notme
12-12-2009, 10:14 PM
Ok i have the tc02 kit from rcmart.... Im pretty happy with what I got for the $$ for sure. Im not sure how different this is to your ansmann or kawada cars, I heard the shocks are better on this..?
I have a few things Id like to point out, for information purposes. This is not to take credibility away from the kit.
I have the aluminum rear arm mounts, the rear mount does not fit without cutting off the nubs on the t plate. The holes in the alum. mount are not big enough to fit the nubs, but the stock plastic one does.
Also I have the aluminum front arm mount , but the holes for the pins are oversized, the pins almost rattle around. It makes the front end very sloppy. The stock plastic piece has much better tolerance.
Shocks
The shocks come with o rings which look to fit under the caps, but when you screw the caps down the o rings expand out, larger then the cap and become useless. They actually go on the spring tensioner rings.
As mentioned in another post the pistons are too thin, and have slop between the e clips. Also the pistons have flashing around all the holes, it is very difficult to remove the flashing without distorting the holes....be very careful here. I also found that the oil flow holes have some holes tapered, some not. In the end I think these pistons are ruining shocks that are otherwise very nice shocks. TC needs to remedy the piston molds. If anyone finds a piston that drop fits in place please let me know.
My rear springs have 1 longer then the other. I could not make one shrink (lol) so I took the shorter one and stretched it out carefully to match the other.
As for bleeding the shocks, the hole in the cap is very nice, and the manual says nothing about the bleeding procedure. So with starting with the piston all the way down I turned the cap down until tight, then backed off about 1/2 a turn, then pushed the shaft up, bleeding the air out. Also I held the assembly in my hand about 60º angle, with the bleed hole up where I could see it. Once the bubbles were gone and had clear oil coming out, i tightened the cap down. Now the only trick about this step is making the shocks the same as far as rebound or static shaft position. This means where does the shaft sit after you compress it. If not carefull you will end up with shock shafts that sit extended out further then the other. Ive not build a shockthat was so sensitive to rebound setup. I built mine to rest around the 1/2 way point of travel.
The aluminum standoffs where the shock mounts to on the towers is too small. The shocks rattle on these as well. This will only worsen with use.
Other
The plastics seem like very good quality, I cant speak for durability as Ive not run it yet (-5Cº outside). Test fit things before securing...ie: the arms, theres a bit of flashing between the points where the c hubs mount, use a fine emery board and carefully sand it off, check fit, sand as needed. IMO this is not an issue, I would rather do this then have to shim it due to poor tolerances. Check the fit on the arms for everything else.
Remember when assembling hardware into the plastics you are tapping thread. Take your time, assemble things square and be sure to feel when it gets tight. If not carefull you'll strip the threads and your hardware will pull out in use. Do not use a power screwdriver ever, it will also strip plastic easily. The 2mm hex end in the balls are a great feature for assembling. Be sure to use a good hex driver.
I would have liked more room for the battery tray, so that the battery could be shifted fore/aft for a bit more adjustment. It does have a bit of room, but not much (with an SMC 5200 lipo).
The rubber plug for the dust cover is a sloppy fit, it may fall out and it will certainly let dust in. Maybe an o ring on the groove of the rubber plug to tighten it up.
Theres no mention in the manual of where to set the diff tension. I tightened it up, then backed off 1/8th turn, as a starting point. I didnt like the diff screw being a phillips end, a hex end would be much better here.
Another minor detail I would like is a flatspot or a tab to aid in removing the ball ends. As these are they will get scarred up from pliers being removed for making adjustments. Otherwise they are very nice quality and snap on firm and without slop.
Use a little locktite to hold the axle pins in place, they fit loose and fall out easily. Could be an issue when changing wheels. Dont get any locktite in the bearings!
I have a slight wobble in the slipper, nothing outrageous, but not as true turning as losi or asc.
So many things I like where do I start....
The box it comes in is pretty cool....its made of coroplast (plastic) so It will last a long time more then a cardboard one.
The body clips come with rubber tabs like proline sells, I wish there were 5 instead of 3. I may use velcro to mount the body instread of the 2 holes on the rear of the chassis.
Nice strong looking turnbuckles, with reverse thread indicators. From memory it uses a 4mm wrench for adjusting. A little wrench for that would nice if included in the kit.
Rear shock tower has 3 "C" formations to clip motor wires into, although a bit small for the wires Im using. I wet the wires to aid in slipping them in. You could also use a small round file to enlarge them.
Nice looking cvd's, look beefier then associated's, not sure if rebuildable...?
Little notches in the front of the battery tray for lipos that have wires coming out laterally.
manual
Nice clear illistrations. All parts numbered clearly.
Would be nice to mark the parts bags and integrate them into the build sections. Might be an issue for the novice builder but not if youve built 1-2 kits before.
Manual does not describe how to bleed the shocks to set rebound.
Also does not say how to set the diff tension.
But they did say how/where to set the slipper and servo saver
Take my ramblings as you wish, these are my points of view. I may sound picky on the shocks but imo they are a critical part of the handling on any car. Realy nice quality from my observations, I dont see any long term problems once the pistons are sorted out. I will want blanks to drill my own at some point for sure.
The rest of the fit and finish is top notch. Car is certainly not heavy.
The car is well engineered and thought out. Its not a cheap rip off, the rcmart price may lead you believe otherwise. It should sell in america if priced a tad under the xxx and b4.
Thanks TC/rcmart for the bargain!
ty
I have a few things Id like to point out, for information purposes. This is not to take credibility away from the kit.
I have the aluminum rear arm mounts, the rear mount does not fit without cutting off the nubs on the t plate. The holes in the alum. mount are not big enough to fit the nubs, but the stock plastic one does.
Also I have the aluminum front arm mount , but the holes for the pins are oversized, the pins almost rattle around. It makes the front end very sloppy. The stock plastic piece has much better tolerance.
Shocks
The shocks come with o rings which look to fit under the caps, but when you screw the caps down the o rings expand out, larger then the cap and become useless. They actually go on the spring tensioner rings.
As mentioned in another post the pistons are too thin, and have slop between the e clips. Also the pistons have flashing around all the holes, it is very difficult to remove the flashing without distorting the holes....be very careful here. I also found that the oil flow holes have some holes tapered, some not. In the end I think these pistons are ruining shocks that are otherwise very nice shocks. TC needs to remedy the piston molds. If anyone finds a piston that drop fits in place please let me know.
My rear springs have 1 longer then the other. I could not make one shrink (lol) so I took the shorter one and stretched it out carefully to match the other.
As for bleeding the shocks, the hole in the cap is very nice, and the manual says nothing about the bleeding procedure. So with starting with the piston all the way down I turned the cap down until tight, then backed off about 1/2 a turn, then pushed the shaft up, bleeding the air out. Also I held the assembly in my hand about 60º angle, with the bleed hole up where I could see it. Once the bubbles were gone and had clear oil coming out, i tightened the cap down. Now the only trick about this step is making the shocks the same as far as rebound or static shaft position. This means where does the shaft sit after you compress it. If not carefull you will end up with shock shafts that sit extended out further then the other. Ive not build a shockthat was so sensitive to rebound setup. I built mine to rest around the 1/2 way point of travel.
The aluminum standoffs where the shock mounts to on the towers is too small. The shocks rattle on these as well. This will only worsen with use.
Other
The plastics seem like very good quality, I cant speak for durability as Ive not run it yet (-5Cº outside). Test fit things before securing...ie: the arms, theres a bit of flashing between the points where the c hubs mount, use a fine emery board and carefully sand it off, check fit, sand as needed. IMO this is not an issue, I would rather do this then have to shim it due to poor tolerances. Check the fit on the arms for everything else.
Remember when assembling hardware into the plastics you are tapping thread. Take your time, assemble things square and be sure to feel when it gets tight. If not carefull you'll strip the threads and your hardware will pull out in use. Do not use a power screwdriver ever, it will also strip plastic easily. The 2mm hex end in the balls are a great feature for assembling. Be sure to use a good hex driver.
I would have liked more room for the battery tray, so that the battery could be shifted fore/aft for a bit more adjustment. It does have a bit of room, but not much (with an SMC 5200 lipo).
The rubber plug for the dust cover is a sloppy fit, it may fall out and it will certainly let dust in. Maybe an o ring on the groove of the rubber plug to tighten it up.
Theres no mention in the manual of where to set the diff tension. I tightened it up, then backed off 1/8th turn, as a starting point. I didnt like the diff screw being a phillips end, a hex end would be much better here.
Another minor detail I would like is a flatspot or a tab to aid in removing the ball ends. As these are they will get scarred up from pliers being removed for making adjustments. Otherwise they are very nice quality and snap on firm and without slop.
Use a little locktite to hold the axle pins in place, they fit loose and fall out easily. Could be an issue when changing wheels. Dont get any locktite in the bearings!
I have a slight wobble in the slipper, nothing outrageous, but not as true turning as losi or asc.
So many things I like where do I start....
The box it comes in is pretty cool....its made of coroplast (plastic) so It will last a long time more then a cardboard one.
The body clips come with rubber tabs like proline sells, I wish there were 5 instead of 3. I may use velcro to mount the body instread of the 2 holes on the rear of the chassis.
Nice strong looking turnbuckles, with reverse thread indicators. From memory it uses a 4mm wrench for adjusting. A little wrench for that would nice if included in the kit.
Rear shock tower has 3 "C" formations to clip motor wires into, although a bit small for the wires Im using. I wet the wires to aid in slipping them in. You could also use a small round file to enlarge them.
Nice looking cvd's, look beefier then associated's, not sure if rebuildable...?
Little notches in the front of the battery tray for lipos that have wires coming out laterally.
manual
Nice clear illistrations. All parts numbered clearly.
Would be nice to mark the parts bags and integrate them into the build sections. Might be an issue for the novice builder but not if youve built 1-2 kits before.
Manual does not describe how to bleed the shocks to set rebound.
Also does not say how to set the diff tension.
But they did say how/where to set the slipper and servo saver
Take my ramblings as you wish, these are my points of view. I may sound picky on the shocks but imo they are a critical part of the handling on any car. Realy nice quality from my observations, I dont see any long term problems once the pistons are sorted out. I will want blanks to drill my own at some point for sure.
The rest of the fit and finish is top notch. Car is certainly not heavy.
The car is well engineered and thought out. Its not a cheap rip off, the rcmart price may lead you believe otherwise. It should sell in america if priced a tad under the xxx and b4.
Thanks TC/rcmart for the bargain!
ty