mechanizeddeath

Hey all!

I finally received my M-04M today. Nothing less than the Alfa Romeo! I've been looking forward to a new build for a while, so this should be fun!

For starters, the postman brought me a package a few hours ago!

mechanizeddeath

Open box, and the bags all neatly laid out for inspection!

lee172

i must say, its a great looking kit.. but... on the box art, it looks like someone stole the front bumper off it!

thread subscribed! [8D]

Lunchboxer

Yes, I think it is a good looking shell!

Any idea on what power system you will use in it yet?! Does it come w/ the TEU-101?!

lee172

the orange sticker on the box says it does! or it could be an MSC..

Lunchboxer

The 2nd pic on the 2nd post shows that it does come w/ the TEU-101!

Looks like we might be rocking the silvercan first now, eh?!

mechanizeddeath

haha, you bet! TEU-101 + silvercan power!

I always empty my bags into this mini cupcake tin. in this case, A, B, C, and D straight across the columns. Makes it easy to find the pieces!

lee172

i just empty all the bags and pick from a huge mound of parts!

skottoman

I have one built, and 4 more NIB. Love the Alfa!

There are some chrome Mini Cooper bumpers you can get from Tamiya USA that look perfect on them...
Cheers,
Skottoman

Lunchboxer

LOL, Skottoman, 5 Alfa?! Ha!! You plan on keeping the 4 NIBs?!

mechanizeddeath

Well I basically finished the chassis last night! Unfortunately I didn't get to post pics, as my internet goes down at night now. Or more accurately, it goes down when the outdoor temperature dips into the mid teens. [:@] But I kept taking the pics, so I'll post them tonight after work!

skottoman

I stand corrected... 1 built (Green), 1 in opened box for parts, and 2 NIB stored in basement. You tend to forget when you have as many cars as I do!
Cheers,
SKottoman

mechanizeddeath

I really like that green! I was thinking of doing green myself, but I would go with a brighter green. I've also thought about blue, such as the shade often seen on the Subaru Impreza. Then again I might just go box art red!

I can't do any painting with these subzero temperatures though.

Lunchboxer

You got ballbearings, right?!

secretsg

Where the dedication man. You got to tough it out. [:@] I painted the blizzard in the garage when it was -35 C outside.

mechanizeddeath

No. [:@] I don't plan on running it until the spring anyway, and it will give me something to do by taking it apart and installing the bearings.

I see some good bearing prices on eBay, much better than Tower and others. In general, are those eBay bearings any good? I see one listing of 50 5x11 bearings for just under $50. That would have me set for a few kits.

Lunchboxer

Yeah, I usually just use eBay bearings.. but sometimes, I buy from Tower too..

50 5x11 for $50 isn't that cheap, no?!

mechanizeddeath

hah, I guess not... my math skills aren't the greatest and so for some reason I was thinking that meant $0.50 each rather than $1.00. I suppose that is why that engineering degree has been so elusive. [&:]

Anyway, onward to pictures!

After reading about people using the Tamiya Anti-Wear Grease in their gear diffs, I decided to try it out! Results so far have been impressive.

mechanizeddeath

After assembling the gear diff, the next step was the gearbox. Note the metal bushings. I would have used bearings, but with nowhere to really run this until the spring, I figured I would just enjoy the build and simply install bearings later.

Since the tubes of the cheap grease never seem to come with caps, I just use it all. a bit excessive perhaps, but at least I'm not throwing it away. [&:]

Lunchboxer

I guess I must be really lazy, because I really hate taking things apart.. that's why I always order the bearings before the kit... hee!

Looking good so far, though!!

mechanizeddeath

Thanks! While I do prefer the building step above all, I don't mind upgrades and maintenence. I think the only step I dislike is the painting. [:@] Then again, I wouldn't want someone else doing it for me either, because then the resulting RC would feel less like my own. Do it all or don't do it at all!

The lower rear suspension arms, and assembled gearbox with suspension arms. I always wish they made gearboxes clear so you could see them working, as they are much less interesting when closed. Then again, mine would be obscured with excessive grease anyway, so it wouldn't matter. [&:]

mechanizeddeath

While the rear end is nearly complete, it is missing a crucial part. Nothing less than the best available: the venerable 540 Johnson. Why go brushless when you can still have fun with cheap silvercan power?

For some reason, the finish on this silvercan was more silver than usual. It almost looked polished.

mechanizeddeath

Fear the cardboard motor plate.

I always seem to have issues with threadlock. I attempt to get one itty bitty drop, and half the tube comes out. [:@] That's okay, because I always put it on the motor shaft anyway. Probably excessive for a silvercan with stock gearing, but the one time I didn't use threadlock on the grub screw, the model in question threw the pinion right off the shaft during an intense bashing session.

This particular kit came with a plastic cup in the gear bag, designed to set the pinion at the precise position. I wish more kits had that, because it is usually a pain trying to line things up perfectly otherwise.

skottoman

Good looking build! I've never put that much grease on my gears. I actually hardly use any at all. I'd imagine with that much grease and the silvercan, it will be pretty slow until most of the grease spins off all over the inside of the diff case.

Keep postin the pix!!! Nice!!!
Cheers,
Skottoman

mechanizeddeath

Thanks skottoman! I like to think that my building skill has improved over the last few kits I've built. I remember the Brat build being a circus of errors. From spilled threadlock on the plastic to missing a step and having to redo something, I had fun but not without a lot of frustration! This build (and the Grasshopper before it) went much more smoothly and were more about relaxation.

I know most people don't use much grease, or even skip it altogether for the increased speed. Me, I'm hard on my toys to begin with, so I figure the extra lube helps with durability. And yeah, most of it ends up spinning off anyway!