Well, after two years with TOP cars and Muchmore electronics, it was time for a big change!
I had already decided to run TeamOrion electronics for 2015 and on, as back in the "brushed days" I was also running TeamOrion motors and batteries with great success.
After some days trying hard to decide between the lovely blue Tamiya 419 and the sexy black widow Yokomo BD7, the big decision was made, I would go for the BD7 2015!!!
I then made an order to www.rcparadise.gr , which is the new Yokomo distributor for Greece, and after two days I received my new kit!
Even the packaging is of high quality, but the astonishing part comes next, when someone assembles the velvet black aluminum parts on the shinny carbon fiber chassis!
The rear diff comes pre-assembled, so all I had to do was fill it with silicone oil, remove the bubbles and tighten the four screws.
Next is the front spool, and the center pulleys with the spur gear
The car is now starting to look like one...
Now , its time for drive shafts, arms and carriers.The standard rear drive shafts use the traditional set screw, which does not pinch at all, so there is not a problem. I did not try the front drive shafts as I installed the optional Double Cardan drive shafts which made my drive train super smooth. I also have to say that the ball bearings that come in the kit are of premium quality.
The arms are, as expected, excellent, but the c hubs seem like cheap plastic in bad quality mold. Anyway, after some sanding, they where ok, Ball cups are...guess what....perfect, and the optional titanium turnbuckles look great!
Time for the last step, which is making the shocks. I built them with double o-ring (blue) and the black bladders as most setups state.Using the nitride coated shafts, my shocks ended super smooth with zero stiction! Fantastic! I started with the Yokomo pink-blues setup, before trying the standard hpi silver-all around setup that everyone(including me) uses on asphalt.
Final thoughts.
In terms of quality the BD7 2015 is for sure a state of the art kit.
The kit is not only for experts, and even an inexperienced hobbyist will not damage it before its even used on the track. The expert will be exited when assembling, but really bored when trying to fine tune, as it's perfect!
Setup is very easy to find, as the BD7 is very popular, and the setups used by the pros are simple and work for everyone. The car has proven to be fast, so you just have to drive.
I really didn't like the quality of the c hubs, they look like someone stole them from a TC3!
Double Cardan joints and floating servo mount are not included in the kit. I am pretty sure everyone buys them with the kit, so the car is just more expensive than the competition.
Finally, even though a little expensive, I am convinced that it will be one of the best R/C race cars I have ever driven.
D.Mitropoulos
I had already decided to run TeamOrion electronics for 2015 and on, as back in the "brushed days" I was also running TeamOrion motors and batteries with great success.
After some days trying hard to decide between the lovely blue Tamiya 419 and the sexy black widow Yokomo BD7, the big decision was made, I would go for the BD7 2015!!!
I then made an order to www.rcparadise.gr , which is the new Yokomo distributor for Greece, and after two days I received my new kit!
Even the packaging is of high quality, but the astonishing part comes next, when someone assembles the velvet black aluminum parts on the shinny carbon fiber chassis!
The rear diff comes pre-assembled, so all I had to do was fill it with silicone oil, remove the bubbles and tighten the four screws.
Next is the front spool, and the center pulleys with the spur gear
The car is now starting to look like one...
Now , its time for drive shafts, arms and carriers.The standard rear drive shafts use the traditional set screw, which does not pinch at all, so there is not a problem. I did not try the front drive shafts as I installed the optional Double Cardan drive shafts which made my drive train super smooth. I also have to say that the ball bearings that come in the kit are of premium quality.
The arms are, as expected, excellent, but the c hubs seem like cheap plastic in bad quality mold. Anyway, after some sanding, they where ok, Ball cups are...guess what....perfect, and the optional titanium turnbuckles look great!
Time for the last step, which is making the shocks. I built them with double o-ring (blue) and the black bladders as most setups state.Using the nitride coated shafts, my shocks ended super smooth with zero stiction! Fantastic! I started with the Yokomo pink-blues setup, before trying the standard hpi silver-all around setup that everyone(including me) uses on asphalt.
Final thoughts.
In terms of quality the BD7 2015 is for sure a state of the art kit.
The kit is not only for experts, and even an inexperienced hobbyist will not damage it before its even used on the track. The expert will be exited when assembling, but really bored when trying to fine tune, as it's perfect!
Setup is very easy to find, as the BD7 is very popular, and the setups used by the pros are simple and work for everyone. The car has proven to be fast, so you just have to drive.
I really didn't like the quality of the c hubs, they look like someone stole them from a TC3!
Double Cardan joints and floating servo mount are not included in the kit. I am pretty sure everyone buys them with the kit, so the car is just more expensive than the competition.
Finally, even though a little expensive, I am convinced that it will be one of the best R/C race cars I have ever driven.
D.Mitropoulos
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