Another conversion kit for the Yokomo YZ-870c/YZ10 but this time from the U.S.A. courtesy of J.D. Beckwith's former company Duke Concepts. Just like Craig Drescher and CML did with the Yokomo Works '91, J.D. Beckwith (Factory Driver) designed a collection of parts to enhance the performance of the Yokomo YZ-870c. The end product dubbed the Dukomo was very competitive and caught the interest of Beckwith's fellow racers and he subsequently produced these parts for them also. I have posted bellow an excellent article from RCCA explaining in detail the history of J.D. Beckwith's design and all the parts that were offered by Duke Concepts for the Yokomo 4WD.
I purchased this car maybe 10 years ago and was so happy just to have an original Dukomo in my possession. I was too young to purchase the parts when they were originally available but I do remember seeing a Duke Concepts advertisement in RCCA wishing I could afford these parts (and of course a Yokomo YZ-870c
). I stripped the car down and had intentions to restore it to the specification that I had received it. As was the case, life and other projects got in the way and the project was put on hold. After recently rebuilding a Yokomo Drescher Edition (http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=33294), I decided to take out the Dukeomo and try my best to return it to its original condition. Putting this car back together was just fantastic and very similar obviously to the Drescher Edition. The parts fit was excellent as expected and it always a pleasure for me to work with high quality materials. The DA Graphite iridium finish parts are extremely stiff and coupled with the Jammin Jay top deck provide a solid platform. Obviously the battery placement is different from the stock YZ-870c (but very similar to the Drescher Edition) and provides the opportunity to place the cells closer to the centerline of the chassis. Very similar solution to what Yokomo did with their 1989 winning IFMAR Super Dogfighter.
Here is another example of this unique model - http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=23555&hilit=dukomo
It seems to be a latter version than the one I have (the bellcranks look to be more refined in design and the rear arms have what look to be a wheel base adjustment built into them).
I plan on doing a head to head between the Dukomo and the Drescher Edition. I will compare the dimensions/weight and overall quality. Two similar approaches by two Factory drivers from two different countries striving to achieve the same objective... to improve the performance of the Yokomo Super DogFighter.
Feel free to leave comments and I will answer any questions you might have.
Vin
Edit: Grammar
