I got the kit last week on Wednesday, just after 5pm. Racing started at 7pm, so this week was the first week I could run the car. I had a lot of work to do - The build for this car is incredibly complex compared to what I am used to, compounded with just not being used to the car, it took me around six hours or so just on the chassis. I also felt I had to have a new body and new tires to debut it with!
Let's just fire up the pics - still showing the old wheels as the new ones were still waiting to be glued
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I love the color, and how the number turned out! I've already been asked A.)If the body came like that and B.)If the number was a sticker or paint, which makes me feel really proud.
As for how it ran. Well, with the old tires, not much better than the Kawada, but still about a tenth quicker. The new tires were good for another two tenths, and I'm still getting used to how it drives and having only a spool to choose from.
 This week's track layout |
I managed to qualify second this week, out-qualifying Kevin by one second. I hadn't out-qualified Kevin since 1999! The car was consistant, and I learned it's stong and weak points throughout the night, and that it takes 20 minutes to change the spur gear *ugh*. The other weak point I've griped about has been the center layshaft adjustment. I want to run it in the down position to keep the drivetrain as "flat" as possible. Well, unless you have the increidble hulk tighten the bolts on either side of it, it is going to "adjust" itself upward, leaving your gear-mesh in a grind-friendly state which has cost me two spur gears in two days. I've designed a small little spacer that can be used to lock it in the down, center, or up position, but need to find someone who can actually make the dang thing.
 TOP Photon Center layshaft spacer design |
I was all set to run a good main, and I soared a bit when James (who TQ'ed for the Xth straight week) rolld his car going into turn one and I was out front, followed by Kevin and Bob. Going through the hairpin that is turns 7 & 8, Bob punted my car but good! It went over several times, across the track, over the board and into turn 11, luckily into a marshalls hands. I got righted as Bob was coming through and took off, only to hear that I was in danger of losing 90 teeth on my 100 tooth spur. I pulled it off and took it to my pit to find that one side of the layshaft was free-floating and the other was still lcoked tight. I tightened it up, and got back out with about two-and-a-half minutes to go and just drove it. I turned 12 whole laps with a fast lap of only 13.0 - my fast lap in qualifying was a 12.7.
I also noticed that I didn't use enough threadlock when putting the car together as I lost 3 screws out of the car through the course of the night.
For next week, I have a (used) Futaba 3PK radio on the way, a new Futaba BLS451 servo, and the stiffer rubber chassis braces for the car. I almost went overboard with a new Intellect 5000mah 40C battery too, and may still pull that trigger as I found a great deal on them.
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