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View Full Version : My new Epoch (spec 2)


Namuna
08-17-2002, 03:43 PM
First off, I bought my Epochs here at TinyRC. My package was shipped same day, USPS Priority and I got it 2 days later! Nothing like getting a toy you're anxiously awaiting in short amount of time!

I'll be putting up a First Look soon (just got finished with all the photos, just need to do the HTML) and wanted to give my impressions so far.

What's in the Box
1- Body
1- Chassis (with a 3-cell Nicad installed battery)
1- Controller
1- Charger

Packaging
Pretty basic, nothing fancy. Pretty disappointing marketing going on there, but I could care less about a box that's going in the closet anyway.

The Body
Sturdy and nicely detailed! Clear body, painted from underneath (no scratched paint!)! Nice.

The Chassis
Compact, has an on/off switch underneath. As well as connector, for the battery charger.

The Controller
Disappointing is an understatement. This is the kind of controller I expect to see with some cheesy no-name knock-off. Though it has all the specific options (Throttle trim, Steering Trim and a speed limiter) and even a lever to adjust the grip position, it has a cheap plastic, unsolid feel to it.

The Performance
Alright, let's get to the real deal...How does this thing drive!

First, we gotta charge it. With the car kit comes a charging station. It's a little platform where you throw in 6-AA batteries and hookup a connector to the Epoch to charge it. Press the charge button, 2 minutes later the charge light goes out and the car is ready to run.

To drive on, I've got a 4'x7' little track I made, using Vinyl as the surface (which I had thought would be great, but is turning out to be so-so) so I put the Epoch down and started sputtering about.

- Steering
Responsive and predictable, but a weakness that's apparent is the Epoch's inability of achieving tight steering angles (understeer). On top of that, a quickly growing annoyance is the rubber, around the wheel of the controller, kept slipping down and I had to use increasing pressure to hold it on the wheel, or worse, had to constantly stop and re-adjust it. I'm liking the controller less and less.

- Acceleration and Speed
While it's no speed demon, the Epoch is quick and gives enough punch to satisfy. Hopefully some other motor options will be forthcomeing though, as I'm sure there are folks that are going to want MORE punch! Yet another strike against the controller, the speed limiter is nothing more than a tension adjustmet against the trigger, which if you keep squeezing negates the limiter anyway.

- Braking
From having the trigger squeezed to a neutral position, the Epoch will come to a rolling stop. If you go from trigger squeezed to reverse, the car will immediately go into reverse and start spinning wheels backwards.

** Sidenote **
The controller became annoying QUICK! So hearing some talk about how the Perfex (MiniZ controller) should work with the Epoch, I proceeded to yank the crystal from the Epoch controller and put it into the Perfex. HAPPY DAY! It works 110%!!

Now, by 110% I mean not only do the standard Steering Trim and throttle trims work, but so does the Steering Angle trim! With the steering angle trim maxxed, I was able to do pretty decently small circles.

And lastly, battery power. The pack is still new, so hopefully when they've broken in a bit I'll get better run times, as is...It takes 2 minutes to charge for ~4 minutes run time. Instead of just gradually losing speed at the end of the charge, the motor also starts stuttering and stopping. One of my first mods/upgrades is DEFINITELY a new battery!

I LIKE this thing!

Btman
08-17-2002, 05:24 PM
Glad you like it so much. I have been using one for about a week and I like it as much as my 1/24 scale cars. I am still using the stock transmitter but will try my Perfex transmitter soon. Actually, I am getting used to the stock transmitter. It is not the greatest by a long shot but it gets the job done. Plus, one 9v battery will last a relatively long time in the transmitter. I have not experienced any of the grip slippage problem you have encountered so far. I agree about the speed and handling of this car. I have also noticed the understeer when going around corners relatively fast. Different tires or springs may solve this. I would imagine aftermarket parts will be available soon to tune the handling to individual tastes. The car is probably set up for understeer (like most real life street cars) to make handling easier for inexperienced drivers. My car gets about 6 minutes of run time per 2 minute charge. Overall, this is an excellent mini rc car if the track size is kept to a reasonable size. My basement race area is 12x24 feet and this car has a decent amount of speed for a track this size.

Bez
08-24-2002, 07:12 AM
You mentioned understeer.... just how bad is the understeer? I hope it isn't too bad because understeer can't be good for small spaces...

I just noticed that big clear bumper sticking out the front on the picture... you can take that off can't you?

akura2
08-24-2002, 08:07 AM
Originally posted by Bez
You mentioned understeer.... just how bad is the understeer? I hope it isn't too bad because understeer can't be good for small spaces...

I just noticed that big clear bumper sticking out the front on the picture... you can take that off can't you?


It understeers because the diff is really loose... I have the Spec1 and the Spec2...the Spec 1 came with extra tires (soft and hard) so I've tuned my steering a bit with softer tires in front... but you can hear the diff unloading in turns and it makes the car plow... but it's manageable... just ease off the throttle before you enter turns


The bumper DOES come off...just two little screws

Bez
08-24-2002, 08:26 AM
Thanks for the info akura2.

Namuna
08-25-2002, 10:24 PM
Thanks for clearing that up akura2.

Yes, taking the bumper off is easy enough...It's also a BAD idea to do so! The Epoch is SMALL and FAST, there's a reason it's got that BIGASS awkward bumper...You smack something without that bumber and that car is gonna be hurtin!

Clique
08-26-2002, 03:33 AM
I agree w/ that since there isn't any replacement parts available for this little beauty - too bad. So I wonder what you guys would do if you did manage to break something on it. Buy another whole set and pull out parts that you need?

I like this car and a few others too, but I notice some of these tiny R/C cars have very limited support (or none) on parts and hop-ups. So, I think I will wait before jumping in.

Btman
08-26-2002, 10:09 AM
By the way, if you like the Integra/RSX body style, it comes with a smaller black bumper that looks much nicer. I have hit the wall a few times without any damage so it seems the smaller bumper gets the job done.

MicroRCracer
09-24-2002, 06:13 PM
i think they made the clear bumper bigger than the usual because its a ralley car that can do semi stunts and acts like a skid plate when jumping off little micro floor ramps..ive tried using my lancer jumping off cool liittle ramps on carpet and it works great especially when it nose dives..i've also ran my 5 cell epoch straight on to the wall and i can only say this.. epoch's are very sturdy and the chassis plastic is better than the mini-z's...the chassis plastic material is very durable and does not get loose threaded like the mini-z plastic.. only downfall with this car are the wheels..they get loose over time and tend to fall off while driving...it sort of looks like a hubcap comin off a car on a freeway..

ucfdan
09-19-2003, 11:45 AM
Hey Namuna thanks for the great heads up about the perfex radio control. Sure does make the epoch more fun. I got my epoch from the trading board here from CHELBOED what I like most is that you can use a standard adjustable ac adapter to power the recharging dock without batteries. The one I got is adjustable from 3 - 12 volts but is mainly used on the 7.2 volt setting.