some of them have a circuit inside instead of an MSC, very similar to the higher end RTR such as Nikko F10, Radio Shack Red Arrow etc
Very cool. I had the same issue. I have been looking at one for years but never saw one I wanted to pay for. This one needs a lot but that my style, lol. MCI Racing did the Graupner Pinto decals for me so that is the path im going with it.
It looks like you've found a decent base to work on, it looks like it's mostly intact in the right places. It needs a lot of time but it looks like it has the potential. I was watching a "Mardave Meteor" on ebay last week but it got a bit rich for me. I thought they only made those little carpet racer things so I was surprised to discover they made buggies with double link suspension etc. And like most Mardave products it looks like some eccentric British guy knocked it up in his shed whilst his wife shouts from the house "Nigel, have you fixed the clothes line yet?"
AMPRO Engineering Same here really, I never had anything "hobby grade" when I was a kid and only got back into RC about a year ago. The hobby grade stuff I used to drool over as a kid but have no direct experience with. Every day I seem to discover something I never even knew existed.
I was given one of these, and couldn't find much information. Thank you so much for doing this video! It didn't have a battery cover or battery. I ordered 7.2V 5300mAh Ni-Mh battery. Can that work with this car? Will I need something extra to make that work?
Sure thing! Capacity of the battery is no issue, rather the physical size is the limiting factory. This will only fit a pack of 6 sub "C" batteries, 2x3. Ill do a buyers guide soon!
@@AMPROEngineering I guess I didn't specify my concern. A coworker who is into RC cars mentioned there might be an issue with it being Ni-Mh instead of NI-Cd.
I guess the original owner didn't like the lil ballcups, so he "upgraded". BTW, you ARE going to get Graupner Pinto decals..., right? lol I disliked these when they were still new, however, it took me 10 years to decide I liked its simplicity, nearly as much as a 'Hopper or even Traxxas Cat.
It has a weird look. Those wheels and the odd rollbar...so many strange things. The worst of it is the ball joint that allows the trans to pivot. It allows the rear end to turn left/right ever so little and there for makes it have accidental rear wheel steering. Brilliant.
It’s a cool looking buggy. Looks great with the Graupner Pinto decals.
I agree. I think it looks way better.
I had these in the early 90s and love it.
it is a cool car!
Never seen this car before. Looking forward to progress video!
There are a lot on ebay but not a common car to build. Weirdly, it is one of my most requested cars to make front arms for.
AMPRO Engineering nice. I've never owned a "hobby" Grade RC.
Well it is never too late! Haha! I started this hobby with a Nikko and a Tyco. Best RC's I have ever owned. I go over them in channel.
Wow loads of work on this one, I have to say that ball pivot on the rear gearbox looked like a good idea to stop the slap of the rear and probably worked good.
I know... this car is a mess but I am curious to see what I can do. I ordered new shocks already and am waiting on the arms.
In 1991 the panda was a popular RC car. many people raced them the ones that have survived in good shape they're worth money
this car was the stuff in 1991 a lot of people raced them the ones that survived that are out there now in good shape they are worth money.
Really? I had no idea the Pandamonium was ever raced.
Great vid, can’t wait to see the finished thing!!
Me too!
Im excited to watch this build series i just bought one of these off ebay to restore unfortunately it didnt come with a body and im sure its going to be nearly impossible to find one
Oh they are easy to find. No one really cares about these so a lot of people just have a random one sitting around...post on vintage forums and keep an eye on ebay.
Cool car! I like that pivot ball rear suspension that's super unique. That front shock Tower assembly looks quite similar to the one on my first gen Sears Lobo buggy.
Yes it is a good design. We shall see how it functions. The front end assembly is weird to say the least.
The kit i have comes with a mechanical speed controller, RTR came with the pcb boardOn my runner i upgraded the steering ends with tamiya 'hornet style' for better simplicity!
Oh that was the difference!
You should check out this Panda that I got in a box brand new I think it's missing a couple pieces though. I was thinking of putting it together
Oh cool! To be honest, I am not that familiar with this car. You probably know more than i do!
I nearly bought the Panda variant on ebay a year ago when I had just gotten back into RC. It was in yellow and in great condition. I got outbid at the last minute though, sold for more than I was willing to pay. I always have an eye out for another though.
Maybe it sold for quite a lot because of the colour, I haven't seen a yellow once again since then.
Some of them have a circuit inside instead of an MSC, very similar to the higher end RTR such as Nikko F10, Radio Shack Red Arrow etc
And of course after actually watching the whole video I see you mentioned the circuit board thing lol
Very cool. I had the same issue. I have been looking at one for years but never saw one I wanted to pay for. This one needs a lot but that my style, lol. MCI Racing did the Graupner Pinto decals for me so that is the path im going with it.
It looks like you've found a decent base to work on, it looks like it's mostly intact in the right places. It needs a lot of time but it looks like it has the potential.
I was watching a "Mardave Meteor" on ebay last week but it got a bit rich for me. I thought they only made those little carpet racer things so I was surprised to discover they made buggies with double link suspension etc. And like most Mardave products it looks like some eccentric British guy knocked it up in his shed whilst his wife shouts from the house "Nigel, have you fixed the clothes line yet?"
Hahahahahh! Love it! I know of the Mardave cars but have no experience with them sadly.
AMPRO Engineering Same here really, I never had anything "hobby grade" when I was a kid and only got back into RC about a year ago.
The hobby grade stuff I used to drool over as a kid but have no direct experience with. Every day I seem to discover something I never even knew existed.
that is an interesting car i have never seen that one before are you going to replace the brass bushing with bearings after the buyers guide video
Oh yeah, bearings, oil shocks and a great paint job. The buyers guide video will be good on this car I think.
Any plans for making more replacement parts for this, in particular, the front shock/a-arm mount?
Not right now. There are a lot of parts available for them NOS but maybe in the future.
Nice can't wait to see it finished how much would one in decent condition run me and are they hard to find
I would say $80 or so in decent shape. Of the Panda/Varicom brand cars, this is the easiest to find.
AMPRO Engineering I looked em up on eBay and couldn't find a single one
I'm trying all over the place to find a front shock tower. Can you perhaps design one???? Many thanks!
I can take a look at my parts car about making one. They may not be that bad to make.
@@AMPROEngineering I have looked everywhere but nothing to be found.. I'm not sure If a shock bridge from an other model fits though.
I was given one of these, and couldn't find much information. Thank you so much for doing this video! It didn't have a battery cover or battery. I ordered 7.2V 5300mAh Ni-Mh battery. Can that work with this car? Will I need something extra to make that work?
Sure thing! Capacity of the battery is no issue, rather the physical size is the limiting factory. This will only fit a pack of 6 sub "C" batteries, 2x3. Ill do a buyers guide soon!
@@AMPROEngineering I guess I didn't specify my concern. A coworker who is into RC cars mentioned there might be an issue with it being Ni-Mh instead of NI-Cd.
Oh! you got a NiMh! I thought it was a LiPo. No you are ok. NiMh batteries are actually lower voltage. You will be fine.
I guess the original owner didn't like the lil ballcups, so he "upgraded".
BTW, you ARE going to get Graupner Pinto decals..., right?
lol
I disliked these when they were still new, however, it took me 10 years to decide I liked its simplicity, nearly as much as a 'Hopper or even Traxxas Cat.
Oh, and to go with the "Pinto" decals, "Blue" paint...
It can be dedicated to the band.
=)
Yeah I am going with the Pinto decals. Haha, I was thinking blue also but the decals are orange/red/green...it may not match....
Wow it's a lot worse than I thought from instagram.
Oh yeah it is....haha!
These are definitely the ugliest of the hornet/hopper clones..
It has a weird look. Those wheels and the odd rollbar...so many strange things. The worst of it is the ball joint that allows the trans to pivot. It allows the rear end to turn left/right ever so little and there for makes it have accidental rear wheel steering. Brilliant.