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Blakbird's 58591 Renault Alpine A110 (M-06) Build 5 years 3 months ago #53332

I'm an American, and that means I don't know anything about rallying. That's a shame because it seems like I really missed out on something awesome. In 1971 the Renault A110 won 5 of 9 events in the IMC (International Championship for Manufacturers) including the Monte Carlo Rally for which this model is decorated. The first WRC (World Rally Championship) Monte Carlo Rally was held in 1973, and the Renault Alpine A110 took 5 of the top 6 places. Tamiya has released a lot of scale race cars over the years, but typically when the model being represented was current. This one is odd in that they released it over 2 decades after the race that made the car famous.

Tamiya released the Alpine A110 Monte-Carlo for the first time as set 58168 in 1995 on the M-02 chassis. 15 years later the 58471 followed on the M-05 chassis, but this time without all the rally stickers. In 2014 they released 58591 which had the same body as the original but an updated M-06 chassis. This same model was issued again (with the same number) in 2017 which is when I picked it up.

While the majority of modern Tamiya touring cars have been AWD, the M-06 chassis is rear wheel drive with the motor hanging out behind the rear axle. This makes for quite different handling than what I was used to, but I really like it. We also have four wheel independent suspension with friction dampers (which I immediately replaced). All of the M chassis are small and nimble compared to their larger counterparts, with a stock 540 motor actually being plenty for the weight. This car is quick and stable, but was very bouncy and hard to drive straight with the original shocks. With the single upgrade of aluminum oil dampers, this thing became a blast to drive. It is otherwise still stock.

This model comes in a small box not much bigger than the completed car. Inside, apart from the polycarbonate body, are a wide array of plastic parts trees and 3 hardware bags. Seen on the far left is the one piece bathtub chassis. All of the parts are molded in black apart from the servo saver and the wheels.
The differential consists of a wide plastic spur gear case and cast metal internal gears. The internal gears are the same as those used in countless other Tamiya model types. Remember that this is a rear wheel drive model so this is the only differential.
The rear gearbox and motor mount assembly are very rigidly integrated. Seen on the left is the differential housing with the open motor mount to the right of it. The motor hangs out behind the rear axle. The right hand image shows the same assembly from the other side. You can see three sets of mounting holes for the motor which prescribes three specific pinion sizes.

Now we'll start building the rear suspension. This starts by attaching the lower control arms to a flat pan. Next, as shown on the right, the gearbox and motor assembly are added. These sit over the top of the lower arms and lock them in place.

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Blakbird's 58591 Renault Alpine A110 (M-06) Build 5 years 3 months ago #53333

Once the main chassis bathtub is attached, this starts to look like a car chassis. I've built the shortest wheelbase version, but spacers can be installed between the bathtub and the rear to increase the length. On the right you can see the completed rear suspension. The hubs have been added along with the adjustable camber links. I've replaced all the plastic bushings with ball bearings as part of my original build.
Because the front wheels are not driven, the front suspension is relatively simple. You wouldn't know if from the picture though. The lower control arms are wishbones while the upper are adjustable camber links. The steering uses a dual bellcrank system with surprisingly accurate parts. This chassis has better steering precision than I would have guessed. The link which attaches the steering system to the servo is quite long since the steering servo is attached halfway back the chassis. The right hand image shows all the electronics installed. The factory friction dampers are also in place.
Every time I paint a new Lexan body I marvel at how good they look when new. The picture on the left shows the result after applying the metallic blue and removing the window masks. The overspray film is still attached. On the right you can see the huge difference once the decals and body accessories are installed. The visors over the top of the fog lights are actually flexible rubber sheets.
This is a close-up of the paint just to record how nice it looked before I started driving it and inevitably screwed it up.

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Blakbird's 58591 Renault Alpine A110 (M-06) Build 5 years 3 months ago #53334

I was quite satisfied with this model overall, but the one thing I knew it absolutely needed was oil shocks. This set of aluminum dampers will be perfect (maybe). They are advertised for M-chassis, but that encompasses many varieties so they may or may not be just right for an M-06.
The image on the left shows a comparison of the front dampers, new and old. The old friction damper is on the far left, and the newer aluminum damper has a blue cap and a red spring. Three sets of springs came with the damper set. The instructions suggested certain springs for certain models, but the newest chassis listed was the M-04. Since the M-06 is also rear wheel drive, I decided to start with the springs suggested for the M-04. The right hand image shows old and new dampers on the rear. Again I've used a newer white spring. Things are not quite plug-and-play on the rear. The new dampers and slightly longer and cannot attach in the stock location so the lower outer hub pivot shaft has to be replaced with a special version including an integral ball end. Sorry I did not get a better picture to show the change.
After installing the new shocks and trying the car out, I found that the springs recommended for the M-04 were much too stiff. The suspension had no real compliance; instead it bounced around a lot. I replaced the springs from the aluminum damper set with the original springs from the kit and it works much better now.
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Blakbird's 58591 Renault Alpine A110 (M-06) Build 5 years 3 months ago #53335

Pictures just can't do justice to a model like this. A new Lexan body with metallic paint is just so smooth and perfect (until it gets scratched up). The combination of color and decals couldn't be better and that makes this one of my best looking models.

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Blakbird's 58591 Renault Alpine A110 (M-06) Build 5 years 3 months ago #53336

These final couple of photos allow you to compare the model to the real car. The rally winning car was #28 driven by Ove Andersson which is the livery used by Tamiya. You can even see that the license plates match. Also shown is #22 which came in 4th place.
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