3D Printing an OpenRC F1 radio controlled car
Mike Thomas
Created , last modified
OpenRCRemote Control
Table of contents
- Front Wheel Assembly
- Front BOM Assembly
- Rear Wheel Assembly
- Rear Axle Assembly
- Chassis Assembly
- Body
- Trim
- Accessories
- Tamiya F104 Tyres
- Electronics Box
Front Wheel Assembly
Image © 2015 Daniel Norée
NOTE: Quantities are for 1 Wheel, 2 front wheel assemblies are required
| Item | Quantity | Description | Material | Time | Size | Weight | Cost | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Front Rim | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 5h 56m | 3.35m | 10g | £0.20 | ✔️ | Replaced with Tamiya F104 Tyres |
| 2 | 2 | TOOGOO Sealed Metal Bearing MR128-ZZ | Stainless Steel | 8x12x3.5mm | £2.06 (Pack of 10) | ||||
| 3 | 1 | Front Wheel Axle | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 26m | 0.76m | 2.26g | £0.04 | ✔️ | Replaced with one piece front axle with endstops |
| 4 | 1 | Front Wheel Hub | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 28m | 1.22m | 3.65g | £0.07 | ✔️ | Replaced with one piece front axle with endstops |
| 5 | 1 | AHC Countersunk Allen Key Bolts | Stainless Steel | M3x12mm | £16.86 (1020 Piece set) | ||||
| 6 | 1 | Wheel Lock Nut | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 6m | 0.16m | 0.48g | £0.01 | ✔️ | |
| 7 | 1 | AHC Countersunk Allen Key Bolts | Stainless Steel | M3x8mm | £4.39 (Pack of 500) | ||||
| 8 | 1 | OPENRC F1 Rain Tires | Ziro TPU (Black) | 2h 16m | 8.72m | 26.02g | £0.57 | ✔️ | Replaced with Tamiya F104 Tyres |
Front BOM Assembly
Image © 2015 Daniel Norée
| Item | Quantity | Description | Material | Time | Size | Weight | Cost | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | AHC Countersunk Allen Key Bolts | Stainless Steel | M3x8mm | £4.39 (Pack of 500) | ||||
| 2 | 1 | One piece servo saver for OpenRC F1 | PrimaValue PLA (Black) | 29m | 1.03m | 3.07g | £0.05 | ✔️ | |
| 3 | 3 | Aussel Pan Head Screw Bolts | Stainless Steel | M3x8mm | £8.49 (300 Piece set) | ||||
| 4 | 1 | OpenRC F1 2017 Front Suspension - flexible filament BOM Block | Ziro TPU (Black) | 1h 6m | 3.06m | 9.14g | £0.20 | ✔️ | |
| 5 | 6 | Aussel Nyloc Nuts | Stainless Steel | M3 | £8.49 (300 Piece set) | ||||
| 6 | 1 | OpenRC F1 2017 Front Suspension - flexible filament Upper BOM | PrimaValue PLA (Black) | 42m | 2.08m | 6.21g | £0.10 | ✔️ | |
| 7 | 1 | OpenRC F1 2017 Front Suspension - flexible filament Lower BOM | Ziro TPU (Black) | 41m | 2.16m | 6.45g | £0.14 | ✔️ | |
| 8 | 2 | Front Wheel Assembly | |||||||
| 9 | 2 | OpenRC F1 Stackable Steering Pin | PrimaValue PLA (Black) | 10m | 0.46m | 1.38g | £0.02 | ✔️ |
Rear Wheel Assembly
Image © 2015 Daniel Norée
NOTE: Quantities are for 1 Wheel, 2 front wheel assemblies are required
| Item | Quantity | Description | Material | Time | Size | Weight | Cost | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Rear Rim | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 2h 8m | 3.95m | 11.77g | £0.23 | ✔️ | Replaced with Tamiya F104 Tyres |
| 2 | 1 | OPENRC F1 Rain Tires | Ziro TPU (Black) | 2h 16m | 8.72m | 26.02g | £0.57 | ✔️ | Replaced with Tamiya F104 Tyres |
Rear Axle Assembly
Image © 2015 Daniel Norée
| Item | Quantity | Description | Material | Time | Size | Weight | Cost | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | AHC Countersunk Allen Key Bolts | Stainless Steel | M3x8mm | £4.39 (Pack of 500) | ||||
| 2 | 4 | AHC Nut | Stainless Steel | M3 | £16.86 (1020 Piece set) | ||||
| 3 | 1 | Rear Axle Holder Right | PrimaValue PLA (Blue) | 1h | 3m | 8.96g | £0.16 | ✔️ | Originally in Grey but wanted in body colour |
| 4 | 1 | Rear Wheel Axle | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 1h 31m | 5.65m | 16.85g | £0.33 | ✔️ | |
| 5 | 1 | Racerstar Brushed RC Car Motor | Electronics | 540/35T | £8.70 | ||||
| 5 | 1 | Pinion Gear | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 19m | 0.6m | 1.8g | £0.04 | ✔️ | Will eventually replace with ABS |
| 6 | 4 | Aussel Pan Head Screw Bolts | Stainless Steel | M3x12mm | £8.49 (300 Piece set) | ||||
| 7 | 1 | Spur Gear | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 1h | 3.12m | 9.32g | £0.18 | ✔️ | |
| 8 | 2 | Rear Wheel Assembly | |||||||
| 9 | 2 | TOOGOO Sealed Metal Bearing 6701-ZZ | Stainless Steel | 12x18x4mm | £2.80 (Pack of 10) | ||||
| 10 | 1 | Rear Axle Holder Left | PrimaValue PLA (Blue) | 36m | 1.87m | 5.56g | £0.10 | ✔️ | Originally in Grey but wanted in body colour |
| 11 | 2 | Wheel Lock Nut | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 6m | 0.16m | 0.48g | £0.01 | ✔️ |
Chassis Assembly
Image © 2015 Daniel Norée
| Item | Quantity | Description | Material | Time | Size | Weight | Cost | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | AHC Countersunk Allen Key Bolts | Stainless Steel | M3x8mm | £4.39 (Pack of 500) | ||||
| 2 | 1 | OpenRC F1 Front Suspension Servo Saver Solution | Ziro TPU (Black) | 58m | 2.76m | 8.23g | £0.18 | ✔️ | |
| 3 | 1 | Front Chassis 2017 update | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 3h 40m | 10.94m | 32.62g | £0.65 | ✔️ | |
| 3 | 1 | Rear Chassis 2017 update optimized for F104 Tires | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 5h 45m | 17.96m | 53.57g | £1.06 | ✔️ | |
| 4 | 1 | Front BOM Assembly | |||||||
| 5 | 1 | Metal Gear RC Micro Servo | Electronics | MG90S | £2.80 | ||||
| 6 | 1 | Servo Saver Connector Rod | Paperclip | ||||||
| 7 | 1 | Rear Axle Assembly | |||||||
| 8 | 2 | AHC Countersunk Allen Key Bolts | Stainless Steel | M3x12mm | £16.86 (1020 Piece set) |
Body
| Item | Quantity | Material | Time | Size | Weight | Cost | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenRC F1 Nose with S-duct | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Blue) | 2h 37m | 6.65m | 19.83g | £0.35 | ✔️ | |
| OpenRC F1 2017 Front Chassis | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Blue) | 5h 42m | 19.29m | 57.52g | £1.03 | ✔️ | |
| OpenRC F1 2017 Front Chassis Side Pods | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Blue) | 6h | 20.02m | 59.72g | £1.07 | ✔️ | |
| OpenRc F1 lid with side scoops | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Blue) | 7h 3m | 24.39m | 72.74g | £1.30 | ✔️ | |
| OpenRc F1 motor cover with louvers | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Blue) | 5h 28m | 16.03m | 47.81g | £0.86 | ✔️ | |
| Lock Pin | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Blue) | 4m | 0.11m | 0.34g | £0.01 | ✔️ | |
| Main Turning Vane Left | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Black) | 25m | 0.76m | 2.28g | £0.04 | ✔️ | Originally in TPU but too soft |
| Main Turning Vane Right | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Black) | 25m | 0.76m | 2.28g | £0.04 | ✔️ | Originally in TPU but too soft |
| Front Spoiler 2019 | 1 | Ziro TPU (Black) | 3h 45m | 12.05m | 35.93g | £0.79 | ✔️ | |
| Crash Safe Rear Wing | 1 | Ziro TPU (Black) | 2h 52m | 10.38m | 30.95g | £0.68 | ✔️ | |
| Rainlight and Diffuser | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 1h 4m | 3.57m | 10.65g | £0.21 | ✔️ |
Trim
| Item | Quantity | Material | Time | Size | Weight | Cost | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenRC F1 2017 Front Chassis Winglets | 1 | Ziro TPU (Black) | 4m | 0.11m | 0.33g | £0.01 | ✔️ | |
| Barge Board Left | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Black) | 34m | 1.09m | 3.25g | £0.05 | ✔️ | |
| Barge Board Right | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Black) | 34m | 1.09m | 3.24g | £0.05 | ✔️ | |
| Rear View Mirror Left | 1 | Ziro TPU (Black) | 7m | 0.20m | 0.61g | £0.01 | ✔️ | |
| Rear View Mirror Right | 1 | Ziro TPU (Black) | 7m | 0.20m | 0.61g | £0.01 | ✔️ | |
| Camera | 1 | Ziro TPU (Black) | 19m | 0.56m | 1.67g | £0.04 | ✔️ | |
| Shark Fin 2018 | 1 | Ziro TPU (Black) | 50m | 1.51m | 4.51g | £0.10 | ✔️ | |
| Halo 2018 | 1 | Ziro TPU (Black) | 29m | 1.48m | 4.41g | £0.10 | ✔️ | |
| Cockpit | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Black) | ❌ |
Accessories
Tyre Stand
| Item | Quantity | Material | Time | Size | Weight | Cost | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PartA | 2 | PrimaValue PLA (Red) | ✔️ | |||||
| PartB | 2 | PrimaValue PLA (Red) | ✔️ | |||||
| PartC | 4 | PrimaValue PLA (Red) | ✔️ |
Work Bench
| Item | Quantity | Material | Time | Size | Weight | Cost | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connector_A | 3 | PrimaValue PLA (Red) | ✔️ | |||||
| Connector_B | 2 | PrimaValue PLA (Red) | ✔️ | |||||
| Side_A | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Red) | ✔️ | |||||
| Side_B_F1_2017 | 1 | PrimaValue PLA (Red) | ✔️ |
Tamiya F104 Tyres
| Item | Quantity | Material | Time | Size | Weight | Cost | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Rim for F104 Tyres | 2 | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 4h 1m | 7.47m | 22.28g | £0.44 | ✔️ | |
| Rear Rim for F104 Tyres | 2 | PrimaValue PLA (Dark Grey) | 4h 58m | 10.55m | 31.47g | £0.62 | ✔️ | |
| Tamiya F104 Hollow, Back Soft Tyre | 2 | Rubber | £15.49 (Set of 2) | |||||
| Tamiya F104 Hollow, Front Hard Tyre | 2 | Rubber | £13.27 (Set of 2) |
To make the tyres soft enough to be usable, they need to have a very low percentage of infil, therefore they are quite fragile and can be easily split.
To get better grip and have harder wearing tyres, it's recommended to use off-the-shelf rubber tyres specifically desgned for radio controlled cars.
Electronics Box
This was one of the first items I modified. I used SketchUp 2017 to edit an existing electronics box to fit the battery I purchased. You can also view the design on the SketchUp website.
The source file and STL is available to download on my 3D Printing repository on GitHub.
