First Casualty

If you’re reading this and just bought your first RC car, look at the manual, find out what tools you need, and BUY THEM IMMEDIATELY. Don’t wait like I did.
See, I thought I was being pretty smart about this whole thing. I got the right battery, and the right charger, and even fantastic replacement tires. I also got an aluminum servo horn, because I read that it’s the first piece of the car to break. This morning, just after coffee, I was going through the driving course I set up, practicing driving with one hand. I made a slight mistake and clipped the base of a cabinet with the tire, slamming both front wheels hard left. I picked it up and attempted to continue, but the steering was all wrong. I wiggled it back and forth. It sometimes turned and sometimes didn’t. It never corrected back to true straight.

Deep in the undercarriage, beneath as many parts as possible, lies an inch long servo horn. I have to dismantle pretty much everything in this shot to access it and replace it.

The other day I dug around and was able to find a hex wrench that fit most of the screws on the truck. Unfortunately, it’s one of those cheap L-arm hex wrenches, so it takes forever to screw anything in with it. But I did it anyway. I got as far as getting the old servo horn out, but the screws on the new servo horn are smaller. So now I have to wait for the tools I ordered from the shop. And wouldn’t you know it, the sun is out today. Of course.

On the left sits the original plastic servo horn, with the larger end that connects to the servo motor completely stripped. On the right is the aluminum replacement from Absima. 

So now she sits, waiting for a few simple hex drivers to arrive in the mail. I tried to get them from the hardware store, but they didn’t have what I needed. So I ordered them from the hobby shop last night. I don’t expect anything until Monday.

The ridiculous "wrench" that I had to deal with waiting for my proper tools to arrive. Took forever.

Turns out the servo arm was indeed stripped. All of the teeth were worn down to nothing. Bottom line is, a servo arm gotta be metal of some sort. Plastic isn’t strong enough to do the job. There has to be a good connection between the teeth that’s strong and solid. I'm glad I spent the extra few bucks on it when I bought the truck. I'm surprised how quickly it happened. I mean, I've read and heard enough about it, but it didn't make sense to me that they would include a part so blatantly under-equipped. To put it in perspective, the first Lipo 3s battery charge lasted longer than the servo arm. 

Also, getting stuck needing tools is a rookie move. I'm ashamed.