XER987

iTrader: (11)

WHAT YEAR DID THE TC3 FIRST COME OUT? WAS THERE ANYTHING BEFORE IT, LIKE A TC2?? I AM WONDERING, IS ASSOCIATED GOING TO COME OUT WITH SOMETHING NEW ANYTIME SOON. JUST CURIOUS. I'VE NOTICED THAT A LOT OF OTHER BRANDS HAVE UPDATED OR REVISED THEIR TC RECENTLY. IS THERE ANYTHING ON ASSOCIATED DRAWING BOARD?

Corse-R

Associated is well known for being too much conservative on their kits life. The 'public' story of the TC3 starts at the 1999 (how 'old' it is...) and during those three years only minor changes has been done to the kits (a fact of the well engineered that is the TC3): graphite parts, lightweight plastic diffs, and the addition of droop screws on the 2001 model.

A former car (your TC2...) never existed. RC10TC3 was the first touring car of Associated (and for being the first kit, they did very well).

About the future of the TC3, no one out of the factory knows, but the best bet is this (according to the launch of the kits).

- A new version of the B3 (maybe after the worlds... and their 'name', possibly B4).
- A new version of the RC10T/GT (i bet for a new version of the GT and a little time after, the new RC10T).
- After that and possibly the first quarter of 2003. Should be a new version of the TC3.

Don't hold your breath until the launch of a new TC3. This is my idea of the possible road-map of working at Associated. None of them is official and all is 'vapourware' as like on the computing world is meant to this kind of prediction, but should be really close to that I've write.

P.D: I've left out of this plan future versions of cars like RC12L3 and others.

RAP66

iTrader: (1)

another note... Although the TC3 is a "new" car... It's loosely based on the Tenth TEchnologies Predator.... So if you were to looka at an earlier version... you can (kinda) equate the TC3 as a 2nd generation car.



http://www.8ung.at/rccars/museum/files/ttpred_c.html

Do note.... I did mention LOOSELY BASED!

Buggy version:

http://www.geocities.co.jp/MotorCity.../predater.html

one more

http://www.bomis.com/rings/Mrc-rc_cars-recreation/33


Rich

AE_Racer

there was no other TC2 or anything like that. AE named it the TC3 because all of their other models were at generation 3(B3, T3, L3) so it made everything look pretty....

OSGhatch

That tenth predator looks cool. Is it just me or does that thing look like a Micro?? Hey.. thats an idea... howabout shaft driven micros, HPI is alreadu following the trend on their new GAS kits.

fatdoggy

You mean like this one?

TPhalen

iTrader: (2)

The drivetrain on the Predator was the best there was at the time. I think the fragility of the parts and parts availability here in the states pretty much killed it. The design was pretty cool....I know I wanted one....but arms where pretty expensive and you could only special order them. No one had them.

Now AE has taken up the shaft drive design which has proven to be a really good design. HPI has some new stuff coming out that is shaft, also.

Hey, fatdoggy, who makes that thing, anyway???

rctc3

there was never a tc2 just tc3 to keep with generation 3(b3, t3, tc3) oh by the way the tc in tc3 stands for touring car and the three means third generation.

so the real name is touring car third generation

doesn't matter what the name is it's still a good car!

IMPACTPLAYR

iTrader: (7)

Hey did you know there was no TC2....LOL

I find it kind of comical that 3 people had to reassurt that point!!

Technically the TC3 is probably the 6th generation, with the first 5 being prototypes, and what you see is the finished product.

fatdoggy

Sorry I never reply'd I only noticed now. Abchobby makes it. www.abchobby.com but I don't think the link to the 1/24th scale page works on the site.

acloco

Yep....AE made some running changes to the car.

Spring type motor clamp (added spring to right hand side of motor clamp hold down screw) - helps to prevent any chassis tweak from over tightening the motor cam clamp.

Droop screw chassis & a-arms - probably the single best item changed - so far

Plastic diff halves - lightens the drivetrain (some people switch to an aluminum driveshaft to keep the rolling momentum up)

New front a-arms with holes

One running change to correct an manufacturing problem - rear hubs that were manufactured incorrectly - wrong toe in on one side versus the other

Grizzbob

iTrader: (2)

Right, even though the TC3's been out for quite some time(since about Sept. of '99) it's still fiercely competitive(which I think says alot for its designers), & Associated's always been more interested in car evolution, rather than revolution. That's how they've handled ALL of their most successful kits over the years(including the original RC10 & the 10 & 12L). I think they look at it as "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", & that philosophy has worked very well for them. It also means that we(the average racers) don't have to plunk down another $200-300 every year just because the manufacturer came up with a new design & parts for the older car will disappear(which happens alot with many of the other companies).....

Peter Busch

Just incase you missed it there was never a TC2 or even a 1 for that matter.

fatdoggy

Just remembered www.horizonhobby.com destributes Abchobby 1/24th scale cars.

Boomer

I'm sorry, just clarifying. . .NO TC2?

Of course, the way Associated designs and builds cars, they really should be starting on the TC4 NOW so we might get it prior to 2005. . . they do take their time to make sure that every single thing works right! Kinda like the NTC3 (which kicks!!!)