RickR Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 I just purchased a Milton Bradley Big Trak on ebay. It was in broken/parts/as-is condition. The price was right, and I thought it would be fun to try and restore it. For those that are unfamiliar -- the Big Trak was an electronically programmable toy vehicle from 1982. More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trak I always wanted one, thanks to commercials like this: I thought I could skip the apple and deliver a beer to my father. Alas, the budget would never allow for this purchase. Until now! Well, the Big Trak arrived yesterday. As advertised, in pretty sad shape. Lots of dirt and grime, a broken battery terminal, and worst of all, a broken front axle. So I immediately got busy. I took apart the wheels and applied some epoxy to that broken axle. Everything removed got washed. Next steps are to take the top off and see what's going on with the electronics. And replace that battery terminal. I've got mixed expectations. I think at the low end, I may end up with a Big Trak that is cosmetically good, but doesn't work. I'd be ok with that...it will look great on a shelf. Best case, I get it fully working. The main body section, not yet opened: Broken battery connector: Fixing Axel Foley. Using a lot of epoxy will make it stronger, and it will still fit in it's slot. Removed parts have been washed. Arenafoot, StormSurge, nosweargamer and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nosweargamer Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 That is very cool! I'm already betting you can get it to work.(Vegas has odds on everything!) I had a knock off version, maybe made by Radio Shack or something like that. It was used and had no trailer, and since the large batteries it used were hard to come by, I rarely used it. But it still had a cool look. RickR and Justin 2 Quote The No Swear Gamer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtJuo040EOCTVziObIgVcg Host of The Atari 7800 Game by Game Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and YouTube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted December 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 Update. This thing is really dirty. I opened it up, and replaced the battery connector. On/off switch needed cleaning. Now, it turns on, but I'm not sure what any of the buttons do. I guess I'll have to read the manual. At this point, I have everything drying. All pieces have been washed. Including carefully cleaning the circuit board. I had to re-solder the speaker wires and glue the speaker down. Once everything is dry, I'll put it all back together and hope that it works. By the way, it uses 1 9V battery and 4 "D" cells. Arenafoot, Justin and Atari Creep 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 Super cool to see photos of your restoration efforts Rick. You're giving me flashbacks to 20 years ago when this site was brand new and I was dismantling, cleaning and restoring 7800 systems. It was a lot like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari 5200 Guy Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 Always wanted one of these but never got one so I feel you, RickR. This is going to be a great restore project. Can't wait to see the final results. This thing was made when they use to make toys a bit more durable. Fingers crossed it will be 100% fully functional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted December 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 Cleaning complete. Re-assembly complete. Should we take a poll about whether it works? Naw! It works! It works nicely. The only thing wrong at this moment is that the "laser" light bulb is burnt out. I'll need to find a new one, and it's kind of a strange bulb. The repaired front axle appears to be fine. I am stoked! Justin, StormSurge and Atari Creep 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari 5200 Guy Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 That's a nice ride! What does that bulb look like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari 5200 Guy Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 14 hours ago, Justin said: Super cool to see photos of your restoration efforts Rick. You're giving me flashbacks to 20 years ago when this site was brand new and I was dismantling, cleaning and restoring 7800 systems. It was a lot like this. Most of my used systems were purchased in poor condition needing something. Except the Master System that was gifted to me. That thing looked hardly used. And I've got another mystery system on its way. Suppose to be here tomorrow. Fingers crossed. I'll most likely do a teardown and cleaning of it, too. I'm picky that way. Justin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted December 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 27 minutes ago, kamakazi20012 said: Most of my used systems were purchased in poor condition needing something. Except the Master System that was gifted to me. That thing looked hardly used. And I've got another mystery system on its way. Suppose to be here tomorrow. Fingers crossed. I'll most likely do a teardown and cleaning of it, too. I'm picky that way. Make a post with pictures. I love that kind of thing, as you can guess. Justin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Creep Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 Thats aweaome! I wanted one of them when I was little. Nice job! Justin 1 Quote Don't just watch TV, PLAY IT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted December 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 6 hours ago, kamakazi20012 said: That's a nice ride! What does that bulb look like? The bulb is fixed now too. Turns out it's the same type of bulb you'd find in a penlight. I had a few spares once I took the time to look. Justin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie! Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 (edited) I had one I restored with a trailer, wish I had known you wanted one as I gave it away. Edited December 24, 2018 by Willie! Justin, Atari Creep and RickR 3 Quote My Youtube Channel Arcade USA! - https://www.youtube.com/user/SVT512 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie! Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 (edited) Darn double post! Edited December 24, 2018 by Willie! Quote My Youtube Channel Arcade USA! - https://www.youtube.com/user/SVT512 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari 5200 Guy Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 48 minutes ago, Willie! said: Darn double post! Im seeing double! I need new glasses. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie! Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 Atari Creep, RickR and Justin 3 Quote My Youtube Channel Arcade USA! - https://www.youtube.com/user/SVT512 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted December 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 9 hours ago, Willie! said: I had one I restored with a trailer, wish I had known you wanted one as I gave it away. Oh man, I would have loved that trailer and manual. I'm sure you made somebody very happy with your generosity, Willie! If you ever have good stuff you no longer want, I'd be happy to pay for shipping to Oregon. Meanwhile, after a few hours of playing, my fixed front axle gave way and cracked in the same spot. So I've re-glued with a fabricated metal clip over the wound. I'm going to let it cure over a few days before I put er back together. Merry Christmas everyone! Atari Creep and Justin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Creep Posted January 9, 2019 Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 I remember wanting one of these as a kid. Forgot about it until this post and Willies video. My girls just a programing Robotics thing sponsored by LEGO for Girl Scouts this past weekend. I looked up ebay for a few and I amy pick up one of the cleaner $25 "untested" ones to see if I can get one working too. Thanks so much for posting this. Looking great BTW. Justin and RickR 2 Quote Don't just watch TV, PLAY IT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted January 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 An update! Here's a picture of the old girl on my shelf. And also, a picture of the re-fixed axle. The original repair broke after a few forays onto the carpet. But now it's exoxy and a metal clip and it seems to be holding much better. nosweargamer, Atari Creep, StormSurge and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormSurge Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 Great job!! I loved mine & like most of my childhood belongings, I wish I still had it. Just seeing that control pad brought a wave of nostalgia. So cool! Justin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 I had no idea that in 2010 a british company called Zeon relaunched the Big Trak as a slightly modified replica. It looks nearly identical to the UK release of the original Big Trak and operates the same way. They replaced the MB logo on the side of the Big Trak with their Zeon logo, but otherwise it looks identical. https://www.amazon.com/BBT-BIGTRAK-Bigtrak-Zeon-Limited/dp/B0035IZ85G/ I wish someone would bring back the Big Trak, maybe in a slightly more modern form with rubber tires, a better suspension that can go over big stuff, and bluetooth connectivity to an app on your phone to map out your room and program it in grater detail to go under chairs, etc. etc. RickR, Atari Creep and StormSurge 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted April 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 That's right Justin. I've been thinking about getting one of those. They use fewer batteries, which is an improvement in itself. Atari Creep, Justin and StormSurge 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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