Stilli

Generally speaking, you are going to get clobbered with import duty (20%) with any goods over the value of £50 and the courier is going to charge an administration fee to collect this from you. That would bring your price from China up to or even above that of the UK supplier, so unless the price is less than 50% of the UK price it is not worth the effort and it is good to support our local suppliers. There are some exceptions to this and certain Chinese suppliers manage to get round this excise duty, but I don't know how or if it is legal. I only shop abroad if I can't get it here.

The Ryobi one is the only cheap one that I know of with a good adjustable clutch, it's a bit underpowered for conventional wood screwdriving but great for RC work, not too fast so won't burn out your plastic part threads. I have one and know several others that also use one. Got mine from B&Q, bought it in store but it is available slightly cheaper if you shop around. The only downside with this model is that the battery is built in so you don't get a spare. http://www.diy.com/departments/ryobi-4v-li-ion-cordless-screwdriver-csd4107bg/173971_BQ.prd?gclid=Cj0KEQiA2b20BRDj4buduIG-y9EBEiQAhgMGFU0ZKKKjAdoZWPh4RNiCCgT2-3xnxAui1ZWJ7ssnG-oaAhl98P8HAQ&ppc_type=shopping&ecamp=SEAPLA173971_BQ&ef_id=VngZsAAABH38TjUg:20160108090653:s

SMC from the USA, best Lipos available and even with postage still cheaper than good Lipos in the UK. You have to email them to send you a PayPal Invoice and quote for shipping, excellent service too. http://www.smc-racing.net/index.php?route=product/category&path=67_78

Fastrax do a Fluorescent Orange in their range of spray paints and I usually buy mine from JE Models Online: Fastrax Fast Finish Polycarbonate Paint (Fluo. Orange/150ml)

Don't make the mistake of going cheap on tools, you will regret it and only have to replace them at more cost. I like Arrowmax as they are good quality and not overpriced, Hudy tools are great also but more expensive.

I would suggest that not much is going to change in a few years and maybe you should consider racing. An hours drive is not really a big deal to get several hours enjoyment and racers regularly travel much further than that to get to meetings, it can't hurt to try.

They are my go to supplier for everything RC, the only time I go elsewhere is if they do not stock what I want and I need it in a hurry. There prices are very rarely beaten, stock is very good, service is very quick (next day most of the time), response to email is very good even on weekend or out of shop hours, if they haven't got what you want in stock they will get it asap. They have an online store as well as the shop and eBay store and will take orders by email or phone, email is better than phone as they are too busy to spend a lot of time on the phone. Highly rated, everything a supplier should be.

Yep, did that. It is down for maintenance apparently. Long time thought as it was down all day yesterday.

Anyone know what's happened to Petit RC? I haven't been able to access their site for two days.

I have broken the lower steering arm plastic part a few times and wonder if anyone has a stronger alternative suggestion, either an Alu replacement that fits or 'Beef it up' ideas?

Until someone who knows what they're talking about replies let my shed some light. Pinion and Spur (the larger gear) are a team used in combination to give a certain gear ratio and as long as the pitch (distance between the teeth) is the same any available size pinion can be used with the same spur to give the required gearing ratio. Different sized spur gears can also be used to the same effect but it is more usual to start with changing the pinion to 'up' or 'down' gear. I am not familiar with the specifics of your car/motor combination but if for example you fitted a motor that works at higher revs than the existing one you have then you may need to 'gear down' (by fitting a smaller pinion) as the car may not handle the way you want and the motor may overheat while under stress from a too high gear ratio. You can try it and see, if the car lacks acceleration, has a very high top speed and the motor overheats then you need to gear down by at least two teeth on the pinion. If people are recommending a lower gear ratio then that is probably why.

Higher the number, thicker or heavier the oil. Given the same shocks and parts thicker oil will stiffen the shock action and vice versa for thinner or lower weight oil. Ex from Petit RC Handbook: "Shock oil is the simplest, most universally used adjustment to the shock. Using thicker shock oil will help to slow down the suspension motion of the car. Lighter oil will do the opposite, letting the suspension react more quickly to the demands of the track. Thicker oil is often used when track conditions are smooth and hard packed and traction is high. In these conditions suspension movement detracts from the handling of the car. Thicker oil is also useful for controlling the car when landing off big jumps (off-road) or when hitting big bumps at high speed (on-road). When the going gets rough (off-road) or bumpy (on-road)

I have a mains powered Dremel which is great for use at home but am looking to get a cordless model for my pitbox. I would be interested to know which models you guys are using, are the cheaper models any good, what are the pros & cons and your recommendations?

Get into (or back into) racing. You'll get all you are missing, somewhere to run your cars (at the club/track), competition to keep your interest up and great camaraderie. You'll probably learn a thing or two as well in spite of your vast experience. I must be the worst driver at our club at the moment but I'm a hell of a lot better than when I started about 7 months ago.

My Orion packs recommend storing between 20-25 deg C and if they have been exposed to low temperatures do not put them under load until they have reached the recommended ambient temperature. SMC recommend that their batteries are never exposed to extreme temperatures and should be used/stored between 4 - 49 deg C (40 - 120 deg F). So to store in a fridge would be against the manufacturers recommendations.

Why not put it on a lead?

The new dongle works with 2.4gHz systems http://www.vrcworld.com/eshop/product.aspx?48

Boiling the parts, that's worth a try. Thanks for the tip. The place I bought the Kit has no stock and haven't offered to rob a kit for me but don't think I can blame them for that especially if parts are generally hard to come by.

Built my kit and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, driving it is also a pleasure but ..... My car seems to suffer damage very easily compared to others I see take much harder knocks and drive away whereas mine seems to break front suspension arms (wishbones) at every slightly more than minor knock. I hasten to add that I am a complete novice and my driving although improving slowly leaves a lot to be desired but is frustrated by more time spent repairing the car than driving it. As if to rub salt in the wound, parts seem to be in short supply. When they are available there are only one or two, currently I can find none and this is the same for other spare parts that I wish to carry too. I would like your thoughts on whether this is a localized short term problem or are parts always this difficult to get hold of? Reading an old thread on another forum (please forgive me but I couldn't see the harm) one member that raced at the same track as me (Maritime Raceway) said he had similar problems with wishbone breakages on his ZX6 and solve it for a time by replacing them with Durango DEX10 wishbones and Roll Bars on the front, these also seem to be in short supply at the moment. I would appreciate any other members thoughts on this and any suggestions/alternatives would be appreciated. Lastly, if anyone has a surplus of high density foam rubber that they would like to donate and fit around the walled perimeter at Maritime Raceway for me I would be eternally grateful.

How many charges do you get from that and is the operating switch/button the latching type (ie you don't have to hold it down until charge is complete)?

A friend of mine is a complete newbie to RC cars and is looking for a first e car for bashing with a view to moving into racing later if he gets the bug. He has asked my opinion on this HPI Vorza that's for sale on eBay but I am unsure of what to advise him. Any comments/advice would be appreciated. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/hpi-vorza-flux-/151636235824?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item234e395630

I think I've already got one but cannot find it.

Unless you like the noise, mess, maintenance and expensive running costs e cars perform just as well if not better than Nitros but then the noise and constant messing about with the cars is what adheres most to their Nitros.