Mid-Rat/TC02C/Mad Monkey build photos

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Some photos from TC02C mid-engined Ansmann 2WD buggy build. First impressions are very good (kit comes in a nice corrugated plastic box instead of usual cardboard) with a sleeve showing photos of the the completed buggy. I've been seriously surprised by this kit, the quality really isn't reflected in the price - it gives the impression it should cost £50 more than it does. No flash on any parts, no cutting, grinding, kit goes together superbly. Only a few areas needed minor modification but more 'cus I'm fussy than because of any real build issues (more on that later).




Transmission bits - everything is anodized a nice shade of blue, even the alloy bits you can't see inside the gearbox!





Diff is conventional, nice large diameter, twin ball raced, builds easily and feels as smooth as anything else out there. Only problem I had was I split the plastic carrier the nyloc diff nut sits in, but that was due to being clumsy and impatient... Thrust race is a pre-assembled captive type with the teeny little balls held in place in a brass carrier - soooo much easier and no faffing around. One annoying point - diff screw has a Phillips screw head rather than a hex - going to be annoying trackside trying to adjust your diff. Do yourself a favour and fit a hex head bolt at this stage of the build.





Diff even has machined flats on the steel outdrives to save weight...this does not look like a budget kit - no corners skipped here





Twin idler, full 4spd gearbox - not a conversion kit for a Mad Rat, a properly designed buggy in it's own right. Metal idler gear as standard on layshaft, optional alloy idler gears available but I haven't heard of any issues with the kit standard items so no need for them AFAIK.





Twin slipper pads, beautifully made, falls together, quality looks as good as anything out there. Plus parts are dirt cheap,no more £10 replacement slipper pad sets...





Fully assembled gearbox (with optional machined alloy grey motor plate) fitted onto rear T-plate. Note alloy motor plate brace - standard in kit, not optional like X6! Front rear pivot block moulded into T-plate limits tuning options later on (antisquat not adjustable).





Full assembled back end. Optional alloy rear bulkhead fitted, weighs 20g versus 8g for standard plastic part so doesn't add a great deal of weight but looks good .





The drive shafts have C clips like the B44 so no need to faff around with grub screws, plus they come assembled in the box - bonus!





Front end is similar in style to the Kyosho RB5, but is not a clone, all parts are unique - fell together perfectly. Only slight issue was had to file the wishbones slightly to get the castor blocks to drop under their own weight, but that's 'cus I'm fussy. They'd free up fine with a few runs on their own, it wasn't a big issue. Photo shows optional alloy bulkhead with brass insert, only adds a few grams in weight even with brass insert, which weighs 4g so not really going to set the world alight as a tuning aid, however it helps make the car stronger. There's still room above the front bulkhead to add extra lead. Also shows grey alloy front brace (not needed! Kit comes with an identical blue alloy one as standard).





Ballraced steering, integrated servo saver, more lovely blue alloy bits..






Front axles are RB5 style, but might need bearing crush tubes (same for rear) for reliability during racing - time will tell





Complete front end - Ansmann include foam rings for all ball studs, anodized alloy shock mountings plus all ball studs are a 2mm allen key hex fit - nice touches and really easy to change on the car. Only thing on the whole car which doesn't match other modern competition buggies is the use of old school "E" clips for all the pivot pins. Not a big problem - just I've got used to using captive hinge pins and screws. Ansmann do give you plenty of spares in the kit in case one pings off into orbit behind the TV during assembly...






Completed car minus front end and shocks - real carbon fibre saddle Lipo battery brace looks great (and is included as standard in the kit), but comes a little close to shorting the battery connectors for my liking - 1 minute fix with Dremel. Chassis is slightly more flexible than other buggy's graphite moulded tubs, but it stiffens up once the battery and brace are fitted. Plus flexible chassis's tend to make a car easier and more forgiving to drive, so can only be a good thing.





Shocks were the biggest surprise of the build - they are awesome! No lie, they are far better than the last set of Associated and Losi shocks I've built, if not quite up to the Japanese firms yet (I should point out I haven't built any of the new B4 shocks so am comparing these to 2008 era RC10 B4 Asso). The lower seals drop together in a cartridge like the RB5 and have a smooth consistent feel when assembled. The top end uses a bladder and has a small bleed hole in the cap to remove any excess oil / allow air to move in and out.






The kit doesn't include any other pistons but B4 ones fit. Pretty much any springs fit which is handy as the standard ones aren't ideal for high grip UK tracks. Another nice touch - small locator on shock eye stops spring seat from moving and helps stop it from coming off in a crash (how many spring stops do you see littered around a race track after a big meeting? Loads). Also Ansmann have used a black anodized alloy shock ball which allows free shock movement - better than the non-round crummy plastic moulded things covered in flash that some other kits come with...