Seen on the NewsStand! RC Car Action Aug 2001 issue named IFMAR On-Road Champ Associated’s TC3 with MIP CVDs the  Car of the Year! Whether you choose TC3 Racer, TC3 Team, or TC3 Factory Team versions, they are all fully equipped with the winning MIP CVDs!

Factory Team TC3

The Three Flavors of TC3

Though worth every penny, the Factory Team TC3 still isn't cheap. What's a budget racer to do? Get a different TC3! Associated offers three models; here's the spec story:

                    TC3 Racer         TC3 Team         Factory Team TC3

Body                Protoform          Protoform                 Not included

Shocks             Composite         Aluminum             Threaded aluminum

Shock shafts     Stainless         Stainless                 Unobtanium hard-coated

Wheels and tires Pro-Line         Pro-Line                  Not included

Drive shafts Molded MIP CVD Molded MIP CVD Aluminum MIP CVD

Turnbuckles         Steel                     Steel                     Titanium

Bearings         Rubber sealed   Rubber and Teflon sealed Teflon sealed

Graphite parts         None             None                         Full chassis and suspension kit

F&R swaybars Not included         Not included                 Included, front and rear

Street price*         $160                 $210                             $300

*Approximate; actual price varies with dealer.

The Factory Team kit also includes a droop gauge, aluminum counterfeit transponder, aluminum clip-on heat sink, machined and anodized motor mount and adjusting cam and an anodized battery hold-down.

Performance. The TC3 in all its forms (Racer, Team and Factory Team) has a constant A-main presence in races of all levels, from the Sunday club scene to the IFMAR Worlds. Did you know the fastest single lap at the 2000 IFMAR Electric On-Road Worlds was turned by a TC3? It's true.

Reliability. It's all about the shaft drive. In addition to giving the TC3 the acceleration of a bungee jumper, the shaft setup is impervious to the pebbles and grit that reduce belt life so dramatically, or worse, stop a car dead in its tracks. And the rest of the TC3? It's as tough as tourers come (pundit alert: yes, we know the first TC3s had front-arm problems. Associated beefed up the arms and fixed the problem a long time ago).

Price. True, the Factory Team model is the most expensive of the TC3 lineup, but compared with the price of purchasing its many racing upgrades separately, you come out aheadway ahead, to the tune of more than $300. And, if you consider the Factory TC3's Car of the Year win to be an endorsement of the entire TC3 line (and you should), we must consider that the $150 (approximate street price) TC3 Racer kit performs 90 percent as well as the Factory Team kit and includes a body and Pro-Line wheels and tires.

Hobby shop and aftermarket support. There are scads of hop-up and tuning parts for the TC3 from a variety of manufacturers, and stock replacement parts are readily available from the local shop or just about any mail-order outlet.