[wixwacing]

Finally finished is the rolling testbed AKA FW08b. This was an exersize in making a true 4WD rear end. The body is a Scaley FW07 and the chassis is made from plain circuit board.

The rear end was designed by good friend Tery Cosgrove and was built using parts from Patto's place. The motor is a spare plain old SCX RX41.

The motor pinion drives the first contrate which in turn spins the centre prop shaft and consequently the rear contrate. The bogie is made from circuit board and the axle tubes soldered in it.

Quite a revolutionary approach to the problem. As always there is a bit of mechanical loss but in real life a faster motor would overcome this and the small diameter wheels. It is not a ball of fire and does generate a degree of mechanical noise due to the metal gears but we are working on a nylon gear substitute.

The Williams had the rear deck extended and the diff cover moved back. The car was resprayed with acrylic as the original white had faded quite badly and Mr Bruce 'Patto' Paterson supplied the decals.

The bogie is actually mounted on a centre pivot but, as initially expected, the torque reaction causes the bogie to ride up on the pront pair of wheels. There is now a small bracket and an adjusting screw mounted to one side to allow for the bogie to be adjusted flat on a level circuit and fixed in place.

On board tracks this model corners like it is on rails and also performs well on plastic tracks

The MK 2 is now under construction and this will incorporate a pivoting bogie to compensate for track undulations. It may also be mounted in a Scalextric March 2-4-0 to eliminate body works.

 

[wixwacing]

Thanks for the kind words guys. The concept may be floored in some aspects but like all things it is a stage that has to be passed through to get to the next. ie we had to have the MK1 escort before we had the Focus,

The next idea is threequarters built and is a converted March.

Some of the things that have come from our furtive minds is the single lane pit lane for board tracks (posted somewhere once?? I lose track) The racing circuit with Rally infield and other things.

While most of us enjoy getting down to the track and getting head to head, and rightly so, there is also a small eccentric group plotting the next level! Some will be taken up commercially. Scalex didn't invent the sidewinder but I'm sure they wouldn't be without it now. Digital racing (like it or loathe it) will be the next quantum leap for home and small club racers. Night racing with cars aglow! even I have been sucked into that one and it's good fun.

Some ideas are destined for the archives. I have a horrible feeling that unless Hornby throw money at it, the Moto GP's will sit along side Jump Jockey and Ninja turtles in a lot of collections in 20 years time. I can guarantee, even as we speak, someone is trying to overcome the physics of getting them to lean!

So carry on racing guys and the boffins will see what they can come up with next.