whats up guys ? i just joined rctech to chat about the f1 cars.


Dang, that sucks. i have the hpi formula ten and the tamiya f104. now i gotta get the 3racing f1. your rite the hpi f1 seems like no competition for the 3racing. it looks way more complex. the hpi is so simple, even more so than the f104. i do like my f104 tho. the hpi i have not really driven, only outside on the street. the tires that come with it such. thy are way to hard no grip. i did order super soft so well se when they come in.

Gave in to the temptation...:eek:

nice pics !!

Come on guys more pics and more info!!!

Complex doesn't necessarily mean good! Simple is many times much better. If the car handles well-- I'll take simple over complex any day!! The 109 looks VERY flexy throughout the chassis--but that might allow the rear end to be STUCK--and the front end to push. Seems everything I've read about F-1 cars is its hard to get the back stuck. So --flexy may work. It's just harder to get the front end to work correctly. We'll find out once these cars hit the track together-- I bought and HPI to go with my F103 Tamiya. The Tamiya car works well-- now will the HPI contend with it?? That will be the $64 question!!
T

I still can't figure out what 3Racing is trying to say with the "Baby on Board" stickers that the F109 comes with. Is that an homage to Tamiya's classic "Awesome!" or "Being Nuts is Neat!" stickers for their older cars? :)

One thing I noticed, as pictured above and I found in my kit too, the front suspension arms have aluminum pivot balls pressed into them and are less sloppy and certainly less prone to wear than the plastic ones that come with the same suspension set sold separately from 3Racing for the F103. Kudos to them for addressing this!

Now it's off to polishing the diff rings...

Dangit dude, now I want one :lol::lol:

Such a good price. I wanna paint one just for the shelf:nod:

First impressions:

Build the diff after the rear pod is assembled. (and maybe the whole rear end with the links attached...but I haven't gotten there yet), not first as the instructions say. It's also easier to hold the opposite wheel hub/tire than the axle when you tighten the diff, contrary to what the instructions tell you....

Leave all 12 of the rear pod screws screws snug but not tight so that you can make sure the axle is perfectly aligned and spinning freely, then tighten them up. Because there are no dovetails like the Tamiya plastic parts to keep a fixed length between the aluminum side panels to align them better, its up to you to make sure the they are are aligned properly...you can't rely on the screw holes to do that. The way 3Racing mounts the axle isn't fool-proof, as it's too easy to "squeeze" the pods together when you tighten the hubs down. Our F1 class around here uses Mabuchi motors, so every little bit of drag removed is helpful.

Other notes, make sure you remove all the flashing from the axle height adjusting cams. They are a *very* tight fit even if there is no flashing. It's also strange that some pivot balls are 4.7mm, while others are 4.8mm. Luckily they're very easy to differentiate as the instructions are clear on this point. Plus having both the aluminum pod sides have motor mounts is goofy looking. I guess they wanted to save money at the machine shop. That, or maybe there's belt drive in the future!

There's other little things, but nothing that I haven't found with other cars.

I'm also happy to say that there aren't any missing parts so far. Usually that's the first thing new kit manufacturers screw up with. :tire:

Front end impressions:

Goes together easily. Went by the directions for the upper mount, so we'll see if that works or not. The front springs included with the kit are their Soft springs, 0.3mm with a large number of coils. There's a lot of pre-load on the springs when you have it all together, so one has to be extra-careful putting the standard e-clips on. My past experience with this front end is that it's very sloppy without setscrews in the steering arms to hold them to the pins, but I'll build it by the directions again and hope for the best.

Dampers:
Damper assembly was as easy as could be, even with the smallest E-clips I've ever seen for the side damper. Everything is as smooth as could be. I noticed that the piston for the big shock was quite a bit smaller than the ID of the shock body, so it was a little sloppy compared to the Big T. The oil for the big shock is also almost as thin as water. I'm building it stock though. The spring measured 1.2mm wire diameter for me. The 15th Anniv. had 1.3mm spring with the same number of coils, although the extra thickness might be from the white paint.

Rear pivot:
The center pivot mount for the rear is made of the same soft plastic as the rest of the car. Normally this wouldn't be bad, but the 2 holes on it don't perfectly match up with the chassis holes, so when you tighten it down, it's visibly bowed, high in the middle. The difference is less than 1mm, but it's noticeable. Considering this is a major part of the rear suspension, I am surprised...it's like building in tweak if both sides aren't even. Once again though, how it performs on the track will tell.

It's cool that the body comes with the extra pieces and the TV camera!

I had to buy my TV cam from chevron models a couple of years ago

is F109 spur gear replaceable by any other brand like tamiya F103 one? Looks like no one has f109 spurs in stock

Stella Models now has the F109 too! I just ordered mine. Can someone confirm this chassis will accept a standard sized servo? And is there a recommended pinion gear for a 540 silver can motor? I'm going to have to place an order for a few items for this and want to get everything in one shot.

The manual looks very similar to XRAY's, which I must say are the best in the business. Nice to see another company putting the effort in that area. Makes the build that much better.

What size esc will fit on the chassis? Are we talkin Tekin FX, or RS sized only? I cannot seem to find pics with the chassis loaded with electronics.

Looks like a Hobbywing/Venom speedy is used here - http://bbs.rcfans.com/attachments/da...8ab1051d7e.jpg