KYOSHO TF6 1/10 EP TOURING CAR - Built report

I was presented with the opportunity to assemble a KYOSHO TF6 1/10 electric touring car, following the kind gesture of the Greece/Cyprus/Turkey KYOSHO distributor.  It was a proposal I accepted with pleasure since I've been keen to have a close look at the TF6 as it features some nice design elements and of course Kyosho quality.
I started the assembly and my intention was to progress slowly, each step at a time, day by day.  Little did I know that I would have the kit finished in almost one day, within a total of about 7 hours from the moment I opened the box.  That is a testimony of how well and easily the kit is put together and how much I enjoyed it.

Next step is the completion of the transmission.  The kit comes with a front spool with plastic outdrives and rear ball diff with aluminum outdrives. The ball diff is similar in design to that of other popular makers, but it provides one of the smoothest actions I've ever seen. I consider the Team XRAY ball diff to be the best in the business and I think this is of equal quality.  It remains to be tested in action to confirm whether this smooth operation translates into consistent and long-lasting performance. The spool is nicely red anodized and comes with plastic outdrives which provide an even smoother operation.

The absolute jewel of the car's transmission is the design of the driveshafts which feature the Ball Connect System (BCS). What this means is that instead of the common use of small pins at the edge of the driveshaft, giving a shape of dogbone, the TF-6's driveshafts have 6 small balls which in turn fit perfectly in the housing of the diff and spool outdrives. This design ensures constant proportioned power delivery from the drive shaft at any angle during suspension movement to the diff or spool outdrive. The fit and finish is spot-on and the result is silky smooth operation.  It also significantly reduces the well known vibration 'chattering effect' of the front wheels on touring cars with spools up front when wheels are at full steering lock.

The transmission installed

TF-6 Shock absorbers.
Another nice surprise. The shocks of the TF-6 follow in principle the design of most popular shocks in the market such as HB, TAMIYA, XRAY, YOKOMO etc.. but also have some unique features.
The parts are the following:

The pistons have 3 holes, which is the most common choice. The only drawback is that pistons were attached to a 'tree' and had to be cut off, compromising their roundness.
The nicest feature of the shocks are the two clear o-rings, which are uniquely shaped and provide a better seal than common o-rings with less friction on the shock shaft.

The main body. The body is aluminum hard coated anodized providing a smooth action of the piston inside. A nice feature is the fact that there is an o-ring at lower end, providing perfect seal for the lower cap.

 The shock assembled:

and installed on the car:

 I now have installed the new narrow LiPo chassis, the thinner upper deck, the gear diff and aluminum turnbuckles up front

 The gear diff is of premium quality with aluminum gears and uses two o-rings to seal securely the oil internally.  Being brand new, it needs some broken-in to run smoothly. I chose to run it at first with just one o-ring per side in order to free-it up a little as it was a bit too tight for my liking. Testing will show whether this choice is reliable enough without any leaks.

 The electronic equipment fits nicely and the NOSRAM speedo is a perfect match to the color of the chassis. KO Propo servo used with Team Orion LiPo pack and 4.5T motor.