I finally finished my Team Car gold edition

[Tucsonan]

As I mentioned in the "What did you get in the post" thread I received my RC10 Team Car ReRe back on December 12th. I had some big work projects pending that were due before year end so I put off cutting the seals until I'd gotten all those chores done, so I didn't start the build until January.

The box, still sealed but calling to me:

Open Me!

I didn't take any build progress photos, there are plenty of good posts on youtube going through the kit in obsessive detail.

I added a few mods of course, including one that I had to back out because of spacing differences between the ReRe and original.
I finished painting and decaling the car very late on Wednesday March 5th and took it out to Hobby Action Raceway the next morning.


The car, still fresh before ever hitting the track.
I went with the manual art and decals, which I liked better than the box art. Pardon the fingerprints
At some point I will probably buy a second body and paint it up in the box art.

team car photo 1

team car photo 2

team car photo 3

Hobby Action Raceway is where they just held the 2025 Desert Classic and the track was still in the race configuration, very high traction and very technical. Not ideal for a vintage first outing. I didn't keep it right side up the whole time but did manage to get around well after lowering the front ride hieght and adjusting camber and toe.

Electronics:

I used a Hobbywing Juststock ESC and 17.5 turn locked timing Juststock motor for power.

The steering servo is an EcoPower WP120S

the receiver is a Flysky FGr4D dual antenna receiver with telemetry

I'm using Reedy Zapper shorty packs the same as I use in my B7 and B74, witha foam block between the battery and bulkhead holding it forward in the battery box.


Mods I made to the buggy:

JConcepts Mono 2.2 wheels front and rear (dyed pink)

Fan RC 3/16th CV axles (+1.5mm) - to fit the JConcepts wheels

Fan RC Worlds style rear hub carrier and associated spacers and shims - needed to fit the CV axles
You might ber able to use the factory hub carriers if you can find appropriately sized flanged bearings, but I haven't tried it.

Fan RC outdrives - Not strictly needed, the ReRe outdrives work with the Fan RC axles, but need to be shimmed so the diff can walk back and forth inside the transmission housing, The Fan RC part fits snug without shims.
The original gen-1 Stealth outdrives had narrower slots and the slightly oversized Fan RC dogbone ends bind in them badly, If I'd known the fit the ReRe outdrives I would have gone with cheap shims instead of expensive outdrives.

JC Racing Products battery cradle and bulkhead - I delayed finishing my build for this but had to pull it off the buggy.
It's a fine product but the ReRe battery box mounting holes have been moved forwards in the chassis and don't line up with the front holes in the cradle. I might put it on my original RC10 Graphite.

Fan RC Worlds style sterring linkage - This was a pain in the butt to assemble properly. the tiny spacers that go under the inner race of the bearings does not want to stay put. Install with the buggy upside down.

I also replaced the wire servo linkage with an old turnbuckle andball cups from my vintage RC10 Graphite so there is one real vinage part on it

Overall impression, the good and the bad:

Overall I'm very happy with this kit. It is the first aluminum tub RC10 I've owned (got my start with the Graphite).

The parts quality is very good and authentic. The look and feel matches my vintage Graphite parts very closely and the manual is probably better than my B74 manual.

Things I don't like.:

The ball cups are vintage correct, which means they have more play than I like and are fairly brittle. the sterring link on one side popped off a couple of times and one rear ball cup snapped after a minor hit.

The outdrives in the Stealth transmission are too narrow and allow the differential to walk side to side. If you are going to race or drive the buggy hard I recommend using shims to remove the side to side play.

The rear shocks don't come with spacers. You'll need some 1/4th" fuel tubing cut about 1/2 inch long over the shock shaft under the piston to limit droop travel so the axles don't pull out of the outdrives. Fortunately this is cheap and available at most hobby shops. I think I cut my tubing at ~17/32nds and that seems perfect.

Things I'd do differently now that I know:

Pick up some RPM heavy duty rod ends to replace the factory ball cups.

Find some shims for the outdrives. No reason to spend 35 bucks on new outdrives when some cheap shims will work.

Wait for the JConcepts Pioneer Wheels for RC10. They're supposed to have 3/8" axle adapters so I could skip the axle swap needed to use Mono wheels.

Find an alternative to the Fan RC steering bellcranks. They work well but were very frustrating to install.

Final verdict:

A really great re-release. Very good build quality, the kit went together easily and the manual is quite good. The kit really is a raceable RC10. On traditional loose dirt it would be every bit the monster the original team car was in the 90s. On the big high bite big jump track at Hobby Action it was very well behaved and easy to get around the track. I was cautious over the jumps and didn't attempt any flying triples (okay I did, but only once).

I'm really happy with the buggy. I'm glad I bought it, enjoyed the build process and really enjoyed running it on track.

FYI JConceptsLive has video of the 2025 Desert Classic at Hobby Action on Youtube.

[juicedcoupe]

The design of the Fan RC bellcranks copies the Worlds car, shims and all. JConcepts aluminum bellcranks use a 1/4" metal shims instead. A metal shim is easier to deal with but still a pain.

If you don't need the buttery smoothness of ball bearings, the bellcranks/servo saver from the DS and GT works good.

JC Racing has 2.2 wheels for the 1/4" axles. They are UK based but ship fast. I believe that Factory Works stocks some as well.

Be careful with RPM ball cups. Clearance gets tight around the bellcranks and camber links. If you are okay with grey, Schumacher has some nice ball cups in that size.