XV Pilot

That is unfortunate. It looks like the receiver/ESC combo unit might be at fault, but it would be nice to be certain before you spend money on a replacement. Do you have any other RC cars into which you can plug the servo for testing? Or do you have any mates with RCs who might let you test the servo using one of their receivers?

It is very unlikely to be a fault with the ESC. It sounds more likely to be a servo or receiver issue.

I work for a company that provides product support for a well-known retailer. It is not common, but also not unheard of for manufacturers to change specifications of products and not tell us or the retailer about it. However if a customer complains, we don't simply sit back and blame the manufacturer. If a customer finds that the change is not to their satisfaction, we do everything we can to rectify the situation. If for example an accessory is no longer included as advertised, we send the missing accessory wherever possible. If the specification no longer matches that which is advertised, we offer to exchange the unit for a higher spec one at no extra cost, and so forth. In such a situation the customer is of course also entitled to a refund should they wish, but giving them that as their only option? That might satisfy the T's and C's but I don't think that is very good service.

I found double-sided tape fine for most escs, however the bigger 1/8 scale stuff is quite heavy and if there is the option of mounting it with screws, I would go with that rather than tape.

The FS Racing Travel King appears to be a clone of the Tamiya DF-03. You might find that genuine Tamiya parts fit it?

I use the spray can myself. If you only want to do a small area, spray some into a dish and apply with a brush.

A bigger spur will help reduce the load on your motor and thus on your ESC, along with giving quicker acceleration and a lower top speed. However I would stick to 0.6 module for an off-road vehicle. 0.4 is very prone to damage from small stones, etc, as well as stripping more readily if you jump it.

I like that they are out on display and not tucked away in boxes. Some cars deserve to be appreciated whether running or stationary.

A rotary tool is a very useful addition to your toolbox, but it doesn't have to be a Dremel brand one. I now own a Dremel, however before I bought it I achieved identical results using a relatively cheap rotary tool that I think I bought from Wilko several years ago. The only difference between it and a genuine Dremel was the noise. The Dremel is a lot quieter.

I find countersinking with a Dremel to be a lot easier than countersinking with a drill and drill bit, as the variable speed of the Dremel plus the fine grit of the conical grinding bit which I use gives far more precise control. I picked up the conical bit from B&Q.

Splendid Teapot Racing started in New Zealand but has spread worldwide within the steampunk community. The idea is a simple one: take a teapot, mount it on a model car chassis and race it around an obstacle course against the clock. Now of course simply sticking a teapot on a model car chassis is far too easy and simple for most steampunks, so it wasn't long before the teapot racers became a lot more elaborate. Most now feature significant amounts of ornamentation and many, like mine, represent steampunk-style vehicles that would transport a teapot rather than a teapot simply mounted on a bare chassis. The rules are very simple. The vehicle has to be no more than 30 centimetres wide, 30 centimetres tall and 40 centimetres long and has to feature a teapot somewhere in its design. There are no restrictions on motors, batteries or drivetrain which leads to a wide variety of models appearing under the teapots. Some people focus on the ornamentation in an attempt to win the concours d'elegance side of the competition and base their models on very cheap toy grade vehicles, while others go for outright performance and build simple, lightweight structures around full blown race grade models. I have taken the middle path, using a hobby grade Tamiya monster truck chassis that gives pretty decent performance and excellent maneuverability thanks to its four wheel steering and building what I hope is a visually pleasing body that is still quite lightweight. The Asylum Steampunk Festival happens in Lincoln over the August bank holiday weekend, and is now in its 10th year. It features most if not all of the eccentric activities associated with the steampunk genre, such as tea dueling, jetpack racing, various exhibitions and competitions involving the display of home built Victorian style anachronistic technology, music performances, fashion events, dinners, dances and of course teapot racing!

A confusing one to be sure! While the carbon parts suggest a high-end model, the quality of finish on the chassis plate suggests humbler origins, with the rear body post arrangement looking very much like something I once saw on a Bycmo...

Here is my WR-01 wearing a scratchbuilt bodyshell representing what I imagine a Land Rover might have looked like had it been designed and built by Foden back in the days of steam lorries. It was built as a bit of fun, to take part in the teapot races that form part of the Asylum Steampunk Festival taking place in Lincoln in August. And yes, I do drink Yorkshire Tea! ?

Today I painted and installed the driver torso into my Tyrell F1 model. He is currently headless as I ran out of paint. I will have to see to that next weekend...

It sounds like the speed controller is set to go in the opposite direction to what you would expect. If you cant change the settings on the speed controller, I would recommend that you reverse your throttle channel on your transmitter and swap any two of the wires around between the speed controller at the motor. That will make it go faster forwards than in reverse, and will hopefully stop the strange braking behaviour as well.

For me, the most enjoyable part of the hobby is the build. Therefore, unless the model is an absolute bargain (which Traxxas is not), I would not bother buying a RTR as typically you end up paying extra for a model that has had most of the fun taken out of it. (That goes for RTRs in general, not just Traxxas. Although if I was to somehow lose my ability to build through accident or disability or whatever, I would still choose a brand other than Traxxas due to their business practices.)

I suppose that is also a possibility, if the OP runs his vehicles nearby in quiet environments. Personally, I don't get any joy from engine sounds in my vehicles. When I am bashing, they are too far away to appreciate and when I am racing, there is too much background noise and I can't hear them from the driver's stand anyway. The only people who would appreciate engine sounds in any of my vehicles are the trackside onlookers. I suppose I could make the volume louder, but that would defeat the point of it being a scale accessory as if it is louder than 1/10 the sound of a full-size vehicle then it is no longer to scale.

Decalled it:

We all know that Traxxas doesn't care who thought of it originally, they will patent it anyway and claim it as their own... ?

I confess I've been a bit distracted from model car matters recently, as I have been preparing for the Asylum Steampunk Festival due to take place in Lincoln in August. However I have managed to merge the two interests thanks to a bunch of steampunks from New Zealand, who came up with "Splendid Teapot Racing". In essence, this involves building a teapot themed radio controlled car and racing it around an obstacle course against the clock time trial style. I am building such a vehicle, and today I received the last parts that I will require to finish the body! They are the seat belts for the mouse drivers, the lights, the number plates and a bag of decorative cogwheels that I will use to detail the front of the body shell. Photos to come when it is all together!

In the video, it looks like you have the ESC plugged into the battery slot on your receiver. This will allow it to give power to the receiver, but it will not receive a signal from the receiver. This is what the beeping and flashing means - the ESC is telling you that it is not receiving a signal. Try plugging it into the channel associated with the throttle, which is going to be either channel 1 or channel 2 - whichever is not the steering channel.

You are correct of course, at the most basic level an electron is an electron no matter where it comes from. However some budget brushless ESCs, although marketed as compatible with nickel metal hydride batteries, do the auto cutout thing if you go to maximum throttle from a standing start, simply because the nickel metal hydride battery can't provide enough current. The ESC thinks the battery is flat, and the LVC kicks in. The same ESCs work absolutely fine on LiPo. I have had this happen with a few ESCs supplied with Ansmann RTR models for example. There are of course other ESCs that work absolutely fine with brushless and nickel metal hydride batteries, for example the Tamiya TBLE-02. I have never had one of these go into premature LVC when running a nickel metal hydride battery.

Certainly if you are going to fit a mega powerful motor, the prop shaft upgrade is an excellent idea. However the stock plastic one is surprisingly resilient, capable of taking most motors on the milder side in its stride. It is certainly a lot better than it's predecessor in the TT-01, which went floppy on anything more than a 27 turn silver can.

What is the purpose for which you want the sound? Impressing people in reality or impressing people in videos? If it is the latter, you could always edit in the sound after the event.

It is showing as sent from my side. Give it a few minutes, and if it hasn't arrived, I will post them in the main forum.