Kyosho Ultima '87 JJ REPLICA On the Carpet Track at Carnosa RC Park.

So, this is my ’87 JJ Ultima Replica, that doesn’t look much like a replica. 😅 Normally, I’m not one for box art. However, as this is supposed to be a limited edition replica of a race winning buggy, I was all set to build it box art. And then run it lightly a couple of times, before retiring it to the shelf…

Well, that was the plan.

And then I got the (crazy?) idea to build it and run it in a vintage race. Talk about going from one extreme to another! 😅 (I blame RLrc on YouTube). Well, I figured if I was going to enter a vintage class race, I might as well use a race winning machine. 😁

But, just in case I’m not the only one to do so, I thought it would be wise to go with my own color scheme. Nothing worse than getting confused as to which buggy is yours while racing on a track!🫢

(I do have a spare body + decal set, so I can paint it up like JJ’s Championship winning machine at a later date.)

On to the buggy. To meet race regulations (G Force Competition Cup) it is running a 21.5T brushless set up, blinky ESC (Kyosho Le Man 240S), 7.4V lipo and Futaba radio gear.

MODS TO THE CHASSIS (a.k.a. Making The Expensive More Expensive)

Gear Diff (UT008, OT221, OT222, OT224B) – because I hate ball diffs! And they hate carpet.

HD Slipper Pad (SCW012B) – to protect the gears from the mighty 21.5T.

Titanium turnbuckles (92413, 92416) – lighter and stronger is always better.

Hard Ball End (LA43H) – who’d want soft ones?

Hard Ball 5.8mm (W0201H) – I mean really, who’d want soft ones? 🤷‍♂️

Flange Bearings (BRG007F) – wouldn’t want the servo to do too much work.

CNC Motor Plate (UTW001) – to help cool that powerhouse motor.

Spring Sets (OTW123, OTW124) – to keep things right side up.

Steel Pinion Gear (PNGS4831 – because aluminum turns to butter)

Javelin rear wing/mount – stronger than a coat hanger.

JC Racing Wheels – because 2 inch wheels are so last year.

VP Pro carpet tires – because racing is rarely done on dirt tracks anymore. 😢

Chassis Protector – because… “How MUCH?!” is a replacement carbon chassis! 😱 😬

That’s everything…I think. Plus a shed load of spares in case something breaks.

Side note: This racing malarky can get expensive real quick. How the hell did we afford all this with our Paper Round money back in the day? 🤔

This was a shakedown run and its first outing on track. First thing first: Everything worked as it should and nothing fell off. That’s always a good sign. 😅

Overall, I was pretty pleased with how it drove. Jumps very neutrally. There is quite a bit of body roll even with the hardest springs installed. That said, it only traction rolled once. Very little understeer, even on power (though the 21.5T doesn’t have much of that). The rear looks like it bottoms out on the bigger jumps, but to my eyes damping/rebound is nicely controlled. I plan to up the pinion size (it was running a 31T in this video) for some more top end. Motor and ESC remain cool, so it shouldn’t be a problem. There is a bit more work in tuning, but I’m trying to keep it as close to the original spec as possible and also keep on brand.

At the end of the day, I don’t think the JJ will do well against the competition, which I suspect will consist mainly of re-re 870C’s and Optima Mids this year. But I’m going to have fun trying! 😁 👍

With the upcoming RR Race series at Carnosa RC Park, a new outdoor dirt track opening later this year and the G Force Competition Cup, there is plenty of interesting content to come on Kai City RC.

Stay Tuned…and thanks for watching! 👍

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