Team Associated RC10 B4 Factory Team (2004) 9035

   Introduced by Team Associated in 2004, the 2WD RC10B4 Factory Team Buggy - # 9035, was the car multi European Champion Neil Cragg drove to win the 2005 2WD World Championship. The B4 FT was also voted "Radio Control Car Action" Reader's Choice Buggy for 2005 and 2006.

   In this series of articles I will endeavour to provide information to help identify any of the 1/10 Scale RC10 2WD series and where it sits along its evolutionary trail. With this knowledge, any RC10 owner should be able to decide if their model is just one of the many thousands that were produced, or is potentially a collectors "holy grail".

2004 RC10B4 Factory Team

   The B4 Factory Team is based on a molded composite graphite chassis, with a ball differential, coil spring over oil filled dampers, Stealth gearbox, CVD drive-shafts, a full range of titanium and graphite parts, servo saver, slipper clutch and of ball bearings throughout.

Model Version:

• #9035 RC10B4 Factory Team Kit

General B4 Features:

• 2.60:1 laydown Associated transmission with bearings in kits
• Front shocks behind the shock tower
• Sealed ball bearings in kits
• Lower motor, battery, body and wing mounting positions
• Captured hinge pin design - no E-Clips to secure
• New, longer MIP® CVD™ drive-shafts, dogbones in RTR version
• Lower motor mounting position
• Kimbrough® spur gear
• Pro-Line® M3 racing compound front and rear tires in kit versions
• Plenty of chassis room to hold most electronics
• All-new molded composite low-CG chassis
• Adjustable battery position
• New design battery hold-down strap
• Steel turnbuckles
• Fully adjustable caster, camber and toe-in
• Angled bellcrank "co-planar" steering
• Built-in servo saver
• Vertical ball end adjustment, front and rear
• Clear body

B4 Factory Team Kit Includes:

• Heavy Duty Servo Saver Spring
• Steering Rack Bearings
• Center Drilled Trailing Front Axle
• Titanium Turnbuckles
• Lightweight Outdrive Set
• Threaded Hard-anodized Shock Bodies, .89" and 1.18" stroke
• Gold Shock Shafts, .71" and 1.02" stroke
• Blue titanium turnbuckles
• Aluminum servo Saver Bolt
• Aluminum Front Hinge Pin Brace
• Aluminum Milled Motor Plate
• Aluminum Rear Axle Wheel Spacers
• Aluminum Shock Pivot Balls
• Aluminum Servo Mounts
• Aluminum Servo Mount Screws
• Aluminum 8-32 Locknuts
• Aluminum Body Clips
• Graphite/Carbon Top Plate
• Graphite/Carbon Chassis
• Graphite/Carbon Front and Rear A-Arms
• Graphite/Carbon Front and Rear Shock Towers
• Graphite/Carbon Rear Chassis Brace
• Graphite/Carbon Battery Strap, woven graphite

2004 RC10 B4 FT - Box Art:

   Early RC10 B4 Factory Team Box.

   Late RC10 B4 Factory Team Box.





   RC10 B4 Factory Team Box underside.

2004 RC10 B4 FT Chassis:

   RC10 B4 Factory Team Graphite Chassis, with blue anodised titanium and alloy parts.

   At present, the RC Model Manufacturers, Brands and Distributors covered by us are: ABC Hobby, Academy, Acme Racing, Agama Racing, Amewi, Ansmann Racing, ARRMA, Team Associated, Atomic RC, Axial, AYK, Bolink, BSD Racing, Capricorn, Carisma, Carson, Caster Racing, Cen, Corally, Custom Works, Durango, Duratrax, ECX - Electrix, Exceed RC, FG Modellsport, FS-Racing, FTX, Fujimi, Gmade, GS-Racing, Harm, HBX, Helion, Heng Long, Himoto Racing, Hirobo, Hitari, Hobao, Hong-Nor, Hot Bodies, HPI, HSP, Intech, Integy, Jamara, JQ Products, Kawada, Kyosho, Losi, LRP, Maisto, Mardave, Marui, Maverick, MCD Racing, Megatech, Mugen, New Bright, Nichimo, Nikko, Nkok, Ofna, Pro-Pulse, Protech, PTI, RC4WD, Redcat Racing, RJ-Speed, Robitronic, Schumacher, Seben, Serpent, Smartech, Sportwerks, Step-Up, Tamiya, Team-C Racing, Team Magic, Thunder Tiger, Tomy, Top Racing, Traxxas, Trinity, Tyco, Vaterra RC, Venom, VRX Racing, WLToys, X-Factory, Xmods, Xpress, Xray, XTM, Yankee RC, Yokomo, ZD Racing and Zipzaps.

   This is an ongoing project, with new and "lost in time" RC Models and Brands being added as they are found and although most of those listed above have been covered in relative detail, some are still being researched and will be completed in the near future.

Information and Advice

Electronic Speed Controllers

   ESC were originally developed to be used in conjunction with brushed 27T stock and modified motors in the late 1970s, early 1980s. Compared to modern day Controllers, they were Bulky and heavy, constructed using basic resistors, rheostats, capacitors and transistors, crammed together on a simple circuit board, to provide stepped but smooth acceleration when compared to the old mechanical, servo operated sweeper Speed Controllers. An Electronic Switch to change the direction of current flow was used on some of these early ESC to give reverse operation. Although they were a vast improvement on the old mechanical speedos of the time, they were expensive, jerky to control, and prone to burn out if not carefully looked after.

   As new technology became available, improvements were slowly made, and with the introduction of the new FET (Field Effect Transistors) and some basic mass produced silicon chips, ESC were made smaller and their reliability gradually improved.

   By the mid 1990s, "regenerative breaking" was developed. This meant that energy that would have been lost slowing down the car by effectively turning the motor into a generator, was harvested and put back into the battery. This of course was long before F1 had KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and adjustable anti lock breaking was introduced.

Keeping Notes

   If all you will ever do is go racing at your local track every week, then this article is not for you. However, if you ever look towards travelling around to different tracks around the country, or even the world, the value of keeping notes is all too obvious.

   Every time I raced in a regional or national competition meeting, I would make detailed notes, aided by a little local knowledge initially, and later fine tuned to suit my own driving style.

   My experience now means there are few, if any outdoor tarmac tracks within a 300 mile radius I haven't been to, and my notes on motor, gearing, camber angles, shock settings, tire choice and what inserts work best for that particular track, amongst others, allow me to save valuable time on the finer points of car setup, that can be done in the warmth of my own home on the kitchen table days before the meeting, instead of the often crippling heat, or the arduous conditions inside a wind blown tent.