Trinity Reflex 12

Radio Control Car Action, Apr 2004 by Higgins, Matt

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

WHEN TEAM TRINITY SET OUT TO CREATE its new, 1/12-scale pan car, they had a single design concept serving as inspiration: a low center of gravity (CG). One look at a Reflex 12, and you'd be hard-pressed not to notice how slammed this chassis is. Trinity made every effort to lower the center of gravity because as racers and engineers, they know a lower CG will deliver faster corner speeds, which results in race-winning lower lap times. Trinity didn't forget any of the other qualities that have made its other RC cars successful. The Reflex 12 comes with the same high-quality materials and engineering as Trinity's other kits. Let's take a look at the car that is certain not to only rip up a racetrack but can also spank 'em at any limbo contest.

KIT FEATURES

CHASSIS. The first thing you'll notice is the deep-blue color of the main chassis plate; you just can't miss it. The same trick-looking, 3mm-thick carbon fiber is also used for the flat chassis and suspension pieces; in total, six parts are fashioned out of the eye-catching blue stuff. Besides looking good, the material is lightweight and rigid, so it's an excellent platform for a race car. The overall chassis design on the Reflex 12 is very straightforward and, for the most part, rather simple.

Up front, a precut, low-profile foam bumper is mounted to a wide piece of carbon fiber. This separate section supports the foam bumper and might, at first, seem unnecessary, but if you have a nasty wreck, you'll be glad that you have to replace only that piece instead of the entire chassis plate.

On the outer edges of the bumper assembly are adjustable aluminum body-mount posts. The hollowed-out aluminum mounts not only reduce the weight, but they are also much more unyielding than the commonly used plastic or nylon mounts. Because the aluminum posts won't bend, the body will stay in position, and the car will handle better. They also do a great job of transmitting the body's downforce to the chassis. On the other hand, if you tend to hit a lot of stuff, their lack of shock-absorbing flexibility might lead to broken parts. So, if you crash more often than not, pick up a set of plastic or nylon body mounts.

The front suspension is attached directly behind the bumper assembly, and there's ample space for the electronics. To reduce weight, Trinity has cut out the space between the front suspension arms and the space underneath the steering servo. Cutouts for the battery cells flank the tongue section of the rear suspension's T-bar, and they position the batteries two to a side. Directly in front of the T-bar is an aluminum clamping antenna mount. This two-piece design securely holds the included fiberglass, rollover-antenna mast.

The rear body mounts are slightly taller versions of the front units, and two holes in the rear cross-brace allow you to move the mounts to adjust the rear downforce.

DRIVE TRAIN. The Reflex 12 uses a very simple and efficient drive system that consists of a graphite axle and a ball differential that are contained in the included 96-tooth spur that is spun directly by a motor-mounted pinion gear. The included 64-pitch gear is by Kimbrough; Trinity lets you choose the pinion that is best for your application.

The diff rings lock in place for better and more consistent diff action. The inner circumference of each ring is a D-shape (the outside circumference is the typical circular shape) that matches the fixed axle hub and the right wheel hub. The rings are also "large"; these tend to be very durable and provide better diff performance. The rear axle and the rest of the car spin on Teflon-shielded ball bearings. On the axle's left side is a very trick and balanced clamping wheel hub.

SUSPENSION AND STEERING. The front suspension is an undamped, coil-spring-supported design that consists of fixed lower arms on each side, with two turnbuckles forming each upper-arm assembly. This setup can be easily adjusted and precisely tuned. The front turnbuckle adjusts caster, and the rear turnbuckle allows you to tune camber. To adjust the roll center, move the inner turnbuckle mounts and/or raise the ball studs. Changing the roll center will alter how aggressively the Reflex 12 steers.

For most setups, the stock configuration will yield the most responsive steering.

The rear suspension has the typical T-bar workings, with a pod that's supported off the rear. The tongue of the fiberglass T-bar is mounted to the chassis with two pivot balls: one in front of the other and riding in two-piece plastic sockets. The front pivot-ball socket has been modified so that tweak screws can pass through the T-bar and bottom out on the chassis. Two fluid-filled plastic tubes, commonly called swizzle sticks, damp the pod's lateral movement. A single Associated VCS Micro Shock soaks up the bumps.

The rear pod is what really separates the Reflex 12 from any of the other 1/12-scale pan cars currently on the market. On pan cars, the pod is the tallest component, and it significantly raises the car's overall CG. To lower the CG, and thus improve the corning ability of the Reflex 12, Trinity designed this pod to be super-slammed. The front segment has been lowered so that the top plate slopes down toward the front quite a bit, and the aluminum motor plate positions this heavy component 0.050 inch closer to the ground. The result is a pod that is just as strong as previous designs, yet it dramatically lowers the Reflex 12's CG.