Let's start with what is most probably their very very first ESC, the one that also appears on the RC10 box art (the non CE 6-gear gold tub box) as shown on the pic below for reference. This one came with an early Edinger chassis that had the recessed spring cups, light gold chassis, GRP battery straps... which indicates that the ESC was probably bought between 1984-85, 1985 being the release date of the NESC-1 which will be presented below. Note the typical orange box without screws (the two halves are only held up together with a black tape), the bulky machined heatsink, three wires going out the box, big black switch button, three pots (Neutral, Brake and Speed).
Now let's have a look at another one that looks to be missing from their official timeline as well, a model that seems to have been released just after the "box art" one presented above and just before the NESC-1. I got ahold of this one in a huge lot of old elctronics and I do'nt really have a clue of what it is exactly right now, but let's compare it to a NESC-1 and note the differences:
The mysterious Mr Orange
A NESC-1 to compare with (I peeled off the "1" sticker to show what's behing it, that is a stigmata of the third pot that was present on the "box art" one):
And side-by-side shots:
Here are two pics that compare the internals (Mr Orange is on top), note some electronic components are different (at least in color), the circuits look the same...
Also note the special bare aluminium heatsink on Mr Orange with a thinner rod in the middle than on the next more common black anodised heatsinks:
And last but not least, here is my latest score: two perfect Midget Bantam servos that I will go on my RC12E
They were the very first NOVAK product, released in 1978, 4-time World Champion (1/12 scale) and discontinued in 1982.
Quote from the NOVAK web page:
"1978 marked the year Novak Electronics began designing products for the R/C industry. The Bantam Midget servo was Novak's introductory product, and was designed primarily for aircraft use. As the electric R/C car market began emerging in the early 1980's, car enthusiasts began using Bantam Midget servos for their size and speed. In 1982 and 1984, the Bantam Midget was used to win 4 On-Road World titles. Although orange was Novak's official case color, the Bantam Midget was originally sold in 7 different colors."
