Tamiya Avante Black Project
Page 1: Assembly
I've already written about the build of the normal
Avante in great detail, so I will only address the differences
here. Please see my original Avante page for more information.
The large box in which the Black Special comes looks nothing like the
box from the regular Avante. There is no color box art at all, and
only a small profile of the vehicle is shown. The inside is
typical Avante beauty though, with two blister packs on the sides and
the body in the middle.
This kit uses a 25T GT tuned motor with a label which is unique to this
model. The 2011 re-release Avante uses the same motor but with a
different sticker.
The regular Avante uses planetary gear differentials, but the Black
Edition swaps these out with ball differentials using steel drive cups
as shown. These are a bit more work to build but offer more
adjustability.
The 2011 Avante uses a center ball differential, but the Black Edition
offers two different options. The center can be completely locked
resulting in equal speed front and rear, or a "torque splitter" can be
used. This uses the one-way bearing shown on the right to drive
the front wheels but freewheel when braking.
The front and rear suspension assemblies look exactly like the 2011
Avante. I took pictures of them anyway because they are so
beautiful. I did not seal the end grain of the carbon fiber plates
on this version of the model because I decided I would just never flip
it over.
The steering differs substantially from the 2011 edition. The
Black Edition comes with the "racing steering" upgrade which consists of
a carbon fiber Ackerman bar and a pair of bell cranks with ball
bearings. This system is more direct and seems to result in less
steering slop.
The beautiful gold anodized shocks are the same as those in the 2011
edition. The wheels and tires are different. The Black
Edition does not use the ubiquitous Cam-Loc wheels of the original,
instead it uses some rather outrageous pink wheels. The front
wheels are narrower than the rear, unlike the original, and the tire
spike pattern is different as well.
I used a "Black Label" servo from Savox which I thought complemented the
livery nicely, although I admit you can't really see it once the model
is built. I know it's there though. The steering link is
longer than the original due to the racing steering set.
Here's the completed chassis. Other than the wheels and tires,
there is not much to visually distinguish it from the 2011 edition
unless you look really closely. I used a smaller ESC and receiver
here which allowed me to hide the electronics a bit better than my 2011.
©2019 Eric Albrecht
