Readers write
YO, ADRIAN!
Who painted the Schumacher R12 on the cover of the August issue? I looked through the article and didn’t see a painting credit. The “On the cover” section didn’t mention the painter’s name either. I’d like to get the same paint job for my car. [email]
Alex DeGrassi
I put in a call to my man Adrian Martinez at Schumacher USA to find out who painted the body that was supplied with the R12, and it was Adrian himself who threw the paint! So in addition to running the joint, he can paint a mean-looking sedan shell. Now that’s multitasking! Unfortunately, Adrian isn’t in the paint-for-hire biz, but I bet Bill Zegers at Zegers RC Graffixx can hook you up with a duplicate paint job; email him at rcpaintman@aol.com.
-Pete
DURABLE DIFF
I recently picked up a copy of your Radio Control Monster Trucks special issue and saw the article “How to: Convert your Stadium Truck into a Monster.” I have a Team Losi Triple-XNT Sport and wondered whether I could make those mods to my truck. My local hobby store says I can’t because the large tires would put too much strain on the Losi’s particularly fragile diff. Is this true, or can I turn my stadium truck into a car crusher? [email]
jesse D.
Fragile diff … what? Losi got a run of diff gears that weren’t up to spec when the Triple-XNT first came out, but that was resolved a long time ago. The Triple-XNT’s “monster diff” is oversize to give it extra strength, so you should have no problem putting monster tires on your truck. You should also be able to adapt our body-mounting tips to your gasser easily.
-Pete
TURNBUCKLES EXPLAINED
I just started reading RC Car Action, and I’m getting into RC. What are turrbuckles? I’ve seen them mentioned in articles, and I can see that it’s the rod that forms the upper part of the suspension, but I don’t know what it is or why it’s important. Is that part always called a “turnbuckle,” or is it only a turnbuckle if it’s a screw-type rod? [email]
Brian Paul
Most RC car suspensions combine a lower suspension arm with an upper camber link. The camber link may be a one-piece plastic part that is nonadjustable, or a threaded steel rod that can be adjusted by removing it and threading the ball cups on its ends in or out to shorten or lengthen the link. A turnbuckle is the third and best option. Because it has a right-hand thread on one end and a left-hand thread on the other, twisting the turnbuckle will simultaneously thread or unthread both ball cups to shorten or lengthen the link. This adjustment is important because it adjusts the wheel’s camber; that’s the angle of the wheel when viewed head-on.
-Pete
RC TOURING CARS HAS YOUR TIPS
I’ve been into RC for about 11 months and wondered what maintenance a mod motor requires. I have a Tamiya TL-01 chassis with Novak Explorer II ESC, Futaba electronics and a Chameleon 19T motor. Any tips you can give me will be great, [email]
Luis Marroquin
Take a look at the latest issue of RC Touring Cars; it has a motor-maintenance article that will help you keep your Chameleon factory-fresh. Basically, all you have to do is keep the internal parts clean, replace the brushes when they wear and keep the commutator true by turning it on a lathe-the hobby shop can handle that for you, if you can’t swing buying a comm lathe just yet.
-Pete
AM IS OK
Do I really need an FM radio? I’ve heard that it’s important to have FM, but I want to get started with a DuraTrax Evader and it only comes with an AM radio. I could purchase the no-radio version and buy an FM radio separately, but that’s a lot of money for me. [email]
Joe Moritz
Joe, go ahead and get that Evader RTR; the Futaba-built radio gear that comes with it is excellent stuff. It is nice to have an FM system, but today’s narrowband AM systems are highly reliable and glitch-resistant. I promise, you won’t think twice about your radio once you start driving; you’ll be too distracted by the good time you’ll be having with your truck. Tear it up!
-Pete
YOU SAID IT
“I want to be competitive from the start.”
I have an Associated RC10T3 RTR and want to start racing with it. I want to be competitive from the start, so I already bought a Novak Dually ESC, a Trinity P2k2 motor and a Team Orion 2400 matched pack (I sure had a difficult time explaining a $70 battery to my parents). Is there anything else I need to get? [email[
Roger Wood
There’s nothing wrong with going alt out, Rog, but you could have started racing just as easily with a completely stock T3 RTR and a cheapie battery pack. No matter how much you spend, you’ll probably have a difficult time being “competitive from the start” if you’ve never raced on a track before. So, don’t be discouraged if you aren’t winning your qualifiers and making the A-main, even though your truck is as fast or faster than the other guys’. The only investment beginning racers need to make in order to try racing is the entry fee; there wilt be plenty of time to upgrade parts and equipment later.
As for your “What’s next?” question, I suggest that you make certain that you have the correct tires for your track. Check out what the fast guys are running, or ask the track operator to tell you what hooks up.
-Pete
Each month, “Readers Write” sponsor Team Trinity awards the “You said it” letter writer the Reference body of his choice. This is Trinity’s new shell for the Associated RC10GT.
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