Same here!

Martin Paradis

Got to try the car for the first time last weekend. I'm very impressed. I was roughly 5 tenths quicker than with my Icon 2, with the box setup. I didn't have the time to play with the setup because I got a little agressive on the kerbs and the car smashed in the track barrier. Broke the small retaining pins on one of the side pivots ( I had the all aluminum first version in my kit...). I found that the car scrubs very little speed in the corners and can turn on a dime if needed, without losing rear traction. It's the easiest F1 car to push hard I've had so far. Very stable under braking and just very quick all around the track, even in the portions I was struggling to keep speed before. I'll be racing it tomorrow and I'm confident I can find even more pace out of it.

Martin Paradis

robk Are you running asphalt? Or just want the gear diff option? Clever work nonetheless!

No, a lot of times on the carpet tracks around here I prefer a gear diff. Just easier to drive if traction is not high, or if there are some track imperfections.

I ran today on Asphalt- Had to run Exotech Red/Red because I needed the extra ground clearance (5.0). Our parking lot has quite a few crack that make the cars bounce. Having run a XRay for the last year - in the corners the car out handled my XRAY. I could even undercut my buddy in the corners something I could never do with my XRay (24). Just wish I could have used my Team Powers tires which I prefer. This coming week will be on carpet but I hear the weather is supposed to be even colder than today ( 41 to later 64 degrees by 10:30). I ran the kit wings. Forgot to mention I was running a XRay ball diff.

Would you be willing to make more front pieces? looking to buy 2. One for my buddy And one for myself

Got to race the car last weekend. I managed to find even more pace out of it. I managed to be a mere 2 tenth slower than the local fast guy (he's a much better driver than I am!) but more importantly I was able to drive the car fast with good consistency. Unfortunately, by the time the final was run, the grip got quite a bit higher and the car had a slight push that costed me the second place.

Few things I found out during the race day:
- When you set the camber, be careful when tightening the screw under, the kingpin can turn slightly and change the camber a bit if you tighten too hard.
- The champfer behind the spur gear on the wing mount is really recommended. Under certain circumstances, the spur can definitely rub on the carbon piece and you will strip your spur in no time.
- Axon DTS spur gears are a direct fit and, in my opinion, are more durable than the stock spur gear.
-Unless you can run a really big pinion, spurs smaller than 96 teeth cannot be used, the motor cannot be moved close enough for the pinion to mesh properly with the spur.
- Montech front wings will fit if you break the stock wing, but you will need to make the part that screws on the chassis thiner and the front body post will be off so you have to make another hole in the body.
-The body is really really thin... It cracks easily.
-The car is extremely light, I had to add over 120g to make the weight with an ULCG shorty. I'm thinking to try with a regular sized shorty to see how the car behaves.
-Car is quite sturdy as I had a couple hard taps with the wall and no breaks to report other than my front wing (and I thaink I would have broken pretty much any wing with that hit). Just make sure to check your camber if your front end taps the wall, camber will shift.
-The damper plastic pivots can move and twist under certain circumstances. Make sure they stay straight as if they twist, the damper rods may disconnect and the car's handling will get erratic. I found that putting a tiny drop of CA once the pivot is installed helps to keep it straight.

At my next race, I'll play with caster, side springs and damper oil to see how the car reacts to these changes. Last weekend, I focussed mainly on getting to drive the car consistently and getting confident with it.

Martin Paradis

All Prodigy podium at the Motiv All Star Series race today

The revolution has begun

I am replacing the flex pivots with the updated, steel pin units - and was just attempting to remove the bump stops from the older ones. That didn't go well.

My guess is that they are to be treated as "one time use" kind of parts. They immediately just sheared at the threaded section and then I immediately placed an order with Amain with rush shipping 🫠

I am wondering if anyone has determined a good way to remove those? I am wondering if I should have used a flat Xacto blade and tried to use it like a flat head - slightly pressing into the "top" of the bump stop button head, and then turning?

Or am I right in that they are just one time use?

Also, Josh had mentioned to me in a short convo that one reason we may be popping off the Damper Pivots, is due to the center of the chassis not being in perfect L to R alignment with the leaf spring and outer chassis.

He mentioned that if you look at the car from the bottom, you may see that the battery tray isn't perfectly centered - and that the damper pivot that pops off is usually on the more open side of that equation.

Hope that helps you guys!

I have spare bump stops if you don't get yours in time - I'll be at LEMO Friday morning.

Bruce

The pink bump stops are considered almost one time use and need to be replaced regularly, even when your car is not in use.

I sheared mines trying to twist it off (you can sometimes twist it off if you do not twist it all the way too firmly and it has not had much use). I ended up just popping them off with the end of a 1.5mm driver.

Stock up on a lot of them. They compress over time and your settings will change. It should be considered a regular maintenance item.

Hope to race with you guys at LEMO again when I am back home visiting my folks.

Did anyone ever figure out min/max teeth count for gearing?

Josh told me to put a dab of grease on the stem, and thread them in as they have thread. I did that and mine came out fairly easily.

Does the 40 grams battery weight come with the kit?

No. The car is very lightweight so you will need some. I personally use SMC tungsten battery weight.

Martin Paradis