Amateurs journey to RC-cars – part 7

Recap (part 6)

ION broke down more (driveshaft, diff cup inside differential) and requires even more spare parts (pinion gear, spur gear) to prevent future downtime. A979-A is still going on strong.

Plan for this week

Maverick ION XT

Get ION fixed, parts should arrive tomorrow.

Also, found out the OEM manufacturer of the car so maintenance should be a bit cheaper in the future (different brand, ~same parts), and a nice selection of metal parts (diff cup, drive shaft) that might be a more permanent fix for these easily broken parts. Those metal A979-A dogbones should also be compatible, so that’s a quick fix regarding those.

Then, find out the largest LiPo -battery that fits in the car, install it with LiPo Low Voltage Buzzer, and enjoy the summer. And write part 8 where everything is fine.

Wltoys A979-A

Install upgraded battery pack and declare that part of the project ready…until there’s a need to buy RC car for a relative (or upgrade to a bigger one) and then this journey will be revisited.

Budget

Did I stay in the original budget? No, but quite close.

Maverick ION XT: 119€
1600mAh battery with Tamiya mini -plug: 20€
Maverick spare parts: 36,30€
Total: 139€ / 175,30€

Wltoys A979-A: 69€
1100mAh battery with JST -plug: 15,90€
Wltoys spare parts: 4,20€
Total: 84,90€ / 89,10€

Thor 6A Mini charger: 49€
Charging cable (JST): 6€
Total: 55€

Total without spare parts: 278,90€ (+ shipping costs)
Total with spare parts: 319,40€ (+ shipping costs)

(Maybe) final words

After a week, with some mixed feelings. Well, learned a lot new things.

Maverick ION XT is still a great car, but unfortunately just feels quite fragile. Waiting for the upgraded 1600mAh battery to see what difference it makes. But generally I’m quite happy with this.

Wltoys A979-A is better value for money, just replace original battery with a better one and off you go, it has held up against the same environment where ION broke down. My special one is really happy with this.

I’d sincerely like to thank Robbis Hobby Shop (rhs.fi) for their expertise and extreme speed on deliveries and replying to a newbie questions.

Part 6