A week or so ago I was looking to augment my racing stable and needed to purchase a car as such. Whilst in the local slot emporium it was brought to my attention that I could get a very nice discount if I were to buy two said models!!!??? Mmmmmmmm! So I decided to take the proprietor up on his offer. I found a second model and after some negotiation came away with a couple of models and some other race preparations! The second model in question was a Flyslot Ferrari 250 LM which I anticipate running in Classic Le Mans magnet class.
Anyway. I got the model home and looked it over and thought I hadn't done too bad by it. I took the body off to look around and discovered the front body post thread was stripped! (Fly 1 Phil 0). I was just getting the feel for the model when I realised that the rear axle was very tight in its mounts. On popping the axle out it showed a poorly moulded wheel hub which was rubbing against the axle bush??? The wheel was trimmed in place using a sharp modellers knife. (Fly 2 Phil 1).. Next up I discovered that the axle was binding in place. The pinion and spur were in tight mesh and some gear running was needed. I bedded the gears in using my favourite Tamiya fine polish and after a good while the mesh was better, but still less than perfect. (Fly 3 Phil 1).
With a race day in the offing I thought some hot laps were just what the model needed (I don't have a track at home....I know...but it's true). So off up the north coast I trotted, primarily to see if I still had that old black magic... but in the break I put the 250 LM on the track and ran it. The gear was noisy, and the motor was definitely slow, even taking the gears into account. I persevered and I could swear that the model was getting faster and then......one of the back wheels came off!!! Interesting to see Flyslot using splined axles .... but I would have preferred not to have found out this way!! (Fly 4 Phil 1)
I put the model away and decided to look at it at a time when I could partake of some Dutch courage in a bottle...that was this evening. I dismantled the model and checked the gear and the motor speed. The motor was decidedly slow and after drilling a 1/16th hole on the bell housing and putting a drop of Voodoo juice on the comm, the motor sparked into life, indicating something wrong with the comm or the brushes Mmmmmmm??? (Fly 5 Phil 1)
I dropped the whole chassis and motor into a tub of water, (I had glued the motor in as it was very loose in its mounts Fly 6 Phil 2) and ran it for fifteen minutes flat out. On removing the motor and drying and lubing it, it was now running at a respectable speed. and a drop of the ole' Voodoo juice perked it up but no where near as much as previously. (Fly 6 Phil 3) Next up was the mesh problem. Rather than expect the polish compound to lap two nylon gears together, I swapped the Nylon gear (which I pulled off quite easily with a finger and thumb nail!!!!) for a Slot It 11z 6.5 brass pinion which I had in my spares box. This I ran for ten minutes using a mixture of Tamiya fine and Vaseline. After ten minutes the gears had run in nicely and there was even a modicum of backlash between them....nice....(Fly 6 Phil 4).
I now glued the back wheel, back on!! (Fly 6 Phil 5!) and ran the model freestanding, when the wheel on the spur gear side fell off!!??? (this was getting a bit 'Alice in Wonderland by now!!) so that in turn was glued back on (Fly 7 Phil 6). Everything was returned to the model and screwed back together. I had glued a sliver of plastic in the post hole and providing it doesn't get overtightened this should hold (Fly 7 Phil 7)! I am taking the model to the 'Ville tomorrow for some serious 70+ metre lap length racing. it is at this meeting I am hoping to take the score from 'deuce' to 'advantage Phil!'