Vintage Acoms Techniplus transmitter

[will04]

I have an Acoms Techniplus Transmitter(AP-27MKV) I'm assuming that means MK5.I was just trying to find out a little bit about it. Where these any good and does anyone know what years this particular model was made. I'm restoring a vintage Hotshot and was wanting to know if this would have been a transmitter that someone would have used with the Hotshot? Was this particular model still around when the Hotshot came out in 1985? Thanks

[Percymon]

Can't help on the exact year, but i've ended up with a few of those with ebay wins over the last year - i think one came with a Vanquish and another with Astute. Both those models were launched at similar times (1988/89), later than the original Hotshot (1985) but not dissimilar to the Hotshot 2 (1988).

[spudtrooper37]

Hi,

Just to expand on Percymons cars, i have a Bullhead (1990) with that transmitter, so it does seem to put it late 80's early 90's

Regards

[Percymon]

Bear in mind though that Transmitters don't change all that often, perhaps there were several minor amendments to the Ap-27 in a shortish period of time, but the current Techniplus set seems to have been around for an age. I wouldn't be surprised to hear your handset was offered at retailers for 5 years or more.

[MAD RACER]

I think its a Mk1 Techniplus radio.

Around the early 80,s The Mk11 was around from the mid 80's. I have a few of them. Were very popular with Tamiya kits as they were designed around them than . Later went to Futaba.

Well that's what i think. Not 100% sure on this though.

The MK11 was a good radio but the servos were a little fragile. The stripped gears on the steering. My mate bought a few gear sets. Later they re designed the internals. They looked the same except the newer version has a serial nu on the side. They were a better servo. My mate had the Acoms radio in his Hornet and i had a JR radio in my Marui.

[bjr250]

I think that the MkV would be a little too recent for the Hotshot.

In 1986 my Fox package came with a Techniplus MkIII (I still have everything from the package). I think that this might be the the correct radio (perhaps the MkII as well?) as it would have been around during the Hotshot's run.

[TomEG]

I agree with bjr250, that this probably is too recent for the Hotshot. If my memory serves me right, I mostly saw mk2 and mk3 being used with Hotshots. I used a mk2 with my first hotshot, but that might have been bought a year before the hotshot it self. Acoms made (makes?) good, while affordable, radio sets that were very popular back then. I still have my two mk2's and a 4 ch for my Toyota 4x4 Pick Up.

[super gripper]

I have an Acoms Techniplus Transmitter(AP-27MKV) I'm assuming that means MK5.I was just trying to find out a little bit about it. Where these any good and does anyone know what years this particular model was made. I'm restoring a vintage Hotshot and was wanting to know if this would have been a transmitter that someone would have used with the Hotshot? Was this particular model still around when the Hotshot came out in 1985? Thanks

You have the best of the Techniplus family there.

It puts out 5 watts of transmitting radio power, most were of that particular time.

After that because of the stupid EU laws 27meg radio's were limited to 1 or 2 watts of power.

THAT's why the mk1 goes for the most money on eBay.

[will04]

Thanks for all the help!So a Mk3 would probably be more period correct for the hotshot? I'm definately keeping the mk5 I have.What were some other popular period correct transmitter that some of you guys had growing up with your hotshots? just curious

[TomEG]

Thanks for all the help!So a Mk3 would probably be more period correct for the hotshot? I'm definately keeping the mk5 I have.What were some other popular period correct transmitter that some of you guys had growing up with your hotshots? just curious

I eventually changed to a Futaba Magnum Junior that followed me from the Hotshot to the Boomerang, Optima Mid etc.

[spudtrooper37]

Never had the Hotshot but this went with my Supershot

[will04]

Thats nice,man they don't make them like they use too.I bought a new Futaba transmitter for my daughters frog and it's not near the quality that these old vintage ones were,it's light weight and cheap plastic,of course i'm sure they make some good ones but you definitely going to pay for them.

[rc-martin]

The MkV Techniplus was probably released around the early nineties so is far to new to be original equipment in an original HotShot, as you say the MK III is the one to go for, I got one to go with my original Wild One in 1986.

Alistair aka 'Live Steam Mad' has done numerous threads on vintage Acoms gear, they are well worth checking out.

clicky

[MadInventor]

Thanks for all the help!So a Mk3 would probably be more period correct for the hotshot? I'm definately keeping the mk5 I have.What were some other popular period correct transmitter that some of you guys had growing up with your hotshots? just curious

I bought my hotshot in either 85 or 86, and I used futaba attack, bought new from LHS also. I've also had second hand hotshots arrive with the old ACOMS receivers with the plugs on wires, rather than the servo plugging direct into the receiver. Don't forget when the hotshot was released the speedo came with a wired on BEC, as the release predated receivers with built in BEC. It was only after the hotshot that tamiya started releasing a BEC unit as a option for it's RC cars, but it was quite a while before accomodation for a battery box for the RX disappeared from tamiya cars (I think the clod buster was the last 'new' chassis design to incorporate accomodation for the battery box, ahh, I tell a lie, it's the TXT-1, but I think that's a special case as it way post dates use of BEC technology in receivers. Perhaps it was thought that independent 4WS would require 4 channel RC gear, which does not commonly have BEC built into the RX))

[rc-martin]

I've also had second hand hotshots arrive with the old ACOMS receivers with the plugs on wires, rather than the servo plugging direct into the receiver.

This receiver is the type that came as standard with the Acoms Mk III, the MkI and MkII Acoms both had recievers that you plugged the servos directly into.

[TomEG]

I'm absolutely sure the Hotshot was released when the mk2 was still around, and that the mk3 was released sometime during the Hotshot "lifetime". Maybe a year (probably even more) later.