|
F104 Pro Build
Up
– by Tom Wright
|
For
more than 3 decades now Tamiya
has been producing scale radio
controlled Formula 1 models. The
last new Formula 1 chassis to be
released was way back in the
fall of 1993! Tamiya released
the F103 platform with the
lovely Lotus 107B body. The F103
went on to be the base for many
great cars from F1 & Indy cars,
to Lemans prototypes! In 2008
Tamiya brought the car back with
some of the old F1 bodies from
the past. Here in Canada the new
Formula 1 class was picked up
quickly in the Tamiya
Championship Series and tracks
quickly made a place for F1
racing in their weekly races.
The straightforward chassis, low
maintenance and super realistic
looks appeal to racers of all
skill levels! Not to mention,
how close the racing is!
|
|
|
As
with any Pro level kit these
days the F104 Pro comes with a
full very stiff double deck type
carbon Fibre chassis. 1st step
is to take a file or some wet
sand paper and sand the edge of
the chassis. Not only does this
make it easier on your fingers
when you are picking up the car,
helps stop your chassis from
catching an edge on the track.
After
you get the chassis all sanded
down, the 2nd step is to apply
the edges of the chassis with
some CA (Super glue). This
protects your new chassis from
chipping, and/or delaminating.
After you get all that done you
are now ready to start putting
this F1 racer together. One big
difference with the new car is
the T-plate and rear diffusers.
There are options now available
for the t-plate. The Pro kit
comes with the stiffer T-plate
(Black in colour) and there is
also a Soft T-plate (White in
colour) for lower grip surfaces
|
 |
 |
|
The
rear end of the new F104 Pro
uses the rear diffuser as a
structural piece. The entire
rear pod mounts to it. Like the
F103, you can adjust the ride
height by changing the supplied
drive axle locators. But the
ball diff is completely new! All
previous Tamiya F1 cars had the
same problem. If you wanted to
remove the right rear wheel you
would release the pressure and
the diff would come apart! I am
excited to say that after all
these years Tamiya has designed
a new diff, works brilliant, and
with the kit supplied blue
aluminium diff joints it is
ultra smooth without any high
spots. You will be also happy to
know that the 64 pitch spurs and
pinion remain the same as the
previous generation car.
|
The Pro kit gets the
TRF Aluminium damper. With it comes a
soft (red) spring. I used the 3-hole
piston and 50-weight oil.
The Front end is
completely new with the exception of the
hard Carbon reinforced steering
knuckles. This front end has the ability
to adjust the ride height as the tires
wear. You will also notice that the
front suspension travels on a capsulated
ball for super smooth movement. The
centre block has a new feature to adjust
the camber. You will notice the numbers
1 on side and 2 on the other side of the
centre block.
1 = -0.5 degrees camber
2 = -1 degrees camber
The instructions show
building the car with the –0.5 camber,
but for anyone looking for faster lap
times go with the –1 degrees of camber.
This is a really cool feature on the
F104. The battery runs down the centre
of the chassis to keep the weight as
close the centre of the chassis as
possible. To get the battery in and out,
the two mounts (that hold the receiver
on one side and the ESC on the other)
swivel.
If you are planning
on running the Reedy Lipo you will need
to remove some of the material on the
battery holder. I just used a hobby
knife. If you have a Nicad or NiMh
battery, use it for the shake down runs.
Weight is going to have to be added to
the chassis if you plan to run the Lipo.
The great things is you can add the
weight were you want it!
|
Tamiya really hit a home run
with this new F1 platform. They
have addressed the annoyances
the F103’s had and made a car
that is easier to drive. |
