Next up we have the front suspension. The steering hubs come preassembled onto the front A-Arms. It would be wise to check for any binding. This is how they come in the kit:

The SC104x4’s suspension uses a captured hinge pin design, so no lame e-clips like on older designs.

One of my least favorite things about kit building is assembling turnbuckles. It’s a tedious task that usually results in very sore fingers. Team Associated must have known this, and in this kit they come preassembled as well. #WIN. Also, check out how beefy these are. Actually everything about this kit has 1/8 style heft to it unlike the sc10 2wd.

Here’s a shot of the assembled front end with CVD’s and turnbuckles installed. Take care when installing the hex adapters. They do “click” in place to keep them over the pins.

The rear assembly is a little more work. The arms come with mold tree pieces still attached to them. It’s easy to twist the arm from the mold section with a pair of needlenose pliers. I always remove any extra burrs with a small pair of nail clippers. A unique design I haven’t seen before on an Associated vehicle is the pin retention method for the rear CVA’s. The pin is actually held in by the rear bearing in the hub carrier. Time will tell if this is a wise choice. Be sure your axle is shimmed correctly so that pin remains in the bearing. Here’s a shot of the assembled rear end.