VOLK TE37SL Black Edition

So earlier this summer I changed my wheels and did a review video with my GoPro as well.

The wheels I got were Volk TE37SL Black Edition by Rays Engineering. The TE37's are a trademark wheel in the Japanese tuning car community and the SL's stand for "Super Lap" which have more advanced forging methods to make the wheel even lighter.

This article has a great history on the heritage of the infamous Volk TE37:
https://www.speedhunters.com/2013/05/touring-evolution-the-volk-racing-te37/

The reason behind the price of these wheels are that unlike conventional wheels which are cast, these wheels are forged.

Cast Wheels:
Cast wheels are molten metal that's poured into a mold then cooled. Most of the wheels on the market are cast and most of the cars we buy come with cast wheels. The result is that when molten metal is poured into a mold and cooled, it may introduce uneven metal composition, air bubbles, pores, or weaknesses somewhere in the wheel. The result of this weakness is that the wheels must be bigger, heavier or stronger to accomodate the forces that the car is undergoing under any hard driving.

Forged wheels:
Forged wheels are where the metal (normally aluminum) is a solid "billet" and a very high pressure press machines compresses this metal into the wheel's shape under extreme heat (Ray's uses a 10,000 ton forging machine to do this). The result is that the solid piece of metal has the metal grain structure internally aligned and pressed very tightly. This results in an extremely much stronger wheel. Because the forging technique produces a much stronger wheel, it can be cut to be lighter without losing any functionality, or risking reduction of the wheels reliability.

So the main pursuit of buying forged wheels is to make them lighter. But how much lighter? In most cases, it's only a few lb's difference. But the key is that your wheel isn't stationary mass. It's rotational mass, and when you can remove unsprung weight in these key areas, it can aid in faster acceleration and taking some of the "lugginess" of heavier wheels.

Tamiya TT-01 86 With Upgraded Motor

So last week I showed you guys a post of my replica-of-my-real-car rc car. It was already pretty quick, but because I was running the motor so much it started dying off and seemed to be running a bit slower.

The result was that I needed an upgrade. I showed you guys the part here and took me some time to take it apart and install the new motor with the heatsink/fan and new fan combo. I also put in ball bearings and an aluminium drive shaft.

I told you guys I would try to use my GoPro and I never tried using it in the dark, so I took it out today and gave it a shot. Unfortunately, it doesn't look that crisp in the dark, but it does give you a good idea of the speed the new motor gives me:

Pretty speedy eh?

Modding RC Cars is way cheaper than modding a real car. And no gas to burn. Woo hoo.

AUTOart 1/18 Lexus LFA in Whitest White

Have I got the model for you guys. The last two I reviewed were in the $15 segment, so I decided to pull this guy out of the display case. Although the Aventador is one of my new flagships in my collection, this model, the Lexus LFA (non-nurburgring edition) is definitely my most rare and valuable model.

I bought it right when it was released so I paid retail price, but because of its rarity, especially in this "Whitest White" the price of this model has skyrocketed to above a $300 price point.

AUTOart link: http://www.autoartmodels.com/web/product/en/1809

AUTOart also has released the Nurburgring Package LFA for their second release which has different wheels, a new front lip, a static spoiler and some carbon canards. The second release didn't build the hype the first model generated, so people are still after the original non-nurburgring LFA and last time I checked, the price has only kept rising. But onwards to the review!

AUTOart link for Nurburgring Package LFA: http://www.autoartmodels.com/web/product/en/2069

The AUTOart Signature models are their "range-topping models" and are packaged differently than their standard vehicles. The entire vehicle is enclosed in a custom made Styrofoam shell and slid into a cold pressed paper box with metallic embossing all over. They also normally feature a certificate of authenticity and a numbering since most of them are limited runs. In this case, mine is 1699/5000

It also comes with a little booklet highlighting the technology, difficulties and breakthroughs that they have used to produce a model of this accuracy. It states that this model is composed of 284 individual parts.

I'm just gonna jump straight to one of the greatest things on these AUTOart models. ENGINE BAY DETAIL. HOLY SHIT! Well hopefully if you're paying 10x more than the Maisto/BBurago models, you'd have a proper engine bay. I encourage you to blow up the following pictures:

You can see that not a single corner was cut in replicating the engine in detail. The valve cover has an embossed F logo plate smack dab right in the middle. The spark plugs, wires and block are all molded separately. The carbon strut bar has been replicated very accurately. Even where the wind shield wipers are you can see vents are used and all the stickers/warning decals are replicated to the fullest. The hood is painted black on the inside and real mesh is used for the hood grills. Also you can see the ridiculous amount of detail used in making the hinges for the hood. The hood can pretty much be held up stiff at any angle from full open to full close.

My next favorite bits on the car are the wheels. They are made very nicely and I can't see a single mold line on them. The black chrome finish really stands out and they put in a lot of effort in making the brakes big, bright and filling behind the rim. It also features a metal Lexus emblem on the center cap and the brake disc texture resembles the carbon ceramic brakes on the real car. If you look closely you can also see the Lexus F trademark logo in metal on the fender.

Just like on the Aventador, metal mesh is used on all the vents and grills:

The middle of the rear of the car also has some pretty nice bits including the exhaust, emblems and the vent right under the rear spoiler:

Another one of my favorite...ah. shit. I said that too many times. Every part on this car is my favorite. This is one of my favourite models. It's just so detailed in all the places that matter and even in all the places it doesn't matter. It's just stupidly nice. But anyways, the spoiler is another one of my favorite features on this model. There's a switch on the underside and when you press it, the spoiler pops up. The spoiler can also be moved in varying degrees like the real car and the metal pistons are painstakingly simulated by AUTOart in achieving this movement:

Unfortunately, I couldn't get my photo's looking good for the interior. The interior is absolutely mental too. This photo you can see how nicely the seats are shaped and molded and I have some final shots of the entire car so you can appreciate dem lines

Lego Reimagination

Today I didn't get a chance to go home tonight and write a post or take pictures. My girlfriend's sister is moving to Toronto tomorrow for grad studies and we were helping her do some prep, packing and sharing good byes. She also had a final goodbye party and one of her gifts she received was a large Lego "pick-a-brick" cup.

I grew up playing with a lot of Lego. I mean a TON of Lego. I have several large buckets which at the times was a huge collection, but by today's Lego collector standards it may not wow as many people. Lego was definitely a staple of my childhood, but I never started collecting Lego as an adult because I knew I was short of space and it'd be a never ending collection. I regularly use to build random things and take it up to my Grandpa's room to show him the things I built. After he passed away a decade ago, I stopped playing with Lego and it's since sit in storage in those large bins. 

Recently in Edmonton we had the privilege of an official Lego store opening this summer and with it a lot of new Lego specials can now be purchased locally. Of course I was at the store opening day and got one of the mini-figure exclusive sets I'll have to show you guys another time. 

One of the features of the Lego Store is you can purchase a big cup of Lego and fill it with "pick-a-brick" assortments. Last night, she received one of these large cups and it was full of random Lego pieces her friends had picked for her. They kept mentioning that nothing could be built from it and that it was just to accessorize a Lego Avengers Quinjet they also bought for her.  

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. I cracked it open and started building.  Eventually it grew and next thing I knew I was using up most of the pieces in that cup. I really wanted to use up 100% of the cup, but due to the nature of the leftovers I wasn't able too, but got pretty damn close. BEHOLD!

Leftover pieces in the cup:

What am I beholding? I know. It looks like shit. But at least I could prove you can kinda use your (my) shitty imagination when playing with Lego. Or what you have left at the age of 23. Pretty much nothing...It looked better in person. I swear, peeps. 

Okay, the cup had like a dozen chairs in it. what the fuck can you do with a dozen Lego chairs...

Maisto 1/18 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG Hard Top

Hey hey. Back for another car review. I was out all day yesterday biking so I got home pretty late and missed it. But have no fear. I will make it up for you guys very soon. Unfortunately my camera ran out of batts so it's currently juicing up.

Last post was the $15 Bentley. A small price to pay for a piece of "luxury." Today, I continue this trend with the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG Hard Top. I'll save you guys some time from surfing Mercedes AMG's Canadian site. MSRP: $159,000. This was the second model I picked up that day, for the price of $15. Pretty good deal.

I already own quite a few Benz Models in my "garage" which include the CLK-GTR, an SLS AMG and a Mclaren SLR. All in silver, because at that time I felt that any Merc should be in it's trademark silver. The "Silver Arrow" of the automotive world. But over time, I've become quite bored of the silver and I don't really notice Merc's on the road unless they look extremely aggressive, or a very distinct colour (which also means they may be very aggressive, since certain colours are only offered on "aggressive" models). So when I saw this in that bright metallic blue, it definitely popped out and I wanted to add it to my collection. I was already running out of room in the Merc area, but I knew this one would sit well and I don't own any other blue models. Onwards to the review:

So I've given you the complete pictures of the car and right away you can see certain parts of the car are pretty distinct. The front is pretty bad ass, but as of late the new styling the Merc's are taking make every car look that way. What really popped for me was the rear of the car. The rhomboid shaped exhaust pipes look crazy and that carbon trimmed spoiler aids all the vents in the front of the car to let you know something is going down.

Close ups of that rear end...if you know what I mean.

First one shows off the carbon patterned spoiler. Looks like it's painted carbon, so you can convince your friends that you're so ballin you paint carbon fiber. 

Quad exhaust pipe has great details to prevent civics from racing you:

Here's a shot of the trunk to prove you're not a drug dealer when you drive this car:

The wheels are pretty well done also. They put in a good effort with painting the brake callipers and detailing the inner hub of the brakes. But I know for a fact that they borrowed this set up off their previous SLS AMG model they made:

One with flash, because I can't focus worth shit:

There's a lot going on in the front of this model. Everything from the chrome emblems and grills, ot the clear tail lamps, the silver clear accents for fog lamps and the silver trimmed lower lip. It's all
made very accurately and a lot of attention was put towards keeping all these bits legit.

Once again, the worse part of these cheap models is the engine. Just garbage. Single piece of pressed plastic.

Another thing I hated on the model besides the engine is how wide the doors open. You guys can't see from the pics, but it's pathetic. If the car door actually opened only that wide, I'd never get my ass into this car. Didn't seem like they put an effort into increasing the range of the door opening on the scaled version.

One thing that did surprise me was the detail in the interior. You can see all the steering wheels, carbon trim and even the stamp on the buttons. These dashes are freakin tiny, and there's details I couldn't see until I took these pics.

I encourage you to blow up these pics. The silver trim on the dash, vents and steering wheel are painted with great detail. Nice perforations on the pedals and the seats. You can also see the carbon trim on the dash and in the center console.

That's all I got for you guys. Pretty good for $15. Last time I spent 15 bucks I drank a pop and ate greasy chow mein.

BBurago 1/18 Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible

Although as of late I collect very high end models, I still buy the odd cheaper 1:18 scale models made by BBurago or Maisto. It's obvious that they have made leaps and bounds in the last decade to bring the quality and accuracy of their models out. Also new techniques, molding and materials have given these models a lot more "value". 

Today at Costco I was browsing through the 1:18 and came across this. I thought only Minichamps had a license with Bentley, but turns out BBurago produced one too. For $15 I definitely had to pick it up.

I'm not a HUGE Bentley fan, so I couldn't justify buying the Minichamps version at $200. But I do love the Bentley's shape, its power and it's heritage. The W12 engine is an absolute beast and it seems to be shown in the body work. 

The base version of the Continental GT has a W12 that puts out 567Hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. Essentially, its two V6's that are side by side to create a "W12". The Continental GT was produced since 2003. The second generation started from 2012 onwards and this model happens to be a 2013 model. The Continental GT had a "Speed" edition come out in 2012. This gave it a big boost up to 616 HP, a 100HP gain and 590 lb-ft of torque. The Convertible edition came out for 2013 and this is the model I picked up:

One of the thing I hate a lot about cheap models is the "wheel gap." It seems that the wheels never fill in properly and that when they do the cars don't sit quite low. They always seem to sit very high because they like to put in "working suspension." For this model BBurago skipped the working suspension and the car sits very nice and low. 

One of my favourite parts on the model is the front end. it looks so large and aggressive and definitely gives me the hint that something beastly is hiding under there. The headlamps are done up well and the grills are all in a satin black which accents the silver paint very well.  

The rear of the car also looks very good. The exhaust area and cut out are a separate piece which allows the exhaust area to have more detailing. One thing I'm not a fan of is the license plates they do. I wish they would just print out manufacturer name plates or "continental GT" or leave the area blank. 

Another area that the lower end markets are doing very well in improving are the wheels and brakes. It had poor lighting but the wheels looked awesome. Another huge improvement are that the callipers are static while the brake disc turns with the wheel. I'm use to cheaper models having the static disc brake! Bentley is also cleanly printed on the calliper and the wheels have a metallic sheen to them giving the impression of really being metal wheels. 

The interior is also a huge improvement over prior Bburago models. The seats have a nice diamond pattern on them and embossed with Bentley on the neck rests. The console has carbon fibre patterns moulded into them and the silver highlights on all the knobs are accurate and not misprinted or misaligned. 

The soft top is also very realistic and the sheen they chose for the paint makes it seem less like plastic and more like a fabric soft top. 

Upon opening the hood I was met with standard disappointment of a cheaper model. The engine section really does blow. It's a pressed flat piece of plastic that has some paint here and there. Really really shitty job. But I can't imagine them making a separate engine block and building on top of that. It seems to be the standard. I have older Bburago's or Maisto's where quite a bit of effort was into having multiple "depth" to the engine bay. But it seems that with cost cutting measures the engines are now printed flat pieces of plastic. Bummer. 

Also this is my first Bentley model ever. I also owned a rare Bentley book titled Bentley: A Motoring Miscellany. It's one of my most cherished coffee table books and offers an insight into the models, history and random interesting facts about a automotive marque that most people don't know a single fact about. 

Tamiya TT-01 Toyota 86

So another hobby I forgot to mention that I recently got into was RC cars. This was my first RC Car and my group of friends gave it to me for my birthday this new year. It's interesting to have to assemble these cars, but you learn to appreciate them pretty quick. It's fun to put all those pieces together and have them all work in conjunction to build such a fast little car.

The body shell came clear and had to be painted and sprayed. Of course I chose Pearl White to match my real car. I also took quite a bit of time to recreate it as as close as I could too my car which included making custom wheels and a license plate.

The RC Car comes quite fast. I found that I spend a lot of time after more stressful days at work just shutting my brain off and running it around in my back alley. The battery I have in it currently runs for half an hour, a 7.2V NiMH that's 3200mAH, but I have a 6800mAH one on the way which should double my run time.

For the wheels I ordered knock off plastic TE37 look alikes. First thing I did was spray them gunmetal to get the center and lip texture on my actual wheels. I then masked them off and sprayed the spokes black to match my "Black Editions". I then printed some decals out on my laser printer and used a highlighter to get the florescent match.

Another great thing about having an RC car that looks just like yours is that they are a hoot at car gatherings or meets. Everyone thinks its hilarious that you have a miniature exact replica of your car that runs around maybe just as fast.

The last thing that's great about the RC cars are that as a car tuner/enthusiast you're always looking for ways to mod or get more speed out of your car. With the RC cars, its much easier. and SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper. Which makes it all the more worth while to get into. This morning I finally got in my new upgraded engine. The stock engine that came with my car started showing some problems and signs of slowing down pretty quick. It also seemed like something was dragging it down. Since I was getting a new motor I decided I'd get one with more juice.

The downfall of more juice is more heat, so I had to order an aftermarket heatsink and a fan for the speed controller. Here's a box shot:

My current 100% stock chassis besides the aluminum drive shaft upgrade:

New Tamiya Super Stock RZ engine vs the standard 540 engine in the chassis:

Aluminum heatsink and fan attached to the new motor:

I haven't had a chance to put the motor in,but once I do, I'll try to get some footage or something up for you guys and give you guys my impression. For now I wanted to give you a guys a small insight into the things it takes to get an RC car running and that it isn't too hard to get into. And contrary to popular belief it isn't that expensive to start off and it's not just for kids. It's a great way to spend 30 minutes in the sun after a day of sitting in the office for 8 hours!