AMR Tech's Gears 10 buggy combines 1/12 scale dimensions with 1/10 scale performance and 1/8 scale technology. At least this is what one could think when looking at the buggy's specification and features list.
Overview
AMR Tech is quite new to us European modellers although AMR exists for many years now. With the Gears 10 1/12 scale nitro buggy the taiwanese company tries to combine the small dimensions of a 1/12 scale model with the performance and features of larger off-road cars. Will this work out? We'll see!
Right after opening the large box the factory-assembled buggy and a box containing the 27MHz AM transmitter, 500cc fuel bottle, glow igniter for C-type cells and a cross wrench are visible. This makes for a real RTR package with only 8 AA cells for the radio and 4 AAA cells for the receiver battery are missing. Therefore preparing the buggy for the first ride is only a matter or minutes. Buy and charge 8 AA Mignon cells, buy and charge 4 AAA Micro cells, buy and charge a C-size Baby cell and off you go. Alternatively you can also use dry cells for all three applications but to save the environment (and money in the long way) we recommend to buy a couple of suitable rechargeable batteries and a cheap charger. AMR also offers a pre-wired 6V/100mAh NiMH receiver battery pack which not only delivers more power for the servos (making them faster and stronger) but also adds a bit of safety to the whole assembly as the soldered pre-wired packs usually are less prone to fail due to vibrations compared to 4 cells in a plastic battery holder.
What has the Gears 10 buggy to offer? Like said the buggy is an illustrious mix of scales and specifications. With a wheelbase of 240 to 243mm and a .10ci/1.63cc nitro engine it's more of a 1/12 scale buggy whereas the overall width of 250mm and the tyre/wheel combination clearly is taken from a 1/10 scale buggy. Combine this with front and rear geared oil-filled differentials, front and rear swayers, protecting radio boxes and the given chassis layout you have a shrunken 1/8 scale competition buggy. Wowzers.
Ok, let's take some time to go through all of the features and specifications the Gears 10 has to offer. The buggy is based on a 2.5mm thick aluminium chassis with front kick-up and side and rear angled parts for better stability and added ground clearance. Plastic compound side guards fit snuggly with the pre-painted bodyshell and help protect the electronics, exhaust pipe and all other parts of the chassis against dirt and mud. On the right side they also form parts of the receiver and battery box. Also part of the right hand guard are the steering servo mount. The radio box on the other hand also incorporates the throttle/brake servo mount in which a ball-raced micro servo is housed. If you like to replace this for some reason you can fit mid-size servos up to 18mm wide and 35mm long.
In the middle of the chassis the central slipper clutch is located. On an 1/8 scale buggy this would be a centre differential but the Gears 10 sports an adjustable slipper clutch and a single fibre brake disc. The slipper clutch prevents the drive train from damages due to 'on power' landings and makes for better traction of all four tyres while the vented brake disc promised non-fading stopping performance even under severe conditions. The plastic spur gear is nearly 80 percent covered to keep sand and stones away as they are a potential threat for the fast rotating part.
On the opposite site of the radio box the .10/1.63cc engine is located. Equipped with a racing three shoe clutch and steel clutch bell the whole assembly looks every bit of an 1/8 scale competition clutch and should make for consistent performance over a long time. The engine itself sports a nice red anodised cooling head and a two needle slide carburettor. The air filter features a single foam element which is pre-treated with suitable oil to prevent dust from entering the carburettor and the combustion camber. The exhaust on the Gears 10 buggy is a tuned muffler to raise the overall performance of the engine. The fuel tank is a 58cc item with internal sinter filter and quick-lift cap.
Coming to the front of the chassis you see the front bulkhead/gear box that house the small and lightweight gear differential. The suspension holders are of a non-E-clip design just like the front and rear wheel carriers. The suspension pins are retained within the lower suspension arms and secured by a screw/the the front bumper respectively. Doing away with fiddly-to-mount E-clips really is a big plus! The FF (front/front) suspension holder is made from aluminium, making it tough enough to withstand hard impacts. The rear standard ones with 4° of Anti-squat and 3° of Toe-in are also supplied (within the tool bag) with 2.5° Anti-squat and 2° Toe-in as set-up option. With the 2.5° of Anti-squat you have decreased forward drive on the rear but the buggy's suspension can "work" better on very rough and bumpy parts of the track whereas the 2° Toe-in option let's the rear end rotate better into tight turns. This really is competition stuff to be honest and does not affect the average basher or only the very tech-interested of you.
The suspension arms used on the Gears 10 really look strong as do the plastic shocks towers. The steering is of a double cam type with integrated servo saver to protect the steering servos gears. The rear bulkhead/gear box looks similar to the one up front, again long wishbones range from the chassis plate to the wheel carriers. The oil-filled shock absorbers with a diameter of 13mm feature a plastic body with red anodised aluminium adjustment nut for the spring preload and 3mm piston rods. The lower suspension arms also give the possibility to adjust the droop (down travel) of the wishbones by screwing M3 grub screws in. The upper camber as well as the steering turnbuckles come with left-right thread for easy and fast camber adjustment.
Finishing touches are a pre-painted and decorated Polycarbonate body shell with all needed cut outs for tank, engine cooling head and carburettor needles. The Gears 10 comes in one three different body colours with the red one shown in this test with blue panels available also plus a third red/white/black livery also available. The rear wing is a sturdy moulded plastic item that should take a bit of a beating.
Track Test
For the test drive of AMR Tech's Gears 10 we entered our usual test track near the area52 office finding horrible weather conditions in the form of an ambient temperature near 0° Celsius, strong wind and a couple of snow flakes now and then. We really had wished for better weather but we also wanted to give the little buggy a try so we covered the engine's cooling heard with two layers of thing aluminium foil to keep it on temperature during the run-in process. Starting was basically hassle-free with the usual tips & tricks and the engine soon came up to life. We left the main carburettor needle untouched during the run-in process as the engine temperature was in the 90° Celsius range with the covered engine head. We only raised the idle a bit by turning the idle needle in 1/2 of a turn.
From the second tank of fuel we started to drive the Gears 10 around with the covered engine head. The buggy behaved well thanks to the strong steering servo allowing for a tight turning radius. Braking power was adequate but we feel that this is something that could be improved by using a better servo holder. The throttle/brake servo is secured by only two screws making it 'wobble' a bit in its holder which results in only average stopping power as the servos moves away a bit under stress. Same applies to the idle setting. An improvement would be not to use the rubber grommets on the servo case lugs or the use of a servo with a total of four lugs.
From the fourth tank of fuel on (we used RB's excellent 25% juice) we started to lean the mixture on the main needle in 1/8 of a turn steps from tank to tank letting the buggy gain new speed levels every time. We also did away with the 'engine warmer' (aka the aluminium foil wrap) trying to keep the engine's temperature at around 100° Celsius at the glow plug. The Gears 10 was a pleasure to drive with its swift engine and precise steering. The long wishbone suspension sucked most of the heavy bumps on the track bouncing only on very rough parts of the 1/8 scale track. Probably the oil was too thick (due to the low temperatures) for that kind of weather.
Managing larger jumps was no problem as the buggy was well balanced in the air with very good control mid-air with the help of brake or throttle. Despite the low temperatures every part of the Gears 10 held up well with no breakages to report. We only lost an upper damper screw due to the fact that we use too little thread lock beforehand.
In Detail
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Transmitter Our review Gears 10 buggy came with a basic 27MHz AM modulation 2-channel transmitter. It offers servo reverse and trim for both steering and throttle/brake and also steering dual-rate to reduce the overall steering rate if needed. Battery voltage indication is done via three coloured LEDs. The transmitter is of a good quality and although grip or steering wheel are "full-plastic" (no rubber or sponge parts used) the overall feel is good. The buggy is also available with a modern 2.4GHz radio system with basically the same features but crystal-, glitch- and hassle-free operation. |
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Battery box The buggy comes with a four cell battery holder for Micro AAA dry cells or rechargeable batteries. These are ok but we recommend the use of a soldered and pre-wired 5-cell NiMH pack like the one AMR offers (#JR0266 - 6V/1000mAh) or a LiPo equivalent like the Robitronic pack shown. The use of LiPo packs require a special voltage regulator to bring the voltage down to 6V ensuring a long life of the receiver. Pros may also consider a 6.6V LiFe battery pack that is usable without any regulating devices. |
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Engine The Gears 10 is powered by a very nice .10 (1.6cc) nitro engine. Sporting a machined and red anodised cooling head, a two needle lie carburettor and a three shoe racing clutch it looks and feels like a shrunk down .21 competition power mill. Starting and tuning is relatively hassle-free for an engine of this size (the smaller the more problematic engines are to adjust) thanks to good manufacturing and tight tolerances. We recommend the use of a model fuel with at least 20 percent nitro as especially small displacement engines profit from potent fuel. We used RB 25% racing fuel with great success. |
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Things you need Coming in RTR form the all you need to get the buggy running is a C-size (Baby) battery for the glow igniter, four AAA (Micro) dry or rechargeable batteries for the receiver battery and eight AA (Mignon) cells for the transmitter. Add your choice of 20% to 30% nitro RC-car fuel and off you go. |
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Technical data AMR Gears 10 - Lenght: 370mm - Width: 250mm - Wheelbase: 240 - 243mm - Height: 120mm - Weight: 1500g - Engine: AMR 10 CZ .10/1.6cc pull start engine |
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Likes & Dislikes + Good specifications + Good build quality + Powerful motor (for its size!) + Strong suspension components - Upper damper screws need thread lock - Throtte/Brake servo sits a bit wobbly in the mount due to the rubber grommets |
Tips & Tricks
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Thread lock During the pre-test inspection we found that some screws needed additional treatment with thread lock screw securing compound. The upper mounting screws of the shock absorbers as well as the grub screws of the outer anti-roll bar connectors (the red ones) needed a drop of thread lock. We also additionally used some on the upper and lower motor holder screws and the tiny one that fixed the clutch bell to the crankshaft. But beside these everything looked good and held up well during the track test. |
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Air filter The air filter comes with a pre-treated foam element. As the filer is small in surface and of a single stage construction it is important to keep it clean and in good condition. Replace it when necessary (read: when it is dirty and crusted with dirt and grime) with a new one. Never try to clean it as it can make things even worse. |
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Glow plug Do you miss the glow plug for the 10 CZ engine? Have a look into the tool back where it's hidden between the tools! Also, if you find it difficult to yank the recoil starter on the new engine, unscrew the glow plug by around an 1/8 turn to reduce the compression. Once the engine comes to life tighten the glow plug again. |
