ADVERTISEMENT | ADVERTISE WITH US
0
July 23, 2014, 11:48 p.m.
7/24/2014
By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com
Whether it's wheel nuts, wings, tools, tracks, trinkets and/or anything in between, the LiveRC staff gives their testimonial and mini-review of each every Thursday morning!
Fred Murray found RC racing to be the perfect way to spend his plentiful downtime now that he has retired. He started racing at SDRC with an SC10, and within a few months invited his grandson Colin to join him with a nearly identical setup. He credits blames me for turning him onto the B5M and his transition to the ultra-competitive stock buggy class was a quick one, regularly qualifying for the A-Main in a field of 20+ cars at the local Wednesday night races. In fact, last night Fred worked his way up to fifth during the seven minute main event after qualifying tenth.
Of course, it didn’t take long for Colin to join him in Stock Buggy, and he’s right on the cusp of being an A-Main regular - often battling for the final transfer spot in the B. Colin passed four cars last night and came up just one position short of grabbing the bump-up last night, and his skills improve every time he hits the track.
Airtronics MX-V FHSS-2 2.4 GHz radio system
#90216, $100
Airtronics’ budget transmitter packs all of the most important features of their higher-end radios, with a 10-model memory and an FH2 waterproof receiver. Fred, an MT-4 owner himself, said he bought it for Colin simply because it was cheaper. Still, he said he “can’t tell a bit of difference in the response time or driving experience.” Colin added that the menu itself is very intuitive, and he finds it “easier to use than the MT-4.” Fred said that “the value for the money is over the top.” Colin prefers the stiffer wheel tension of the MX-V over the MT-4, but wished that the trigger position and tension were adjustable for his smaller hands. Fred said that they had glitching problems with the radio at first, but Airtronics took care of it right away and he was very happy with the service.
Pros:
Important adjustments are easy to access
Comfortable and easy to hold
Cons:
Non-adjustable trigger can be tricky for smaller hands.
Conclusion:
This radio is more than enough for nearly all club racers. Its menu system makes setting up vehicles a snap, it’s light and comfortable, and the price can’t be beat.
Beacon rating: 5/5
AKA EVO Typo, Clay compound
#13120, $18 (pair)
Both Fred’s and Colin’s B5M buggies were sporting Clay-compound EVO Typo tires on the front and rear last night. Fred called them a “great tire for SDRC” and Colin added “they have plenty of traction when you stay in the groove.” Fred said the tire wear was “fair; not great, but not bad” and added “they’re very easy to glue to the Evo wheel.” He said he really prefers to get the pre-mounts because they’re glued well, and cheaper overall when you factor in the cost of glue. In fact, he wishes that AKA would offer pre-glued fronts as well.
Pros:
Great traction
Fair tire wear
Premounts are inexpensive and consistent
Cons:
No pre-mounted fronts
Conclusion:
AKA’s top tire for hard-packed clay shines in nearly all track conditions. Offering consistent traction throughout the tread life, they’re the go-to choice of the Murrays for 2WD and any class.
Beacon rating: 5/5
R1 Wurks Motor Lab 17.5 with Premium 1500++ rotor
#R1-175-125-V7, $120 (pair)
A simple all-black aluminum case with large slots machined into it, and a no-nonsense end bell with inline sensor port. Timing markings are plainly marked, as are the motor tabs, and a red dot at the end of the rotor marks that the motor was built with R1 Wurks’ optional rotor.
Fred splurged for the premium rotor, for an extra $30, but said that he thought he had read on RCTech that it may become a common occurrence to find the “standard” motor with the optional rotors moving forward. He says the performance has been “really good” and, when set at 20 degrees timing with 32/69 gearing in his B5M, the motor feels fast and powerful with no fade by the end of the race.
Pros:
Plenty of power
Runs cool
Cons:
Unclear whether it was necessary to pay extra for the stator
Conclusion:
Fred is sold on the performance, and I can’t fault him for it - his car looks just as fast as anyone on the track. Consistent performance over a 7-minute main event without worries of it overheating or fading is definitely a plus!
Beacon rating: 5/5
Solar D770 High Voltage Low Profile servo
#33P-SolarServo-D770, $18
A true low-profile servo at just 41x19.9x28.5mm, and weighing in at 47g, this digital metal gear servo boasts 6.0v specs of .09 seconds and 130 oz.-in. - perfectly adequate for the SC10 in which Fred installed it. Solar servos use 23-tooth splines, making them compatible with servo horns for Airtronics, JR, KO, and Spektrum.
“A super, super servo for $18” is how Fred described it, admitting that it was cheap enough to have a spare or two handy. Not that he’d need it, saying “we haven’t had a problem with durability, other than the wire insulation rubbing off on one spot - and that could’ve been our fault with how we had it tucked in the toolbox.”
Pros:
Works as advertised
No problems
Inexpensive
Cons:
None so far
Conclusion:
If it works well for that price, why not?
Beacon rating: 5/5
SMC Race Formula 7.4v 3500mAh and 4600mAh shorty LiPo packs
#3570-2S1P, $40
#4670-2S2P, $50
Hard-cased LiPo packs measuring in at 92.46x46.48x18.50mm (3500mAh) and 95.72x46.88x24.90mm (4600mAh), both with gold-plated 4mm inboard copper tubes and 2mm balance plugs. These two SMC packs boast a 70C discharge rating and can be charged up to 2C like all of the brand’s batteries.
Fred has been running the 4600 pack since he got the B5M shortly after its release, and had such great luck with it (consistent performance with no puffing) that he elected to try the 3500mAh in order to take advantage of the weight difference, which is a full 60 grams (154g vs. 215g). His first night on the 3500mAh battery, he said he felt his car was just as fast as it was with the bigger battery but that it started to slow down toward the end of the 7-minute A-Main, which he attributed to his “half dozen or so warm-up laps” and said “I won’t do that again!”
Pros:
Great performance so far
3500mAh pack is a featherweight
Cons:
None so far
Conclusion:
The best compliment that a battery can be given is that it works so well you forget it’s there - and the fact that Fred returned to SMC for multiple purchases given how many options are available speaks to how happy he’s been with the performance.
Beacon rating: 5/5
THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS - RANDOM ITEM OF THE WEEK:
Each week outside of the R/C world we test out and use a variety of items in our daily routines that have absolutely nothing to do with R/C, and THIS is what we think of them!
Rigoberto’s Taco Shop fish tacos
#TWOFISHTACOS, $5.94 +$.30 debit card fee (pair)
There’s no better place to get Mexican food than San Diego, except perhaps Mexico, and taco shops like this are everywhere - if it ends in -bertos, you’re probably good. If there’s creative artwork on the windows, that’s even better. And if you walk in and question for an instant what it actually takes to earn the ‘A’ rating on the window, you’re golden. My relatively slender frame wouldn’t suggest just how little I discriminate between different foods, but I’m particularly fond of fish tacos.
At Rigoberto’s, these delectable specimens of SoCal cooking are served on fresh, hot, delicate corn tortillas that hold up without tearing apart. Big pieces of fish fried fish are always hot and fall apart in your mouth, with a breading that never adds a bit of crunch without being soggy or overly thick. A healthy dose of cabbage and pico de gallo with some sort of tartar sauce round out the package. Yum!
The tacos are awesome. I typically call in my order as I’m leaving the track or getting off the freeway if I’m stopping there first, and if they’re not ready by the time I get there I never wait more than five minutes. The nice lady at the counter knows my order over the phone just by my voice. In fact, my biggest complaint about the place was the lack of labeling in the salsa bar. Thank goodness I love spicy food, and especially salsa, because my first few visits were sketchy. Sure, the clear-ish green stuff is mild, the dark red sauce is some sort of smoked chipotle or similar, and the one that looks like it’s got tomato and cilantro in it is a much thinner version of typical salsa, but after that you’re left to do some experimenting. I’ve deduced that the red is hot, reddish-orange is hotter, opaque orange is really hot, and despite its friendly appearance, various batches of the opaque green range between “Mexican wasabi” and “liquid uranium.” Who would’ve guessed?
Salsa roulette - how lucky do you feel today?
Pros:
Freakin’ delicious
Great service
Cheap
Just down the street from SDRC
Cons:
Not exactly healthy
Salsa bar can intimidate rookies and punish those who guess incorrectly.
Conclusion:
If you visit San Diego, you owe it to yourself to try fish tacos. If you’re racing at SDRC, you should definitely try Rigoberto’s. Be aware, however, that too much of the opaque green salsa produces a sensation similar to what I imagine it’d be like to snort Drano.
That's almost too much.
Beacon rating: 5/5
Eng / Usd
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Recent comments