Conference vmszoo::rc

    
    	Ken,
    		If you are planning to race or just run for fun,
    	By and By there's only one car to get for two wheel drive
    	excitement, and that's the Associated RC10. You'll wind
    	up seeing more of the puppies out at the track than any
    	other car around, and for one reason only, they win races!
    	
    		Many things should be looked at before you purchase
    	any car, whether it be a RC10 or whatever. Spare parts,
    	"trick" parts and hop-up kits availability should be a 
    	major factor in your purchase. Also longevity and track
    	record should also be considered. All of the dozen or
    	so hobby shops around here meet all of that criteria
    	when it comes to the RC10.
    
    		I personally own three RC10's and have won or placed
    	in many a race with them. But ask around. You should find
    	that the general concensous is that this is the car to 
    	buy. They're just plain reliable! and built like rocks too.
    	most of the parts are metal or fiberglass, rather than
    	plastic. They stand up to the use and abuse of racing, 
    	just what you need to help get you across the finish line.
    
    		By the way, there are 1/2 dozen versions of this car,
    	alluminum frame, graphite, or "Team", all with or without
    	bearings. If you decide on this or any other car, GET THE
    	BEARINGS! They make that much of a difference. If you buy
    	a car without, allmost any hobby store sells bearing kits
    	for about any car made. If you're thinking about racing, I
    	would recomend the RC10 "Team" car with graphite chassis,
    	because it has a graphite chassis for strength and the new
    	"stealth" transmission , which seem to be an unstoppable 
        combination.
    
    	    But	before you decide on any car, go to a local track
    	and see what they're running out there. This is the best 
    	place to talk to people and help you along with your decision. 
    
    
    		Carl
    
    	PS: our indoor track closed down here so I'm jealous you have
    	a new one going in!!!  B-) B-) 

	My friend raced an RC10 and a JRx2 indoors.  He liked them
	both a lot but likes the JRx2 better.  You'll see a lot
	of both at races I hear.

	Personally, I'd get a JRxPro.

	Chad who_is_not_a_pro_and_only_drives_for_fun_in_back_dirt_lots_
		and_reads_the_rags_sometimes

    You should definitely visit the track and see what equipment people
    are running there before you buy *anything*.  I think the track
    you are referring to is an on-road track, so an RC10 or JRXpro may
    not be the best choice.

    (a recommendation from a bystander... I haven't bought into electrics
    ...yet)
    
    For an on-road car, it seems that you cannot go too wrong by getting
    an Associated RC10L.  (The "L" is significant) 
    
    They are competitive and widely availible at good prices.
    
    	Dave.

  Thanks for your input.  

  The track is being built by Hobbies Plus which is located in Greystone
Plaza in Nashua.  They currently have a small flat oval with a lemans course
in the middle.

  Hobbies Plus will relocate their operation there once it is completed.  The
new track is located about 5 miles from Route 3 and 101A (exit 7) going west.
Take a LT when you see the Greystone Plaza sign across from Wendy's Burgers.
Take you Second LT which will take you behing MarketBasket and the other mall
stores.  The track is located in 1st building on your right near DR Fitness
or DJ Fitness or something like that.

  Hobbies Plus also has a mail order business that features excellent prices.

Ken

P.S. I'm still saving the $5-600 it will cost to get started.

    Any dates yet for open house or big races?  Will definitely be a
    welcomed site for us far Northeners who like Willmington and K&N but
    hate the 4-5 hour drives to get there!
    
    Robert

    Since this apparently hasn't been discussed in over a year, I'll toss
    out a request for updated info.
    
    I'm looking at getting started and am considering getting either a
    Futaba FX-10, Panda, or maybe a Tamia Stadium Blitzer truck.  This is
    for backyard fun and maybe a little racing if I can find some in the
    ALF area (hello anyone?).
    
    Recommendataions/Advice welcome...
    
    
    Steven
     

    Hi Steve,
    
       I'm not into cars at all but happened to look through some of the
    old notes last week to get some ideas for my dad. It looks like most
    of the car noters are being fairly quiet.
    
       Last week I picked up a couple of mags and they had an article on
    the Stadium Blitzer. Aside from some of the stock parts, they liked the
    truck for a beginner and it's easily hopped. It comes standard with a
    540 motor and mechanical speed control. They had another article
    on the Traxxas Hawk2 which I prefer of the two. You can get the Traxxas
    Hawk2 RTR (Ready-Too-Run) and it includes a stock 540 motor, pistol,
    and ESC. All this for about $199. (Nicads seperate) My dad bought the
    the Traxxas Sledgehammer which is a monster truck available like the
    Hawk2 in an RTR version. I ordered this from Tower yesterday for him.
    
       The Traxxas RTR's come standard with a Traxxas pistol that is 27mhz.
    I don't know of the differences between the 27 and 75 surface stuff
    so I really can't comment. If I was in the market for an off-road I
    would seriously consider the Traxxas Blue Eagle LS with a Tekin or
    Novak ESC and a JR R-756 pistol. This is a bit more than what would
    be needed for entry level but it's up to the individual.....
    
    George

    George -
    
    Thanks for the reply.  I just scanned through the notes file myself and
    had notice that there wasn't much activity.
    
    >Last week I picked up a couple of mags and they had an article on
    >the Stadium Blitzer. 
    
    Looks like we're reading the same mag.  I had read through the article
    on the Stadium Blitzer since it mentioned that it was for us
    "entry-level" folks. It looks like I'll have to dig into the article on
    the Hawk2 now. [This is the January '93 issue of Radio Control Car
    Action, for those of you lurking in the shadows]
    
    Was your research narrowed down to just trucks or did you look at
    buggies as well (FX-10, etc)?  And did you look at Futaba's truck, the
    FXT?  My uncle got my (early teens) cousin the FX-10 last christmas and
    was very impressed with the instructions.  Neither of them had done any
    R/C before and they're both happy.
    
    Steven

    
    Hi Steve,
    
        Yes it was the January issue you spoke of. I've been mostly
       looking at trucks, but have also been reading up on the buggies
       as well. There's just so much to choose from it's awful (fun).
       
       Last night I was in Hobby USA in Westford,Ma. and they had the
       Blitzer for around $100. Another mall shop had it for $117. Tower's
       kit price is around $85 to $90. Can't beat mail order, eh...
    
       For buggies it would be a toss up. Either the Traxxas TRX-1, the
       Associated RC10, or Losi JRX-Pro.....
    
       I'm still window shopping and having fun....
    
    George

    You can kill two birds with one stone with a JRX/T, plus have a pretty
    good competive RC vehicle.  The JRX-2 can easily be converted to a
    truck and vice versa by just switching wheels and bodies.  I have one
    that I take to the races and can convert from car to truck or vice
    versa in less than 10 minutes.  I've worked on FX10s and would only
    recommend them for backyard putting around and not serious racing.
    But like everything else in this hobby, different strokes for different
    folks.  Enjoy.
    
    Robert

    re .10 "There's just so much to choose from it's awful (fun)."
    
    How true.
    
    re .11
    
    I hadn't seen the JRX-2/T yet, I'll take a look.  Is it a good first
    vehicle; that is, are the instructions such that a r/c-car-moron like
    me will understand not just how to put tab A in slot B, but also why
    and what it's supposed to do?  It sounds like a pretty good idea; I was
    talking with a guy at lunch yesterday and we were commenting that the
    only real difference between the cars & trucks was the body & wheels.  
    
    
    I stopped by my (not quite local) hobby shop last night and talked with
    the owner.  According to him, the FX10 has been discontinued and,
    though still available some places, probably isn't a good idea due to
    the fact that there arn't any spare parts for it.
    The FXT (which he had and I was able to paw through the box) and the
    Stadium Blitzer are exactly the same truck, says he.  Tamiya makes the
    Blitzer and then sells it to Futaba who changes the pan to metal and
    the shocks to oil-filled and removes the speed controller and then
    sells it as the FXT.  Hmmm.  Dig out R/C Car Action (I picked up 5
    months' back issues while I was there) from Nov'92 and Jan'93.
    According to their articles on these two, the shocks are the same,
    otherwise he appears to be accurate.  Some of the dimensions are
    different between the two articles, but not by more than .5", so maybe
    they just used a different ruler;-) 
     
    Query: How strong are most plastic pans and is it important to have
    metal?
    Query: What's the difference (to a beginning backyard romper) between
    oil-filled shocks and um, (fill in the blank here) non-oil-filled
    shocks?
    
    Steven

    re -1
    
    Most of your good to top quality RC vehicles are going to have some
    intricate parts.  Those being mostly the gear box on and suspension set
    up on off road vehicles and gear ratios and tweak settings for onroad
    vehicles.
    
    Alot of people consider the Associated RC10 as a first good beginner off
    or onroad car.  They're easy to maintain and parts are readily
    available at most all mail order and hobby shops.
    The JRXT/2 is a little more complicated than the RC10 but parts are
    readily available and I believe is just as easy to maintain as an RC10.
    
    The most preferred pans for serious racers are graphite pans.  They're
    lightweight like plastic but stronger and more durable like heavier
    aluminum pans.
    
    Your best bet is to go to some races and look at the cars and talk to
    the drivers.  Everyone is going to have his opinion about what works
    best.
    
    Robert

    I've finally settled on the Futaba FX-T, with Futaba's 2PB radio (1
    servo, 1 MC210CB ESC).  I'll try to keep you good folks informed as I
    go, as well as asking tons of questions, I'm sure.
    
    Steven

    A few quick comments.
    
    As was already mentioned, for tooling around the back yard you can have
    fun with most anything -- as long as you can find replacement parts for
    it.  Local sources of parts are preferred.
    
    If you think there is any chance that you'll want to get into organized
    racing, then get a truck/buggy/whatever that's designed for racing
    (suspension, wheel bearings, etc.).  This will save you a lot of money
    in the long run over trying to hop up a "fun only" vehicle -- and
    you'll need that money for buying modified motors, an electronic speed
    control, and replacement parts.
    
    My sons were into truck racing.  We started with a Big Boss for the
    backyard and even modified it enough to make it competitive in on-road
    truck racing (believe it or not).  Then came a heavily modified Monster
    Beatle, and then a JRX/T (finally got our act together).
    
    Tony

    
    I still have not made up my mind which way I want to go yet. (Plus I
    have to wait till the wife get's back on the payroll) I used to have an
    indoor off-road track called R/C World right here in my home town of
    Leominster, Ma. I never did get a chance to check it out and it has
    since gone belly up. (It was only 2 minutes down the street !!!) Acton
    has an indoor track but it's carpet. There are a few other places in
    Ma. but appear to be to far for practicality.
    
    The Acton track doesn't seem to fit with my preference for off-road
    racing. My preferences in a truck would be either the Associated 
    RC10T, the Losi LXT, or the Traxxas Blue Eagle LS... I'd lean more
    towards the RC10T or the LXT due to the wide availability of parts
    and hop ups..... I'm sure buggy's are fine also but for now I prefer
    the racing trucks.
    
    My dad received his Traxxas Sledgehammer from Tower last week and aside
    from a missing TX antenna and a bent body post spring, everything was
    in order and ready to run. One quick call to Traxxas and the missing
    goodies were put in the mail. The ESC is suppose to be preset at the
    factory but once I get a chance I'll probably re-tweak the proportional
    and neutral.
    
    I also get the fun job of painting his body for him..... What do you
    experts like for lexan paints.... Is Pactra the paint of choice or are
    the other quality paints out in the marketplace ?? 
    
    George
    
    

    As long as the paint is for Lexan (polycarbonate) I wouldn't worry too
    much about the brand.  My only experience, though, has been with
    Pactra, and I was happy with the results.  Most of the job was in
    taping the inside of the body in preparation for painting.  I also
    covered the outside with a combination of tape and plastic bags to
    protect it from over-spray.  Masking for the windshield is a lot easier
    with the large square sheets of masking material made for the purpose,
    although some trucks come with precut masking for the windows.  I liked
    the metallic paints the best -- the metal flakes look really good under
    the Lexan.  My sons preferred the fluorescent colors.
    
    To paint in cold weather without filling the house with fumes, I made a
    painting box from a large cardboard box, covered on the open end with
    overlapping sheets of clear plastic so that my hand could fit into the
    box between the sheets.  I'd put the warm truck body into the box and
    take it outdoors with a warm can of paint.  I'd apply the coat of paint
    inside the box, and leave it out for awhile for the fumes to dissipate. 
    When I'd bring it back inside, the smell would be minimal, and the
    short period of time in the cold (protected by the box) didn't seem to
    hurt the paint job.
    
    Tony

    
    ....Thanks for the info Tony......

    As I mentioned in .14, I went with Futaba's FX-T and a FP-2PBKA w/ESC
    for control.  Santa delivered perfectly (of course, I helped him with
    the shopping ;-) and construction began the next day.
    
    Actual construction time: a little under 5 hours, not counting the
    *many* hours during previous weeks reading and re-reading the
    instructions and various kit reviews I could find in the mags. Oh- if
    you read something in a magazine review and plan on implementing it on
    your kit, be sure to write it in the instruction book before you start
    building.  I didn't and remembered one step too late!  Ah well... chalk
    one up for experience.
    
    Construction went very smoothly. I've built RC planes before, but this
    was my first car. It sure was nice having a completed project in two
    days - my planes took a minimum of a month! I was a little apprehensive
    about the differential/gear box, but it went a lot easier than I had
    thought.
    
    Now on to the part that scares me to death - painting & cutting the
    body!  Anyone got any tips/suggestions/recommendations on how to do the
    best job without messing up terribly?
    
    Steven
               

    re -1
    Different folks have different strokes for painting lexan bodies.  I'm
    no expert, but have found this method works best for me.  I like to
    mount the body on the car while it's clear and mark off the holes for
    body mounts, antenae, etc. and mark off the wheel wells.  Then I drill
    the necessary holes and make the necessary cuts for wheels.  Next step
    (some people reverse the next two steps) is tape off the windows using
    regular or wide masking tape.  After taping, wash the inside of the
    body with mild dishwashing liquid and warm water to reduce
    electrostatic discharge on the body.  Electrostatic charges can cause
    spray paint to scatter when applying.  Dry thoroughly and start
    painting.
    
    Robert

    The FX-T already has holes punched for antana & body mounts, I get the
    fun of the wheel wells.  Do you use a hobby knife or regular scissors
    or what?  There was an article in RCCarAction a bit ago which mentioned
    a special lexan scissor, but I've not seen anything at the hobby shop
    yet and wouldn't want to spend too much on a limited-use tool.
    
    I don't have an airbrush and am planning on getting spray cans -
    any thoughts on who's got the best/worst?
    
    Steven (still trying to decide on paint scheme & colors)

    re -1
    There are a couple of manufacturers who sell 'Lexan scissors.'  All
    they are is just a curved scissor blade.  I've found that curved
    medical scissors or even curved scissors for nail cutting work very
    good.  I wouldn't recommend a hobby knife.  After cutting the body use
    some real fine sandpaper to smooth the edges.  This will help prevent
    the lexan from cracking and also from cutting into precious and
    expensive tires.
    
    I use Model Masters spray paint for lexan bodies.  As long as you don't
    put it on too thick, it usually last the duration of the body without
    chipping or flaking.
    
    Robert

    
    Can any of you car buffs give some info good or bad on the
    following mail-order services ???
    
                          Finest R/C
                          Hobby Warehouse Of Sacremento
    
     These two above seem to be the most competetive with prices along
    with Tower Hobbies. I can speak for Towers service from experience
    but know nothing of these other two. Any info would be appreciated.
    
    Thanks,
         George

    I've had good success with Finest R/C.  Haven't heard of Hobby
    Wharehouse.  You should also try Ultra 5 RC Warehouse in Nashua/Salem
    (?) if they're still in operation.  They would/will match any mail
    order prices also.  
    
    Robert

    Robert,
    
        Do you have a phone number for Ultra 5 ? I've looked in R/C
       Car Action and their not listed as advertizers.
    
    Thanks,
       George

    re -1
    I don't have their number with me, but if memory serves me correctly
    the name was RC Buyers Warehouse in Nashua, NH.  If you look through
    the hobby shop notes, I believe you'll find their number listed there
    along with further information on whether or not they're still going.
    If not, send me a note and I'll try to find it tonight when I get home.
    
    Robert

    
    Yes..... I do know R/C Buyers and the last I had heard they are
    still in business....
    
    Thanks,
       George

    Found the number, 800-858-7278 for orders, 603-880-0276 for information
    pricing, etc.  If you call and can remember, ask them if they ever got
    in any Jaco 1.5 rears for 10th scale.
    
    thanx
    
    Robert

    re:.22
    >There are a couple of manufacturers who sell 'Lexan scissors.' All
    >they are is just a curved scissor blade.  I've found that curved
    >medical scissors or even curved scissors for nail cutting work very
    >good.  I wouldn't recommend a hobby knife.  After cutting the body use
    >some real fine sandpaper to smooth the edges.  This will help prevent
    >the lexan from cracking and also from cutting into precious and
    >expensive tires.
    
    Well, I went over to the hobby shop this past weekend and, in the fun
    of picking paint colors with my 4-year-old, totally forgot about the
    lexan scissors.
    
    That evening (_After_ the munchkins went to bed) I said the heck with
    it and attacked the body with regular scissors and a hobby knife.  Used
    the knife to score the straight edges *very* carefully, and then cut
    the wheel wells with the regular scissors, leaving about .5cm.  Then,
    after a break, I pulled out the 'ol dremmel with a drum-sander type bit
    and used it to grind the last .5cm away and a finer bit to sand all the
    edges.  Looks great!
    
    Steven

    re: .29   "FX-T... The Saga Continues"
    
    Masking & painting done this weekend... it's completely done and
    actually looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.
    
    Anyone have experience with which brands of masking tape are
    better/worse than others?  The stuff I got was awful; the glue made a
    terrible mess on the Lexan.  I ended up scrubbing it all off and using
    a transparent packing tape instead.  I had to use a Sharpie to make the
    tape edge visible enough so I knew where it was going on the
    transparent Lexan, but other than that it worked great.
    
    Time to get the camera out & send a photo off to RCCarAction (ain't I
    vain?;-)

    re -1
    Real cars masking tape.  I found that the masking tape body shops use
    to tape off windows, bumpers, etc. on real cars works best on the
    lexan.  Tape is lightweight and the glue is tacky but not residue
    leaving tacky.
    
    Robert

    Not too sure where to put this but here it is.
    
    A friend of mine has an electric car and has just recently put in a
    speed controller. The cars now goes 50 feets and stops, if he walks up
    to it off it goes again. Right there looks to be some kind of
    interference. The controller is of the electronic variety, whilst
    before the problems he was using a mechanical one.
    
    Anyone experienced the same ? 
    
    Eric.

    Sounds like a range problem. Have him check to make sure he didn't do
    anything to the antenna when he installed the new speed controller.
    Also, electronic speed controllers need to be adjusted and "tuned"
    after installation. Have him take the instructions and go through the
    process again and make sure it's right. An improperly tuned speed
    controller may react to a nice strong signal, but stop operating when
    the signal gets weaker.