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BruiseWayn

BruiseWayn's Xpress FT1 build

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My first build thread. Please bear with me; i write too much rubbish and i take **** pictures.

So i was down @ the local Tamiya distributor one day and was just nosing around. Friend was there to get some parts. I have been out of RC for what, 20 years? So anyway i saw a bunch of FF03s gg on sale. Like $150 (82 GBP, 98 Euros) a kit. I am like whoa holly **** thats not expensive, right? Should i get 1 for kicks? 

No i didn't.

I  felt i needed to re-educate myself first u know? Did some research abt the chassis, current electronics trend, parts, etc. I always liked realism in RC. Or rather, how RC tries to replicate real life. Like the TA03F. Front motor placement, upright suspension, just like a real car. That car had no proper suspension geometry and with the motor in front(wrong place for racing), its just not going to be beating any of the 2 belt touring cars, but it didnt matter, i liked it. To me, its the "correct" rc chassis. Heavy bits in the right places. I had a David Jun before i quit the hobby. I think i gave the car away or something. I think it was 4 years ago that snagged a BNIB David Jun for not too much money. I liked it so much i always wanted another one. But i flipped it coz someone offered me more than 2x as much as i paid for it. So obviously, i didn't get to build it.

On hindsight looking at the residual value now, that was a move i regret.

I want to say i love it, but if i really did, but i wouldn't have sold it away. Okay, i must have, all those years ago. half the reason why i sold it was because i couldnt stand the thought of the ball diffs. I hate em'. I hate the idea that @ some point, if i play with it, i would have to take it apart and rebuild it. Urgh. Why can't Tamiya or somebody make a sealed gear diff for all the older cars?!

Back to the FF03. interesting car. I always fancied the idea of an FF touring car with a Honda Civic body. Front motor, just 1 diff to build and talking abt the diff, wow! Oil filled sealed gear diff! Wow! i was amazed by the sealed gear diffs. I always hated building ball diffs. So i found the sealed gear diffs to be God sent. If i was disappointed at it, i would say that its got a 3 gear gearbox. I mean, Why can't they make a belt drive FF car just like EVERYONE else, right? And there are so many. 

Ok fine, i need to buy the ver.II XV01 gearbox and gear diff if i wanted to use that. Ok. the kit's cheap so, do-able. oh need a set of those alloy dampers. Wait a minute, wow in board suspension!! 

This FF03 is madness. But flexy tub chassis looks meh. No worries mate, 3Racing makes a CF chassis conversion. We got you covered. Oh hey, theres the FF04 Evo. But it was going for stupid money, and also i hate the battery placement. I mean, how do you balance the battery on 1 side, and your electronics on the other? 

Anyways i did the sums, and the more i thought abt it the more it didnt make sense. Its fine if you leave it like that. But i'll want to throw some shiny bits on it, just like everyone else. And idealistically by the time i am done, for all the money i was gonna throw @ it, i could have bought something newer, cheaper. Maybe faster & better. 

The more economical alternatives were the Schumacher Mission FT (LHS was selling it @ very close to Xpress FT1 money), the 3Racing FF20 and the MTS FF V3. All belt drive, All front motor (except for the Schumacher). Because every chassis had something i didn't like, i forgot about buying an FF chassis for abit.

Then i was talking to an old friend i knew from my RC days; i asked him what he was playing with of recent. FF Touring. So i told him i wanted an FF03 and he totally advised me against it. Buy the Xpress, he said. Superbly good value for money he said, kicks *** out of the box, he said. That, or the Schumacher, which was, in his opinion, just as good. 

Anyway to touch on Xpress. They are from Hong Kong, and they have being around for 20 years or so. Back then i was still an 18 yr old kid, and i am like... ewww, ugly red anodized parts. Typical touring car copy of every other brand out there. Then again to be quite fair to them, almost every other 4wd touring car had 2 belt drive and offset ball diffs back in the late 90s...  

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This, is that touring car. Its called the Roadrunner *beep beep* and they had a M chassis version, 4wd as well, though i can't rmbr if it was a 210mm or 225mm wheelbase. 

My friend was semi sponsored by the LHS who brought in the Xpress brand to ran some races and he did mightly well. Granted he was a good driver and he could drive my flip flops into the A Main if he wanted to, but he mentioned it was a very good car; build quality was very decent too. It took me by surprise; i am chinese but i never had any confidence in chinese products; i have this stereotype that they are all.. crap, @ least, in those days anyway. But it changed my impression of the brand. 

But i still hate the red anodized parts.  Ewwww. 

@ some point the guys behind rcmart.com took over the rights to the brand and launched their own products.  I don't exactly know when, and quite genuinely i don't care either. They have some interesting stuff going on, and not bank breaking too.

In the end i went with the Xpress despite obnoxiously hating the red anodized parts(i'll say it as many times as i want :D ). Parts support for Xpress is amazing. Parts from the newer touring cars will fit the older ones (arms, etc) so you nvr have to worry about breaking anything. Tons of options too!I would have liked to give the 3Racing a go but the support online is pure rubbish. Reads my queries through FB messenger on the official page but doesn't respond. What a dick.  MTS doesnt seem to have much support in terms of parts; and the Schuey just looked weird to me. Front mid motor mount position is kindda silly isn't it, @ least to me. Looks weird for 1. In the end, people are adding brass weights in the front bumper to get traction? Anyhoos i bought the FT1S (sport version with FRP chassis) because the FT1(full carbon chassis with all the go fast aluminum parts and the bees' knees) was way too expensive. 

Enough talk. Picture time.

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I figured out since the kit wasn't expensive, i could throw some money at some hop ups. Nothing too crazy, i mean, the whole point is to get back into the hobby without spending too much. Rightttttttt? Or @ least i thought. Just carbon front and rear shock towers, carbon upper deck, aluminum floating servo holder and carbon plate. 
Ahhhh just 1 more hopup; how much more would it cost anyway....
As it turned out, it would cost enough to have me realize that i would have been doing myself a favor by getting the FT1 with all the carbon and aluminum parts in the first place. shiiiiiiit

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Random pic of the FRP main and upper plate, together with the carbon upper deck. 

Alright folks, thats all for now.

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The kit actually came sometime in April. I decided to start building in May. I felt quite uncomfortable doing it, cause i didnt have all the parts i need. I dun wan to put it together and then take it apart again to replace something. So i rather wait. but there's the problem of waiting coz i'll lose interest and then keep holding it off. 

anyway i decided to start on it first, @ least, on part of it.

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Sanded and wet sanded edges of the chassis plates. i am not sure if people still do these and glue the edges, or has chassis manufacturing reached a point its no longer necessary? Anyways i am doing it. 

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ooooooooh so smooooooooooth. but wait, so i am applying CA to the edges. If i want the CA to adhere better, wouldn't it help for the surface to be rough instead of smooth? 
Math Equations GIFs | Tenor

Urgh, either way, its done. 

 

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somehow i don't have pics of the process.... why don't i have 2 more hands; what fun that would be, the things i can do. anyhoos. 

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royal screw up. too much ca, got all over the chassis plates, and my fingers. Then tried to mitigate the damage by trying to wipe it all off (yea u wish) with a paper towel.

URGH! as much as i i like building cars and envision perfect builds, i have butter fingers, so i spend extra time doing stupid things and rectifying work. 

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Found out acetone removes glue stains and stuff. so off to the home improvement store for some. I called ahead; i didn't want to make a wasted trip. Gods of RC took pity on me; they had 1 last bottle so i went to pick it up.

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After much dry/wet sanding again, and reapplying CA..........

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i ended up with white stains like this, on the other side as well. I mean...... 
Google Sends Reporter a GIF Instead of a 'No Comment' | WIRED

HOW?!

You know what, i give up. The whole point of the stupid exercise is to protect the chassis plates from splitting. Its CA-ed. White edges or not, its done. Then i got a eureka moment. i should black paint over it. It wont be nice, but @ least cover up the white parts.... 

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Masking and tracing with a hobby knife, and then spraying it with some black paint i found in my dad's DIY stash of spray paints. 

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@ least its JDM. Yo.

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Feels tacky. Maybe not completely dried. And genuinely not what i had in mind, but @ least its CA-ed up and.... black. Phew. I spent more time than i should on this. Not practical @ all.

Moving on to the carbon shock towers (or damper stays, whatevs) and the floating servo mount plate. 

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I am happy to report the sanding and CA-ing went on without a hitch. Because they are so thiccccc? Yea i badly needed this. Finally something that didn't need rectification work. 

And with this, i conclude a weekend of shenanigans. At least its done. 

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So, diff building begins. My 1st diff build in 20 years. Actually no thats not quite accurate, i stripped and put back together my HPI Rs4 Pro ball diff some years back. But 1st modern sealed gear diff build. Bought a micro digital scale to weight diff oil and Associated Green Slime for the O rings. I read/watched some gear diff builds that use this. 

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it was on 1 guide, i can't rmbr it was a blog or video that recommends to screw the diff cover onto the main gear case first to force the diff surface to flex, and then remove the cover and sand down to get a flat surface, to prevent oil leaks. so i did just that. 

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I think i took afew passes after this shot. Can't rmbr. this was back in June (2021)

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*Rubs hands gleefully* so its happening. Kindda nervous. i mean, the chassis fiasco aside, i am finally putting together something. 

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Stock steel outdrive. 4.6g

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Xpress aluminum outdrive, 1.5g. I have another photo showing 1.1g but i am not sure the scale is accurate. Do it once and do it right. Is the outdrive a part that will wear down with time? Now i am not sure if the aluminum outdrive is a good idea.....

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Wow these pins were a 81tch to get in. 

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I think its quite mesmerising watching the bevel gears turn when i spin the outdrive. 

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Sticcccccccccccky

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Instructions call for 1.5g of diff oil. But it seems abit too much? I dunno, isn't diff oil only supposed to cover to 3/4 of the gears or something?

Also can i ask if i am supposed to wait until all the bubbles disappear?

I didn't.

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1 hour ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

Close up the diff and don't worry about it. Nice build. Been looking at their mini

thanks man. i eventually did. this was in June haha. had alot gg on since. moving and stuff. recently just got back to the this. 

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So after the the diff came together, i just mounted in on the chassis with the front and rear bulkheads, albeit missing some parts, together with the inner suspension mounts. 

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As this is the "sport" kit, the bulkhead pieces are made of composite.

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On the FT1, the front & rear lower/upper bulkheads are aluminum pieces. The front bulk head lower plate is made of brass.

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I find this shuriken shaped plastic part to be particularly interesting, at least to me. Its the pulley cover and its secured with a huge E clip. It still spins freely and is minimally shaped, but enough to keep the belt from coming off. Maybe its the industrial norm now; do they do this to reduce rotating mass? But that bit of plastic won't make much difference would it? IIRC, i had to glue the belt pulley covers on to the pulleys themselves on my HPI RS4 Pro.

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And this was the state i left it in since June, because i was moving and settling in @ my new place... bla bla bla.

 

 

 

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So i intended to build the kit with selective upgrades, what i feel are the essential ones. So like i mentioned in my initial post, i ordered these together with the kit

1. CF flex eliminator upper deck

2. CF front damper stay

3. CF rear damper stay

4. CF servo plate

5. Alu. servo holder. 

6. Alu. steering plate

Both the servo holder and steering plate weren't in stock, so i wanted to wait for those to show up before progressing with the build. 

And then while i was waiting for these 2 pieces to show up, 2 new upgrades appeared on my radar. 

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CF steering knuckle arms to replace the original composite pieces. I honestly dunno if they improve upon anything, but i want em' :D 

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Xpress calls them camberlink stiffeners. To me its one of those "might as well mods"

The alu servo holder & this camberlink stiffeners are here. Just waiting for the CF knuckle arms. Should be arriving next week.

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Partly why i left this build dangling for so long. I mentioned i was moving and stuff. But also because i wasn't quite keen on the red aluminium bits; I have openly aired my disdain for them. 

So the logical thing for me to do is to get them re-anodized, but i just haven't got around to doing it. A combination of laziness and lack of time. And that i couldn't decide on a colour. 

Every RC kit manufacturer has a colour theme right? Express = Red. HPI and Serpent = Orange. HPI used to be purple, but now its Schumacher. Tamiya, blue. 

I came mightily close to picking blue; because i thought, if i ever upgrade the stock plastic damper bodies, i would prolly pick a Tamiya alloy damper kit. And those would be.... blue.

But guess what i picked eventually? Its one of my favourite colours.

I found a shop not far from my place. They quoted me $64 (35GBP or 42 Euro), for the whole lot of alu parts from the kit. So i dropped them off last thursday, and picked them up the following wednesday. 

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TADA~~

I hope i didn't miss out anything, or lost anything. I have adjusted the lighting in this picture, but they are actually quite abit darker than in this pic. The spur gear adapter (which is not in the picture) is so much darker it might as well be black. @cat007 says this is common for re-anodized parts, they will be dull and not as vibrant as parts anodized for the first time. 

personally i don't mind. i am quite happy with the outcome actually. Now i can put these bits on whoo hoo!

 

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So now that the aluminum pieces are back, its time i started on the car again. I decided to do all the turnbuckles. Actually thats the first thing the instruction manual tells you to do. 

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You know you have to cut off the ball cups off a plastic tree, & there will definitely be a plastic snub on the ball cup? Leaving it alone just bothers me so. You run your finger along the curve and something's there..... 

Just dont even just dont dont do not GIF on GIFER - by Mudar

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I tried gg at them with a pen knife, but it effects were.... not that desirable.

So, sand it off then. I looked high and low for a day or so, i just cant find sandpaper at home. I swear i have some in various grits. just simply can't find them. But i know they will turn up once i get some new ones. Which i did the nxt day. As in, i got some new ones. The old ones havent showed up yet. 

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Ahhhhh. *runs finger along the curve* Much better *sigh*

After completing 2 turnbucklles, my fingers were starting to sting. i concluded i needed a turnbuckle wrench. Whats that all about then? where am i gg to find a turnbuckle wrench @ 2am i the morning?!

As luck would have it. i found a 3racing ball end remover i bought some time back but nvr opened. 

3Racing RC Ball End Remover

Only $5! Now obviously they are not meant to do what i used it for, but boy this thing was able to hold the 4mm turnbuckles in place. At least, hold them enough. This thing really helped me out man. i didn't want to use pliers; didn't want to scratch the turnbuckles. 

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So 1 sleepless night later, i had the turnbuckles done, measured and double measured. I had enough for the day. I realized, that i don't hate ball diffs that much now; i hate turnbuckles more. I never want to twist them in my life ever again.

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Oh, i also used a smidge of this on the turnbuckles' threads. I was hoping it would make them easier to screw in. Not sure if it did make them easier. But now i know for sure it won't seize. And it will last up to 1093 degree Celsius lol.

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Last update, to bring things up to speed, I realized that in order to install the camberlink stiffeners and CF knuckle arms, i would need those tiny 3*6mm aluminum spacers. Purple ones. 

I actually ordered some over ebay but i don't think i can wait for them to show up. So off to one of the LHS to see if i can get some. @cat007 told me where to go. 

I was actually lucky; Google lists their open hours till 5pm. I was there @ 4.30. They were already closed. Apparently they have adjusted opening hours to 3pm because of COVID. But they were waiting for a customer to come pick up some stuff so they let me in. Phew! So, not a wasted trip. 

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Little purple alu. spacers by RC Square. JDM YO!

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Came back and popped 2 of these into the rear sway bar turnbuckle links. They asked for a 2mm gap, in the middle. Dun mind the brown bits; they are from the copper grease. Other than that, lookin' good i reckon.

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sorry for the late updates, been lazy recently.. 

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First purple part on main chassis. 

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i had originally wanted the 1-piece aluminium steering plate (bridge, i call it) to be back in stock but it never did. Then this appeared on rcmart; basically 3 different inserts give you different Ackermann angles, less, normal, more. 

Not that i can tell the difference if i ever drove this thing anyway. So, off the normal ones goes to re-anodizing, and into the car. 

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What travesty. Something needs to be done.

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*runs finger along surface*

 Feeling So Much Better GIFs | Tenor

*long sigh*

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8, 8.5 & 9. i was told by the Xpress people 8.5 give s u the same Ackermann as OE.

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I really love the carbon & purple bits. Would like to touch on abit abt the carbon upper deck. Xpress calls it flex eliminator top deck. Now why they call it that, i have no idea. the rectangularish oval purple(it was red) collar you see attached to the upper deck is what i chose to install over a flanged bearing which would be secured by that same screw over the collar. So i guess this is the flex eliminator part.
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This pic is stolen from.... somewhere else. Ahh so as you can see, the controlled flex this flanged bearing will bring you. Not sure my driving will evolve to the point that i can actually feel the difference, i am a pretty daft guy. But i chose to install the collar over the bearing. At which point i realize, i should have bought the normal carbon upper deck. Whats the point to have gotten this, and then plugged in the collar.... same stiffness. zzzzz

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24 minutes ago, martinjpayne said:

@BruiseWayn mate, most of your pictures aren't showing! :o

****. they actually look ok on my browser. (i copied and pasted from my google photos account) I am perpetually signed in to my acc in my Chrome browser. 

i just checked using Explorer and they come up in an endless string of.... gibberish. 

thanks for the heads up!

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Moving on to the front suspension now. 

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Double cardan shafts were heavily recommended on the Xpress forum on RCtech and by one of my friends but they were also quite expensive, so i passed on those..

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I know these parts as steering knuckles, but Xpress calls them the steering block, and steering block plate. I am puzzled as to why the knuckle needs to be divided into 2 parts? 

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Assembled with the protector blades. They were difficult to get in. These are really new to me, but they do seem to make the sliding much more fluid, or issit just a placebo effect? haha

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Composite suspension mount piece has some stubs, so i sanded it down. Tried to make it as flat as i can coz i can't stand the uneveness.

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Stubs begone, i command thee!

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Ready for assembly

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 So this is the part where i got stuck. I was supposed to assemble 4 links for the ARB with M3*8mm set screws. But somehow because there were set screws that measured 9.5mm or something, i assumed those were the ones and it was a mismeasurement or misprint or whatever on the manual. 

So when i got to the front arms, they asked for the M3*10mm set screw to be screwed into the side of the arm, for the lower damper mounts. !@#$%^&

So the 9.5mm set screws are the "10mm", and are supposed to go into the arms but 2 of them are now in the ARB links URGH. So i gotta bust out the ARB links and redo them. Sigh.

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Doned, and doned. I know the d isn't supposed to be there you grammar nazis. 

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So front suspension done, with the front motor mount. the steering action is not as smooth as i quite anticipated.

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I cannibalized these aluminium hex adaptors from an Xpress XQ1S (4wd sport touring car) that i won on Yahoo auctions for $150? Thats like 97euro/83gbp. Not that cheap now come to think of it, but on the top side, i now have a modern touring car to mess around with. I hated the plastic ones; they keep coming off and the pins kept falling out! Made a mental note to get some for this car; these needs to go back to the XQ1S once i do that.

I stripped the threads off the left steering block where the plate is screwed down, but it is secure for now. And i find that i have to turn back on the top ball ends on both the steering blocks quite a bit or they will bind. I have a suspicion that i might not have threaded in the ball end on top properly. 

I think i will leave them alone for now. I won't be running the car so soon anyway.

*makes another mental note to buy front suspension spares*
I will likely run the car like this till i smash into something and replace the steering blocks and plates when they.... give way.

 

 

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40 minutes ago, martinjpayne said:

Mmm, I like the carbon and purple look... Team Academy RC colours too!

Thanks mate. i am not familiar with Team Academy, though the name MRC is vaguely familiar, somehow. Did they use to make budget rc cars, like Traxxas?
From putting 2 and 2 together, their active period in RC was... between 2005 and 2011 or something? I quitted RC in 1999/2000, thereabouts so if that is so, that would explain my unfamiliarity with those guys. 

I was thinking of purple button screws on top, but been aluminium, i am not sure they will quite hold up. If its anything to go by, as far as rc is concerned, i am a highly decorated crash dummy.  

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Academy started making serious cars around '99-'00 with the STR4 Pro touring car and SB Sport/Pro buggy. They peaked in the west with the SB V2 buggy in 2005 and never released anything outside of Korea after. Early stuff was Grasshopper clones and the like. 

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So with the front suspension more or less done, I move on to the back. 

As with the front suspension arms, i need 2 sets of sets screws for the ARBs & the damper lower mounts. 

C1.thumb.jpg.227655b84a45e4dfb1b5b94cff099386.jpg

The front arms call for M3*10mm, but the manual asks for M3*8mm for the rears, which i don't have anymore. However, i do have another pair of M3*10mm. zzzz what gives?

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So these are M4*10mm for the ARBs. For some reason, the ones for the rear arms decided to go missing. I swear i had them on my table. Now they are gone. And i have looked everywhere.

Which means, the only way to press forward, is to order some new ones. I have completely given up on finding them.

New M3*8mm and M4*10mm set screws ( they come in packs of 10. ahh well, i suppose i will have use for these in future, somehow) And those front suspension spares. I'll detail my spree on RCMART in another post. 

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Also i was given advice on this kingpin alignment tool from Radtec on the Rctech FT1S forum. Apparently it helps you to er... make straight threads on your steering blocks. It was to my surprise that a local hobby shop actually is listed as a distributor and they do have it in stock. Costs the same as it would have if i bought 1 online. Support local businesses yo!I look forward to using this on my new steering blocks. Also got my 1st TRF tool, 4mm turnbuckle adjusters. If this would save me from stinging fingers, then its money well spent. 

*embarks on other rc car builds and realizes non of them have 4mm turnbuckles lolx*  

So okay, rear arms and hubs. I built them as how the manual would want one to build them. 

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stub removal

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And thats that for now.

 

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20211209_161709.thumb.jpg.52c2ac976faaf5bf0532dbda80361614.jpg

So about my little spree on RCMART. So this showed up yesterday.... box was pretty small actually. 

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YESSSSSS MY PRECIOUSSSSSSA. each pack was USD$3 and i was like, i only need M3*8 & M4*10.... arhh its only $3. So i got the M3*8 too. might as well.

just in case. 

just in case of what?

I dunno! Just in case!

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And these pile right here, are what Xpress calls their new material ball ends. more durable, stronger.. dark grey material... yada yada yada. And because i been twisting the ones on my car in and out so much.... i thought i'll just get some. build it once and build it right, right? 

20211209_162248.thumb.jpg.df2829c9faf90154719917166d5512db.jpg 

Now this! This, i didn't get from RCMART. This i bought from Daiso (its a japanese thrift store where everything is $2. But most the stuff they sell are made in china lololol) for.... SGD$2. Thats like USD$1? or Less than 1 Euro/GBP. Its a magnetic little bowl where u can keep your little screws. Technically its an aluminium bowl with a strong magnetic base.

So, whats so interesting about this... i mean, alot of people have one right? Please, lemme show you.

20211209_162304.thumb.jpg.48daebaae9f523b647b069b55ad9a57e.jpg  

Thats where the M4 set screws i need for the rear arms been hidding. !@#$%^ i didn't find out till yesterday. *ROAR*

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Spares for the front suspension. So these Xpress people, they periodically release new & improved parts for suspension; so the claim is anyway. But these new parts are totally compatible with their older cars, like the FT1(S) and XQ1(S), and everything(or almost everything) is available in the normal hard material that comes with the kits, or the strong and hard material which is an option. 

Strong and hard... Just like me.... 

raised-eyebrow-grinning.gif.d66b8c56de11d7f3f39eb941fe941283.gif

:D

jokes aside though, the steering blocks have not been updated. but C hubs have been upgraded to a V2, as with the kingpins. I went with the strong and hard  :D (oh will u grow up) C Hub coz i thought perhaps the reduction in flexing when i screw down the king pins and top ball end might reduce binding. Also since theres a V2... then its gotta be better, right?  The steering blocks... i went with strong and hard also because... might as well.....

yeahracing-yt-0209-01-800x800_0.thumb.jpg.9fe6b977a7c6d3d30c49ae00f62a3aff.jpg

Ever since i used the first hex driver to screw in my first hex screw, i have loved it. The ones i have currently are abit long for my liking, and these looked good and seemed shorter and more to my preferred length. USD$15, lets go!

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Oh i bought these too... i have *counts with fingers* 5 vintage cars that are awaiting my attention to rebuild as shelf queens. I feel these would help in some capacity. 

Ok, this about brings my Xpress shenanigans up to date.

Till the next time, thank you for reading!

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20211212_005610.thumb.jpg.5aabc6a8553e567a4307e32acc08c820.jpg20211212_005554.thumb.jpg.c9245985cdf75f9ba5a9f0b181c85635.jpg

So car has come to a point where by its what, 70% built? left arms front and rear seem to be abit sloppy; i suspect the suspension mounts been composite, are not exactly the most precise. I am not sure i want to put shims just on 1 side. Even though there is slop, it also seems to bind abit, but to be fair i was articulating them out of their intended travel, so i guess its okay. Decide to build the suspension next.  20211212_001814.thumb.jpg.ae617a046b142959b699dc507587f06c.jpg

More for vanity purposes, i found Tamiya titanium coats shafts that matches the length of the OE shafts. Normally I wouldn't want to build  anything without the right tools but i learnt a new trick; that's to use a power drill's chuck to hold down the shaft without scratching it ( hence you can see that i test threaded in 1 lower connector)

As you can see, these shafts are for the M chassis, p/n 54044. Personally i am surprised that touring car dampers have such short travel these days. At the time of taking this picture, i realized that the supplied shock oil is missing. So is my little tub of Associated Green Slime.

I looked all over, but i just can't find them. Which means i have to close shop for the night. They will show up @ some point. When i don't need them anymore.

*ROAR* how annoying!
 

 

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Well to the LHS then. 450cst oil as supplied in the kit, and also the Associated Green Slime that @cat007 graciously pass me with some Tamiya damper fluid.

Ok looks like i have everything now. And I come home.... to find that i don't have any e-clips for the damper pistons. Really, every farcking thing is missing when i most need it. I think i'll have to cannibalize one of my Tamiya NIB kits for some first. I already lost all mood for doing anything with the dampers tonight. Anyway a mate is gg to lend me a pair of damper pliers, so i'll pick them up tmrw and then do the dampers then.

20211212_005052.jpg

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I quite like the look of this. Its radically different to any of the other touring car kits ive built before.

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18 hours ago, Superluminal said:

I quite like the look of this. Its radically different to any of the other touring car kits ive built before.

thank you :) all the FF tourers of last 1 or 2 years all look like that. motor in front and belt drive. 

but after building this, i realize that perhaps an FF03 or FF04 would be better. I used to think belt drive > gearbox, smoother and less resistance. Now i am not so sure; because now i realize that belt stretches are a real thing and you wont have that issue with a gearbox.

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