Mondo
2003.01.13, 04:17 AM
Overland, my impressions.
My new Overland has arrived in good time and order.
Needless to say, I was not dissapointed. It looks great.
Almost immediately after opening the box I slapped some alkalines into it, as I didn't have any NiMh batteries charged.
I was quite impressed with it's durability over less than even terrain, but I found it a little slow compared to my other 'Zs and very slow compared to my Micro RS4s (I make mention of this because BLiND said his Overland can stick with his Micro)
The first thing I noticed is how the Overland's bodyshell leans under cornering.
Too much traction under cornering and it tips over, but that's all part of the fun.
Speed is ovbiously not what the Overland is about, agility is it's strength and agile it is. I made an obstacle course from almost everything I could find, RCCA Magazines, books, DVD covers and TV remotes.
My wife and her little sister were well entertained by my antics. I was extremely amused with my new 'Z Overland.
Almost immediately, I lost a front spotlight and still haven't quite worked out where it has got to. Yes it did ship with two, but now it has none, I removed the second one.
After 20 minutes of play, I just had to charge some NiMh batteries and while waiting I decided to partly dissasemble it.
There are some good design principles in the Overland.
The pivot ball suspension is not a new design in RC, but it works well on the Overland
The adjustable wheelbase and sealed drivetrain are also impressive.
I almost immediately replaced the plastic wheelnuts with AVM steel nylon locknuts. These are the best quality locknuts I've ever come across, better than any wheelnut TopCAD, Kyosho or GPM make. I use them on all my Z's and Micro RS4's.
I like the sealed transmission because driving the Overland on carpet, it picks up a lot of hair and those two women have long hair.
At least with the sealed transmission removing the rear wheels is all it takes to de-hair the Overland. On the Mini-Z tintops and F1s, I usually have to remove the rear axle, which is a hassle when you have ball-diffs fitted on the rear end.
Fortunately I had a brand new X-Speed motor at my disposal, so I slapped that in too.
I added some Squat Neo Magnets to the outer can and tried it with the Alkalines again.
There was a marked improvement in torque, obviously from the Squat Neo's.
I also toyed with the ingenious little diff-locking plate, now isn't that a good idea?
As for the diff-locks effect, it works great! Sure it makes the Ovelrand corner like a Canned Heat, but it can clamber up most home brewed obstacles with ease.
The diff-lock also makes for an excellent self-righting mechanism on carpet. If the Overland ends up on its side, hit the gas, turn the wheel left and right, eventually the rear wheel digs in and it will spin around and right itself. Entertaining.
Once the NiMh cells were charged I slapped them into the battery holders and boy was I impressed. Now it has speed and torque.
Straight to my man made obstacle course it went and with the difflock on it climbed and conqered the DVD covers with ease. Overlands are entertaining.
Due to the weather, I couldn't venture outside with it, as the ice and snow wont do it any favours.
I love the Overland, the only 'problem' I have with mine is that the Land Cruiser bodyshell is rather long and the rear tends to get snagged, resulting it the rear wheels dangling.
The diff-cover is also a little low, but it still managed to clear most obstacles.
I found the brakes less than impressive, similar to the Mini-Z F1 brakes, adequate but far from brilliant. Perhaps I'm too accustomed to Novak ESC type braking.
Since I added the X-Speed and Squat Neo magnets, I can lock the rear wheels under braking, so that's an improvement over standard.
It needs front and rear protection. I saw a Post with a nicely made front bushguard and I will be making one next weekend.
Because of the Land Cruiser's long rear end I fitted a tow-hook.
The shape helps to protect the rear end and helps it get up some obstacles.
Any Micro RS4 owner will recognise that part. It's the rear suspension ball.
I have a set of GPM Oil Shocks, GPM Ball-Diff and bearing set on order. They should be here by the weekend.
The standard rear diff is fine and when combined with the diff-locking plate, it suits the Overlands needs.
Should Kyosho have no plan to release a ball-diff, it makes sense to me, the standard unit is more than adequate.
As for the GPM Ball-Diff, well I want to see if it's adjustable and if it offers any form of diff-locking mechanism. There isn't much space in the sealed transmission, so I'm curious to see how GPM have manufactured it.
More importantly, I want to know if there is any improvement over the standard rear diff.
I would really like to fit a Turbo. I am going to be purchasing a Turbo that offers reverse and brakes. Brakes are a must on the Overland. I want the Turbo for torque, yes torque.
While digging through my Mini-Z pit box I found a brand new and unused MZR motor.
It's a Z130-II-BB I must have had this laying around for over a year and forgot about it.
Can anyone tell me if it needs a Turbo?
The standard shocks are not too bad either. They do the job, soaking up most bumps, I think any stiffer shocks will only limit the suspension capability.
When the GPM shocks arrive, I'll see if they are worth the effort.
The bearing set should be a big improvement too.
Members who own Mini-Z cars and F1s may be wondering what parts they can use on the Overland.
Not much. The F1 wheels are too wide to fit the rear and front axles.
Standard Mini-Z Racer wheels profiles are too low, so the diff cover makes contact with the track/road surface.
Like the Mini-Z cars, the Overland's side mirrors will eventually break off if you don't drive with care.
The suspension and chassis parts will also break with too much abusive or agressive driving.
It is after all an off-road vehicle and not a stadium truck. If it's well driven and maintained it should give many years of good service.
My conclusion: Brilliant and worth every buck I paid of it.
When the Mini-ZRacer.com Shop gets the Pajero in stock, I'll be ordering one for myself.
My new Overland has arrived in good time and order.
Needless to say, I was not dissapointed. It looks great.
Almost immediately after opening the box I slapped some alkalines into it, as I didn't have any NiMh batteries charged.
I was quite impressed with it's durability over less than even terrain, but I found it a little slow compared to my other 'Zs and very slow compared to my Micro RS4s (I make mention of this because BLiND said his Overland can stick with his Micro)
The first thing I noticed is how the Overland's bodyshell leans under cornering.
Too much traction under cornering and it tips over, but that's all part of the fun.
Speed is ovbiously not what the Overland is about, agility is it's strength and agile it is. I made an obstacle course from almost everything I could find, RCCA Magazines, books, DVD covers and TV remotes.
My wife and her little sister were well entertained by my antics. I was extremely amused with my new 'Z Overland.
Almost immediately, I lost a front spotlight and still haven't quite worked out where it has got to. Yes it did ship with two, but now it has none, I removed the second one.
After 20 minutes of play, I just had to charge some NiMh batteries and while waiting I decided to partly dissasemble it.
There are some good design principles in the Overland.
The pivot ball suspension is not a new design in RC, but it works well on the Overland
The adjustable wheelbase and sealed drivetrain are also impressive.
I almost immediately replaced the plastic wheelnuts with AVM steel nylon locknuts. These are the best quality locknuts I've ever come across, better than any wheelnut TopCAD, Kyosho or GPM make. I use them on all my Z's and Micro RS4's.
I like the sealed transmission because driving the Overland on carpet, it picks up a lot of hair and those two women have long hair.
At least with the sealed transmission removing the rear wheels is all it takes to de-hair the Overland. On the Mini-Z tintops and F1s, I usually have to remove the rear axle, which is a hassle when you have ball-diffs fitted on the rear end.
Fortunately I had a brand new X-Speed motor at my disposal, so I slapped that in too.
I added some Squat Neo Magnets to the outer can and tried it with the Alkalines again.
There was a marked improvement in torque, obviously from the Squat Neo's.
I also toyed with the ingenious little diff-locking plate, now isn't that a good idea?
As for the diff-locks effect, it works great! Sure it makes the Ovelrand corner like a Canned Heat, but it can clamber up most home brewed obstacles with ease.
The diff-lock also makes for an excellent self-righting mechanism on carpet. If the Overland ends up on its side, hit the gas, turn the wheel left and right, eventually the rear wheel digs in and it will spin around and right itself. Entertaining.
Once the NiMh cells were charged I slapped them into the battery holders and boy was I impressed. Now it has speed and torque.
Straight to my man made obstacle course it went and with the difflock on it climbed and conqered the DVD covers with ease. Overlands are entertaining.
Due to the weather, I couldn't venture outside with it, as the ice and snow wont do it any favours.
I love the Overland, the only 'problem' I have with mine is that the Land Cruiser bodyshell is rather long and the rear tends to get snagged, resulting it the rear wheels dangling.
The diff-cover is also a little low, but it still managed to clear most obstacles.
I found the brakes less than impressive, similar to the Mini-Z F1 brakes, adequate but far from brilliant. Perhaps I'm too accustomed to Novak ESC type braking.
Since I added the X-Speed and Squat Neo magnets, I can lock the rear wheels under braking, so that's an improvement over standard.
It needs front and rear protection. I saw a Post with a nicely made front bushguard and I will be making one next weekend.
Because of the Land Cruiser's long rear end I fitted a tow-hook.
The shape helps to protect the rear end and helps it get up some obstacles.
Any Micro RS4 owner will recognise that part. It's the rear suspension ball.
I have a set of GPM Oil Shocks, GPM Ball-Diff and bearing set on order. They should be here by the weekend.
The standard rear diff is fine and when combined with the diff-locking plate, it suits the Overlands needs.
Should Kyosho have no plan to release a ball-diff, it makes sense to me, the standard unit is more than adequate.
As for the GPM Ball-Diff, well I want to see if it's adjustable and if it offers any form of diff-locking mechanism. There isn't much space in the sealed transmission, so I'm curious to see how GPM have manufactured it.
More importantly, I want to know if there is any improvement over the standard rear diff.
I would really like to fit a Turbo. I am going to be purchasing a Turbo that offers reverse and brakes. Brakes are a must on the Overland. I want the Turbo for torque, yes torque.
While digging through my Mini-Z pit box I found a brand new and unused MZR motor.
It's a Z130-II-BB I must have had this laying around for over a year and forgot about it.
Can anyone tell me if it needs a Turbo?
The standard shocks are not too bad either. They do the job, soaking up most bumps, I think any stiffer shocks will only limit the suspension capability.
When the GPM shocks arrive, I'll see if they are worth the effort.
The bearing set should be a big improvement too.
Members who own Mini-Z cars and F1s may be wondering what parts they can use on the Overland.
Not much. The F1 wheels are too wide to fit the rear and front axles.
Standard Mini-Z Racer wheels profiles are too low, so the diff cover makes contact with the track/road surface.
Like the Mini-Z cars, the Overland's side mirrors will eventually break off if you don't drive with care.
The suspension and chassis parts will also break with too much abusive or agressive driving.
It is after all an off-road vehicle and not a stadium truck. If it's well driven and maintained it should give many years of good service.
My conclusion: Brilliant and worth every buck I paid of it.
When the Mini-ZRacer.com Shop gets the Pajero in stock, I'll be ordering one for myself.