Quick Fix for Hop

How to cure the "hop" of cars with torquey long cans, and flexible anglewinder chassis? Brace the rear axle mounts against the motor. This quick fix goes to the root of the the problem, first encountered in Ninco anglewinders, and now found in the otherwise-admirable Spirit Peugeot 406 series. Look through the rear window, and under that faux V-6 engine (now removed), the white styrene braces are clearly visible:

I used white Plastruct styrene tubing, but anything will do, even scrap sprue from old plastic model kits. The tubes are in compression and tension, with little twisting forces. A solid blob of Goop (rubbery, tough glue from the hardware store) across the top of the axle bearing holders, and on the motor, are all that is needed:

This fix reduced the rear axle hop, vibration, and even helps keep the guide in the slot under braking (the hop was that bad). Best lap time on my wood track dropped from 5.344 seconds to 4.951, a remarkable improvement for such a simple "tweak". And, the car is more predictable, and more fun to drive.

Rush 36k Motor

Mainline Hobbies (Philadelphia, PA, USA) has developed the Rush 36k motor for magnet racers, and for no-mag racers who need high revs and good torque. This is an FC-130 configured motor, in a plain steel case, that revs to 36,000 RPM at 12 volts. Torque is 218 gcm/12v. A non-contact tachometer verified the RPM, and a lever-action torque tester verified the torque; both are very close to the advertised figures. For those concerned with such things, a ride on the Magnet Marshal showed no magnetic downforce. The shaft is long on both ends, for universal fit in any chassis using this style of motor. Price is $12.99.
www.mainlinehobbies.com

MRRC/Scaleauto Pinions for Slim Cans

MRRC/Scaleauto is bringing out much needed, press-on, brass pinions for FF-050 type motors, with 1.5mm diameter shafts. Three sample pinions are shown above (8, 9, and 10 tooth), next to their intended "slim can" motors. 11 and 12 tooth pinions are also to be released. Pinion diameter increases with the number of teeth. Tooth spacing is constant as tooth count increases. Diameters are: 4.95mm (8t), 5.49mm (9t), 5.94mm (10t) and so on.

Track tests of an 8 tooth MRRC/Scaleauto brass pinion, driving a Slot.It 24 tooth crown, showed very smooth running (axle spacers were used to set the mesh).

These pinions are a boon to anyone who has struggled to bush down 2mm bored brass pinions, or made do with plastic pinions.