Awesomatix A12 Front End Build and Tune

Full detailed build of the Awesomatix A12 12th RC car front end. All option parts considered together will a full tuning guide. My name is Mark Payne. I am part of the Awesomatix A12 UK Team. I have been racing 12th Scale cars since their inception in 1978. At age 59, I am slowly getting slower (!) but some of my pace has been returned by the fantastic Awesomatix A12! Please leave comments saying what you found helpful or indeed what was a waste of your time. I have some experience in making videos for YouTube but it takes an age to do them like this. This 30+ min video has around 4 man days invested in it for example. Thanks to my team mates, in particular, James Stewart, Nigel Hale, Mark Stiles and Mark Jewitt for help and encouragement. Thanks to my sponsors Zen Racing and 6K Racing for continued commitment to 1/12th racing. Sections 00:00 – Intro 02:03 – 1. A12 Front End Design 02:55 – 2. Front Plate Options 06:30 – 3. King Pin Castor and Camber 10:31 - 4. Servo Choice 12:16 - 5. Servo Mounting 13:54 - 6. Servo Savers 17:06 - 7A. Steering Block Options 27:25 - 7B. Springs 36:07 - 8. Steering Links 38:22 - 9. Attachment Tips 41:00 - 10. Droop Setup 43:30 - 11. Ride Height 45:15 - 12. Steering Geometry 55:35 - Outro Section Notes Servo Saver. XR372503 https://www.zen-racing.co.uk/catalog/... Sagami XR006 and XR007 Plates https://srf-online-store.com/en/colle... https://srf-online-store.com/en/colle... 5.1mm Reamer for King Pins https://amzn.to/3QoIggw Kyosho 15K Diff Grease https://www.zen-racing.co.uk/catalog/... Awesomatix Front Spring choice C is N/mm Gold Kit SPR12FM “Medium” 6.5mm Silver Kit SPR12FS “Soft”C2.5 6.5mm Copper Red SPR12F-C1.7 C1.7 7.8mm Light Green SPR12F-C1.3 C1.3 7.6mm Bronze SPR12F-C1.1 C1.1 7.8mm Black SPR12F-C0.9 C0.9 8.5mm Pink SPR12F-C0.7 C0.7 Unknown King pin cap Reve D RT-003 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2545704041... King pin extender shims 1mm for Original AT1204 type blocks 0.4mm for AT1204-S Blocks Shim count Assuming King pin extension above: 6 x 0.2mm shims for original steering blocks 10 x 0.2mm shims for short blocks Standard Front Plate C1205 Supplied with original kits. Builds “standard” wheelbase Uses C1201 servo Plate (kit standard) Later Kit Front Plate C1205-1.5 Running kit change at end 2021. Still uses C1201 servo plate 1.5mm shorter wheelbase c.f standard ZT Zero Trail Plate C1205-ZT Provides standard wheelbase with AT1204-ZT optional Zero Trail steering blocks (in Line) Provides 3.0mm shorter wheelbase (c.f standard) when stock steering blocks are used. Use the C1201-ZT servo plate for ZT blocks Use the standard C1201 servo plate for standard blocks -6mm Short Plate C1205-6 Will make a short WB car 6mm less than standard . If ZT steering blocks are used then WB will be 3mm shorter than standard. Servo MKS50P Standard stuff about ZT hub: The blurb says “With the “zero trail” front hubs the axles are lined up with the centre of the steering hub. These hubs provide a smoother steering feel in some conditions due to more Ackermann build”. The ZT steering block does limit outer wheel angle down from around 18 degrees (standard) to 15 degrees as the inside wheel will lock stop itself relatively quickly. The ZT ball mounting point is closer to the centre of the king pin and further inboard on the car. Hence the inside wheel turn rate builds very quickly resulting in the increased ackermann mentioned effect mentioned above. Is this faster? In high grip this may scrub less speed at mid corner however in general I find the car harder to drive. I suffer from a lack of confidence when a car does not straighten up and track the straight well and the inline axle is not good for this.