Team Durango DEX210: My complaints while building

For the past several weeks, I've been assembling a Team Durango DEX210 2WD buggy for my son. I have built quite a few RC cars in the past but I must say that this kit has been a real challenge. Although the parts fit together quite well, both the kit's organization and mislabeled instructions have made construction pretty rough.

Finding Parts

So far I've spent more time trying to find the parts than actually putting them together. I'll openly admit my complaint is rather petty but this really is annoying. Most manufacturers label parts trees alphabetically (i.e., A, B, C) but Team Durango uses a non-sequential 6 digit code. I had no idea that such a small thing like this could be so frustrating. Since there is no diagram of the trees within the manual (Tamiya's kits have clearly spoiled me), it can take several minutes to find each part. Bagging plastic and metal parts together (like Team Associated) would have also made things so much easier. If you have a lot of space to lay out the trees - like a dining room table - take advantage of it.

Poor Manual

Perhaps even more frustrating is the poor manual. On several occasions I found incorrect part numbers. While I'd much rather have a paper manual to guide construction, you can download an updated file from Team Durango. I would've appreciated a list of errors so folks like me could update the manual - well, manually!

Even with the updated file, you'll still be at a loss to find any meaningful description of the numerous choices you must make during assembly. One of the biggest selling points of the DEX210 is the amazing amount of adjustments you can make to suit your driving style and track conditions. However, some of the ways Team Durango offers these adjustments are unique and difficult to figure out on your own. I found myself spending a lot of time in online forums and various web sites to learn what I believe should be in the manual.

Aftermarket Shock Caps

Stay away! I learned my lesson the hard way on this. I bought a set of STRC Aluminum Upper Shock Caps but quickly learned that they did not fit the stock plastic pivot balls in the kit. After scratching me head, I realized that the pivot balls on the base of the rear shocks would fit. But this is a metal-on-metal connection and there's a lot of play in the joint; a properly sized bushing would be a better choice. I found some others online have tried the metal pivot ball solution with mixed results. After all that time I spent loading the shock oil, I decided to go back to the stock plastic parts.

Steering Plate

It sure didn't take much force to break the stock part. While I was connecting the steering turnbuckles, I snapped the plastic steering plate. I guess I should be happy this occurred during construction rather than seeing my son break the part while driving on the track. As soon as I did a search for a new part, I discovered Team Durango makes a metal replacement. Gee, I guess even the manufacturer realized this was a weak point.

Links

If you've stumbled across my blog looking for tips to build the DEX210, here are a few of the places I visited to help during construction. Good luck!

• PetitRC's Guide to the DEX210
• RC Car Action Build/Review
• Team Durango's Guide to Motor Configurations: Rear vs. Mid, 3 gear vs. 4 gear
• Team Associated's Guide for Building a Ball Diff

Holding Miniatures While Painting

Seems like everyone has a different way to hold miniatures while painting. My favorite is attaching a model to a wine bottle cork. I find that holding the miniature is comfortable and that my hands are not fatigued after a painting session.

I start by trimming the ends of the cork square (as best as I can) with a razor saw. A few passes with sandpaper knocks off the loose bits. From here, I can insert a pinned model directly into the cork. For larger models, I glue a piece of balsa between the model and the cork. I like balsa because it's soft enough that you can press a model into the wood and it will take the shape of the model. For adhesive, I found that a hot glue gun like you find at an art store will work great. Use only a small amount of glue so that you can easily remove the model later when your painting is complete.

Hope that helps!

Filling Hollow Bases

I hate hollow bases on miniatures. Honestly, it's a really silly thing to care about. I guess a hollow base just strikes me as cheap and unfinished. From a more practical perspective, however, consider that a filled base provides a stronger foundation when attaching the model via a pin. Since I almost always pin my models, I've gotten into a habit of also filling each and every base.

I've developed a few tricks over the years to accelerate the process, although it's still pretty time consuming. It usually takes about 2 hours from start to finish to complete a batch of 10 to 20 bases. The big time sink is waiting for things to dry. Here's how I recently completed a pile of bases for the game Heavy Gear Blitz! from Dream Pod 9.

I start by covering the slot on the base with masking tape. This reduces the mess in subsequent steps.

Next, I attach the bases to a sheet of paper or cardboard with rolled-up masking tape. With bases facing bottom-side up, I schmear wet plaster onto the bases using a putty knife. After drying 15 minutes in the oven at 200F, I apply a second coat of plaster and repeat the drying.

At this point, there's a good amount of excess dried plaster attached to the sides of the base. I scrape away the excess with a hobby knife and sand the bases flat using sandpaper attached to a flat surface. 220 grit sandpaper works well and removes the plaster very quickly. I wipe away the dust with a towel moistened in isopropyl alcohol (it's fast drying) and re-attach the bases to the sheet of paper with rolled-up masking tape.

I apply a few drops of cyanoacrylate (CA) glue to each base and spread the glue using a piece of scrap sprue bent at a right angle. I do this to ensure that the plaster will not break away from the base. After another 10 min trip to the oven to dry at 200F, I flatten the bases once again with sandpaper (usually something fine like 400 grit), wipe away the dust with alcohol, and call it a day.

Update: 28-Oct-2014

I made a few bases recently using this technique and experienced a problem. After building a miniature and attaching it to the base, I used a hot glue gun to attach the base to a wine bottle cork. Like many hobbyists, I prefer to use a cork as a handle while painting. After all my painting was complete, I tried to pop the base from the cork and I experience a small disaster. Much of the plaster broke free from the base and remained attached to the cork. I suppose it wasn't the end of the world, but it was most definitely a pain to refill the base and sand away plaster now that the model was painted.

Usually hot glue is an acceptable temporary bond. With a gentle twist, the model has previously popped right off of the cork without incident. I believe it failed this time because the bottom of the base was a bit porous. A close inspection of the base suggested that I didn't spread much CA glue across the bottom.

Next time I plan to do a few things different:

Avoid overfilling each base with plaster and instead apply a heavy coat of CA glue.

After the CA glue has cured and the base is sanded smooth, coat the bottom with a gloss sealer.

When attaching the base to the cork, give the hot glue a bit of time to cool and thereby create a weaker bond.

If this experience sounds like a real turn-off for you, the other alternative is to use an epoxy putty rather than plaster and skip the whole CA glue step. I used to do this prior to my switch to plaster but I found it was costly in terms of the amount of epoxy putty I used.

Good luck!