UK Lightweight Racer

[dinglem]

So, this is one i am building to run... in fact it is going to be a back-up car for another unusual RC10 I am building for the UK Revival meeting over the summer. It therefore has a spattering of used and older parts, but will also have some nice UK-biased bits and bobs too.

It is based around a very neatly lightened gold 'A-stamp' chassis I picked up on eBay fairly recently. It was just too well executed not to purchase so I absolutely had to have it, and when it eventually arrived I was not at all disappointed. It is straight and still extremely rigid, aided I presume by the cross-braced design.

I recently picked up a pair of front/rear D&D Graphite shock towers, which i traced back to having been purchased from Penn Models in Wolverhampton in the mid to late 80's, so being my local model shop and also being one of the main D&D stockists, they too had to go on. The front tower is for a widenose, and as i had a wide Hot Trick nose plate in my stash, that was also added. Not sure whether to lighten that yet.... we shall see. The motor plate which came with the lightened chassis has also had a little material removed too, so i will more than likely use that for the final build.

I also had a goldpan liner sat around, so knowing the British weather I have decided to add that as well in order to protect the electrics. I will be using an early and unrestored Laser esc in this, as it feels very period-correct for a UK lightweight racer. The shocks on it at the moment are Associated, but i have a new set of Brimods ready to go on, and the gearbox is a 1986 NODIS pre-Stealth 3 gear which i picked up recently.

Just at the mocking-up stage but i think it looks fine so far. The bodyshell is my absolute favorite RC10 variant; the Penn Jackal. I love how low-slung it is, and again with Penn being my local shop and owner and shell designer Ian Littley being an old friend of mine, it seems only right.

[dinglem]

[RC10th]

Wow, that's a wicked car ! Love everything about it.

[dinglem]

Thanks - probably not going to be one for the RC10 purists, but it isn't meant to be a beauty queen. This is how they were raced over in the UK back then and that is kind of the used look I am going for, with an element of 'whatever is in the parts box to finish it off' thrown in.

[dinglem]

This is how the motor plate arrived. I like it!

[Frankentruck]

That is wicked! It will be a fantastic build. So the liner goes on the inside of the chassis? I would have thought an undertray liner would be used. Are those body shells still available?

[dinglem]

I bought a job lot of parts and that liner was in the box when it arrived. I wouldn't quite work it out as it just looked like a repro goldpan undertray which was slightly too small. I didn't think about trying it inside of the chassis until this machined one arrived. Then it dawned on me and it is a pretty much perfect fit. I guess it might have been an undertray for a graphite car (mine has one but no idea where i got that from bitd) but for this build it sits snugly inside the chassis to protect everything.

Penguin over in the UK have started reproducing the Jackal with the help and permission of Penn Models. I have several of them now. They are very slightly different from the original in order to differentiate them (which i personally love). Another of my lightweight cars (you can see in my MMS thread) came with an original fitted.... Main difference is the shape of the intake scoop in front of the windscreen and the rear view mirrors being absent. I love how low-slung they are.

[MarkyDents]

Absolutely phenomenal

[BattleTrak]

Very cool looking chassis! Is that a Hot Trick wide front end?

[dinglem]

Yes, it is a red Hot Trick noseplate - it goes with the shell a treat i think. I am only really using it because A) i have it sat here, and B) i wanted to sue the D&D Graphite shock tower pairing, which are fairly rare in their own right. I saw a brand new set go for silly money on eBay last year. The front tower is from the snapshot in time just before the long front arms came about so is for the wide nose front end. I am considering dropping a big round hole in the front of the nose to match those along the centreline of the chassis, as well as trimming the front upright piece on the noseplate too.... undecided at this point.

[MarkyDents]

Yes, it is a red Hot Trick noseplate - it goes with the shell a treat i think. I am only really using it because A) i have it sat here, and B) i wanted to sue the D&D Graphite shock tower pairing, which are fairly rare in their own right. I saw a brand new set go for silly money on eBay last year. The front tower is from the snapshot in time just before the long front arms came about so is for the wide nose front end. I am considering dropping a big round hole in the front of the nose to match those along the centreline of the chassis, as well as trimming the front upright piece on the noseplate too.... undecided at this point.

I say go for it ! Gets some ounces out of that heavy to match the chassis…. Besides you’ll be the bad sob that trimmed down a Hot Trick noseplate in 22’ !

[dinglem]

Small bit of progress on the lightweight... as well as dropping the matching D&D Graphite front shock tower on, the unused NODIS gearbox is also now fitted, albeit without the motor plate which will be getting a little surgery pretty shortly before going on.

What is apparent is that the large hole on the underside of the chassis sits directly below the open gearbox base. The plus side of this is that with a thin lexan sheet fitted below the gearbox there will be a neat viewing window from the underside

[Retro rc]

That’s so cool you really do find some awesome buggies

[dinglem]

Thanks. The Brimod shocks have changed the look of it a little..... still more to do and a bit of lightening required to complete the overall look i am going for.

[dinglem]

Cheeky bit of rear-end lightening complete....