Schumacher Cougar SVR build . . . Part 1

OK Summer, such that it was, has come and gone and an RC racer has two choices:
Go racing indoors where it is dry and warm (Area 51 excluded where it was brass monkeys!)
or man up, don a scarf and a bobble hat and stay outside.

I will probably do a bit of both but have decided that the Cougar SVR might be a good choice for those slippery outdoor tracks over winter, at least that is my justification for another new kit.
Come on though, in these days of £500 plus 2wd super cars the SVR is a bargain at under £200.

Ah you can't beat the feeling of unboxing a nice new kit.
A nice box full of aluminium and carbon fibre longing for the attention of a 2mm allen driver.

So to work, with appropriate refreshment, just the one though I want to get this right.

Experienced Schumacher builders will be familiar with the numbered bags that correspond perfectly with the build steps in the manual.

Those with less experience will be grateful as they make the entire build a breeze. 

The manual isn't glamorous but it's well put together and a doddle to follow.

Schumacher have decided to use black anodising for the gearbox casings on the SVR. I was a little disappointed as I like the purple but they do match the upper casings and the quality is spot on.

They simply bolt to the chassis with a little thread lock, a couple of locating pins keep them perfectly aligned.

The rear arms are easy to mount to the yummy alloy chassis, be sure to make sure the pivot balls are correctly seated.

These arms are the same part as fitted to SV2 but reversed.

Schuie have come up with a neat solution for toe and kick up in the way of a pair of carbon plates.

The one that locates the pivot balls has a series of notches that, when viewed through the forward plate, indicate degrees of toe and anti squat.

This plate indicates 3 degrees of toe and 3 degrees of anti squat, simples!

Alternative plates are available to make adjustments.

The large battery compartment allows the use of stick packs. These can be mounted forwards or rearwards by around 30mm, another handy tuning aid.

The front bulkhead simply mounts with 6 screws. This, as all the plastics in the kit, seems to be of high quality. 

The steering assembly is as per the SV2 and sits on the new red seal silky smooth bearings.

Here is another area that can be used to tune the car to your taste. Washers (up to 4mm) can be inserted under the track rod to soften the steering response.

I went for the Savox 1258 titanium geared servo, no spacers required. I opted for the low profile 1251 in my SV2 but ended up adding weight in the nose so decided to drop the heavier servo into the SVR.

Next comes the upper bulkhead. On the face of it this looks the same as that fitted to the SV2 closer inspection however reveals that this one is a little beefier which shows that the Northants team are always looking to improve their cars.

The front arms then easily drop into place.

Good to see a little more of the traditional purple making an appearance on the front axles.

Steel, not titanium, is the choice of material for the steering and camber links. I prefer steel as it tends to bend rather than break in an impact. The difference is minimal but for the weight freaks out there ti alternatives are available on the 'speed secret' options list.

Build them to the length stated in the manual, with the nifty carbon tool provided, and you won't be far away.

So far this is a very straightforward and satisfying build. I reckon the whole thing could be done in an evening by an experienced builder.

I prefer to extend my pleasure over a couple of evenings so you will have to pop back again in the next couple of days to read part 2.