Lancer Evolution VII WRC

The Lancer Evolutions VII WRC remote control car is a great car. Its fast and easy to drive about. It charges pretty quickly and the battery on mine lasts long enough.

For the price you get great value for money.

The Lancer Evolution VII WRC was my first radio control kit and I am very impressed. I didn't want a car that could only go on the laminate floor or the gardan path, I wanted to go off road.

If you have made a Tamiya plastic kit, you will be used to the style of instruction Tamiya use. They are easy to follow, although I would always read them through several times and also examine the parts, before even attempting to build the first part. Completing the model to a stage where it can be driven has taken approx 9 hrs, over a couple of weeks. The final set up of the steering, alone took nearly 2hrs. It is not a car to rush build.

Like the real EVO VII, the model has shaft driven 4wd and it works. Control of the model is by 2 additional servers (not included) for the steering and the speed controller, unfortunately the instructions for the speed controller, do not mention the need to purchase another servo. Using a speed controller means you can use a cheaper transmitter, like the Acoms Techniplus, rather than the Tamiya version.

The kit is a mix of plastic and metal parts - it is a heavy weight kit around 1.75 kilos. I found the wishbones needed shimming out as the step screws leave the suspension mounts loose. I also found the steering needs to be set acurately, it is a bit loose, but so long as the toe-in is identical on both sides you should get it going in a straight line. Wheels are white plastic and the tyres are nobbly and no good on a smooth surface, they look like real Pirelli Rally tyres. The electrics are covered by a plastic cover, keeping out water and dirt.

The body of the car is clear polycarbonate, it needs trimming, cleaning and spraying with special polycarbonate paint on the inside. You get a driver and co driver to paint also. There are almost 100 different stickers to apply, slowly.

The model is expensive, I managed to find it for £145, add in the transmitter, 2 servos, battery and all the paint, then it is about £210-215, of course you there are dearer transmitters, batteries and servos.

The other downside is, this kit is discontinued, although it appears in the 2005 Tamiya RC catalogue. My model came from the a RC supplier on the Internet. It is possible to buy the model on an Auction site.

I would not recommend the kit to a young novice modeller, as it is time consuming and some additonal skills are needed, like shimming the wishbones and spending hours getting the car to go in a straight line.