These early kits, as well as most through the '80s and '90s never cease to intrigue me as they almost all seem unique in their own way. I am not sure if it was the level of handcrafting, or the grassroots nature of the manufacturing processes but they all have their own character, which I will try to capture and document below.
Look forward to input and corrections if I missed anything. Lastly, apologies in advance if I cover items already of common knowledge to the community.
... grab a sandwich, and let's begin ...
- Box, top.
- Box, front.
- Box, rear.
- Box, right. Stamped as expected.
- Box, left. Stamped as expected.
- Box, bottom.
- Assembly and Operating Instructions (Front)
- Assembly and Operating Instructions (Back)
- Instruction Book Supplement (Contained inside the Assembly and Operating Instructions)
- RC 10 Instructions (Front)
- RC 10 Instructions (Rear)
- #3818 Stickers (Black)
- ROAR Registration Card (Front)
- ROAR Registration Card (Rear)
- RC10 Product Catalog (Front)
- RC10 Product Catalog (Rear)
- This is catalog #10PL Dec 1984.
- I have yet to find an example dated earlier than this.
- 'Racing with the Team' Summer 1984 (Front)
- Have yet to see another version of this newsletter.
- 'Racing with the Team' Summer 1984 (Rear)
- Parts List (Contained inside 'Assembly and Operating Instructions'
- Listing for #6000 Basic Kit is of particular interest.
Items not represented:
'- Shock wrench / ball joint tool'
'- Headlamp set'
'- Knock-off set'
- Allen tools and servo tape.
- Note: No shock wrench included as mentioned above.
- Light anodized, no stamp chassis, as expected.
- Clearly an early version chassis, tooling marks, hammer marks, and imperfections visible prior to anodizing process.
- Note: Of particular interest are three (3) holes countersunk after anodizing process. Upon close inspection these were done with a machine and not by hand. Was this an operator mistake, or intentional?
- Rear wheels / tires.
- Note: 'Good Year' logo not present. This is very interesting.
- Front wheels / tires.
- 'Good Year' logo present.
- Antenna kit.
- Note: Antenna is quite short compared to most kits I've seen. Also of interest are the markings on the tube indicating what it's originally intended use was. This appears to precede antenna tube manufacturing intentionally for hobby use.
- #6636 Diff Lube.
- Note: Container marked on underside 'Cal Containers Van Nuys, Calif.'. A nod to the old days when we manufactured and sourced everything, locally.
- Bag #6-1 Front suspension
- Bag #6-2 Servo saver
- Note: Two (2) large savers with two (2) long arms, as expected. This was the first time I got to see how long these arms actually were as they are not cut or trimmed.
- Bag #6-3 Front anti-roll bar
- Bag #6-4 Chassis parts
- Bag #6-5 Body mounts
- Note: I do not recall ever seeing three (3) mounts in this package, especially the smaller mount. Was this unique to the early releases?
- Bag #6-6 Servo mounts
- Bag #6-7 Battery mounts
- Note: Fiberglass battery straps, as expected.
- Bag #6-8 Rear suspension
- Note: Rear axle wing nuts, as expected.
- Bag #6-9 Rear shocks
- Note: Notched shock pistons and machined aluminum shock spacers, as expected.
- Bag #6-10 Front shocks
- Bag #6-11 Springs and oil
- Note: Captured rear spring cups, as expected.
- Bag #6-12 Transmission
- Note: Difficult to discern due to tight packaging if transmission plate is double e-clip type but assumption is that it is. Clear plastic gear cover.
- Bag #6-14 Ball ends
- Note: Fully rounded ball ends, as expected.
- Bag #6-15 Gears
Conclusion:
- I believe this to be a 100% complete and accurate representation of an "Early Edinger" #6000 Basic Kit.
- Quality control was clearly an issue early on.
- I believe anodizing was sourced from a variety of sources, or process was not consistent. This is a 'light' chassis but appears to be slightly darker than some chassis I have, possibly others faded over time or due to excessive use.
- Post-anodizing countersunk holes are interesting. Again, I am not sure if this was an oversight during manufacturing, or possibly a running change. I have additional data that warrants it's own forum thread.
- Lack of 'Good Year' on rear tires is very interesting. The assumption is both front and rear tires have 'Good Year' on these early models however this is clearly not the case. Inventory shortage? Intentional? Possibly a VERY EARLY, or VERY LATE 'Early Edinger' running change?
- Makes me very interested in how many 'early' kits were made of each version #6000, #6012, #6010, #6016, and #6020.
- I consider myself very fortunate to own this kit.
Full resolution images located here: https://duckhead.smugmug.com/RC/Early-Edinger-RC10/
Thanks!
->Mark
