I liked my A4 so much, I decided to build a 1/10th sized working model. Here it is sitting next to my real A4.


I was going for Santorin on this body, but it ended up more like Nogaro. Much like Nogaro, this color doesn't seem to photograph well. The real color is just a bit darker and bluer with some funky sparklies in it that didn't photograph at all. For this exact color I used FasKolor #40151 "Fasescent Blue". If you ever find a good lexan paint that's just like Santorin, please email me. For these cars, one simply buys a clear lexan body that is already molded in the general appearance of almost any type of car or truck. Due to the nearly constant ratio between height, width, and length of 1/10 scale RC cars, and that real cars vary a lot, sometimes these bodies don't quite match the perfect shape of the car they resemble. Exotic cars like the Porche 911 look pretty odd. Another strange thing about RC car bodies, is that there are different sizes for gas and electric cars. Gas car bodies are 200mm wide, and electric car bodies are 190mm wide. Because you cut the mounting holes yourself, you aren't required to use the right body if another one fits. My car is 195mm wide, and so I use a 200mm body. That's why my fenders flare out so much.


There are a few car chassis types one can build their rc car around. Some common cars are:

The Associated TC-3
The Yokomo MR-TC4 Pro
The XPress Pro kits


My car is a Mike Swauger Pro kit from XPress RC. This kit has it's ups and downs. The ups are, its very light and very simple. This means it's very fast and easy to work on. The downs are the high cost of parts and due to it's exotic nature, the rarity of parts. If XPress ever stops supporting this kit, I'm screwed. For durability, I place it between the TC3 (tank) and the MR-TC4 (glass jaw). Some parts are designed to break easily to protect some other parts. I'd much rather replace a $10 bumper than an $85 sheet of carbon fiber.

Here are some pictures of my chassis without the body:




I'm using the following gear with it:
  1. Futaba MC230CR speed controller
  2. Trinity 19 turn double touring motor (beware, their web site sucks)
  3. Futaba AM receiver
  4. Futaba S3003 steering servo
  5. Sanyo 3000mAh 6 cell saddle pack NiMH batteries
  6. Futaba Magnum Junior transmitter.

I am very intrigued by the brushless system Novak is bragging about. If they ever get off their butts and release the product, I'll be first in line. Or if someone beats them to it, I'll buy that system instead. As it currently sits, my car will do 35MPH and runs for 12-15 minutes on the battery.

Back to my A4 page:
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