Busy bee

It has been a hectic couple of months for me here in Brunei.I know it is no excuse for the lack of updates but I promise I haven't been sitting idly doing nothing.

I've rededicated myself to racing again in the 1/8 nitro buggy class and the electric touring class but both with a slightly different twist.

I am putting the term ReadytoRace to the test by using a Readyset (Ready to run) Kyosho MP9 Tki3 car. I will be driving it bone stock for an entire race season. I'm not sponsored so you can rest assure my opinions will be truthful. I've done a race with it so far and it has been performing flawlessly. You can see more of it in this video here.

Meanwhile, I am reviving my seven-year-old Yokomo BD7 to compete in the 13.5 turn series here beginning next year. I want to show that while manufacturers come out with new cars every year, you don't necessarily need to keep upgrading your car. I initially wanted to do the project with my BD5 but parts were becoming difficult to find so I opted for the BD7 instead.

I also made a video of the Brunei Buggy League that was held last month. I got inspired by the "Come race with us" series on Youtube and wanted to do something similar for Brunei races. Hopefully I will be able to do more of this in the near future. Do comment or like the videos if you enjoyed them or found any of them helpful.

Cheers.

An obeservation from the Electric 1/10 worlds

We'll take a break from posts on my RC journey to look at whats happening at the Worlds currently held at the Hudy Arena in Slovakia.

Rivkin has just been crowned the 2wd world champ driving a Team Associated vehicle. The race is currently dominated by Team Associated, Yokomo and Xray drivers. Here is a graph showing that these three brands make up 91 out of the 120 cars (81 per cent) competing right now.

This is quite disappointing for a long-time Kyosho driver as we only have seven cars competing. But this is already more than some of the other big brands like TLR, HotBodies, Serpent and such.Where are the Tamiyas?

I don't think the quality and designs of the cars are a factor. The issues lie elsewhere. Kyosho, for one, is undergoing a restructuring process and has let go a majority of their top drivers including former world champion Jared Tebo. Manufacturers also don't seem to hold this competition in as high of a regard as the 1/8 scale races which I feel is quite a shame.

It's also disheartening that Kyosho cars and parts are becoming harder and harder to come by unless you're in Japan, leading to many people giving up on the brand altogether.

Kyosho only have four sponsored drivers right now in Slovakia and it's a tough pill to swallow but none of them have been able to make their mark in the competition so far. I'm still rooting for all of you guys though. I would love to see more Kyoshos running but I guess this is the current state of the company's finances.

In April last year, the company announced that they were now under new cooperate management under sponsorship of Shisei Rembrandt Partners 1st Investment Limited Partnership.

Kyosho also seem to be channeling more of their budget on talent and car development as opposed to marketing and sponsorships. I just hope this decision doesn't come back to bite them. You need to win to keep your brand in the minds of the people and you need the right drivers to win.

Regardless it is still good to see them coming out with four new race oriented vehicles in the past two years. I am sure the MP10 and MP10T will be able to produce good results in the near future. Their 1/10 counterparts.... the RB7 and the ZX7 seems to have a lot of work cut out for them though.

Fingers crossed for a miracle for Kyosho drivers in the 4wd category this weekend. Gambatteh Kyosho. Go Red Samurais.

My RB6.6 and antiquated ZX5. I'm a true Kyosho fanboi through and through

Jumpstarting Brunei's offroad RC scene

I decided to take a break from racing on-road following my issues with the Sakura XI. I had just returned the car and was looking for a something new to drive when my cousin expressed interest in the hobby.

I immediately encouraged it but he wasn't keen on driving on-road. The speed of the cars and the discipline needed to set up and drive them intimidated him. He just wanted to bash so we settled on getting off-road RCs.

We checked out Guan Hock Lee, the local hobby shop, to see what were the active off-road classes at the time. It was quite sad to find out the the off-road RC scene in Brunei was practically dead. The only off-road RC track had not been maintained and the last race held was years ago. This wasn't all bad news though as it meant that we had no need for race spec'd vehicles which are often more expensive and less durable.

I wanted to get another Traxxas Stampede but they did not have any in stock. My cousin settled on a Traxxas E-revo and I went with the more conservative route and got the Kyosho DBX Ve.

 

The DBX was a fun car and a good introduction into Kyosho's offroad offerings. By the end of its run, mine was equipped with MP777 shocks and proper 1/8 tyres. It lacked straight line speed but the lighter chassis and 2S battery set up saw it outperform many 1/8 scale buggies on our makeshift track.

The DBX ve was my first kyosho off-road vehicle and it is responsible for my love affair with the brand til this day. It was fast and drove well. It used pillow ball knuckles so it was an ease to change the set up of the car. The pillow balls do suffer from stripping issues but they were easily fixed with loctite. The car also used soft and flexible parts as it was not designed to race so parts usually just flexed or popped off instead of breaking.

We were running our cars on a beach and this took a huge toll on the cars. The wide area meant we were basically overheating the cars every run and the sand and salty air really punished the drivetrain and everything metal on the vehicles. Still they held up well and we ran them for months with minor issues.

There were only three of us when we first started driving on the beach but we extended the invitation on Facebook and our group grew to twenty cars within weeks. It was clear there was an interest in off-road RCs in Brunei.

The DBX looked beat on paper but it did surprisingly well against its 1/8 scale opponents. I ran it as it was intended with a 2S battery set up. This meant I was slower than all the other cars but it was lighter and more nimble. It was also easier to drive. This saw me consistently top the other drivers and cars when we held small races on the makeshift tracks.

A few months later, tragedy struck my DBX as it got ran over by a truck. The driver was busy talking on the phone and failed to see our makeshift track. There were about eight cars running and mine had to be the one to get run over.

I took this opportunity to go up in scale. I got the gigantic Kyosho Mad Force VE.... and its performance just blew everything I've had in the past out of the water.

My Madforce on the right pictured with my cousin's E-Revo. You can see me trying to fix my issues with the Madforce by trying to fabricate a makeshift diffcasing/arm housing for the car.

Our small group of RC enthusiast grew exponentially within months

The car had its issues though. It was big and heavy and, for some reason, Kyosho designed it with a diff case that was held in place by small plastic joints and screws. I would break these everytime the car had a bad landing. I went through the cases like a hot knife through butter... I was breaking it every run.

It got so bad that I eventually gave up and ordered aluminium parts online. This fixed the issue and made the car practically unbreakable.

Unfortunately within a year and a half, our beach RC endeavours came to a halt as more cars were getting run-over. There was also a pack of stray dogs which appeared overnight and they took joy in attacking our cars when given the chance.

It was time to do something about the abandoned track.

The aluminium diff housing from RC4wd cost as much as the car itself... but it truly made the car unbreakable...

Sakura XI - A bed of roses it is not

I was over the moon when I was told I would be given a semi-sponsorship deal with the 3Racing Sakura XI. The local hobby shop wanted someone to race and promote it so a fellow racer and I were asked if we were keen. We agreed without much hesitation

The Sakura XI was truly ahead of its time when it was first released and it showed what a smaller company can achieve if it focuses on delivering a competitive package... a car equipped with all the bells and whistles.

Definitely a head turner. You can't deny this car was just pretty to look at.

It revolutionised the industry and was equipped with features that other brands sold as hop-ups. A skinny chassis, aluminium servo horns, aluminium threaded shocks, adjustable upper deck, gear diffs with the option to drop in a spool, a spur gear setup that was easily accessible, belt tensioners built into the diff cups... the lot.

It just had one issue.... one very big issue... it did not work right. I initially planned to drive it in the open mod class and continue using the now repaired and upgraded Kyosho TF5 for 17.5turn stock. But my Sakura XI suffered from major tweak issues. The tweak was so bad that you could see the chassis and upper deck flex upon full throttle.

Its twin sister, driven by the other driver also suffered similar issues. He even switched out a new chassis and the same problems still persisted.

It also wasn't very durable. It would break on crashes that the TCX would easily drive away from. I also broke a CVD/swingshaft in half... something that has only happened once in my entire experience with RC.

I switched out its electronics with that of the Kyosho TF 5, hoping the weaker motor would not lead to the tweak issues but it still wasn't driving right.  Later versions of the car was improved but even then I heard it suffered from performance issues.

Things can't be good when you're getting out-performed by a car that is a decade older than you.

I returned it to the LHS after a couple of weeks and moved on to my next ride. It was also around this time when I ventured into the off-road scene, something that would define my RC journey in Brunei.

Hot Bodies TCX... Plenty of purple goodness

I got the Hot Bodies TCX after a crash left me without a car for an upcoming race. Parts for my Kyosho TF-5 were scarce as the car was already in its later years and ordering online would see me receive the parts only weeks after placing the order.

A fellow racer had just upgraded to a new car and offered to me the TCX for a good price. I took the bait and was rewarded with one of the fastest and most reliable on-road car I've driven to date.

The TCX in all its purplish glory beside my Kyosho TF-5.

The TCX was very stable and responded well to tuning changes. Small tweaks could be felt when testing the car's set up, something not many other brands can offer.

I thought the first race with the car would be a learning experience as the meet was just two days after I acquired the TCX but I had such a good outing that I finished third in the A-main. It was the first time I felt that maybe the Kyosho TF-5 had been holding me back and that my skills may have surpassed what the decade-old TF-5 could offer.

I continued to string good results with the TCX and ended the season in fifth in the Hobbywing Justock (Stock 17.5 turn) class.

The belt driven TCX was an improvement in every way, compared to the much older TF-5.

I was going to continue next season with the TCX when the local hobby shop approached me and asked if I wanted to try driving the 3Racing Sakura car. This was the first and only car produced by 3Racing  at the time and I was drawn to the pink theme of the car. Also this was to be my first 'partial sponsorship'... I just couldn't say no.

The TCX was thus handed down to a budding newcomer... a friendly and humble kid who was really into RC at the time but he fell out of love with the hobby a few years later due to politics.

Editors note:
The TCX remains one of my favourite cars to date. It was fast, easy to drive and durable. I never broke a single part during the entire time I owned it. This was a huge improvement from the Kyosho TF-5 which needed replacement parts every few outings.

I would like to consider the TCX as a car I regret losing but 1/10 touring cars are updated so frequently that there was no reason to feel bad about replacing an older model. This, coupled with how brands would discontinue support for a certain car after a few years, meant there was no reason to keep it past its prime. Despite this, I strongly believe the TCX would still be competitive against today's cars.

Breaking into Brunei (Kyosho TF5)

It only takes a spark to get a fire burning...

By the time I left Brunei, I had built somewhat of a small legacy in RC in the country. I had won my share of races, helped my share of budding newcomers and was integral in the construction of the main off-road track in the country. I was also one of the main characters involved in the running of the Brunei and Borneo League. I've come a long way in RC in Brunei but everyone has to start with humble beginnings.

After completing my further education in Perth, Australia, I returned to Brunei in 2007. I had sold off all my RCs in Perth as I couldn't make space and weight allocation for them while flying. I knew I wanted to continue the hobby in Brunei but I wasn't familiar with the scene.

I looked around for tracks and found that the most active RC scene at the time was 1/10 on-road racing. I went to the local hobby shop (Guan Hock Lee) and met the owner, Edwin Sim. We would become good friends with passing time.

I left the shop with an antiquated Kyosho TF-5 at a time when belt driven cars had already become the industry standard. I got the TF-5 because it was cheap and I felt that the shaft-driven car was still good enough to handle the power of the Hobbywing Justock class (Stock 17.5t).

The TF5 was outdated but it got me racing competitively. More importantly it taught me how to set up the car and electronics.

There was a huge learning curve when it came to learning to drive an RC around a track but this time I had help in the form of veteran pilots. They taught me how to set the car and the motor properly and how to drive around a track. Despite the motor being limited in power and speed, I still had my share of crashes. And each crash meant an upgrade so I was driving a pretty tricked up TF-5 pretty quickly.

This was pretty much as hopped up as you can get.

If memory serves me right, by the time I retired the car, it had already gotten upgrades in the form of carbon fibre chassis and upper decks, CVDs to replace the standard swing shafts, aluminium drive shaft, TF-5 Stallion shocks, ZX-5 Lazer aluminium steering racks and motor mounts.

The car drove well and I was keeping up and beating the latest and greatest offerings from Xray, Tamiya and the likes but it could be argued that I could have gotten a newer car with all the upgrades that went into it. Regardless I managed to complete the first half of my first race season with it. It finished three races in the middle of the A-main pack. A big achievement considering it was my first season of proper racing.

Unfortunately I had to retire the car following a bad crash two days before a race. The LHS no longer stocked parts for the car and online orders usually take a month to reach Brunei. I made the call there and then to purchase my second Hot Bodies car. The original Hot Bodies TCX that was previously owned by one of the fastest drivers in Brunei.

Editor's note

The TF5 was well past its prime when I bought it. Though my car was 'new old-stock', it was quite a distance behind some of the newer cars on the market in terms of tech and design. Regardless, the car was still plenty of fun to drive and was fast enough to compete with the top-of-the-line pure bred racers at the time. We were however running the stock class so I can't say how it would have performed with a more powerful motor. It was also no where as durable as the newer cars out there.

Baby steps into RC

I've been a fan of RCs for as long as I can remember. My dad used to have a red Tamiya buggy, whose name eludes the both of us, when I was about four or five. That's when I caught the bug.

I owned a lot of toy RCs growing up but my first foray into hobby grade RCs was a Traxxas Nitro4Tec in 2000. I did well for my exam the year before and my dad surprised me with a visit to the hobby store. I lacked knowledge at the time, all I knew was I wanted something nitro and it should come with a pistol grip.

I settled with the nitro4tec because of its looks and the colours on the boxes. I brought it home and followed the instructions to break in the engine. It ran great for a few weeks... and then I started running into tuning issues. The Trx.12 engine back then was a notoriously hard to tune... especially for someone still in highschool. I also struggled to set the car up properly. My dream of owning my first RC turned into a nightmare and the car was sold about a year later. Unfortunately I do not have a single picture of the car... as this was before digital cameras were a thing.

My next attempt at getting into RCs came in 2006 (based on dates on photos). I was now studying at Murdoch College in Perth. My schoolmates and I came across a hobby shop one day and we decided to check out the place. I was struggling with living alone in a foreign place at the time and just needed something to entertain me and take my mind off things. We (three of us) pooled our money and picked up a couple of Team Losi Mini Ts. These things were great but I'm guessing the technology wasn't there at the time or it could have been as popular as the Kyosho Mini Zs of today.

I don't have pictures of the Mini Ts either but my schoolmates wanted to keep the cars when we graduated college so they bought my share off me. By now I was again bitten by the RC bug and I used the money to get my second Traxxas. The mighty Stampede.

The awesome Pede in all its blue glory.

I loved this car and decked in out with upgrades as time went on. I bought all the RPM parts I could find and beefed up the drivetrain and electronics. It drove great and was plenty of fun. This Stampede was one of the few cars I regret selling. I loved it so much that I decided to get its racier brother, the Rustler just as I was entering Uni.

The Pede's not so awesome but still pretty cool brother...

I also gave the Rustler all the RPM upgrades I could get my hands on but it wasn't as fun as the Stampede. It was around this time when an on-road track opened near my area. I checked it out and got interested in racing. The cheapest way to start racing at the time was the Tamiya TT01 class so I got a used car. It was a car that was already racing in said class so I was assured the car was competitive... the driver was another story.

I wasn't good at driving yet so I struggled to keep pace and this bummed me out, to the point where I never mustered up the courage to join any of the races. I would show up at the track and waited until everyone left before putting my car on the track. I could have really benefited from some help back then but I did not get any, which is why I am so keen to help newcomers to the hobby nowadays.

Looks good but the pilot lacked the skills needed to drive this Tamiya TT01 properly.

In the end, I never once raced my TT01 but I made a promise to improve my driving and upgrade to a better car next season. It was at this time (2008) where I invested in my first 'proper' competition RC car, the Hot Bodies Cyclone Sport.

My romance with the HB brand was short lived.

I built the car up and gave it the electronics designated for my race class but once again I couldn't get the car running right. I had no idea on how the car had to be set up and no one was around to guide or teach me. Looking back, I can definitely say the car wasn't built right and suffered from horrible chassis tweak. It wouldn't drive straight no matter what I tried.

I shelved it and sold all my cars about a year later - including the awesome Stampede - when it came time for me to return to Brunei.

A new beginning

I've just migrated back to Kuching, Malaysia, after 32 years in Brunei.

Changes are in store and with it comes new challenges and struggles. During times like these, I always turn to my hobbies to keep me grounded. I've given up a lot of my other hobbies during the move but I'm hoping to continue racing my RCs.

I have been involved in RCs in one way or another as a basher, racer and then an organiser for over twenty years. I've been looking for tracks and fellow RC hobbyists in Kuching but the scene here is not as active as in Brunei. I plan to build a track here in the near future but only if things go according to plan.

For now, I will have to wait for another month or so before my cars and gear gets shipped to me. In the meantime I plan to document my prior experiences with the hobby to cope with the stress of a new job, in a new environment, in a new country.

I hope this blog will also be helpful to those looking to start the hobby or for those looking to continue the hobby in a new environment. I also wish to document my return to racing and in a new country while noting the challenges involved in contributing to a less-than-active RC scene in Kuching, Sarawak.

Lets get things rolling.

My Team C T8 equipped with an OS .21 XZB engine. This was my winningest car to date and the engine was a dream to tune and race. I sold it as a combo when Team C pulled out of the country and parts became hard to acquire.