So, the time has finally come for me to move out of the dark ages and upgrade my electrics.
My brushed motors are now all desperately lacking in comm and I have no more brushes. My NiMH cells false peak and are soft as hell on the track. Furthermore, the BRCA have dropped the touring weight limit to 1350gms – and there is no way I can acheive that with NiMH.
Before I throw half of this gear in the bin, I thought I’d upload a few current shots of the TOP Scythe (which may also be going soon as it is not particularly LiPo-friendly). I’ve been running the car in 19T class for a little over 2 years now, most recent result being a pretty satisfying 11th qualifier at the first round of the Carpet Thrashnals, against a good quality field running 10.5 brushless. Tyres are RP30.
TOP Scythe - Brushed and NiMH!
The car is still running the original Protoform Mazdaspeed 6 body – which has seen far, far better days now! It’s also nice to have a #1 sticker on there – even if it is only for pole in the B final.
Ouch!
The car is still very close to a box-stock 2007 Red Edition. While many people upgraded to the complete alloy bulkheads, I always preferred the plastic car, which is a lot more forgiving. There is a little bit of red bling with the locknuts, but apart from the the car is prepped for performance, not looks.
TOP Scythe front end
At the front end the most obvious change is the spool. I’ve been running the TOP steel spool, and I’ve been very happy. Spools have a reputation for being hard on the drivetrain, but I have never broken a single part on the whole car – all that has been replaced is a couple of the plastic bulkheads when the threads have stripped from removing the top deck.
I’ll upload a setup at the end. Among the things not covered by the setup sheet, the interior of the shocks (all round) is a little different, using the Rayspeed 1.2mm machined pistons, and with the internal spacer ground down to 2mm to allow a decent amount of droop. I use the split rear block which makes it possible to raise the roll centres with shims without rubbing the belt. Oh, and I’ve also reversed the upper shock mounting and added a plain nut so you don’t crush the shock bushings – big problem with the Yokomo parts, which will really wreck the handling. I’ve also got some old steel Kyosho balls in the shock bottoms for smoother movement.
TOP Scythe electrics
Here are the electrics which are about to be (mostly) retired. The Futaba S9550 low-profile servo and the R133F 40MHz FM receiver will stay. The servo is still perfect, and 40MHZ still works – so why change? For reference, I’m using the Tamiya high-torque servo saver (can’t fault it), and the TOP servo mounts need to be cut down a little to clear the servo cable.
The speed controller was dug up from the bottom of my pitbox. It’s a 2001 vintage GM V12 – not that you can tell because the label is completely worn away. Still a great brushed speedo. Motor is a Much-More Eavan 19T – again, a sound motor, made in the same Sagami factory that produces most of the non-Trinity 19Ts you could buy. No tweaks on that apart from some F-line brushes. Cells are East Power 4200s – which have also surprised me by surviving 2 years of use and misuse – but they are dead now.
TOP Scythe rear end
Very little to report back here. Same approach to shock building as at the front, otherwise very close to stock – including the original steel diff balls (which are fine!). The optional TOP diff stickers come well recommended – they really do keep muck out and extend the time between rebuilds. They are available for a number of other cars too.
TOP Scythe chassis
Finally, a shot from below. Despite a few outdoor meetings with the car, there are no gouges or scrapes, just a fine polishing of the chassis edges. Using the fine bumper shims helps, without them the bumper drags on the ground. And no, I never prep the chassis edges, and I have never had a chassis delaminate on any car. A bit of a trackside myth if you ask me…
That’s the car as it stands today. A museum piece really – amazing how fast LiPo and brushless have taken over. You may wonder why I have bothered to share this irrelevant information. Well, perhaps in 20 years time you will want to reminisce about nickel cells and carbon brushes – and this website might still be going!