The car does have mechanical brakes, currently not using them at the minute though..
The chassis is in 3 parts yes, the rear is braced so doesnt look it will break, infact its a very solid thing overall..
Ran it round the Worksop track with the SC10's / trucks just for a laugh really but its very agile, much more sothen my previous electric 8th, bit more of a feel towards a 10th.. I definately prefer it. The battery sots are a bit tight but as its plastic i can of course be dremelled..
More testing required but its better than a traditional conversion in my opinion