005 - With many thanks to the local post office...

Finally yesterday I received two of the four or five packets that I'm waiting from weeks and weeks. Theese delays aren't depended by the shops where I bought but by the local post office and by the local postmen that are doing in a sort of boycott. The local news papers talk about over 50 big boxes of letters, small packets and more locked in the post office from weeks... and the place where I live got only 12.000 inhabitants! Definitely I would prefer a honest strike!

First I opened the packet that I was waiting for from the 12th of april: 20 couples of Simply Rc Deans connectors that I bought from Modelsport UK a month ago... thanks Poste Italiane! So I did some soldering practice and I have upgraded from Tamiya plugs to the Deans ones some batteries, an Esc and something else. This is my Stadium Blitzer 2010's Esc... and, yes! I need to do some more practice with the soldering iron.

After my soldering experiments I decided to discharge a battery and to test a new set-up for my Stadium Blitzer: full preload for the front shocks, zero preload for the rear ones and 15T pinion instead of the stock one (13T). Mission acomplished! With only a Sport Tuned motor this truck runs fast and get an amazing handling: I like it!

It will need another 2 or 3 upgrades but the way is correct to have a fast basher.

My second packet is arrived from Modellbau Seidel in Germany with some new parts for my FF03: the uni joints,the carbon motor stay and the aluminium spur gear mount.

004 - The Long Desired EX-5 And Finally I Bought It!

In the early 90s I was a teenager and from the first time that i saw the KoPropo Ex-5 in a model shop I fell in love but unfortunately at that time I had no money enough.
Now I'm an adult (really?), I have a job, some money and a new era is started: the 2,4ghz era.
So finally I decided to to realize that dream: I bought an Ex-5 with 2 Kr407s receivers from Fioroni here in Italy (they work very well, the prices are fine and their delivery service is quick).

two euros and one of the two Kr407s receivers... awesome!

003 - First upgrades for my FF03

My FF03, the Spec-R upgrade and some extra bits

I bought this Tamiya Castrol Honda CIVIC VTi with the new FF03 chassis this summer and it has become immediately my favourite Tamiya car of ever.

I enjoyed very much the build of this car and its driving is a pure pleasure.

Unfortunately I haven't a RC track near home and normally I drive it only in a car park (it's a real shame) and I can use it on the track only when I'm on holiday.

From its built it is full ballraced and I've used the stock silver can only for the shakedown. Now it runs a Sport Tuned motor but now, after some months, I decided to upgrade it until it will be ready for a 10.5 brushless system. the first step is the swapping of the stock balls diff for a Spec-R gears diff.

I bought it in Germany from RC-Modellbau D. Sakaguchi last week and after a few of working days I received it today.

I built it this afternoon and I filled it with #800 silicon oil.

The built of this differential is quick and problem free and the housing fits directly in to the FF03 chassis the only caution is about the urethane bushings:it is necessary to place one more of them in the right outdrive.

After the built I've done a short shake down to understand if was all ok and i noticed an increased understeer... I don't like it and I must to understand if it depends on the silicon oil and if I must to change it.

New differential, silicon oil and some items for future maintenance

The stock transmission compared with the new housing and the new gears diff

Differential completed and oil filled

Balls and gears diff compared

the upgraded transmission compared with the stock housing