“The Most Advanced R/C Car.- says Popular Science” The new 1/10th scale Losi TEN T is one of the coolest new cars to come out since the traxxas T-max. This new RTR truggy is packed with new innovation and performance. Losi’s revolutionary Remote Onboard Starting System (R.O.S.S.) and Spektrum’s DX3S radio system with integrated Telemetry means you can not only start your RC car with a touch of a button on your remote, you can also see the speed temperature RX voltage and more. All this and a spectrum radio to boot.

The engine is a jaw dropping 3.4cc 34000 rpm with a beautiful ionized aluminum heat sink.
Some of the main features of this truggy are..

2-Shoe Clutch
The TEN-T’s 2-shoe clutch is based on Losi’s race-oriented clutch design for incredible durability and acceleration. Whether you’re racing on a track or tearing up the backyard, the clutch design will give you the power you need.

4mm Tie Rods with Captured Ends.
We’ve designed the TEN-T’s tie-rods with captured ends to stand up to extreme impacts and virtually any terrain you’ll encounter. Captured rod ends prevent accidental disconnection and keep the suspension solid and reliable.

Black Anodized Aluminum Chassis
Precision formed and machined from 3mm thick premium aluminum alloy, the TEN-T’s chassis provides a rock-solid foundation for unbeatable strength and stability. The chassis plate features a black anodized coating for increased durability and resistance to the elements.

Losi Digital High-Torque Steering Servo
The Ten-T’s high-torque digital servo gives you incredibly strong, fast and precise steering response and control.

I would not be surprised to see this as the next big movement in RTR Nitro cars. The bar has been raise again!

]]> http://www.rcgawker.com/2010/04/losi-ten-t-closest-thing-to-a-real-car-yet/feed/ 0 http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/10/history-and-of-the-rc-car/ http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/10/history-and-of-the-rc-car/#comments Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:33:51 +0000 rcgawker http://www.rcgawker.com/?p=1409

Powering these cars to incredible speeds were two-stroke, internal combustion engines mounted on an aluminum chassis. These engines used fuel made of a special blend of nitrogen, methanol, and lubricant. 
Electric powered cars started to emerge in 1974. WorkRite and Leisure were some of the companies that produce these electric powered cars.

In 1976, Tamiya Inc. released their very first R/C car, the 1/12 Scale Porsche 934 Turbo. This was powered by an electric motor with a pan chassis and direct drive transmission.

Three years later, the first 1/8th Scale On-Road Gas World Championship was held in Geneva. Phil Booth, from England, was crowned World Champion driving a PB Racing car.

Cars in the 70’s were designed to run on-road, such as smooth parking lots. followed up the Porsche 934 Turbo with others such as the Lamborghini Countach, Toyota Celica, and scale Formula 1 cars such as the Ferrari 312T3 and the Tyrrel P34 Six Wheeler. 
The release of the Tamiya Rough Rider in 1979 brought a new dimension to the hobby. The car was capable of running in off-road conditions such as dirt, rocky terrain, and water. It had a die-cast suspension system and large rubber tires. 

Immediately following the Rough Rider was the Tamiya Sand Scorcher. Both cars are now collectibles, sometimes fetching over a thousand dollars in eBay. 

These off-road cars could be run anywhere. In backyards, rough parking lots, or baseball fields. Little did anyone know that this would start the R/C craze in the 80’s.

The 80’s
These were the fun years of the hobby. The 80’s saw an explosion in the popularity of the hobby, most notably in the 1/10th scale off-road category. This was an era when you could expect to see 400 competitors in a major race. 

The 80’s also saw World Championships, held every two years, for the 1/12th scale on-road electric cars. In 1982, Associated Electrics became the first 1/12th Electric On-Road World Champion.

1985 was the year of the first IFMAR 1/10th Electric Off-Road World Championship. Again, Associated Electrics won with the RC10.
This was also the year that Tamiya surprised everyone by introducing a 4-wheel drive (4WD) buggy called the HotShot. This was the first true off-road racing car from Tamiya. It was faster than its 2WD predecessors, especially in slippery and dusty conditions. 

1986 was the year of the first IFMAR 1/8th Gas Off-Road World Championship. 5 These were awesome 4WD beasts capable of speeds of 40 mph, off-road! 

By 1988, 4WD off-road cars exploded in popularity. Top electric cars were the Schumacher Cat (1987 World Champion), Kyosho Optima Mid, and Yokomo C4. 

In 1/8th Gas, the Kyosho Burns 4WD took 2nd place in the 1988 IFMAR World Championships. 
This year also saw the emergence of a new class, the 1/10th electric on-road racing cars. These lightweight cars had incredible power-to-weight ratio, capable of circling oval tracks at speeds in excess of 40mph! 

In 1989, cars went even faster. At the Encino velodrome, a 1,000 feet bicycle track, Kent Clausen drove an electric RC10L to an incredible one lap average speed of 57 mph!

The 80’s were truly the best years for the hobby. Crowned were World Champions in 1/12th scale electric on-road, 1/10th scale electric off-road, 1/8th scale gas on-road, and 1/8th scale gas off-road. 

At the second International Electric Drag Racing Association World’s Drag meet, in 1992, electric cars covered 132 feet in 1.8 seconds at speeds over 75 mph.

This time also saw the emergence of 1/10th scale gas cars and trucks, such as the Serpent Impact and electric trucks modified to run using 2-stroke engines. 

1992 was the inauguration of the first IFMAR 1/10th scale electric on-road World Championship. Held in California, USA, the event was won by Joel Johnson driving a Trinity Evolution 10.

By 1993, 1/10th scale electric truck racing was popular. What started out as monster trucks for backyard bashing, these racing trucks are as technologically advanced as their buggy counterparts. 

There was a downside to faster speeds. Battery, motors, tires, and cars became more advanced. Money became an issue, and to an extent, a necessity to win races. 

To make racing more affordable and fun, parking lot races were organized. It was a move back to the origins of R/C car racing of the 80’s. Fun was the name of the game. 

It is worth noting that Tamiya started to introduce scale and realistic looking cars similar to real cars that we drive everyday. These would eventually lead to the popularity of “touring” cars in the year 2000.

1994 saw the arrival of 1/10th scale gas trucks. Associated released the RC10GT, and Tamiya the TR15T. This was also the inaugural year of the Tamiya Racing Championship in the USA, set to promote low cost racing. 

1995 saw the first IFMAR 1/10th scale I.C. On-Road World Championship. This was won German Michael Salven from a company called Serpent. 

1996 saw the trend towards smaller scale cars. Tamiya had the mini series, cars that were technically 1/10th scale but had dimensions similar to a 1/12th scale. The Roadrunner GTO 962 was a 1/12th scale, 4WD touring car. BRP released a 1/18th scale on-road truck. 

In 1997, the first Kyosho World Cup was held in the Philippines. With 30 teams from 17 countries, the winning team came from the Philippines. These cars were 1/10th scale powered by 2-stoke gas engines. Adding to the realism was the 1-hour long race, which included several pit stops for refueling and repairs. 

Touring car mania was on. Companies such as ABC, Associated, HPI, Kyosho, Losi, OFNA, Roadrunner, Schumacher, and Tamiya produced over 40 different cars to choose from. 

1/8th scale on-road gas was a domination of an Italian driver, Lamberto Collari. He won 5 straight IFMAR World Championships from 1989 – 1997. The car was a Serpent Vector with a 2-speed transmission and a 3.5cc engine. Racing speeds were in excess of 70 mph! 

1999 saw the rise in popularity of gas-powered cars. Off-road gas buggies from Mugen and OFNA. Tamiya even joined the gas car craze by producing the TG10 Pro.

2002 was a shocker, when Surikarn Chaidejsuriya of Thailand won the 2002 IFMAR ISTC Electric World Championship, driving a Tamiya car. It was a surprise because this was the first time a Tamiya car has won an IFMAR World Championship.

The Future of R/C
The fun hobby of R/C is currently experiencing dwindling interest and slow growth. Does the future look grim for the hobby? Will it, like a fad, eventually die out? Personally, I believe that this hobby is too much fun to die out. 

As to the future growth of the hobby, I believe in the concept of “self-fulfilling” prophecy. If we predict that the hobby will grow, subconsciously our actions will lead towards achieving that goal. 

As a mere hobbyist, what can I, or we do? Well, we can start by helping out newcomers and beginners by giving them helpful advice. And that is the main motivation for me in writing this book. To help newcomers, and see this hobby grow and exceed the glory years of the 80’s. 

The next step would be to organize low cost, non-competitive, and fun racing events. The idea is for us to all experience the fun of racing, win or lose. And for newcomers and beginners, you can help the hobby by inviting your friends to get into the fun hobby of R/C cars.

Sources:
1. rccartips.com
2. Steve Pond, Radio Control Car Action Magazine, January 1990, p. 108
3. rcvehicles.about.com
4. Robert Schleicher, Model Car Racing, 1979, p. 95
5. www.tamiyausa.com
6. IFMAR Web site – http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ifmar/
7. Steve Pond, Radio Control Car Action Magazine, March 1989, p. 66
8. Rich Hemstreet, Radio Control Car Action Magazine, January 1990, p. 58
9. Mike Ogle, Radio Control Car Action Magazine, November 1992, p. 120
10. Mike Ogle, Radio Control Car Action Magazine, January 1993, p. 168
11. Radio Control Touring Cars, Fall 1997, p. 32 – 43 ]]> http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/10/history-and-of-the-rc-car/feed/ 0 http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/09/tips-to-improve-your-driving-skills-on-the-track/ http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/09/tips-to-improve-your-driving-skills-on-the-track/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:36:47 +0000 rcgawker http://www.rcgawker.com/?p=1332 BASIC DRIVING TRAINING
You cannot make yourself a skilled driver just by running a car at will. Make a course using things like empty cans as pylons.
OVAL COURSE 1
This is the simplest course using two pylons. It looks simple at first sight to drive a car along, but it will require some practice to achieve sharp and rigid turns made with the pylons as vertexes of the curves. Practice both ways, clockwise and counterclockwise, until you can make both rounds in about the same period of time. Figure “8″ drill can be also done in the same track.

OVAL COURSE 2
Have two or three pairs of pylons forming gates and run your car through them as accurately as possible. You will find it much harder than the oval course No.1. For the first period of time, arrange the pylons at a wide space, narrow them gradually, then at last put them at a space of one meter. Practice in both rotations, clockwise and counterclockwise.

ROAD COURSE
When finishing course No.1 and No.2 you have mastered the basic driving techniques. Now you should proceed to complex courses. Build a road course with the pylons, from basic figure “T” and “L” courses to more complicated circuits, assortment of figure “L” and hairpin curves, high speed curve and slaloms.

CAR STEERS OPPOSITELY?
If you are a novice driver and not sufficiently accustomed to R/C car driving, you may feel as if the car steered oppositely to the transmitter movement when the car runs toward you. To solve this problem, try to imagine you were driving in the R/C car. As you repeat the basic exercise, you will get used to this way of thinking and control the model smoothly.

WHERE TO LOOK WHEN DRIVING
When you drive a car, it is important what you keep your eye on. Suppose the squares described are the field of vision, Put your Point of sight on the forward part of the area of vision with a car placed at the rear. The car moves at a rate of 8.3meters per sec when the hourly speed is 30km/h. With your point of site on the car itself you cannot keep clear of obstacles ahead, because it is to late to notice them; nor can you take corners easily.

Vivid Fluorescent orange pylons are useful for marking a track. Soft resin material does not damage your R/C car during impacts. To find out more about purchasing click the image on right.

Corner Pylon
Improving your R/C skills on the Track
Operating a radio controlled car in the open is one thing, but running it on a closed track is entirely different. Even though you are not competing, and only practicing, driving on a track will add much to your driving skills. You can also observe techniques used by experienced drivers running highly tuned cars at the track.

No particular skill is required for driving a car just straight, and the drag speed is limited by the car’s own inherent performance capability. However, at curves, your finesse of taking corners affects the result even among cars of the same performance. Especially in speed races, the cornering technique is one of the decisive factors. After becoming accustomed to the car, try to practice smooth, speedy and stable cornering.

“Slow-In and fast-Out” is a golden rule In speed controlling at curves, and “Out-ln-Out” instructs how to steer a car. Briefly, you should control speed in “Slow-In and Fast-Out” manner and steer a car in “Out-ln-Out” way.

WHAT’S “SLOW-IN AND FAST-OUT”
Decelerating when entering into a curve and picking up the speed after a vertex of the curve is the technique. In the case of entering bends without reducing speed, the car is forced to slow down before finishing comers to lose speed and stability. In the worst cases, the car might spin or run off the course. It also gets the car moving too late to pick up speed. As a result “Slow-In and Fast-Out” is the fastest way to take corner’s.

WHAT’S “OUT-IN-OUT”
It is, as illustrated, a way of turning curves from the outside line of a course Into the inside line to which the car will come closest at the vortexes (clipping points) and finishing the cornering approach back to the outside line, thus making the longest possible turning radius. By utilizing the full width of the course, the car will make an easier turn than the actual curve. So the car may be allowed to run through It faster.

SET THE CUPPING POINT AFTER THE VERTEX
As a matter of fact, however, it seems more advantageous to set the clipping point a little after the vertex, because it allows easier latter half cornering and enables the car more powerful acceleration into the straight course, in spite of sharper first half cornering.

ACCELERATION DURING THE LATTER HALF OF A CURVE IS IMPORTANT
Both “Slow-In and Fast-out” and “Out-in-Out” techniques are established from attaching more importance to velocity in the latter half of cornering than the first half. This has something to do with the acceleration of a car; that is a car increasing speed faster than other cars at the latter half can take the lead in the successive straight track, provided the cars should have the same pickup and maximum speed capability. This principle is true anywhere except in a very wide road where you are not required to reduce the speed at all.

THE LAST CURVE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT IN A CHAIN
The last curve is the most important In continuous curves. In successive bends of a road, steer your car so that it will make the easiest turn at the last curve. Then you will be able to speed it up as soon as getting into the straight course.

CONSIDER COMPLEX CURVES AS ONE
Consider complex curves as one integrated compound. In the case of complex curves with different radii, you can manage to get through by considering them as one complex curve and making a cornering passage.

TAKE THE INSIDE LINE ON GENTLE CURVES
Although the “slow-In, fast-out” and the “out-in-out” rules are basic for cornering. If the curve Is gentle enough, there is little, or no need to reduce speed. Naturally, it is advantageous to use the inside line throughout the curve, when possible

OBSERVE THE ENTIRE TRACK LAYOUT
Although several tips are offered when describing Individual curves, a track Is a succession of straights and curves, it is therefore Important to observe the entire layout and select a smooth running line for completing a lap. Repeat practice laps, trying various routes to find the ideal line. Shortening your lap times during trials is one of radio control’s greatest enjoyments.

WHEN PERFORMANCE GETS BETTER, THE DRIVING LINE SHOULD BE ALTERED
When your car’s top speed becomes faster by using a higher performance motor, etc. more deceleration will be required when entering corners. Not only the speed, but the handling characteristics, tire grip etc. will influence the driving line a car should take.

Not just steering alone, but combining with throttle control, various cornering techniques can be obtained. Practice and master this for much faster and smoother cornering.

FOUR WHEEL DRIFT
This technique is achieved by over steering white deceleration during the early stage of cornering. As the rear wheels start to slide outward and the nose heads towards the inside of the corner, neutralize the steering and add power. The car will take the comer with all wheels sliding. This technique is suitable for rear wheel drive and 4WD race care.

TACKING-1N
This technique is unique to front wheel drive care. Enter a curve straight, then cut power and steer around the curve at the same time The car will change direction quickly. Straighten out and accelerate going through the corner.

COUNTER OR OPPOSITE LOCK STEERING
The term means to steer the wheels against the turn of a comer. If a car enters the corner too fast, the rear wheels could start to skid, resulting in a spin. To stop this, steer into the direction of the skid. This technique is used to prevent the car from spinning and is not for enhancing cornering speed.

WEIGHT LOAD SHIFT ACCORDING TO POWER APPLIED
When running at a steady speed, the load is divided between the car’s front and rear wheels in a fixed ratio. During deceleration, more of a load is put on the front wheel because of inertia, resulting in sharper steering response. Opposite of this is acceleration,

where more of a load is put on the rear wheels, producing a slower steering response. Both the four-wheel drift and tack-in use this weight load shift to obtain desired cornering results.

A race is run with many cars at the same time. If you want to become familiar with racing, the best way is to hold practice sessions with your friends as a group. It is important to feel the difference between driving a car by yourself and competition racing. You’ll notice that
the track seems somewhat narrower with all those care and it becomes difficult to steer the car on the line you desire. Experience is what counts to get your car ahead of other.

START
The result of a race sometimes depends upon the start. However, a quick start is not always advantageous. Accidents are most liable to occur between the start and the first corner because participating cars are running close to one another. Decide how you should start according to the characteristics of your car, course layout, etc.

TAKE AND HOLD THE INSIDE LINE DURING CORNERING
When competing with your rivals during cornering, take and keep the inside line for maintaining the lead. It is difficult for you to beat your opponent in the corner by trying to pass him on the inside line because both cars are running about the same speed. If your car can manage a higher maximum speed than the others, only then is passing on the outside line possible. Trying to take the inside line too early can lead to over-running the corner resulting in a loss of time and running space for your car. While you’re at the edge of the track, your rival can easily pass you on the inside. In order to avoid this, stick to the inside, forcing him to delay his acceleration. Tacking and holding the inside line in the corner is a golden rule for taking the lead at corners. Confrontation between cars during cornering are the most exciting moments during a race, but be sure to avoid the selfish type of running that can cause a collision and damage that will spoil the overall race for everyone.

HOW TO PASS OTHERS
There are various places in which you can try to pass another car. A straight Is the safest place to do so. It is dangerous to start passing a car when you are following close behind it. When you judge it is possible to pass, steer your car a little as soon as possible and attempt to pass. You may pass on either side, wherever there is more room. If the space on each side is about the same, it is advisable to go inside to make the next corner to negotiate. Passing on a corner is dangerous as compared with passing on a straight. If the driver of the car you are going to pass to not skillful In control, your car Is liable to be Involved in its spinning. To make passing easier, it is advisable to go inside the rival’s car and pass it after turning the corner. It is very difficult to pass it on the outside of the corner even if your car is much faster.

IF THE CAR LOSES STABILITY
If your car has hit another car and lost its stability, reduce the speed by turning down the speed control switch. If you try to restore stability by steering, the car might be further disturbed. Start acceleration again only after the car has slowed down and is stable.

Source: TamiyaUSA ]]> http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/09/tips-to-improve-your-driving-skills-on-the-track/feed/ 0 http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/08/rc-rock-crawler-wheel-and-tire-tips/ http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/08/rc-rock-crawler-wheel-and-tire-tips/#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:02:55 +0000 rcgawker http://www.rcgawker.com/?p=1132

Trim the Foam

Soft compound tires require foam inserts to help them keep their shape. In some cases, the foam inserts make the tires too stiff for crawling and don’t allow the tire to conform to the rock’s surface. You want the tire to be flexible yet stiff enough support for the tire to prevent it from folding over. Some people cut their inserts in a star type pattern to make flexing a little easier. Making this modification is easy. Mark the foams with the desired pattern, and carefully cut the sections out using a sharp hobby knife. How much foam you remove will be based on the flexibility of your tires. Softer tires require more foam to be left for support.

A key to good traction is to have the tread of tire to be generally as flat as possible. A larger contact surface means more traction. An insert that is wider than the tire will distort the tread of the tire and potentially reduce the contact patch. You can eliminate this problem by cutting the foam insert so that it’s the same width as the tire.

Rims
A common practice in rock crawling is to narrow the rims. Doing this provides more clearance between the links and the tires when steering, and since the tire is pulled in, it will increase the tire’s “side bite” by bringing the tread down the side slightly. If cutting rims and gluing them back together isn’t your thing, you can pick up some rims that are already narrowed. are available from Axial, RC4WD and RPM. Axial also offers Maxx-size rims in a narrow form.

A flat tread works better on the rocks than a rounded tread. The more tire contact you have on the rocks, the better your truck will crawl.

Weight
The only thing you need to know is that generally you want more weight up front than in the rear of the truck. This helps the truck handle vertical climbs. Some guys like to add equal weight to both ends of the truck. Either way, you’ll want a lit- tle weight in all four tires. When considering the weight dis- tribution, also remember one of the best things you can do to improve your crawler is to lower the center of gravity. So, moving the battery from the top of the chassis over to the front axle or links accomplishes two things: it moves weight forward for a better balance and lowers the CG

PELLETS
A great way to add weight to your tires is to fill them with used in air powered pellet rifles. The pellets roll around and stay at the bottom of the tires at all times,and that keeps the truck’s center of gravity low and reduces rollovers. The pellets also replace the foam inserts. Filling the tires can be a bit tricky. Attach your tire to one side of the wheel and stick a small funnel into the open side of the tire and use it to direct the pellets into the tire. Fill the tire about halfway, and make sure that you have an equal amount in each tire. There is a downside to this setup; it doesn’t work well when side hilling when you drive your truck perpendicular to its incline.

STICK-ON WEIGHTS
You can also add weight to your tires by using stick-on lead weights on the rims. Start with 3 to 7 ounces of weight on each rim, and make sure you prep the surface of the rims by cleaning them with motor spray before you stick the weights to the rims.

When adding weight to your rims, you can add the same weight all around, or more weight up front than in the rear; 60/40 is the typical split.

Source
rc car action

Despite what you might think about servos most are water-resistant at best. The first thing you might want to do is take apart your servo and look inside. Notice there is a rubber O-ring on the edge these rings are there to seal your servo from water. However, the main place water will enter your servo is via the actuator shaft. Sealing that shaft is often the most difficult part.

It is important to note here that before you try any of these methods you might want to first try it on an old servo you don’t care about. I offer no guarantees or promises on any of these techniques.

So here they are from worst to best order.

The Balloon Method
One of the most commonly used methods for waterproofing servos and receivers is the balloon method. For this you take a common balloon and squeeze your sever down into it. You then cut a small hole in the balloon and push the actuator head up through the hole. The key here is to make the hole smaller than the head of the actuator. Then you run the wires back out the hole and zip tie them. This method will work for snow and some light mud but it is definitely not water PROOF.

Plasti Dip Method
This method is slightly better than the balloon method, but it still leaves the actuator shaft exposed some what. You can purchase Plasti Dip from most auto parts stores or home improvement store. It comes in a couple of flavors, dip and spray. Once you coat the servo with the Plasti Dip hang it up and let it dry. The biggest issue you will have with this method is once coated the shell of the servo is now a few millimeters thicker. If your servo needs to fit in a predefined size slot this method will not work for you. Also once again your actuator shaft is exposed to possible water leaks. Again this will make your servo more water resistant but not waterproof. One idea you might try is to put a small red shock O-ring around your actuator head before you mount your servo horn. This will help to seal the shaft better. Also put a bit of old on the O-ring to help repeal water and reduce friction. NOTE: make sure your sealant oil is not the same material as the O-ring (for example, don’t use silicone oil with a silicone O-ring).

Super Glue and O-ring Method
Basically this method is the same as the Plasti Dip Method only instead of dipping the whole servo you are super gluing the sections of the servo together. Start by taking apart your servo and then super gluing each part back together (be careful not to get glue on the gears). Then re-screw it all back. Next put a blob of glue where the wires go into the servo body. Lastly add a O-ring to the actuator head as stated in the previous method. This should waterproof your servo for heavy water use.

There is an additional step you could perform before you do the super gluing. That is to fill the servos with non-conductive oil. There are a number of oils you could try such as cooking oil, mineral oil, or silicone oil.

To do this you need oil, a wide container that holds oil, gloves, super glue (something that dries in under 5 minutes), a screwdriver, and either acetone or hexane. Tweezers are also recommended, but optional.

The first step is to poor the oil into your container. You want about one to two inches of oil (or enough to completely cover your servo). You may also want your container to be inside a second container, to avoid spilling oil everywhere. Choosing a container that BOTH of your hands can operate in is very important.

Now you should disassemble your servo, and put all parts in the oil. Make sure you shake out all of the bubbles.

Ok now the really hard part, reassemble the servos while they are fully submersed in oil! Make sure you practice disassembling and reassembling the servo outside the container a few times before trying to reassemble in oil. Its 10x harder to do it in oil, so practice is good.

A few potential issues, handling the tiny screws of a micro servos while wearing gloves is a challenge. Using tweezers to pick and place the screws could save you tons of time. The oil is also optically distorting, making it hard to see what you are doing. Make sure you have good lighting. You might also have trouble operating the screwdriver, since your gloved hands are covered in slippery oil. Make sure you use a screwdriver with a good grip handle.

After you get the O-ring and servo horn on, and you make sure the servo is screwed together really well, take the servo out of the oil and clean it off. To do this, dab it with a paper towel that is lightly soaked in acetone or hexane (dissolves oils). Both give off fumes (especially hexane) so do this in a well ventilated area. Neither chemical damages the servo casing, but acetone can potentially dissolve the plastic gears and electronics, so be careful. NOTE: Acetone can also dissolve screwdriver handles.

Lastly, apply the super glue (that is designed for plastics) to all the seals.

To verify that your seal is good, let the servo sit out for a day or so. Come back and if any oil is still leaking, clean it off and apply more superglue to that area.

Cons: Superglue isn’t that permanent and acetone and hexane can dissolve the glue. Also over time the oil will start to leak out.

Super Glue and O-ring Method On Steroids
The last method is another spin on the super glue method. It is easier to watch this video than try to explain it.

Parts:
4 – self taping screws about 1/2 inch long.
2 – 1 ^1/2 x 1/2 inch PVC fitting (shown top left)
2 – 1 ^1/2 inch PVC fitting (shown top)
1 – 1/2 inch PVC pipe 2 inches long (shown top right)
2 – 2 inch galvanized floor flange (shown bottom)
1 – 1/2 to 3/4 inch piece of wood

Optional:
None adhesive cabinet liner to top off the stand (recommended for nonslip)
Pipe cutters. Makes cutting PVC pipe a breeze. (shown top far right)

Cut out a piece of wood sized to fit your model. Mine was 9 x 16 but your RC model could be much smaller. Screw the galvanized floor flange in the middle of your piece of wood. NOTE: if your wood is much smaller then you could try getting a 1 inch flange instead of a 2 inch one. Then screw in the 1 ^1/2 x 1/2 inch PVC fitting into the floor flange. Tap in the 1 ^1/2 inch PVC fitting and then slide in the 2 inch PVC pipe.

If you have the cabinet liner you can glue it to the wood using Elmer glue or spay adhesive. That’s pretty much it you now have a strudy car stand that cost you less than $15 dollars in parts. If you wanted you could paint it or fix it up a little more.

This is my 1/6 scale FG baja sitting on the stand. This car weighs in about 30 lbs.

I’ve had every type of car there is from electric RTR, to nitro kits, and I have never really sat down and chronicled my experience. This article will give you a glimpse into some of the tricks and gotchas I experienced when building my first large scale FG 4WD Modellsport Baja Buggy.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you are interested in getting a 2 speed metal gearbox for your FG Model do NOT order from this site. http://snipr.com/fgracing he sells inferior products and has horrible customer service.

To start off when you build a new kit you are always at the mercy of the manufactures instructions. Some manufactures are better than others when it comes to the easy of the build. In the case of the FG Modellsport the instructions were about average. Due to the fact that the car is manufactured in Germany there are some grammar and spelling errors in the instructions. Be that as it may the instructions are for the most part easy to understand even if you only look at the pictures.

Ok, that being said the first thing I always do before building a kit is look through the instruction a couple of times just to see if I see any funky things I might not be prepared for. Second, I layout and look at all the bags to see if there are any special tools i might need. In this case FG Modellsport does not include a single useful tool. In fact the only tool that is included is a Philips head screw driver/wrench that for the life of me I could not find a single use for.

So lets talk about the tools needed for this kit. For starters almost every screw on this kit is a torx head screw. So if you don’t have a set of torx screw drivers you better go get some. Here is a short list of important tools you might not have.

Required Tools
- Torx screw drivers
- Allen wrench
- Ruler with millimeters
- Tooth brush
- Liquid Tread lock ( blue and red )
- Spring stretching tool
- Drill
- A small hammer (rubber if possible)
- patients

During the build I ran across a few head scratching moments. The instructions would say “this would be much easier if you use the FG mounting tool”, but they didn’t include said tool and I had no way of getting this tool. So I had to figure out an easy way to do things. Here is one example I found while putting the front differential together. There are four gears that need to fit in a box the tricky part is trying to keep them all in the right position as you slide them in to that box. Of course FG says if you have there tool it’s easy but I didn’t so here is how you do it.

Slide the gear axle through the differential gear wheel first, then set it on the differential housing and remove the axle. This will allow the gears to be pushed down into the housing with ease. Then tilt it on its end and push in the drive axle.

Once I came to the engine everything seemed to go together pretty easy. There is one thing that I noted that could come in handy to those of you who are trying to install a clutch bell on any nitro or gas engine. When you try to tighten any clutch bell on any engine mount you will find that it turns as you screw it on. One trick I found was that by shoving the end of a toothbrush in the exhaust manifold just above the piston and slowly pinching it in there you can secure the piston from moving with out doing any damage to it. The soft plastic of the toothbrush will not harm the piston and you can crank away at the clutch bell.

The next rough patch was when it comes to installing the servo saver. This little piece is a pain in the butt. If you don’t the right tool here it could take you a while as well as could injure your fingers. This is where the spring stretcher comes in handy. Make sure that the servo saver axle turns smoothly in the bushing or you will quickly burn out your servo.

The last little annoyance I found was the brake guild rail hole was to small and I had to drill it out. Not a major deal just something i noticed.

For the most part it was smooth sailing as far as the build goes. I did have a couple of screws strip out in the soft aluminum so be careful, and I don’t really like the way the receiver box is designed. It is “sealed” sort of, but its in a place that is so hard to get to if you have to do any tweaking to it once it is installed.

UPDATE: It has come to my attention that there are 6 holes in the front axle housing that will allow dirt behind the bearing that hold the belt wheel. These can be easly filled by using small headless screws. I used #8-32 TPI headless screws. First I tapped the holes using a 8-32 hole tap. Then put my small screws in. It took about 20 mins to do and was very easy. A word of warning when using a hole tap. It is best to use tap it by hand but if you do use a drill go very slow! These taps are not that tough and they will break off in the hole if you try to force it.

Working on the car could be a little easier, but perhaps I’m just spoiled and use to working on cars like the Traxxas Revo which is so well thought out.

In summary I love the look of this car. It is such a work of art and was a real joy to build.

This is a the video of my FG 4wd Baja Competition. It took me 3 days to build but you can see it in just over a minute enjoy.

During the 80’s and 90’s electric RC cars were king. Rarely did you see a nitro RC car buzzing around bashing, and you almost never saw them race. Sure they were out there, but the popularity of the electric RC car far out weighed that of the nitro RC car. During the late 90’s nitro cars started showing up more and more. New model designs and the advent of the EZ-Start engine gave nitro a foot hold in the RC market place. Now a days it seems as if there are more nitro than electrics running around the track, but that could all change. With the recent adoption of the lithium based battery and brushless motor, more and more people are seeing the benefits of electric power. They are faster, lighter weight, and getting cheaper all the time. Not only that, they come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 1/16 to 1/8 scale.

Not everyone knows the difference between brushed and brushless motors so here’s a short explanation.

Brushed
The brushed electric motor is generally the only kind of motor found in toy-grade and beginner hobby-grade RCs. Kits and other hobby-grade RCs still commonly use brushed motors although brushless is becoming more readily available. Small contact brushes inside the motor cause the motor to spin. Brushed motors come in fixed and nonfixed versions. Electric motors with fixed brushes are nonadjustable and can’t be modified or tuned. Nonfixed brushed motors have replaceable brushes and the motor can be modified and tuned to a certain degree as well as being cleaned of dust and debris that accumulates during frequent use.

Brushless
Brushless is becoming increasingly more popular, but are still slightly high-priced compared to brushed motors. They are only just now becoming legal in some professional RC racing circuits. The appeal of brushless motors is the sheer power they can give to your electric RC. Brushless motors, as the name implies, do not have contact brushes, don’t require frequent cleaning, and because there are no brushes there is less friction and less heat — the number one killer in motor performance.

Brushless motors can also handle a lot higher voltage than brushed motors. With a high voltage supply brushless motors can help a beginner RC race at blistering speeds. RCs equipped with brushless motors currently hold the fastest speed records for RC — yes, faster than nitro.

The brushless motor is not the only thing that is causing a stir in the RC world. In fact, brushless motors have been around for quite a while. The real reason is the combination of the burshless motor with the lithium-based battery, or Lipo. Lipo batteries pack a powerful punch. Combine that punch with the brushless motor, and RC cars can hit speeds never before dreamed of out of the box.

Understanding LiPos
Lipo batteries are very different from previous generation batteries and understanding how they work, and especially how to charge them, is the key to getting the best performance.

Unlike Ni-Cd and Ni-MH cells that self-discharge when wired in parallel, LiPo cells can be hooked up, charged and discharged in parallel with no detrimental effect. Wiring two LiPo cells in parallel doubles the capacity (more run time), plus an important advantage of wiring in parallel is that each cell only sees half the total current.

C Rating
LiPo cells are also commonly given a C or current rating. This is the equivalent the the capacity of the battery pack in amps. This is also the maximum average recommended discharge current for the cell. For example, the Thunder Power 1900mAh packs have a 6C rating. To determine the maximum recommended discharge rate multiply the capacity times the C rating. 1900mAh x 6C = 11,400. So the maximum recommended discharge rate would be 11,400mA or 11.4 amps. Why do we care about this? Because the higher the C-rating the more punch the battery pack can give, which equals more speed.

So what does this all mean? Will the popularity of the bushless motor and Lipo battery be the death of the nitro based car. Probably not, like everything in life there are fans on both sides of the spectrum. Nitro folks love nitro for there reasons and electric people like electrics for there reasons, which is a good thing. Be that as it may there is no denying that as the coming years brushless motors will become more and more popular as prices get lower.

References
About.com
rchobbies.org ]]> http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/07/will-the-rise-of-the-brushless-rc-electric-car-kill-the-nitro-car/feed/ 0 http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/07/rc-warships-and-battle-groups/ http://www.rcgawker.com/2009/07/rc-warships-and-battle-groups/#comments Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:33:29 +0000 rcgawker http://www.rcgawker.com/?p=827 If you have never seen these RC war boats you should look and see if they meet in your area. These scale war ships are not only cool to see motor around, they’re also dangerous, which is always fun. Check out a video of them fighting then see how they build these bad boys.

How do they make these things?!

The early 1980’s were the golden years for the 1/10 scale off road RC car. Leading the way was Team Associated’s RC10 which was the buggy to beat for several years in the world of RC off road racing. The RC10 dominated off-road racing worldwide and won the first ever IFMAR Off Road World Championships was held in 1985, in Del Mar, California. Jay Halsey ‘Jammin Jay’ ran away with the race, becoming the first ever IFMAR World Champion. If you over the age of 35 you might remember this car. It was the pinnacle goal for most young RC car enthusiast’s to own.

This 5 part video gives you a real look back two decades to what RC cars use to be like. You can see innovations that are still used in the sport today.

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Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5