This F1 racer, released in 1995, was the first mid scale race car in the Technic line. It features front wheel steering and a mid-mounted V-6 engine driven by the rear wheels through a differential. Although it is primarily built from plates and beams, it still manages to achieve a sculpted look due to the hinges used in the side fairings.
This model uses quite a few stickers including the "Octan" logo which was used on many Technic and Model Team race cars, as well as the circular Technic logo badge. This was the first model (of only a few) to use flex system parts for steering instead of gears. Although the front and rear axles are supported by control arms capable of being used for suspension, there are no shock absorbers and therefore no suspension.
On a personal note, the site of this model on a coworkers shelf circa 1995 is what originally interested me in purchasing Technic models. I especially found the working differential fascinating having never seen one in toy form before at that time.
The front wheels can be steered using a wheel at the driver's position. The wheel drives an axle connected to a cam. The cam drives a pair of flex system axles (with sleeves) connected via an end to end connector. The ends of the flex cables attach to the ball joints of the steering arms. The steering arms are suspended and the upper and lower ball joints by control arms.
There is no particular reason for the flex system in this case. Rigid parts would have worked as well, but I'm always glad to have more flex system parts.
The part used for the front control arms was new to Technic this year, though it had been used in other themes before.
The rear wheels are used to drive a V-6 engine.
The engine is made from cylindrical engine elements. The two cylinder banks have a standard V angle of 90 degrees. The crankshaft is offset 1/2 stud from center, giving the pistons a stroke of 1 stud. Each pair of pistons shares a common crank pin. Because the crank pins are each offset 180 degrees, the forward and back cylinders are synchronized. This can be seen clearly in the animation.
In this particular model, the 6 exhaust pipes are simulated with gray pneumatic tubing terminating at T-fittings.
The rear axle is "live" and uses a differential gear which incorporates a built in 24 tooth ring gear. The differential is made to house 3 of the 12 tooth bevel gears. One is on each axle, and one planet gear in the middle allows the axles to turn at different rates.
This set has 4 of the new 49.6x28 VR tires which are perfect for this type of car.
By Technicopedia