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Volkswagen® Baja

Clear Body
for Yeti
#3238-02

VW® Baja Body shown on Yeti with:


Flat Iron XL 2.2” Tires Mounted on
FaultLine Wheels, PowerStroke Shocks
and Light Bar Kit

SUPER SWAMPER XL FLAT IRON XL


2.2” Crawler Tire 2.2” Crawler Tire
#10107-14 G8 Rock Terrain (5.80”H x 2.28”W) #10115-14 G8 Rock Terrain (5.50”H x 2.28”W)

FAULTLINE DENALI FAULTLINE


2.2” Bead-Loc Wheel 2.2” Bead-Loc Wheel 2.2” Bead-Loc Wheel
for Rock Crawlers for Rock Crawlers for Yeti
#2756-15 #2757-15 #2758-15
Please note: All tires and wheels are sold in pairs, unless otherwise noted. All bodies are sold in crystal clear Lexan and are painted for advertising purposes only.
Jeep® Wrangler Rubicon and related logos, vehicle model names and trade dress are trademarks of Chrysler Group LLC and used under license by Pro-Line. ©2015 Chrysler Group LLC
Volkswagen® trademarks used under license to Pro-Line. INTERCO® Super Swamper trademarks used under license to Pro-Line.
DRIVE LIMIT
ROCK RACING
IT
TO
THE
1 2 3

PERFORMANCE SHOCKS
Jeep® Wrangler Rubicon
Customized Clear Body
for Wraith
Shown with Super Swamper 2.2” Tires on Titus Wheels, NEXT GEN TECHNOLOGY WITH FULL SCALE REALISM
#3380-00 PowerStroke Shocks, Roof Rack, Light Bar and Accessories 1 PRO-SPEC
for Short Course Trucks
#6308-30 Front ( fits Yeti Front * )
#6308-31 Rear ( fits Wraith Front and Rear * )
A
TRUE DUAL RATE HEAVY DUTY PERFORMANCE
2 POWERSTROKE
for Short Course Trucks
#6063-00 Front ( fits Yeti Front * )
#6063-01 Rear ( fits Wraith Front and Rear * )

3 POWERSTROKE
B for Yeti Rear
#TBA Coming Soon

* Requires #6063-05 Shock Mounting Kit


C E
D
F

SCALE ACCESSORY PACKS


A Scale Off-Road Roof Rack #6040-00 Assortment #1 ( Jerry Can, Ice Chest, Winch ) F #6075-00 Assortment #7 ( Fire Extinguisher, Water & Fuel Cans )
for 1:10 Crawlers C #6045-00 Assortment #2 ( Shovel, Hi-Lift Jack, Axe ) D #6105-00 Assortment #8 ( Race Fuel Cell, Nitro Bottle, Dual Fuel Pump )
#6084-00 #6072-00 Assortment #4 ( Tool Box, Axles ) #6106-00 Assortment #9 ( Gas Grill, Propane Tank, Mini Keg )
B Off-Road Light Bar Kit #6073-00 Assortment #5 ( Welder, Impact Gun, Sledge ) #6107-00 Assortment #10 ( Drive Shafts, Air Locker, Air Compressor )
Add any 5mm LED light kit for functioning lights
E #6074-00 Assortment #6 ( Dry Cell Batteries, Power Inverter )
#6085-00 ( LED lights NOT INCLUDED )
Performance Tests quick spin
42 | Traxxas Craniac & Skully 78 | DHK Shogun
CONTENTS Traxxas adds screaming-skull styling to Tis monster-truggy hybrid
Volume 30 high-riding monster mayhem gives big-truck thrills without a
Number 9 ›› By Pete Vieira price tag
September 2015 ›› By Michael Wortel
48 | Team Durango DNX8
Out-of-the-box thinking makes this 92 | Helion Invictus
buggy stand out Big brushless power meets
›› By Kevin Hetmanski econo monster fun
Features ›› By Joel Navarro
56 | Yokomo YRF
62 | Reedy International
Formula 001W
Touring Car Race of
Yokomo brings their on-road experience
Champions to modern F1
Tamiya’s Marc Rheinard dominates ›› By Lito Reyes
to earn fifth Reedy win
›› By Carl Hyndman

70 | Readers’ Choice
Awards 2015
Te best of radio control as
chosen by you
›› By RC Car Action Team

82 | No Limit RC World Finals


10 years of monster mayhem
›› By Kevin Hetmanski

RADIO CONTROL CAR ACTION (USPS 001-087; ISSN 0886-1609) is published monthly by Air Age, Inc., 88
Danbury Road, Wilton CT 06897 USA. Copyright 2015, all rights reserved. Periodicals postage permit paid at
Wilton, CT, and additional offices. Canadian Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40008153. SUBSCRIPTIONS:
U.S., call (800) 877-5169; Canada and elsewhere, call (386) 246-3323; or go to our website RCCarAction.com.
U.S. $34 (1 yr.); Canada $44 including GST (1 yr.); elsewhere $54 (1 yr.). All international orders must be prepaid
in U.S. funds; Visa, MC, Discover and AmEx accepted. RC CAR ACTION DIGITAL EDITION: 1 year $19.95 in
U.S., Canada and International. To subscribe go to RCCarAction.com/de. EDITORIAL: Send correspondence
to Editors, Radio Control Car Action, 88 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 USA. Email: RCCA@airage.com. We
welcome all editorial submissions, but assume no responsibility for loss/ damage of unsolicited material. To authors,
photographers and people featured in this magazine: all materials published in Radio Control Car Action become
the exclusive property of Air Age, Inc. unless prior arrangement is made in writing with the Publisher. CHANGE OF
ADDRESS: To make sure you don’t miss any issues, send your new address to Radio Control Car Action, P.O. Box
On the cover: Traxxas’ terror twins, 420134, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 USA, six weeks before you move. Please include address label from a recent
Craniac and Skully, shredding for issue, or print the information exactly as shown on the label. For faster service, go to our website RCCarAction.com
and click on the customer service link. POSTMASTER: Send Form 3579 to Radio Control Car Action, P.O. Box 420134,
guest shooter Jeff Nemecek. Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 USA.
CONTENTS

39
test bench
102 | Futaba 4PX Metal 106 20
Carrying Case
104 | Pro-Line Destroyer
Monster Truck Tires
105 | Outerwears
Generation 2 Chassis
Shroud for Traxxas Slash
4x4

tech-know
90 | 8 Ways to Make Lexan 105
Bodies Last
Easy tricks to keep your plastic
looking fantastic
›› By Lito Reyes

96 | Paint a “Hard” Body


Prime, paint and polish to a
showroom finish
›› By Kevin Hetmanski

Departments RCCarAction.com
14 | Starting Line Your source for up-to-the-minute
16 | Feedback RC—the latest news, tips, contests,
20 | Readers’ Rides and so much more!
24 | Pit Tips
31 | Tech Center LIKE FOLLOW FREE!
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RCCarAction and do what excitement on Instagram—follow when you visit rccaraction.
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resources the number-one RC brand eye-popping projects and sneak
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87 | AirAgeStore.com page is a rapidly growing a there’s always something new favorite videos, updates on the
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pros—and it’s a great way to get
the latest on the goings-on of
the RC world.
starting Line
est. 1985

Ain’t broke, Don’t fix EDITORIAL


Editorial Director Peter Vieira

T
›› peterv@airage.com
raxxas isn’t exactly keeping Senior Editor Kevin Hetmanski
›› kevinh@airage.com
the origins of the new Craniac Editor Carl Hyndman
and Skully trucks a secret. ›› carlh@airage.com
Visit the pages for the new Associate Editor
Matt Boyd ›› mattb@airage.com
skull-topped crusher at Traxxas. Editorial Manager Kayla Parent
com, and the first thing you’ll ›› kaylap@airage.com
read is, “based on the best-selling
CONTRIBUTORS
Stampede…” When the mission Joel Navarro, Michael Wortel, Lito Reyes, Trevor
is to build a tough, affordable, “Chilly” Duncan, Scott Murphy, Bill Zegers
good-time truck, it’s hard to top
ART
a Traxxas Stampede. And if you’re Creative Director ›› Betty K. Nero
Traxxas, it makes perfect sense to stick with develop new anything (or fund a race team). Art Director ›› Kevin Monahan
that winning formula—ain’t broke, don’t fix. Moonshots like the Traxxas Revo and X0-1 Photographer ›› Peter Hall
Videographer ›› Adam Lebenstein
And so it goes with many of the other vehicles were made possible by selling lots and
we enjoy. Pull the body clips on most RC cars, lots of Rustlers, Stampedes, and Bandits. DIGITAL MEDIA
Associated’s B5 series and the new RC8B3 Web Producer ›› Holly Hansen
and you’re likely to find a chassis that serves
on a few different models, or shares most of benefit from the long life of the B4 and T4 ADVERTISING
its parts with another vehicle. And if it doesn’t, models. HPI is in no hurry to reinvent the Mitch Brian ››203.529.4609 | mitchb@airage.com
Ben Halladay ››203.529.4628 | benh@airage.com
rest assured that it will soon. Te reason for Savage, because there’s no benefit to doing
Diane de Spirlet ››203.529.4664
this is simple: designing and tooling up new so, other than giving us something to talk | dianed@airage.com
vehicles and their many stamped, cast, and about.
CONSUMER MARKETING
injection-molded parts is incredibly time Believe me, I get it—everyone gets Te Media Source, a division of TEN,
consuming and expensive. “What about 3D excited for all-new stuff, and that certainly Te Enthusiast Network
printing,” you ask. It’s great for prototyping, but includes all of us at RC Car Action. Te
MARKETING & EVENTS
it’s not a cost-effective way to mass-produce manufacturers get excited too, and if they Associate Creative Director Leslie Costa
parts. Ten pieces, OK. Ten thousand pieces, no. could push out new cars and trucks based Marketing Assistant Erica Driver
So, whenever possible, manufacturers use on their creative whims rather than a Event Manager Emil DeFrancesco
the parts they have already designed and de- compelling business case, we’d certainly PUBLISHING
bugged, because they have to make money. see a much greater frequency of all-new Group Publishers Louis V. DeFrancesco Jr.,
Yvonne M. DeFrancesco
Tat sounds crass to some (just read Facebook vehicles. But it doesn’t work that way—
and message board comments), as if making and don’t even get me started on how
a profit somehow represents the customer impossible it would be for hobby stores to FOLLOW US
getting taken advantage of. Here’s the thing: if keep up with parts if it did. Te next time On Facebook: rccaraction
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On Instagram: @rccaraction
just break even, there would be no money to the XYZ with a new body,” remember that Visit us online: RCCarAction.com
those bread-and-butter cars and trucks Comments may be sent to: RCCA@airage.com
that sell year after year are the bankroll for ASK FOR RADIO CONTROL
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red-hot to a seen-it-all, done-it-all guy HOBBY SHOP DISTRIBUTION BY:
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IN THIS ISSUE (212) 705-4600

Monster Action
Can’t get enough
monster mayhem?
Te No Limits RC
World Finals has your
HOW TO REACH US
fix, and our man Kev EDITORIAL OFFICES
MAIL 88 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 USA
was part of the action.
PHONE (203) 529-4647
Fun Formula EMAIL RCCA@airage.com
It’s been too long since
we’ve had open-wheel SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
You Picked ’Em! action in RCCA. Yokomo’s CUSTOMER SERVICE
What did you and your fellow (800) 877-5169 or RCCarAction.com/cs
new YRF Formula 001W
readers choose as the best gear scratches that itch with a
of the year? Your 18 top picks are carbon-fiber flyer that’s
featured in our annual Readers’ built to win.
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of America
RCX.com

PRINTED IN THE USA


Most often copied, Never replicated

Available through authorized stores


Feedback
LAND OF THE GIANTS
Kev made the trek to North
Carolina to get down at
Digger’s Dungeon with the
No Limit RC crew for their
annual World Finals, which
is a full weekend of non-
stop monster mayhem,
including truck pulling. You
dug it on Facebook, see the
full article this issue!
Man that looks
like fun!
Shawn James Nichols
Tat is totally awesome. I wish Tey need to do this
Not bad for ‘toys’, eh? there was a magazine dedicated kind of thing at all
Steven Guzy to RC truck pulling. Monster Jam events!
Redentor G. Lambino Bob Strongarms

That Mini is
No Mini
Last month’s issue featured the DOWN FOR DURANGO Awesome!
most ironic RC car currently on Durango’s making a big push with their latest vehicles, Jeff Fireball Frederick
the market: Losi’s Mini WRC, and the DNX8 is the first to hit the pages of RCCA. We
which is actually enormous. And teased the new ride and you’re
Send me one to review
enormously entertaining, as we liking the look, but there’s only and I will tell you how I
discovered. If you think it’s an so much a body-on shot feel about the new
attention-getter on the cover, will tell you—flip to our model. Michael Christensen
you should see it in person. It’s full review in this
I won one of these in the
definitely a great car if you like issue! raffle at the Alabama
meeting people, and answering Manufacturers Shootout.
questions. Dale G. Robertson

Looks great! Durango is making gas


Salesius Siegfried Ndeanale cars now? William
Mosser
Looks cool, it would be fun to try
that Losi.
Jeff Fireball Frederick

Tat's the biggest mini I've seen!


Wayne Bargo
HOT WINGS
Love our Losi 5T, but was I bought a Tamiya F104 and fell in love
Looks like we need to do more F1 stuff. We asked
wondering why Losi put a Mini with the class. Fun!
body on it for the U.S. market. I if you guys were down with open wheelers,
Chris Gerstel
think it would sell a lot better if it had a U.S. and many of you responded with “here’s mine!”
body on it like a Ford or Chevy. photos of your winged wonders. So, look for My dad used to work for Toyota, and a
William Mossor more F1 soon. In the meantime, “mo’ F1” is in this few years back they gave him an F1
issue with the latest Yokomo F1 ride. RC car. It was awesome.
Bonsai Robinson

Hell yeah, Wish they raced these near me!


I love F1! Rick Brown-Leah Paraskoulakis
Spencer Sprague Brown

I wish F1 RC
was bigger.
It doesn’t
get the credit or
attention it should.
Shannon Albitre

OVER 350,000 LIKES! RC Car Action is the #1 RC brand on Facebook! Tanks for all your Likes, comments, and support.
facebook.com/ twitter.com/ pinterest.com/ instagram.com/ youtube.com/ feedback@ RC Car Action
rccaraction rccaraction rccaraction rccaraction airagemedia airage.com 88 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897

16 RCCarAction.com
DRIVE WITH Harness the power of your ride with Spektrum

NOTHING
AVC ® (Active Vehicle Control™) technology.
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This is driving with nothing held back.

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©2015 Horizon Hobby, LLC. AVC, Active Vehicle Control, Serious Fun and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. The Spektrum trademark is used with
permission of Bachman industries, Inc. 49160
Readers' Rides
readersrides@airage.com

Mad Max-ified eCx torMent


DaviD DePuy ›› St. RoBeRt, Mo
Here’s another stand-out Readers Ride inspired by our Mad
Max project vehicle story. Underneath this mean-looking ’55
Shoebox Chevy is an ECX Torment with the Xtreme RC low
center of gravity (LCG) conversion. All the post-apocalyptic
hardware was salvaged from other model kits or handcrafted.
Te hood scoop has a red laser from a laser pointer, and a strobe
kit works the lights at all four corners inside custom light buckets.
Te suspension has been beefed up with metal hardware, an MG
servo and a 5700kV motor with a Castle controller.

JeepZilla
BRenDa SuMneR ›› weSt JoRDan, ut
West Jordan must be the perfect environment for
Brenda’s custom JeepZilla. She started with a MattZilla
RC Works chassis, to which she added RC4x4
Performance stainless links, Kyosho Red Velvet shocks,
Team KNK stainless hardware and OttSix VooDoo
tires mounted on MotoWorx wheels. Te driveline
consists of a Tekin Pro4 3300 motor with a Castle MMP
controller putting power through a Robinson Racing traxxas slash
road Warrior
HD transmission and overdrive/underdrive HD gears.
Vanquish dif covers and Axial universals fnish things
of. A Savox 1283 servo handles steering. Covering it all RoBeRt StallingS
is a New Bright Jeep body done up by Mike Rowe. We ›› naPleS, Fl
love the diamond plate and little touches like the roll-bar In July we did a big feature on
padding, the detailed seats and even a Utah license plate. Readers’ Rides is also on Facebook! Visit facebook.com/rccaraction, Mad Max-inspired vehicles,
post your ride, and we’ll message you if we want to feature it here
in the mag. so we were stoked to see
several readers send their

’58 Corvette R s'


own mad creations. When
we saw Robert Stallings’
Gasser R e a de
R i de
Traxxas Slash-based road
warrior we knew we had
Dan Boyle ›› Kailua-Kona,
mon t h
of t h e
to put it here in Readers’
Hawaii
Rides. His Slash wears a
We featured another of Dan’s
J Concepts BAJR body,
creations a few months ago,
dressed up with an RPM
and every time we get an
blower and tire carrier. Te
email from him with a new
other accessories Robert
project we know its going to
custom-made himself out
be something special. Tis
of styrene and PVC, except
time he sent photos of this
for the skeleton arms, which
sweet ’58 Corvette. Believe
he sourced from a 12-inch
it or not, Dan started with an
model. Robert runs a stock
Axial Wraith chassis, on which
Traxxas 12-turn Titan motor
he hung a custom straight
with an XL-5 speed control,
axle front end fabricated from
which puts the power down
stainless steel on leaf springs.
through Duratrax Bandito
He also fabricated headers
tires. A Spektrum radio and
for the highly detailed V8 by
receiver are tasked with
hand-bending heavy copper
keeping Robert in control. He
wire. He also added metal velocity stacks and a scale battery with wiring. Te
tells us the best part is that
period-correct wheels and tires are sourced from a Kyosho Scorpion, with the
he has a Team Associated
rears shaved down to create slicks. Juice comes from a Castle Sidewinder 3
ESS-One Engine Sound
brushless motor and controller. It’s a beautiful machine, and we’d love to see it
System installed, so it
light up those shaved down slicks!
sounds as good as it looks.

20 RCCarAction.com
Readers' Rides

AXIAL SCX-10 JEEP CHEROKEE


JON KILLGORE ›› GRAND JUNCTION, CO
Jon has plenty of scenic terrain near his Colorado home, so it AXIAL YETI ROCK RACER
makes sense that he’d want a first-class trail rig in his stable MATT WATERFIELD ›› CAPE COD, MA
of RC vehicles. He tells us that his SCX-10 started life as an Matt bought his Axial Yeti when it first came out, but knew right away that he wanted
RTR Falken Edition, which he changed over to wear a Pro-Line to improve its looks and durability with some mods. First priority was the suspension.
Cherokee shell. He also added their interior and inner fender Te front received a set of RPM control arms, Hot Racing C-hubs and knuckles, Pro-Line
pan. It rolls on Dick Cepeck wheels wrapped in Rock Beast Racing Pro-Spec shocks, a Vanquish steering rack, and an Xtreme Racing carbon fiber
rubber. He threw in a miscellaneous bunch of small scale front shock tower. Te rear got Blue Monkey aluminum/titanium control arms and Axial
accessories to give the Cherokee even more scale appeal, and Racing Icon aluminum shocks. It rolls on Pro-Line Interco TSL SX Super Swamper XL
powered his creation with an Axial AE5 speed control driving a 2.2 tires on Gear Head aluminum rims. After the hardware had been upgraded, he was
Holmes Hobby Pro 27T motor. ready to address the styling. He sprayed the cage with Krylon Fusion Satin Black, then
put in a call to Carter Fab Machine for a set of aluminum body panels for the roof, hood
and sides, along with their sway bar disconnect system. Matt had his friend at Warrior
Armor powder-coat the panels in gunmetal gray. Ten he added a Gear Slim Roof Basket,
a Pro-Line fire extinguisher and a Werty Made front bumper. He’s also got three LED kits
onboard; RC4WD’s 5 in. roof light bar and 1 in. light bar on the front bumper, plus a Gear
Head taillight assembly. He’s running the stock electronics, but he’s got plans for an SSD
2-speed transmission conversion. Te idea was to have a rock racer that is equally at
home backyard bashing, and looks good doing it. Matt documents the build on rcoverload.
com, complete with links to his YouTube channel.

CUSTOM LAND ROVER DEFENDER 90


SAMI SALEM ›› SCOTTSDALE, AZ
Sami Salem of RC World sent in photos of this Custom
Land Rover Defender 90 that he built for a customer. Te
entire truck is metal—chassis, axles, suspension pieces—for
maximum realism. To produce that lifted look Sami used
100mm shocks and 110mm tires on metal beadlock wheels.
Te power system is an air-cooled 550 crawler motor and
speed control, with a 8.4V 3500 battery pack providing juice. TAMIYA SUBARU BRAT
For scale accessories, there is a metal roof rack, an all-metal
KYLE TAYLOR ›› SYRACUSE, NY
functional winch, a full set of LED lights, and driver figures—a
very polished and complete setup. We think it’s great that Tamiya is bringing back so many kits from back in the day. So does Kyle
Taylor, who sent in photos of his Subaru “Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter”—the
classic BRAT. Kyle’s build is mostly stock, and that’s cool with us—nostalgia is a big part of what
makes these rereleases so appealing. His BRAT has a full set of ball bearings, but is otherwise
stock. About the only thing missing is the crazy molded rear-facing seats in the bed with their
“safety” grab-handles.

WIN
If we feature your vehicle as "Readers' Ride of the Month," you'll receive an RC Car Action hat and a one-year Digital Edition
subscription (or an extension to your existing digital subscription). To submit your vehicle, email your high-resolution JPEG
images to readersrides@airage.com. To submit photos to Readers' Rides by mail, send color prints and a description to
Readers’ Rides, Air Age Media, 88 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 USA. Include your name, address, and phone number in
A DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION your letter. Submissions will not be returned. Readers’ Rides is also on Facebook! Visit facebook.com/rccaraction, post your
AND AN RC CAR ACTION HAT ride, and we’ll message you if we want to feature it here in the mag.

22 RCCarAction.com
Pit Tips PLASTIC-SAFE
THREAD LOCK
Tread locking fluid can
attack plastic, so it should
only be used in metal parts. If
you have a screw that threads
into plastic and loosens
frequently, use white glue on
the threads. It will prevent
loosening but still allow the
screw to be removed.

Better Turnbuckle Builder


Instead of a turnbuckle wrench, use a pair of mini locking
pliers to hold the turnbuckle as you thread the cups into
place. Te turnbuckle won’t walk out of the jaws like it
would with a wrench, and you don’t need to use hand
pressure to hold the turnbuckle like you would with pliers.

CLOTHESPIN PAINTING RACK


A blast of spray paint will send small detail parts flying.
To keep them in place, glue spring-loaded wooden
clothespins to a piece of 2x4. In addition to keeping the
parts in place, the rack makes it easy to rotate the parts to
spray all sides.

Safe Blade
Disposal
Use a cutoff wheel to make
a slot in the top of a pill
bottle. When your hobby
knife blade is ready to be
replaced, discard it in the
pill bottle. Never place bare
blades directly in the trash.

WIN
SEND US YOUR PIT TIPS! Email your tips to PitTips@airage.com. Be sure to include your
mailing address with your email. If we feature your tip as our “Top Tip,” you’ll receive an RC
Car Action hat and a one-year Digital Edition subscription (or an extension to your existing
A DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION digital subscription).
AND AN RC CAR ACTION HAT

26 RCCarAction.com
Spektrum
ServoS
the right ChoiCe
Whatever
You Drive

“i use Spektrum servos in all of my


vehicles. they have excelled at help-
ing me win major titles and multiple
National Championships!”

Dakotah Phend
16-Time ROAR National Champion

there
here is a best-in-class Spektrum™ servo for anything you drive,
be it a monster truck or 1/8-scale competition buggy. All are
engineered with the fnest gear train components and the latest
processor and motor technology available so you enjoy a sense
of precision that is second to none.

to see the entire selection of Spektrum servos, go to spektrumrc.com


right now, or visit a Spektrum retailer near you.

VISIT CLICK CALL SERIOUS FUN.®


Your Local Retailer horizonhobby.com 1.800.338.4639

©2014 Horizon Hobby, LLC. Serious Fun and the Horizon Hobby logo are registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, LLC. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. 44119
Pit Tips

Phone-y Camber Gauge


Left your camber gauge at home? Head for the app store BACKUP BODY
on your smartphone and get a free bubble-level app. Get CLIPS
one that shows the angle in degrees, like “iHandy Level” If your car’s body
shown here.
posts have unused
holes, put a couple
of spare body clips
in there. Next time
PIT LIGHTING FOR you lose one in the
POCKET CHANGE grass, your backup
Combine a flashlight and will already be on
spring clamp from the dollar the car.
store with soft wire to make
a clip-on pit lamp.

Shine Spray
Busts Mud
To help keep your
car bodies looking
good and make them
easier to clean, apply
a “detailing spray”
such as Lucas Slick
Mist. In addition to a
leaving behind a nice
shine, mud and dust
will have a hard time
sticking to the body.

28 RCCarAction.com
sponsored by
tech center your questions answered

Servo Stripper
I had problems with stripping servo horns, so I upgraded to an aluminum
horn. Now I have a new problem: the aluminum horn strips out the
plastic output shaft. Other than getting a metal-gear servo, is there
anything I can do?

First things frst: if your car has an adjustable servo-saver, loosen it.
Tat will go a long way to preventing stripped horns and output shafts.
If it doesn’t have a servo saver built into the bellcranks, consider using a
servo-mounted saver instead of a fxed horn. With that out of the way,
let’s assume you’re still stripping output shafts. Getting a metal-gear
servo really is the best bet, but if you’re committed to your plastic-gear
model, then you’re half way there by getting an aluminum servo horn.
What you really want is a clamping aluminum servo horn. In addition to
the spline interface, a clamping horn squeezes the output shaft for a
tight hold. Use threadlock on the clamping screw, and just snug it up—
you don’t need to crank on it.

A clamping servo horn, like this one from


ProTek R/C, is the best defense against
stripped horns and output shafts if you’re
not using a servo saver.

If your car doesn’t have a


servo-saver built into its bell-
cranks, a servo-mounted unit
can be used.

Time Out
I got a big 10,000mAh battery for long run times, but my charger “times
Quick Question out” before the battery is done charging. How can I prevent this?
I heard you shouldn’t Many chargers have a time-out function as a safety feature. But as you
switch fuel brands after discovered, this can cause the charger to shut down prematurely. Tere
breaking in an engine, are two fxes you can try. You can set the time-out for a longer period, if it’s
and I’ve used the same adjustable. Te other solution is to charge at a higher amp rate. If you set
brand for two years. But your charger for fve or six amps, it should fully charge the pack within two
now my local hobby store hours. But what if you’ve got a “plug and play”
no longer carries that fuel charger with fxed settings? Ten you’ll
brand. Is it OK to switch? just have to wait. As you’ve discovered,
Yes, you can switch brands, but if a battery that runs longer also takes
possible stick with the same nitro longer to charge, and most plug-
percentage. Switching to a lower or and-play chargers max out at
higher nitro percentage will change 4amps and may deliver even less
the engine’s operating temperature— under load. After the charger times
which shouldn’t hurt anything, but
out, disconnect the pack and plug it
it will change the “sweet spot” for
back in to reset the charger and fully
tuning. To keep things as goof-proof Te Dynamite Prophet Precept charger
as possible, don’t surprise your charge the pack. To avoid long charge allows you to set how long the “Safety
engine with diferent brands and nitro Sticking with one brand is a good times, upgrade to a programmable Timer” allows before it stops the charge
percentages if you can avoid doing so. move, but if you do have to switch it charger that can deliver at least fve process. Or, you can turn the Safety
up, try to get the same nitro content. amps. Timer of.

september 2015 33
TECH CENTER

Sound the Alarm


Can I safely use LiPo packs in a car with a pre-

TOOLBOX
LiPo power system? I picked up a Clod Buster at
a yard sale and I want to leave its vintage gear
in place.

If all you want to do is see that old Clod get up


and go for a few laps of the driveway, just go
ahead and put a “standard size” 2S LiPo in there.
Volts are volts, and the power system won’t
Models without modern LiPo-compatible gear can still
know the difference. But if you want to put run LiPos as long as a low-voltage alarm is added.
in a full run, you’ll risk over-discharging Duratrax 19-in-1 Tool Set for
the LiPo and damaging it. By the Traxxas
time you sense the Clod has Tis alarm simply plugs into
slowed down due to the pack Duratrax’s affordable, zip-up tool
the LiPo’s balance plug. When
set makes it easy to wrench on your
losing voltage, it’ll be too voltage drops below 3.3v per
Traxxas machine (not to mention
late. To use a LiPo in cell, it sounds the alarm—time
to recharge. Tis one’s from lots of other metric vehicles) with a
your Clod safely, all comfortable driver handle—much nicer
Integy, other brands offer
you need to do is add similar units. than struggling with L-wrenches. Te
a low-voltage alarm. handle even has a ratchet mechanism
When the LiPo pack for faster screw-spinning, bonus. Te
reaches its minimum set includes a double-ended 5/8mm
safe voltage, the alarm will turnbuckle wrench, 1.5-4mm hex and
screech, letting you know it’s 4-8mm nut-driver bits, and Phillips tips
in #0, #00, and #1 sizes.
time to recharge.
DTXR0410, $18
sponsored by

Better Bearings
I took my car completely apart to clean everything, and
soaked the bearings in oil before putting it all back
together. Te bearings inside the transmission are
fne, but the wheel bearings feel gritty and notchy.
Can they be saved?

As you’ve discovered, lubing dirty bearings doesn’t


do anything for the grit inside them. To clean
the bearings, get yourself an RPM bearing Blaster
(#81170). It’s the gold standard for cleaning bearings,
and will set you back less than $10. Use motor spray such as An RPM Bearing Blaster and a can of
TA Emerald’s Performance Plus 4 to spray the bearings clean. Before you motor spray will get the grit out of your
put the bearings in the Blaster, use the tip of a hobby knife to carefully pry bearings.
of the rubber seals if your bearings have them, so the cleaner can fow
through, and the junk trapped in the bearing can get out. Let the cleaner
evaporate, then feel the bearing action—it should now be smooth. If it’s still
notchy, and another run through the Bearing Blaster doesn’t smooth it out,
toss it. To re-lube the bearings, you can smoosh grease back into them, or
you can oil the bearings. Racers always go for oil to reduce friction as much
as possible, but oiled bearings require more frequent maintenance. For gen-
eral bashing around, greased bearings are the way to go. Don’t forget to pop
the seals back into place after greasing your bearings, if they have seals.

Re-lube with oil for maximum perfor-


mance, or use grease for maximum life.
new&hot NEW GEAR YOU NEED NOW

LE MANS LE MONSTER
Tamiya Nissan GT-R LM Nismo Launch Version
Nissan’s convention-busting front-engine car is the most distinctively styled Le
Mans Prototype on the track. Unlike the full-size car, Tamiya’s model is RWD and
holds its motor next to the rear axle. It’s based on the F103GT 2WD chassis and
comes to you as a kit. A 540 stock motor is included but it’s up to you to pick out
the rest of the electronics to get it going. Features include an adjustable height
gear case, double deck chassis, coil over rear shock and a ball differential.
tamiyausa.com

MORE REAL CADILLAC ATTACK


FOR YOUR
WHEELS PROTOform Cadillac
ATS-V.R Body
Axial Wheel PROTOform’s newest sedan shell captures
Wells for Cadillac’s signature “art and science” styling
SCX10 at its most aggressive. Te very attractive
Axial’s new wheel body includes a unique rear wing with a 10mm
wells are molded vertical section for USGT racing and a 20mm
out of Lexan and upper laid-back trim for club racing. It’s molded
designed to give the out of durable .030 Lexan and is designed to fit
undercarriage of 190mm touring cars. Like all PROTOform bodies
your SCX10 more of it includes window masks, overspray film,
a scale look. It adds sticker sheet and wing mounting hardware.
scale realism, but it racepf.com
also helps protect the
electronics inside the
chassis by providing
a barrier and keeping
out mud, water and
debris. It comes clear
so you can make it any
color you want and
it includes mounting
instructions and
double sided tape for
the install. According
to Axial it’s compatible
with all SCX10 trucks.
axialracing.com
NEW&HOT

THE TA-02 IS BACK!


Tamiya Limited Edition Porsche 911 GT2
Remember the Tamiya TA-02 chassis? It was ground zero for the
touring car mania that swept RC in the late nineties and early 2000s,
and without it the sedan scene wouldn’t exist. Now it’s back in “SW”
(Short Wheelbase) trim, specifically to fit Porsche 911GT2 bodywork
with the correct scale proportions. Don’t look for a mechanical speed
control like back in the day; Tamiya supplies a TBLE-02S speed control
to spin the old-school Mabuchi 540 motor. Want more power? Te
included speed control is brushless-ready!
tamiyausa.com

EXTRA LARGE
TRAIL TREADS
Pro-Line Flat Iron XL 2.2
Te Pro-Line Flat Iron 2.2-inch tire is popular with the trail crowd and
has now received the XL treatment, for a larger diameter than Pro-
Line’s “standard” 2.2” trail tires. Large lugs and siping gives the tire
good flex to help to dig in and get your truck moving in a hurry, with
all the grab you need for climbing over obstacles. Tey’re made using
Pro-Line’s sticky G8 compound rubber and include foam inserts.
prolineracing.com

WIFI READY
Hitec X2 AC Plus Charger
Hitec’s newest charger features dual ports
that are capable of charging two battery
packs at the same time. AC and DC inputs
make it easy to use while at home or out
at your favorite track or bash spot. It’s
designed to charge any type of battery
and has a build in 10 amp power supply to
get the juice flowing. It also features 10
charge/discharge profiles, large cooling
fan, internal balancing circus and you can
control it from your smartphone with the
optional WiFi module.
hitecrcd.com
MANGA MACHINES
Kyosho Initial D Mini Zs
Kyosho has just released three new Mini Zs and they are based on the popular AWD sport Mini Z chassis.
When it comes to body styles you can pick from a Toyota Trueno, Nissan R32 GT-R and a Mazda RX-7
F3CS, and all are replicas of the cars in the popular Initial D manga and anime series. Te chassis features
independent suspension, mid mounted motor, ball bearings, gear differentials and a lot more. Control
comes by way of a 2.4GHz pistol grip radio and motor power comes from four AAA type batteries.
FULL METAL JACKET
kyoshoamerica.com Spektrum Latest Surface
Servos
Te gang at Spektrum have been busy and
have just introduced a new generation of
REALISTIC ROLLERS surface servos designed to perform in 1/10
JConcepts Vengeance 1.9” and 1/8-scale vehicles. Te S6230 and
Wheel S6240 are high-torque and high-speed
units in a compact size for limited space
JConcepts has expanded its scale parts line
situations while the S6250 HV and S6260
with some trick wheels for your trail truck.
HV servos are more of a standard size
Te Vengeance wheel is designed for 1.9-inch
and great for high-voltage applications.
tires and has a sliver finish for a machined-
If you want the ultimate performance for
aluminum look. Dual vent holes allow your
1/8-scale applications you’ll want to check
tires to breath and the mounting surface has
out the S6280 HV and S6290 HV servos
a rough finish to provide more surface area for
with metal construction. All the servos
glue. Caps and screws are included and either
feature Spektrum removable wire leads
dress up the center section or completely
and metal servo mounting tabs to ensure
hide the not so scale wheel nut that holds
that they stay in place in the most extreme
them on.
conditions.
jconcepts.net
spektrumrc.com

SEEING RED
RPM Parts Now Available In Red
If black, blue, green and “dyeable” aren’t enough color
choices for you, RPM now has another option: red!
RPM’s gear for the Traxxas electric Rustler, 2WD Stampede and Slash are the first parts
to be cast in crimson, and you can expect more parts to get red soon.
rpmrcproducts.com

SEPTEMBER 2015 41
p e r f o r m a n c e t e s t

traxxas
craniac & skully
1/10-SCALE 2WD monStEr truCk | rtr

Traxxas adds screaming-skull styling to


high-riding monster mayhem
words by peter vieira Photos by carl hyndman & jeff nemecek
As “the fastest name in radio control,’
Traxxas is well known for producing vehicles
that could be described as “scary fast,” but
the latest rides out of McKinney, Texas could
be considered just plain scary. The Craniac and
Skully are the latest looks for the proven Stam-
pede 2WD electric monster truck platform, and
their screaming-skull and toothed-terror styl-
ing are a huge departure from Traxxas’ usual
blend of modern motifs and high-tech embel-
lishments. These new trucks are monsters with
a capital M, and will definitely set you apart
from the standard pickup-truck crowd. Under-
neath the boney bodies is good ol’ Stampede
stuff, including waterproof electronics and
Titan 550 power to top 30mph, and a new
Traxxas iD NiMH battery and 4-amp charger so
you can quick-charge right from the get go. I’m
looking forward to a big-tire bash session with
both styles, so let’s clamp the jumper cables
onto these monsters’ neck bolts and give the
villagers a reason to light their torches.
P E R F O R M A N C E T E S T
METAL-GEAR 2WD TRANSMISSION
When Traxxas went brushless with the
9.5 in.
241mm VXL-edition Rustler, Bandit, and Stampede,
the well-proven Magnum 272 gearbox got a
metal-gear upgrade. Since then, all of Traxxas’
Magnum-equipped cars and trucks have got-
ten the same bomb-proof, “brushless ready”
gears. Tey’re enclosed by a two-piece
gearbox that incorporates a plastic motor
plate. An aluminum plate would be nice,
but as years of abuse in Traxxas 2WD
vehicles will attest, the plastic plate works
12.8 in.
324mm just fine. Reliefs in the motor side of the
plate allow air to circulate and help
cool the Titan 550 motor. Outside the
gearbox, you’ll find Traxxas’ equally
proven “Revo-spec” slipper clutch,
which eschews the usual rings of slipper Metal 48-pitch gears spin on
material in favor of three semi-metallic pads ball bearings inside the gearbox
attached to a cast-aluminum pressure plate. Te slipper (shown here de-greased). You
clutch is far more robust than the Craniac and Skully re- could go years without seeing
quire—Traxxas specs it so the drivetrain can handle power this view of the transmission,
upgrades down the road. Te last link in the chain of power as the internals are essentially
delivery is the driveshafts, which feature universal joints zero-maintenance.
on both ends and telescope to accommodate suspension
action. Unlike dogbones, the shafts are attached to the
10.6 in.
270mm transmission and stub axles rather than “captured” by
16.3in. them, so there’s no chance of losing parts in a crash.
413mm

VEHICLE SPECS
Item no.: 36064-1 (Skully);

35.1
36094-1 (Craniac)
Scale: 1/10
Price: $250 mph*
Weight, as tested: 4 lb., 1.3 oz. (1851g)
A “Revo-spec” slipper clutch is
*with included battery standard, and Traxxas supplies
CHASSIS and 21T pinion two pinion gears: the installed
Material: Plastic 16-tooth for all-around running,
Type: Lifted tub and a 21-tooth for maximum
speed on hard surfaces.
SUSPENSION
Type: Lower H-arm with fixed-length camber link
Inboard camber link positions (F/R): 1/2
Outboard upper arm positions (F/R): 1/1
Shock positions, towers (F/R): 1/1
Shock positions, arms (F/R): 2/5 XL-5 & TITAN 550 BRUSHED POWER
Aftermarket sales are one thing, but when it comes
to total units actually in use, I’d wager that the
SHOCKS
Traxxas XL-5 speed control and Titan 550 motor
Bodies: Plastic, 10mm bore
are way out in front as the most common power
Shafts: Plated steel, 3mm
system in RC. Tis combo is standard issue in all of
Volume compensation: Bladder Traxxas’ 1/10 scale brushed-power 2WD models, and
it’s a highly reliable performer. Te XL-5 is rated for up
DRIVETRAIN to 9.6volts, so an 8-cell NiMH pack or 2S LiPo is no prob-
Type: 3-gear transmission lem. If you do go LiPo, you’ll need to activate Low Voltage
Spur gear/pinion: 90T / 16T (optional 21T also included) Detection to prevent over-discharging; out of the box, LVD
Differential: Planetary gear is deactivated since teach truck includes a NiMH battery.
Driveshafts: Plastic telescoping, dual universal joint Te speed control is also set up for full reverse-throttle
Bearings: Sealed ball (transmission); Oilite bushing (hubs) capability (which Traxxas calls “Sport Mode”), with Race
Mode (reverse-lockout) and Training Mode easily acces-
sible. Training Mode is a handy feature; when enabled, it
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels: One-piece plastic, 12mm hex cuts speed and power Te 12-turn Titan 550
by 50% in forward motor isn’t much for
Tires: Rubber low-profile chevron tread
and reverse, so the RC style, but it does have plenty of
Inserts: None wheelie-popping torque.
learning curve doesn’t
include full-throttle
INCLUDED ELECTRONICS crashes. Te Craniac
Transmitter/receiver: Traxxas TQ 2-channel 2.4GHz and Skully can top Te XL-5 speed control includes
Servo: Traxxas 2056 waterproof, plastic gear, 80 oz.-in. 30mph, so the ability to Training Mode for easier new-
Speed control: Traxxas XL-5 waterproof driver control.
whack that in half for
Motor: Traxxas Titan 550 noob action is sure to
Battery: Traxxas iD Power Cell 3000mAh NiMH 7-cell spare a few suspension
Charger: Traxxas 4-amp DC peak detecting arms.

REQUIRES
Four AA batteries

44 RCCarAction.com
NARROW LIFTED CHASSIS Te Skully’s bumper
It’s technically a tub, but the trucks’ lifted chassis is more of a channel and just wide
and ladder bars
enough to hold the included 7-cell NiMH battery. Deep ribs are molded in for reinforce-
are green or blue
ment and the thick-walled molding is a stout hunk of plastic. Te chassis sits
to match the body
well above the transmission and front bulkhead, giving the trucks their color. If you go Cra-
jacked-up profile. Beneath the chassis, front and rear ladder bars reach niac, all the chassis
down to support the transmission housing and bulkhead, and modular parts are black.
construction allows the front suspension and transmission/rear
suspension assembles to be removed intact. Up top, a simple body-
clipped strap secures the battery. It’s a hump pack, as the tray is
standard “6-cell” length. Traxxas offers higher-capacity NiMH
packs as options, as well as a 5800mAh LiPo. With an optional
“expansion kit,” you can even install Traxxas’ 10,000mAh LiPo
for ultra-long run times.

GOOF-PROOF ULTRA-
SHOCK SUSPENSION
Traxxas keeps it simple in the
suspension department, with parts
that will be familiar to anyone with a
Slash, Bandit, Stampede or Rustler. More
importantly, these parts are familiar to countless
dealers who have stocked them for years, which means
you’ll never have to go far if you need to replace something.
Like most of Traxxas’ other brushed-power 2WD models,
the Craniac and Skully get fixed-length plastic camber
links to simplify the suspension system and trim cost, as
well as make the suspension settings goof-proof. “I can’t
wait to mess with camber” is something no bash-around
monster fan has ever said, so the non-adjustable camber
links are hardly a miss. Much more important is what you
do get, and that’s a nice set of shocks. Te thick-walled
plastic Ultra Shocks are very smooth, with damping and
springing that’s well matched to the trucks’ weight and
mission.

Fixed-length
camber links make
the suspension
Te “just plain TQ” transmitter is setup foolproof,
the simplest of the Traxxas lineup. and oil-filled Ultra
Steering trim is the only obvious Shocks smooth
adjustment, while a single button is the way.
used for binding and channel revers-
ing (neither of which you’ll need to
worry about unless you install the
transmitter in another model or
install a different Traxxas receiver).
Te TQ shares its comfortable case
shape with the TQi 3- and 4-channel
transmitters, but is not compatible
with Traxxas’ Bluetooth module.
For comfort and a quality feel, the
TQ is one of the nicer RTR pistols
out there, with a not-too-soft foam
wheel grip and smooth wheel and
trigger action.

SEPTEMBER 2015 45
+
Pure bash-around monster
-
Included charger is DC-only
truck fun
Wish the optional wheelie bar
Fast, with wheelie-popping was standard
power
Tons of factory and aftermarket
options
Includes 4-amp charger and
high-quality battery

Traxxas supplies a 3000mAh


NiMH battery with iD technology
and a 4-amp charger. It will fully
charge the pack in less than an
hour, but it’s DC only.

POWER-UP TO
BRUSHLESS
Te Craniac and Skully, like
Traxxas’ other Titan 550-pow-

BEHIND THE WHEEL


ered vehicles, have brushless-
ready transmissions so you can
install more power whenever
you like without having to tag Te Craniac and Skully back up their bared-teeth looks with genuine monster horsepower, and
additional mods to the price list. a full squeeze of the trigger instantly puts the front wheels in the air and wrinkles the tires with
If you stick with Traxxas gear, a hard blast of acceleration. It would be nice to see Traxxas’ optional wheelie bar included as a
you can even get a discount. When you use the Traxxas “Power-Up” stock item, as I rolled the trucks onto their lids a few times, especially with a freshly charged pack.
program, you can trade in your brushed gear for a Velineon brushless Te factory-installed gearing favors torque, but still delivers 28.2mph when the battery is fresh
system, and save 50% over the retail cost of buying the brushless off the charger. If you want to go for sheer speed, you can install the optional 21-tooth pinion
motor and speed control separately. You can make the trade at a local and watch velocity increase to 35.1mph, but that gearing should be saved for speed runs on hard
participating hobby store, or by mail direct with Traxxas. You can also surfaces. If you use the larger pinion for off-road and stop-start running, you’ll reduce run time
use the Power-Up program to trade up Traxxas engines and transmit- and may overheat the motor. After speed-testing with the bigger pinion, I went back to the stock
ters. For full details, visit Traxxas.com/powerup.
16T gear for the rest of testing.
Since the trucks are wheelie machines, the front wheels are light anytime you’re on the gas
and that causes understeer—a good thing in this case, as it helps keep the trucks shiny-side up.
With their relatively short wheelbases, tall-sidewall tires, and high-lift chassis, the Craniac and
Skully should be tippy machines, but they are surprisingly stable even when carving turns at
speed. Clipping the throttle transfers weight and will sharpen steering enough to lift the inside
rear wheel, but it takes a pretty hard turn to get the trucks to flip. And even then, you can catch
the rollover with counter-steering and put the truck back on all fours before you start grinding
Lexan. Along with riding wheelies, trying to “bicycle” the trucks on two wheels was a fun game
for the Craniac and Skully. Te tires allow more slip in the dirt, and the trucks can be over-steered
predictably. Te 2056 servo is good for 80 oz.-in. of torque, and it’s all the trucks need for
responsive control. Centering could be a little more precise, but who cares. I had no trouble aiming
the trucks at skateboard ramps, and nudging the wheel to straighten up was all the trucks ever
required.
Speaking of ramps, the Craniac and Skully will happily air out, and the suspension is well
AC-POWER UPGRADE sorted out for big-hit action. Tat suspension includes the tires, which absorb quite a bit of shock
Te Craniac and Skully include a DC-powered charger with an extra-
in their own right. Tere are no foam inserts inside, but the firm rubber supports itself just fine.
long cord so you can charge batteries from an automotive 12v power
Wrecks didn’t faze the trucks. Tey’ll cartwheel a good distance, bouncing off their tires and
tap without leaving the pack in the car. It works, but it’s definitely not
dissipating energy, which can be tough on the bodies but doesn’t break parts. Hitting immobile
as convenient as simply plugging the charger into the wall. For that,
Traxxas has you covered with the optional #2976 40-watt power sup-
objects at speed is what really damages RC cars—avoid that, and there’s little that will sideline
ply. It will only set you back $25, and allows you to power the included the Craniac and Skully.
charger via any AC outlet.

FINAL WORD
Te Craniac and Skully are classic kick-back-and-have-fun machines. I’ve driven plenty of faster, more expensive, more SOURCES
exotic machines, but they all ask for more attention and make me feel I’m doing something wrong if I just run them around Traxxas traxxas.com
the neighborhood. Te Craniac and Skully, on the other hand, live for it. Tey’re made for tearing up the street, back yard
and vacant lot without a care for camber angles or end points, and the answer to every, “should I hit that jump/curb/
obstacle?” is an emphatic “yes, you should totally hit that.” Other than the optional AC power supply and spare batteries,
there’s nothing I feel like the Craniac or Skully need to have the most monster truck fun possible. Te horror-show styling
is a bonus if you’re into it, and if you’re not, just get a Stampede for traditional truck styling with the same specs. Tere are
cheaper trucks out there, but for overall performance, versatility and fun (plus incredible factory and aftermarket hop-up
potential) the Craniac and Skully are top choices.

46 RCCarAction.com
P E R F O R M A N C E T E S T

TEAM DURANGO
DNX8
Out-of-the-box thinking
makes this buggy stand out
1/8-SCALE 4WD NITRO BUGGY | KIT
WORDS & PHOTOS BY KEVIN HETMANSKI

Durango’s designers have always done things


their own way, and take what they learn on the track
to design the next generation of vehicles. Durango
recently introduced three new vehicles into the
1/8-scale category, and they include a truggy, electric
buggy and the nitro buggy being reviewed here. It’s
called the DNX8, and like other vehicles to come out
of the Durango garage, this one is well thought out.
It has a lot of features that racers want in a buggy:
rear wheel scrapers, rear dirt shields, an easy to
adjust pivot ball front end and lightweight drivetrain
components. There are also things that can’t be found
on other buggies such as a unique sliding center diff
mount and pre-built parts. I’m not talking about a
few parts here and there; more than half the buggy is
already assembled and only a few screws are required
to complete each section of the build. This is one of
the most unique buggies that I’ve ever reviewed and I
can’t wait to get it finished and on the track.
P E R F O R M A N C E T E S T

3.7 in.
93mm

12.8 in.
307mm

LIGHTWEIGHT DRIVETRAIN Two steel disc brakes give the


DNX8 its stopping power and
Durango has spent a lot of time getting the drivetrain on
the entire center diff assembly
the DNX8 as light as possible to reduce the overall weight along with the throttle servo
of the buggy and to reduce rotating mass. Te result of moves for gear mesh adjust-
this is a buggy that accelerates quickly and reaches a ment.
higher top speed. Te shafts are as small as possible, the
12.7-12.9 in. universal joints on the center shafts are machined down
323-327mm to minimum thickness and the front and rear differential
20.6in. outdrives have been drilled to reduce weight. A standard
522mm
three gear differential drivetrain gets things moving while
VEHICLE SPECS a pair of steel brake discs and composite pads slow things
down. Two small springs space the pads to keep them from
Item no.: TD102040
rubbing while on throttle. Unlike most 1/8-scale buggies,
Scale: 1/8 the throttle servo is attached to its own mount and a few
Price: $550 screws attach it to the top half of the center diff housing.
Weight, as tested: 7lbs, 8 oz. (3,402g) A beefy linkage connects the output shaft of the servo to
the diff housing to eliminate any flex when the brakes are
CHASSIS applied, therefore giving the buggy better braking power
Material: 3mm anodized aluminum than most. When you adjust gear mesh on the DNX8 you
Type: plate chassis with plastic molded stiffeners don’t loosen the engine screws like most to slide the engine
from side to side. Instead, you loosen the screws that se-
SUSPENSION cure the center diff mount and throttle servo and slide that
Type: assembly to make the adjustment. It ensures that you have
Inboard link positions (F/R): 10/9 a perfectly aligned set of gears and makes removing and
installing the engine for maintenance much easier.
Outboard link positions (F/R): 1/4
Shock positions, towers (F/R): 5/5
Shock positions, arms (F/R): 1/1

SHOCKS
Bodies: Treaded aluminum, 16mm bore
CLUNK-STYLE FUEL TANK Te clunk style fuel tank will
pick up fuel no matter what po-
At first glance, the fuel tank looks like a strange
Shafts: Coated steel sition the car is in. Te included
submarine ready for deep sea exploration. Tere are molded handle and splash guard
Volume compensation: Bladder a lot of things going on with it, all adding up to having makes filling up quick and worry
reliable engine power no matter what conditions the free.
DRIVETRAIN buggy is driven in. Inside
Type: 4WD shaft drive the large opening you’ll see
Differential: Sealed bevel gear a clunk style pickup with
Driveshafts: Steel CV-style filter and baffles to help keep
Bearings: Rubber sealed ball the fuel near the pickup. Te
spring loaded lid is opened
ENGINE & ACCESSORIES by way of a molded plastic
Engine, pipe and manifold: Not included handle that sticks out of the
Clutch: 3-shoe body. During the heat of bat-
tle fuel spills are inevitable,
and a large molded plastic
TEST GEAR (NOT INCLUDED) rim around the opening
collects the fuel and directs
Transmitter: Futaba 4PX it through an opening in the
Receiver: Futaba R304SB chassis plate. Small clips
Receiver battery: TrakPower 2S 7.4V 2400mAh LiPo Flat Rx on the side of the tank hold
Pack onto the fuel and exhaust
Engine: O.S. Engines B2101 Ty Tessmann Edition lines and keeps them away
Pipe: O.S. Speed T-2090SC from the heat of the pipe.
Steering servo: Futaba BLS371SV
Trottle servo: Futaba BLS471SV
Switch: ProTek R/C Electronic switch with voltage cutoff
Starter box: Duratrax Kwik-Pit universal starter box
Fuel: O’Donnell 30% Speed Blend
Tires: JConcepts Remix

50 RCCarAction.com
Machined chassis A standard 3mm aluminum
Supporting the gear for the DNX8 is a lightweight 3mm
plate chassis is the base for the
thick aluminum plate chassis that has been anodized for
DNX8. Molded plastic chassis
corrosion resistance and to enhance its look. Reduced
braces support the chassis while
weight comes by way of pockets that have been machined a foating rear body post lets it
in specifc areas. Tere’s a small amount of kick up in the fex slightly while the body is
front end and the opening around the engine’s fywheel in place.
has a slight chamfer to keep it from cutting the rubber
wheel on your starter box. Support for the front and rear
place comes from front and rear chassis braces while a
molded plastic brace ties the steering bell cranks to the
front gearbox. A standard body post is used to support the
front of the body while a unique foating post in the rear
lets the chassis fex freely.

Te front suspen-
sion features a
very adjustable
TEST GEAR O.S. Speed pivot ball setup
that lets you adjust
B2101 Ty Tessmann camber and alter
Edition Engine the front width of
Te DNX8 is a serious race machine, the buggy.
and I wanted to have serious power in
the chassis to get it around the track as
quickly as possible. so I went with the
new O.s. speed ty tessmann edition
.21 race engine. It’s a replica of the en-
gine that ty tessmann used to get his
buggy into the winner’s circle. It started
out as a b2101 engine and includes the
same header, pipe and carb restrictor
that ty himself uses. Other features
include a custom etched low center of
gravity heat sink head, DLC crankshaft
with balanced tungsten weights and
type 21J carburetor. breaking in the
engine was a bit tough due to the tight
ft between the piston and sleeve
at top dead center, but once it was
running and tuned, it ran strong and
reliably.
Pivot Ball susPension
When racing, you want a buggy that is as adjustable as possible to help you get it dialed into
any type of track that you may run on, and the DNX8 is packed full of adjustment. Te front
suspension is a pivot ball design that lets you change Ackerman, adjust width and change
camber with a hex wrench through the hub or with an open end wrench from above.
Molded inserts on the inner upper and lower hinge pins add to the adjustment capabilities.
In the rear you’ll fnd a more traditional suspension where a lower H-arm and adjustable
upper link takes care of the action. Rear toe and antisquat is adjusted by swapping out
inserts on the inner hinge pin mounts while the adjustable upper link can be mounted in
one of several holes in the shock tower, and four holes in the rear hubs. Te shocks can be built
Te shocks large 16mm bores and feature threaded aluminum bodies with adjustable with bladders or you can
collars to alter ride height. Te shocks come with everything you need to build them as use the bleeder cap to
make them emulsion style
a standard bladder or emulsion style units. Plastic inserts for the caps cushion the con-
dampers.
nection between the shock caps and bushing on the shock tower. All shock shafts are
protected by rubber boots and the rears have plastic dirt shields for extra protection.

september 2015 51
on the bench
Building the DNX8
Tere’s no confusing the DNX8 with an RTR
or “roller,” but Durango does build some
sub-assemblies for you including the front
hubs and suspension arms, turnbuckles and
shocks. Each parts bag is numbered to match
instructions in the manual, but the bag num-
bers are not the same as the step numbers—
for example, step 23 requires bag seven. Te
manual makes it clear which bags go with
each step. I found the manual to be a little out
of date and unclear in some areas, so here are
a few tips that will help you with your build.

Screw SizeS
A lot of the screws shown in the manual have a length call
out, but they aren’t drawn to show actual size. Use a caliper or
metric ruler to make sure you’re putting the correct screw in
the right place.

Step 1: Diff weight


Te manual suggests that you use a scale to set the oil capac-
ity of the gear diferentials. You need to make sure you have a
gram specifc scale to make that happen. Te weight change is
very little and a scale with a larger capacity (like the one in your
bathroom) won’t be able to measure that weight.

Step 11: eaSy Servo removal


Behind the wheel
A rubber grommet helps keep dirt out of the receiver portion
of the radio tray. Tis means that you have to push the servo
plugs and wires through, and that can be a pain. Since the
throttle servo is separate from the rest of the tray, you’ll have
to remove that plug every time you maintain your buggy. To
reduce this I cut the top third of the grommet of so it’s easier
I took my DNX8 over to the Henry County Radio Control Racing
track in McDonough, GA for a test session, and after breaking in
the O.S engine and putting in a few shakedown laps to trim out
+
Sub assemblies are built for you
to get the wires in place, and still have a bit of dust control at the transmitter and de-bug the car, I was ready for full-throttle Lots of adjustments
the same time. testing. In the dirt the DNX8 accelerated hard thanks to the pow-
erful O.S. engine and its lightweight drivetrain. I typically expect High quality parts
Step 23: center Diff mount
-
a new clutch to slip until the parts wear in, but the Durango clutch
ScrewS grabbed well right away and shot the buggy down the straight
Pay close attention to the four screws used to secure the cen- with authority. Braking performance is strong, and changing
ter dif mount. Te one that connects the tie rod to the center the brake bias settings as the parts wore in was easy thanks to Manual is unclear in some areas
dif is 6mm longer than the others. the knobs on the brake linkages. A few twists was all that was
needed to get the rear brakes where they should be to help spin the rear end around for the tight
Step 31: toe linkS turns. Te DNX8 is an impressive handler with the suggested suspension setup. It carried plenty
Te toe links come built but mine weren’t adjusted properly of speed in the high speed sections while in the tighter turns it was more aggressive. You can
from the factory. When you have the buggy done and ride never have enough steering in any race buggy and I like what the DNX8 has to ofer. For the most
height set, check your toe setting and adjust accordingly. part, my test track was smooth and the DNX8 stayed pretty fat and under control, however,
there was a section that was rough after a bunch of vehicles from a big race the weekend before
Step 32 anD 37: Sway bar mount tore up the track.Te DNX8 tacked it with ease. Te chassis was tripped up a bit but I never felt
When tightening the two set screws in the sway bar mount that I had to lift and correct the steering to keep it on track. Jumping the DNX8 was a pleasure,
make sure you don’t over tighten them and bind the sway bar.
and it didn’t take much of an efort to get it up and over the largest jumps on the track. Making
I like to bottom the set screw out, lift the sway bar and loosen
adjustments to the attitude of the buggy while in the air is a no brainer thanks to the powerful
the set screw until the sway bar falls under its own weight. Do
engine, solid brake and fast and strong servos that I have in the chassis. Te DNX8 proved to be
this for the right side screw then repeat for the left side screw.
a very competent performer before putting any setup time on it, and with track tuning it will only
get faster.

Final Word SOURCES


Te DNX8 backs up Durango’s rep for top-notch racing gear and will turn laps as quickly as your skills allow. durango team-durango.com
If you’re not winning with the DNX8, that’s on you. As long as you pay attention during the build, the DNX8 duratrax duratrax.com
Futaba futaba-rc.com
goes together easily (especially if it’s not your frst 1/8 scale buggy), and the pre-assembled components help
JConcepts jconcepts.net
speed the way from bench to track. When you’re ready to put it between the pipes, you’ll have all the buggy o’donnell odonnellracing.com
you need to handle anyone else on the track. I’m happy to have the DNX8 on my bench and I look forward to a o.S. osengines.com
lot of track time with it. ProTek protekrc.com
TrakPower trakpowerusa.com

52 RCCarAction.com
p e r f o r m a n c e t e s t

yokomo 1/10-SCALE 2wd ELECtriC | kit

yrf formula 001w


Yokomo brings their on-road experience to modern F1
words & Photos bY lito reyes

F1’s popularity stateside is higher than it has been thing out; they tend to take their time and do it right
in decades, so it’s not surprising that there is a resur- before their name goes on it. The resulting
gence in RC F1’s popularity. What is surprising is that Yokomo YRF Formula 001W was designed by multi-
Japan’s Team Yokomo, with its long history of champi- IFMAR World Champion Naoto Kitagawa, whose suc-
onship-winning on-road cars, took so long to produce cess with on-road cars in the past five years is nearly
an F1 car kit. On the other hand, they didn’t build their unmatched. Many design cues from Yokomo’s suc-
reputation by doing anything hastily just to put some- cessful 1/12-scale platform have made their way to

56 RCCarAction.com
the larger F1 car. Designed to be built as either the
older-style foam-tire wide platform or the more modern
rubber-tire narrow setup, the YRF Formula 001W (from
here on referred to as the “YRF”), looks to be a robust
platform, capable of handling any racing situation. And
with support from new distributer, A Main Hobbies,
Yokomo kits are more accessible than ever.

september 2015 57
P E R F O R M A N C E T E S T
3.7 in.
93mm

7.4-7.9 in.
187-200mm

FLEX PLATE
FRONT SUSPENSION
Instead of a traditional sliding kingpin front suspension, Te YRF’s lower A-arm
Yokomo designed the front end around a flexible carbon flex plate is designed
lower A-arm plate. Te upper A-arm is free to pivot on a to bend in the middle to
hinge, as it does in traditional designs, but the steering pin, allow the suspension to
instead of being a sprung piece that slides up and down, is move. It is milled down
from 3mm to 1.4mm for
fixed in place. Spacers installed above and below the steer-
controlled flex.
10.6 in.
ing block allow for front ride height adjustments. Camber
270mm can be adjusted with steel turnbuckles, and caster can be
16.4in. changed by installing clip-in shims in various configura-
416mm tions on the upper A-arm mount. Tough the flex plate is
VEHICLE SPECS made from thick 3mm carbon stock, it is milled down to
1.4mm in the middle for controlled bending, with set screws
Item no.: YRF-001W used to limit up and down travel. It is a fairly stiff design
Scale: 1/10 without a large range in motion, so it appears to be best
Price: $290 used in high traction situations, like carpet or very well-
Weight, as tested: 2.4 lb. (1072g) prepared asphalt.

CHASSIS
Material: 3mm Carbon graphite laminate A lightweight carbon
Type: Pan graphite axle and
heavy-duty hubs
SUSPENSION come standard with the YRF.
Type (F/R): Flex plate / floating rear pod A 64-pitch spur is included,
though a pinion isn’t. Te rear
pod shares parts with Yokomo’s
SHOCK
World Championship-winning
Body: Treaded aluminum
R12 pan car.
Shaft: 2mm steel
Volume compensation: Foam

DRIVETRAIN
Type: RWD direct drive
Spur gear/pinion: 93T 64-pitch / pinion not included
Differential: Adjustable ball-type
Axle: .025” carbon graphite 1/12-STYLE DIRECT DRIVE
Bearings: Metal-shielded Te YRF’s relationship to Yokomo’s R12 pan car shows
in the rear end design. Not only do the kits share the
WHEELS &TIRES composite links used to locate the rear pod, they also
Wheels: Black nylon foam-style 10-spoke with 14mm hex (rear) share the same pivot hardware and rear axle. Tis axle is
Tires: not included an industry-standard ¼” size and is
made from strong and light carbon

TEST GEAR (NOT INCLUDED)


graphite. Te rear hubs on many F1
cars are usually a weak spot; most
are made of aluminum, which can
Transmitter: Airtronics M12
easily bend or snap with impact
Receiver: Airtronics RX-381
against a wall during a race. Both
Steering servo: Protek RC 160SS the pinned hub on the spur gear
Speed control: Tekin RS Gen2 Spec side and the clamping hub on the
Motor: Tekin Redline Gen2 21.5 RPM opposite are made from steel, and
Battery: Protek RC 2S 4300mAH 100C Shorty are very strong. Te aluminum rear
Body: Yokomo YF-01HN High Nose F 1 Body bulkhead pieces are designed to let the lower pod plate Te back of the aluminum
Wheels: Exotek Racing 1298B F104 +3mm offset wheels twist to create traction. Te brace that connects them in uprights of the rear pod are not
Tires: Shimizu Racing Belted Rubber F1 tires the rear keeps the upright aluminum parts from spreading, firmly secured together; the
but is not fastened tight, as the brace rides on O-rings. Te rod between them “floats” on
whole pod pivots on a 5mm ball, and is located by a pair of O-rings, letting the pod twist to
composite links. A single shock acts as a damper to control generate traction.
how fast the pod is allowed to twist, and small springs on
the outboard edges of the pod help to center it.

58 RCCarAction.com
Foam- and RubbeR-TiRe CompaTible Te YRF accepts standard-size
LiPos and “shorty” packs. A
Troughout the U.S., RC F1 racing programs have primar-
shorty allows three positions to
ily adopted the use of rubber tires, which means a narrow adjust weight distribution.
190mm car width. However, many places in the world still
race with the older foam tire standard, which allows for
a 200mm-wide car. Te YRF kit comes with the parts to
build it in either 200mm or 190mm wide confgurations.
Really, the diference is only in the front end, as the type of
wheel you use, be it an F103-style wheel for the 200mm
foam setup or an F104-style wheel for a 190mm rubber tire
setup, determines the rear width. Tere are two lower A-
arm fex plates — a wide one, and a narrow one — included
for use. Te printed instructions come with an insert show-
ing what settings to use for the narrow setup. Included
in the kit are a set of black 10-spoke wheels designed for
foams.

mulTi-ConFiguRaTion gRaphiTe Chassis


Te YRF supports the use of either standard-size LiPo packs or the newer shorty
packs. If shorty packs are used, plastic battery retainers can be mounted in three
positions (fore, center, or aft) to adjust weight bias. Two composite platforms
straddle the battery to mount the speed control and receiver. An upper carbon
plate is used to keep the battery from popping out and acts as a mounting point
for the rear pod’s monoshock. It’s retained by a pair of thumbscrews to allow
for easy battery changes. Out of the box, the steering setup requires cutting the
ears of the servo and mounting it upright with the tie rods connected directly to
the servo saver. I chose to use the optional bell crank steering setup (part YRF-
STBC), which doesn’t require cutting the ears of the servo. If the stock steering
setup is used, it’s possible to mount all of the running gear down the centerline of the
chassis, which could be benefcial for some setups.
Te YRF front and rear wings are made out of durable black nylon. Te wings are
mid-2000’s style—low and wide in the rear and narrow in the front. Tamiya and Tamiya-
compatible front and rear wings can be ftted with little to no modifcation to the wings. It
also comes with a rear difuser, which not only looks great, but is also functional. By direct-
ing airfow up as it passes under the chassis, a low pressure area is created under the car,
which helps create downforce at high speed.

Te chassis shock mount and battery retainer is held in place by two Te nylon difuser works to keep the rear end planted at high speeds. And any Tamiya-compatible wing can
thumbscrews. Te receiver and speed control are mounted on raised be used on the YRF.
composite platforms on either side of the battery.

september 2015 59
Behind the wheel
Te F1 series that I participate in only allows rubber tires, so I built up the YRF in the narrow
190mm confguration. Te series also encourages scale realism, so with the help of Bill Zegers
of Zegers RC Grafxx, I prepped the Yokomo High Nose body to mimic Robert Kubica’s 2009
BMW Sauber F1.09. Because the stock front and rear wings were designed for a diferent era
of F1, I replaced them with Tamiya and 3Racing pieces. My initial testing was at the Freedom
Park racetrack in Camarillo, CA. Because I was there on a non-race weekend, the track was
dry and not at all prepped. With the YRF geared similarly to one of my other F1 cars I had raced
there before, the Tekin powertrain propelled the lightweight chassis noticeably faster than I
was used to, even with a shortage of grip. Driven conservatively, due to conditions, the YRF
was planted and predictable, with a touch of of-power understeer going into turns. It was
easy to induce oversteer by yanking the throttle, but after all, this is a direct-drive F1 car, not
a point-and-squirt AWD touring car. My next test was at a much larger, prepared track in
Gardena, CA. Tis track allowed me to really get a feel for this Yokomo platform. Te stif fex
plate front end felt much more at home with the mechanical grip generated by the VHT-
TEST GEAR Tekin RS Gen2 Spec covered track. In this situation, I found the YRF to be nimble and responsive, and even able to
and HotWire 2.0 keep pace with the more powerful 17.5T touring cars. On this larger track, I was able to gear up
Tekin is one of the most recognizable names in RC electronics, and taller than I would at my smaller tracks; this let me test the difuser to see if it actually made
with their HotWire interface, they continue to be at the forefront of RC a diference. After removing the two screws that afxed the difuser to the rear pod, I headed
technology. Te RS Gen2 Spec is an excellent speed control, trusted by back out on the track. Te infeld felt the same as before, but once I hit terminal velocity on
racers all over the world. When you combine it with the HotWire inter- the back straight, a couple twitches of the steering wheel told me that the car wasn’t quite as
face, you can unleash features and settings most other manufacturers planted as it was with the difuser on. Heading into a high-speed sweeper of the back straight,
only dream of. Te best feature is the data logging capability that lets I could feel the rear end wanting to swing around, so I had to back of the throttle a bit to keep it
its user review time-based graphs of throttle position, battery voltage, under control. Having to scrub of speed to keep my driving line around the turn time after time
speed control temperature, motor RPM, and motor temperature for a pretty well confrmed for me that the difuser was functional and helping to keep the YRF’s
run. Tis information can help fne tune a setup, a driving style, or even rear end planted. During a lap when I was pushing the car hard, I tapped a board on the inside of
help determine installation problems. Especially impressive is the An- a high-speed turn, which sent the YRF sliding on its lid only to come to a stop by smacking hard
droid interface; you can actually review run data on your smartphone—
against another board. After it landed right-side up, I gingerly drove it back to the driving line,
how cool is that!
where I was surprised to fnd that the setup had not tweaked one bit. Tere was some cos-
metic damage to my beautiful BMW Sauber livery, but putting it on the bench showed there
was no damage to the chassis, and it drove exactly as it did before the shunt. Later, I went back

+
Premium Yokomo quality
-
Stock servo mounting position
to the Camarillo track, prepared with softer monoshock and side springs. Additionally, I in-
stalled the optional sliding kingpin suspension on the front end, making it more like a traditional
F1 car. Te softer front and rear let the YRF generate more traction on the dusty surface than
requires removal of servo the stock setup, giving me the room to drive the car harder than my previous session. It still
Unique fex-plate suspension mounting horns wasn’t quite as planted as on the prepped tracked, but it was world’s better; I would consider a
Accepts Tamiya-type wings setup just a little bit frmer for a race weekend at that track.

Final Word
I had high expectations from the YRF Formula 001W from the start. With its lineage and pedigree, I expected it to SOURCES
perform at the top level. What I didn’t expect was how durable the car is. I know frsthand the weak points of other Yokomo and ProTek rC
distributed by Amain.com
cars in its class; the team at Yokomo must have analyzed them also, as they have eliminated these faws with their
airtronics airtronics.net
design. Pan cars are traditionally very sensitive to tweaking. Not so the YRF, as it feels pretty forgiving, as far as F1 Exotek racing
cars go. Still, it is a high-end kit and deserves attention to detail when assembling to appreciate the precision and exotekracing.com
attention to detail Yokomo put into it. And it’s not a parking lot basher—it also deserves a proper track to really see Tekin teamtekin.com
what it can do. If a new F1 car is on your shopping list, and you want a car that can perform and has parts support Zegers rC Grafxx
from one of the biggest retailers in the U.S., this Yokomo is defnitely worth a serious look. facebook.com/zegersrcgrafxx

60 RCCarAction.com
Tere’s a lot of anticipation and build up when
the Invite drivers hit the stand.

REEDY INTERNATIONAL TOURING CAR


RACE OF CHAMPIONS
TAMIYA’S MARC RHEINARD
DOMINATES TO EARN
FIFTH REEDY WIN

T
BY CARL HYNDMAN PHOTOS CARL HYNDMAN & JOEL NAVARRO

he Reedy Touring Car Race of Champions has


grown to become one of the most prestigious
events on the racing calendar. Conceived
and started by Mike Reedy to celebrate his
birthday, this event has all the fame and
notoriety that comes with something that
has so much history and competition. The
highlight is the Invitational Class and its unique format that
sets it apart from other races. In a nutshell, this group of
drivers duke it out over twelve rounds to establish an overall
winner with everyone getting a chance to start from various
spots on the grid. This format makes for great spectating with
everyone treated to the best in the world racing multiple times
instead of the more traditional triple A-main format. Held in
various places in the past, in recent years it has settled back at Te Invitational Class podium
the famous Tamiya Raceway to the praise of everyone. champagne celebration.

62 RCCarAction.com
Negotiating the large striped
curbs has always been
challenging.

Tamiya Raceway
Te Reedy Race has seen many different venues over
its history, but has settled at Tamiya Raceway in Aliso
Viejo, California in the last few years to the delight of
all who attend. Originally built by Tamiya in 1993 to
provide a spot for testing and evaluating products, it Invite drivers discuss lines and set-ups for the notoriously
has been host to many racing events and has grown challenging layout. Over the years the record for the fastest lap
to become one of the premiere on-road facilities continues to drop with technology and design
anywhere. Key sections like the big sweeper at the theory constantly pushing.
end of the straight and the critical “kink” in the center
are legendary features of the track along with the
sloping candy-caned curbs that adorn the lanes.
However, the track sits outside and braves the
Southern California weather year round with only
a small group of die-hard on-road fans and a bit of
help from Tamiya to help it along. A few years ago,
the asphalt that has provided smooth and consistent
traction was starting to show its age and went
through a much needed slurry-seal makeover. Tis
helped bring back the traction and filled in the cracks
and rough spots that had been forming. But this seal
only lasts so long, and this year racers were again
starting to see the affects that Mother Nature can
dish out. Te slurry-seal is starting to peel up and
cracks and rough spots are appearing in key areas.
It held together for the event (barely), but was a hot
topic that circulated among the drivers and industry
in attendance, and brought up a concern that has yet
to be resolved. We’re keeping our fingers crossed
and hope a fix happens soon. Much like Le Mans or
Daytona, the track is a big part of our on-road identity Te famous Tamiya Raceway is loved by all
and its demise would leave a hole in our racing—pun and its permanent layout provides challenges
intended. that have pushed vehicle design and tire
technology. Marc Rheinard considers it the
best in the world.

SEPTEMBER 2015 63
Invite Round
gridded up and
ready to do battle.

RACE FORMAT The Reedy Touring Car Race shares the same unique
format as its off-road counterpart with a few small differences. Instead of two Marc Rheinard
started out the
different kinds of vehicles, this race is only touring cars. For the Invitational
event with a
Class, there are 30 drivers who have earned their spot on the roster either
win and kept in
by past Reedy Race accomplishments, being an IFMAR finalist, or by posting
front of the field
high enough results in other National and International events. The group runs by consistently
12 rounds of heads up racing with drivers gridded and set in their racing heat posting winning
randomly. Ten of the 12 rounds are then added up to provide a final point tally for results.
an overall winner. Open mod, super stock (13.5T) and stock (17.5T) classes used a
fairly standard triple A-Main format. Qualifying used the points system with two
of the four qualifiers tallied up for positions in the mains. The winner from the
Open Mod class is then qualified for the following year’s Invitational Class.

Invitational Action
Tis is the class to watch at the event. It’s ridiculously fast and the talent is on a level that all
spectators rush to witness. Tese guys are the best of the best and to drive among them
in this format is something most dream about. From the moment practice started, it was
obvious the heavy favorites were there to do business. Tamiya’s Marc Rheinard, Yokomo’s
Ronald Volker and Meen Vejrak came out
swinging with early wins that had the rest
of the field scrambling to catch up. But as
the rounds progressed and the final day
was under way, it was these top four that
also included Tamiya’s Christopher Krapp
that were making a bid for the overall win.
Rheinard was holding on to a precarious
lead, and as the day progressed things
got tight with one race to go. With Volker
needing a win in his own race and Rheinard
posting a sixth place or lower, it was
very conceivable for Volker to move up.
Complicating things was Vejrak and Krapp
who were trying to make their own bids
for the other spot on the podium. Te two
drivers were out of the hunt for the win,
but Krapp who was at the time sitting third
overall made a big mistake in round ten by
hitting the kink and relegating his car to the
DNF position and thus opening up the door
for Vejrak. Vejrak didn’t miss his opportunity
and won his final round with Volker in tow.
Tis put Vejrak in third overall, but also left
Volker out of the win hunt. Rheinard then Rheinard was nearly flawless with his Tamiya TRF
went on to take the overall and break a 419 and he declared “finally a win again” after the
record that’s been shared by himself and last round of racing. His victory broke his and Barry
Barry Baker. Baker’s shared record of 4 wins.

64 RCCarAction.com
Volker had a lot
of confdence,
but couldn’t close
the point gap on
Rheinard.

2014 RROC winner and Yokomo factory team


driver Ronald Volker was on form at the event
and looked ready to strike.

When the Invite guys hit the track, everyone


rushes to fnd a key spot to watch the action.

Te Invitational Class isn’t the only


class that gets to enjoy the close
racing that the Reedy Race is known
for. Open Mod along with 13.5 and 17.5
spec classes race for their own glory.

Off-ROad WORld Champs


Take On asphalT Team
Associated’s
A unique aspect about the Reedy Touring Car Race of Champions Ryan
is the respect it garners among the best drivers in the world no Cavalieri held
matter what their discipline is. The precision of on-road touring his own and
cars is like nothing else and can teach and expand a driver’s skill showed good
set by improving their tuning, wrenching, driving lines and overall speed that
general approach to racing. Touring car racing may not enjoy the comes with
participation it once had, but it still pushes the boundaries of experience.
technology and speed. At this event it was refreshing
to see IFMAR Off-Road World Championship winning
Cavalieri is easy to spot on
drivers Ryan Cavalieri (Team Associated) and Ty
the track in his signature paint
Tessmann (HB/HPI Racing) mixing it up in the
scheme.
Invitational Class. Cav has extensive background in Tessmann is one
touring car racing and Tessmann is looking to expand of-road driver who
his skill level and has increased his participation. is always looking to
They may not be quite at the level of the top drivers expand his skill set.
who solely dedicate their time to this form of racing,
but talent is talent and still impressive to watch.

SEPTEMBER 2015 65
Tire Rules Help Keep Racing Close
Te Reedy Touring Car Race has always been known for its professional
approach and that includes the rules that help to establish close and
competitive racing. Tires are always a hot topic and this race is no
exception, but things were taken up a notch for the Invitational drivers.
Tis year Sweep EXP36 EVO-R tires were used as the control tire and
the drivers were limited to six sets. With twelve rounds of racing they
were forced to alternate new and used. Tires were also impounded and
delivered to the drivers as they went through technical inspection prior
to their race. Paragon FXII was the only allowed traction compound
and could only be applied in the designated staging area during the
running of the previous race, giving them approximately fve minutes to
complete the entire process. No modifcations other than removing the
molded seem was permitted to the tires and tire beads could be re-
glued to help reduce the chance of the tire tearing of the rim.

Current IFMAR TC World Champ and Tamiya factory driver Naoto Matsukura
preps his tires for racing.

Paragon FXII was the only legal tire


sauce, and it had to be applied in a
designated prep area.

Baking in the California sun has weathered Tamiya


Raceway. Some of the slurry seal was starting to peel
up and areas have developed cracks and bumps.
Final RESUlTS
InvItatIonal Class
F Driver Vehicle Motor Battery Speed Control
1 Marc Rheinard Tamiya Muchmore Muchmore Muchmore
2 Ronald Volker Yokomo lRP lRP lRP
3 Meen Vejrak Yokomo Scorpion Scorpion Scorpion
4 Christopher Krapp Tamiya Orion Orion Orion
5 Viktor Wilck Serpent Speed Passion MTB Speed Passion
6 Akio Sobue Tamiya Muchmore GStyle Muchmore
7 Alexander Hagberg XRaY Orca Orca Orca
8 Nicholas Lee Tamiya HobbyWing MooreSpeed HobbyWing
9 Naoki Akiyama Yokomo Yokomo Yokomo Yokomo
10 Freddy Sudhoff HB/HPi lRP lRP lRP

open ModIfIed
F Q Driver Vehicle Motor Battery Speed Control
1 3 Felix Law HB/HPi HobbyWing MooreSpeed HobbyWing
2 TQ Randy Caster Team associated Orion Orion Orion
3 4 Kyle Bergstrom awesomatix - - -
4 2 Eric Albano Team associated Reedy Reedy Reedy Marc Rheinard put up ferce attacks round after round in the invite class to win the overall
and set a new record of fve Reedy Race wins.
5 9 Brandon McNally Yokomo lRP SMC HobbyWing
6 7 Ethan Erchinger XRaY Team Powers Team Powers Speed Passion
7 6 Sean Williams Serpent lRP lRP lRP
8 5 Korey Harbke VBC Racing ORCa ORCa ORCa
9 8 Toshinko Hara HB/HPi ORCa MTB ORCa
10 10 Steve Weiss Team associated Reedy Reedy Reedy

super stoCk 13.5


F Q Driver Vehicle Motor Battery Speed Control
1 TQ Alan Hewitt Yokomo R1 Wurks lRP lRP
2 5 Duy Khoung Team associated Team Powers lRP Orion
3 4 Peter Chhu Yokomo lRP lRP lRP
4 7 Tim Copp XRaY Trinity/ Ea EaM ORCa
5 8 Thad Garner HB/HPi R1 Wurks R1 Wurks lRP
6 2 Rod Canare Tamiya R1 Wurks ORCa ORCa
7 9 Bob Stelflue Team associated Reedy Reedy Reedy
8 10 Keith Yu Yokomo SchuurSpeed ORCa ORCa
9 6 Walter Cosico XRaY R1 Wurks lRP lRP
10 3 Walter Diaz Serpent R1 Wurks R1 Wurks Muchmore

stoCk 17.5
F Q Driver Vehicle Motor Battery Speed Control
1 TQ Christian Lopez Tamiya R1 Wurks R1 Wurks lRP
2 3 Ryan Cooper XRaY Trinity ProTek HobbyWing
3 6 Kevin Cole Tamiya SchuurSpeed - HobbyWing
4 2 Albert Benavidez aRC R1 Wurks R1 HobbyWing
5 7 JD Ramsey Tamiya Trinity ORCa Orion
6 4 Dave Berger Yokomo SchuurSpeed lRP lRP
7 8 Gabe Harvell awesomatix Trinity aeromodel HobbyWing
8 9 Mike Molina Tamiya R1 Wurks lRP lRP
9 5 Johnson Thai Yokomo R1 Wurks R1 Wurks Orion Viktor Wilck recently switched to Serpent after a long stint with Tamiya. His car was fast
10 10 Kevin Smith Tamiya SchuurSpeed TrakPower HobbyWing and was able to drive it to 5th overall.

reedy wrapped
Sunday was the last day of this amazing event and it
had all the action and nail-biting drama you’d expect in
a Reedy TC Race of Champions. Champagne bottles
were opened and trophies were handed out. Tamiya’s
Marc Rheinard got his record setting ffth overall title and
solidifed himself as the man to beat. It didn’t come easy
and he was challenged all the way to the last round by
Yokomo’s Ronald Volker who was racking up a big list of
wins on his own. But Rheinard was on a roll and made a
strong statement that began when practice started and
proceeded with as close to a perfect event as you could
ever hope for. It was magic to watch and truly a display
of control and speed. In open mod and the other spec
classes, it was equally exciting and a chance for the non-
invite drivers to have a bit of their own fun. It’s why we
love racing and an event that will stick in our memories.
Can’t wait for next year.
Readers’ Choice
AWARDS
2015

The Best of Radio Control as Chosen by YOU


BY THE RADIO CONTROL CAR ACTION TEAM

Last month, the editors of RC Car Action picked the Car, Truck, and
Innovation of the Year winners. Now it’s your turn to name the best gear
of the year! While we handed out just three awards, the Readers’ Choice
Awards goes much deeper in the categories—there are eighteen in all!
The many manufacturers of the RC biz all hope to earn a Readers’ Choice
Award because you’re the guys and gals who make the whole industry run.
When you say “I want that!” with your votes, they listen. From the top cars
and trucks to your picks for best servo, tire, and charger, you’ll find all of
this year’s winners on the pages ahead. Thanks to all who voted!
70 RCCarAction.com
Team Associated
RC10B5M
Te A-Team has only given
up the Electric Buggy award
four times since 1996, so it’s
no surprise they’ve kept the
category on lockdown for
another year. It’s the second
award for the B5 series, but
unlike last year when votes
split between the rear-motor
B5 and mid-motor B5M, this
year you told us loud and
clear that mid-motor is your
favorite B5 flavor. Tat’s
a sweet sixteen Readers’
Choice Awards for Team As-

ELECTRIC BUGGY
sociated buggies!

ELECTRIC TRUCK

Traxxas Slash 4X4


Stadium trucks are making a comeback, but when it comes to Readers’
Choice Awards voting, short-course still reigns supreme and no truck
hauled in votes as heavily as the Slash 4X4 (and if you’re wondering, sec-
ond place would go to the 2WD Slash). Tat’s seven in a row for Traxxas,
and with the exception of the E-Revo in 2009, it’s been nothin’ but Slash.
If you’ve driven one, you get it—few trucks offer as much fun, perfor-
mance, and durability for the dough.

SEPTEMBER 2015 71
ELECTRIC ON-ROAD

Traxxas XO-1
Make no mistake, we collected lots of votes for the latest com-
petition touring cars, but when there’s a 100mph RTR out there, it
tends to overshadow everything else. For a fourth year, the Traxx-
as XO-1 is the top choice for on-road action. Te rocket sled is
easily one of RC’s wildest rides on full 6S LiPo power and uncorked
for 100+mph speed blasts, yet surprisingly easy and fun to drive
with fewer cells aboard. Plus, it’s over two feet long, and just look
at it—it’s impressive even before you pull the trigger.

TLR/Horizon Hobby
NITRO BUGGY
8IGHT 3.0
Last year marked eight wins for
the 8IGHT, and the streak contin-
ues. Undefeated since its first win
in 2009, the breakthrough buggy
remains the standard bearer for 1/8
scale awesomeness. Votes were
split between the Losi-branded
RTR and TLR kit versions, but
the top vote-getter was the TLR
8IGHT 3.0. You can’t get any more
top-of-the-line than that! Hit any
nitro track, and you’ll find plenty of
8IGHTs in action, and the buggy is
a multi-time National Champion.
More competition is coming, but
it’ll be tough to topple TLR’s mighty
A-Main maker.

72 RCCarAction.com
NITRO TRUCK

Traxxas Revo 3.3


Traxxas owns the nitro truck category. Tere were a smattering of votes for every
big brand, but Traxxas dominated with piles of votes for Nitro Stampede, T-Maxx,
and Revo 3.3. Mostly Revo 3.3, which is exactly zero surprise since the Revo has
clobbered the Nitro Truck category every year since its debut. And before the
Revo? Te T-Maxx was top truck for three years in a row. So yeah, Traxxas knows
nitro trucks. Tey’ve been fired up for fuel since the Nitro Hawk and have made
electric starting the standard for piston power. Ask anyone who clamors for inter-
nal combustion: chances are they’ve had or have a Traxxas.

Traxxas Nitro 4-Tec 3.3 NITRO ON-ROAD


Before the XO-1, the Nitro 4-Tec 3.3
was Traxxas’ ultimate on-road ride.
With a top speed of over 70mph and
the ability to crush just about any
full-size car from 0-60 (if you have
the launch skills), the Nitro 4-Tec
is the fastest way to have fuel-
powered fun on pavement short of a
race-prepped 1/8 scale on-roader—
and those don’t come RTR with elec-
tric starting.

SEPTEMBER 2015 73
TRANSMITTER
Spektrum/Horizon Hobby
DX4R Pro
Tis is the DX4R’s second year as your
number-one pistol pick, and the eighth
consecutive win for Spektrum.
Since the DX3R took the 2008
trophy, there’s been a Spektrum
DX in this spot every year. Natu-
rally, you went for the premium
model with the DX4R. Spektrum’s
top gun has all the features you’d
expect of a competition transmitter,
including telemetry capability, drop-down
wheel, all the parts you need to convert for
left-hand use, and two grip sizes. Lots to
like and lots of votes.

BATTERY
MaxAmps 6000XL
Lots of brands got their fair share of votes,
but just like every year since 2008, no
battery maker got as much love as Max-
Amps. Te specific MaxAmps packs that
got your votes were all over the map,
ranging from the latest shorty-style
configuration to mega-capacity bricks
for all-day running, but the sweet
spot was high-capacity 2S and 3S
packs like the 6000XL pictured here—
exactly the type of thing you’d plug
into this year’s “Electric Truck” winner,
which makes sense.

74 RCCarAction.com
BODY Pro-Line Flo-Tek
Pro-Line easily scored the body category with votes for a wide variety of shells, but it
was the Flo-Teks that popped up most frequently. Pro-Line offers a variety of the anti-
parachuting vented truck lids, and the Ford Raptor SVT version is shown here—you can
also get RAM 2500, Toyota Tundra, and Chevy Silverado versions, plus the SUV-style
Desert Raid and original “just Flo-Tek” design. If you go with the standard Flo-Tek,
there are even pre-cut and pre-painted options.

CHARGER
Duratrax ONYX 235
Tat’s two in a row for the ONYX line, four total. And
before that, Duratrax scored four wins with the
ICE charger—remember that one? Te ONYX 235
is Duratrax’s best single-battery charger, and can
charge all types of RC batteries (NiCD, NiMH, LiPo,
and LiFe) with eight amps on tap to juice up high-
capacity packs in a hurry.

ENGINE
Traxxas TRX 3.3 Racing Engine
We counted lots of votes for the top Japanese and Ital-
ian fire breathers, but the mill that got the most love is
also the one that’s likely in more cars and trucks than
any other: the Traxxas TRX 3.3. Tis rugged and reliable
engine has been a Traxxas staple for years, powering
the largest Revo and T-Maxx trucks with torque to
spare and winding out the Jato and Nitro 4-Tec to ludi-
crous speeds. Easy to tune, crazy power, and electric
starting—what’s not to love?

SEPTEMBER 2015 75
MOTOR
Castle Creations Neu-Castle 2200Kv
When it comes to electric motors, you guys are loyal and like to go big—for proof, here’s
Castle Creations with a third consecutive win for their hard-hitting monster motor. As
the choice for countless mega-powered projects and standard equipment with Traxxas’
“Brushless Edition” E-Revo and E-Maxx models, Castle’s green gargantuan is an easy
pick for heavy-duty horsepower.

FUEL
Byron Originals Race
Gen2
SPEED CONTROL
Byron’s orange juice continues to be your
favorite fuel. It’s the choice of top pros
including Ryan Lutz, Cody King, and Mike

Tekin RX8 Gen2


Swauger, but let’s be real, those guys are
sponsored. What really matters are
Looks like your electric power pref- all the Joe Club Racers (that’s you)
erences are locked in tight. First a who actually pay hard-earned
three-peat in the motor category, cash to fill their buggies and
and now a third consecutive win truggies, and choose Byron to
for Tekin’s RX8 Gen2! Tekin’s other go in their tanks. And then vote
speed controls earned votes too, but for it in the Reader’s Choice
most of you went big with the Tekin’s Awards!
mightiest motor controller. Te
RX8 Gen2’s easy interface
makes it simple to dial in
without a program-
mer, or you can
add HotWire and
dial it in via PC or
smartphone. Pro
features and big-
time power capability make
the RX8 a top choice for
monsters, 4X4 SCTs, trug-
gies and anything else big,
heavy, and fast.

76 RCCarAction.com
TIRE
Pro-Line
Badlands
Pro-Line continues to
dominate the tire cat-

SERVO
egory, and your votes hit
every type of tire in the PL
lineup, from race treads to

Hitec HSB-9380TH scale tires to monster meats.


Te name that popped up the
Since we added the servo category in 2007, one most was the Badlands, and it’s
brand has won the award every year, and that’s easy to see the appeal—just look at
Hitec. Votes rolled in for a variety of specific servo those gnarly MX-style knobs! Pro-Line
models (and a lot of you also put down “any Hitec”), offers the rad rubber for everything from 1/8 and
but the top vote-getter was the HSB-9380TH. We 1/5 scale buggies to short-course and monster trucks, so it’s easy to get the
get it: with titanium gears, Neu brushless motors, big-lug look for just about any RC machine. You can even get them mounted so
and high-efficiency regenerative circuitry, Hitec’s you can skip gluing and just reach for your wheel wrench.
top-performing “93XX” series servos are serious
gear for high-performance RC. Te “Ultra Torque”
9380 twists to the tune of 472 oz.-in., making it

DRIVER
ready for any RC duty including 1/5 scale.

INNOVATION
Traxxas On-Board Audio Ty Tessmann
If there’s one thing electric cars and trucks don’t do
well, it’s make cool noises. Traxxas fixes that with If nice guys finish last, then Ty Tessmann must be keeping his bad side
On-Board Audio, which syncs the actual sound of a under wraps because he sure seems like the nicest guy to ever win an
race-prepped V8 to throttle inputs to add a realistic IFMAR Worlds. Te 2014 Nitro Off-Road World Champion and the Mom-
auditory experience to trigger time with the Slash and-Dad Tessmann team have been tearing up RC since Ty began racing
VXL and Slash 4X4 (and more models soon, we in 2003, and the secret to Ty’s success isn’t much of a secret: it’s just
hope). Te system is loud and sounds fantastic, and talent, practice, and preparation. We celebrate winners, but it’s espe-
Traxxas builds in a “neutral” function so you can rev cially nice when they’re good guys worth cheering for. You cheered for
the “engine” freely and even do a “neutral drops.” Ty with your votes, and he’s earned them with results on the track and
Bwwaaaaah! Definitely innovative, and you said so respect in the pits.
with your votes.

SEPTEMBER 2015 77
Q U I C K S P I N

1/8-SCALE 4WD ELECTRIC OFF-ROAD | RTR

DHK SHOGUN
Tis monster-truggy hybrid gives big-truck
thrills without a big price tag
BY MICHAEL WORTEL PHOTOS BY CARL HYNDMAN

The Shogun is DHK’s “bigger is better” entry in their value-packed line of RC


vehicles. The Shogun is a monster truck with a lower center of gravity, making it more +
High-voltage battery pack
performance-oriented like a truggy. The Shogun packs in a lot for its $270 price tag, Big 775-sized motor
including a big 775-sized motor, 9-cell NiMH battery pack with Deans-style plug, and Lots of aluminum and steel
shaft-driven, metal-gear 4WD. Super-sized chevron tires promise go-anywhere action, components

and features including adjustable suspension and oil-tuned differentials offer plenty
of opportunity to tune performance if that’s your thing. DHK saves a few bucks with -
Tires rub the body
plastic-body shocks, dogbone driveshafts and brushed power, but delivers where it
counts (and saves you as much as $160 compared to other brushed-power 4X4 trucks).

78 RCCarAction.com
{
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Te Shogun rolled out of its box well assembled, leaving only battery charging (three hours with
the included charger) and rear-wing mounting (two body clips) as the required steps before
pulling the trigger. I added one more step: setting front toe-in. A degree or two of toe-in is helpful
for straight-line stability, but the Shogun looked pigeon-toed with about five degrees of toe on
each wheel. With as few twists of the steering turnbuckles, I set the wheels with zero toe so they
pointed straight ahead. Testing was done on hard-packed dirt trails and varied terrain in Laguna
Hills, CA, where the medium-compound tires and soft inserts gave good all-terrain traction. Ac-
celeration was strong considering the Shogun’s size and heft, and the truck topped 25mph easily.
High-speed handling can be squirmy on the large tires, but the 125 oz.-in. servo keeps up well
and the low-slung truggy stance lends extra stability. Tire rub was an issue at full steering travel,
requiring some body trimming to allow clearance. Te three oil-filled diffs helped the Shogun find
lots of forward bite and maneuverability around sweeping turns and the shocks soaked-up ruts
well, but bottoming out was frequent on large jumps. Going up to 40 weight shock oil or swapping
the heavy NiMH battery for a lighter LiPo will help the Shogun better absorb big hits. Te truck’s
adjustable battery pack straps make it easy to fit different packs onto the chassis, and since the
speed control is rated for 3S LiPo packs, I installed a 3S 5500mAh battery to see how the truck
improved. Even though the LiPo only offered a 0.3 volt advantage over the NiMH pack, the LiPo
pack holds more of its voltage longer than the NiMH pack. Every aspect of performance was
measurably improved. Run time nearly doubled thanks to the extra 2500mAh of capacity, and
the pack’s higher average voltage and lighter weight allowed higher speeds, punchier accelera-
tion, and bigger air. In short, more fun all around.

55 amp speed
control

775 Brushed
motor

Front, center,
and rear
differentials

9-cell, 3000mAh
NiMH battery pack
with Deans-style
plug Turnbuckle
camber links
Plastic tub chassis
with aluminum
bracing
Steel dogbone
driveshafts
9 kg-cm
(125 oz.-in.)
steering servo

Oil-filled
shocks
Te D302T 2.4 GHz transmitter has dual-rate knobs for both What makes the Shogun more of a truggy than a
steering and throttle. Most drivers will leave the throttle dial standard monster truck is nice low stance. While it still
cranked to max, but the ability to “turn down” the max throttle has plenty of ground clearance, the center of gravity
setting is very handy when letting an inexperienced driver sits relatively low, which improves maneuverability and
take a turn behind the wheel. stability.

VEHICLE SPECS Tried and true suspen-


sion tech here, with
plastic-body shocks
and C-hubs holding the

25.8
Item no.: 8385
steering knuckles. Steel
Scale: 1/8 turnbuckles set camber
MPH and toe.
Price: $270
Wheelbase: 13.07 in.
(332mm)
Length: 20.55 in. (522mm)
Width (F/R): 14.92 in. (379mm) / 15.23 in.
(387mm)
Height: 8.46 in. (215mm)
Weight, as tested: 7 lb. 12 oz. (3500g)

CHASSIS
Type: Plastic
Material: Semi-tub with center aluminum
braces

SUSPENSION
Type: Lower H-arm with adjustable upper link

SHOCKS
Bodies: Plastic
Bore: 12mm
Shafts: 3.5mm steel
Volume compensation: Bladder-style

DRIVETRAIN
Type: 4WD Shaft
Differentials (F/C/R): Bevel gear, steel
Driveshafts: CV-type, steel (F/R), Dogbone,
steel (center)
Bearings: Metal-shielded

WHEELS & TIRES


Wheels: One piece plastic Maximus / Zombie,
17mm Hex DHK specs a super-sized 775 brushed motor to give the Te Shogun includes a 9-cell (10.8V) battery pack to
Tires: DHK 6.2” X 3.7” Shogun all the torque it needs to spin its big chevron tires. give the 775-sized motor plenty of grunt. Many brands
With the included 9-cell NiMH pack, the motor is good for spec low-capacity cells, but the DHK pack delivers a full
over 25mph. 3000mAh for long run times. A 1-amp charger is included
INCLUDED ELECTRONICS to get you rolling, but you’ll want to upgrade to a fast
Transmitter / receiver: DHK D302T 2.4GHz / charger.
DHK D302S, 4-channel
FINAL WORD
Servo: DHK D301 9kg, 0.16 sec. Tere is nothing like a big RC truck. Being able to gobble up unruly terrain and conquer the elements
Speed control: DHK H126, 55A, F/REV is awesome—something that RC newcomers and experienced hobbyists can all enjoy. Te Shogun
Motor: DHK brushed, 775-size did everything it should and is more tunable than many budget-oriented trucks on the market. And
Battery: Hobby People 9-cell NiMH, 3000mAh thanks to Hobby People, parts availability is no problem, on the Internet or in person. Te DHK shogun
Charger: DHK AC wall-type is a good truck for anyone looking for a big vehicle that can go anywhere with room to tune and a
budget-friendly price.
REQUIRES
AA batteries for transmitter SOURCES
Hobby People hobbypeople.net

80 RCCarAction.com
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No Limit RC
World Finals
10 Years of Monster Mayhem
words kevin hetmanski photos by kevin hetmanski & john shultz

The No Limit RC crew has come up with an event like no other that
attracts hundreds of racers every year. It’s called the No Limit RC World
Finals, and at this event you can compete in mud racing, truck pulling
and side-by-side truck racing that provides exciting racing and close fin-
ishes. If that doesn’t sound like enough fun, the gang holds this unique
About No Limit RC
event at Digger’s Dungeon, home of the world-famous Grave Digger No Limit RC started when three friends out of Florida
monster truck. It’s located on the outer banks of North Carolina, which decided to start a club where the RC monster truck world
makes a great vacation for a lot of the racers. Since so many vacation- could come together through a large annual event. The
club was started in 2006 and that big event is the World
ers stop by the Dungeon as they make their way down the coast, the Finals. No Limit RC has branched out and now there are
World Finals gets RC in front of a lot of spectators who are new to the several different clubs around the United States. You
hobby. This was the 10th year for the event, and like many I was excited can find out more about No Limit RC by checking out the
nolimitrc.com website.
to attend.

82 RCCarAction.com
The Track
The weekend before the World Finals a 1/5-scale track was setup and used for the East Coast Nationals. After a lot of
rain and drying time it was leveled and used to build the track for the side-by-side racing. Left and right side tracks were
set up and each had three lanes with a double and two single jumps on them. Each driver started in an elevated box and
once the green light on the tree came on they drove from the starting box to the outside lane. At the end of that lane
each driver had to make a 180 degree turn and drive back towards the start line. Then they had to turn again and drive
down the outside lane a second time before returning to the middle lane; this tripped up a lot of racers all weekend long.
Many turned towards the last lane with the finish line and had to stop to turn around and make that second pass. The
last lane had a large jump towards the beginning and
once the truck settled after landing there was a drag
race to the finish line. If it wasn’t for the electronic tim-
ing system figuring out who won the race there would
have been a lot of races to redo to find a winner. The
racing was that close.

Te track was built a few days before the World Finals and required a
little maintenance before racing started.
Dennis Anderson himself was a judge
for the show-n-shine competition. He
was also available for pictures and auto-
graphs throughout the weekend.

Show-N-Shine
Before racing takes place on Saturday,
all the trucks are placed on the track for
everyone to see. After the group photo, the
judging for the show-n-shine competition
begins, and what makes it special is that
Dennis Anderson himself looks all the trucks
over and does the judging. He has seen it all
so you know you have a cool rig if he picks
it. Several awards such as Shelf Queen, Best
Chassis and King of Bling were awarded.

Tis Bigfoot truck won


the Shelf Queen and Best
Chassis award. It hasn’t run
under its own power yet.
Solid axle trucks ruled this
event. A lot of guys are start-
ing to build custom trucks
using components from the
Axial Wraith.

Below: You can’t have a race


at the home of the Grave
Digger monster truck and not
show up with a scale replica of
it. Tis was one of the clean-
est versions at the race.

september 2015 85
Getting of the line was almost as important as
getting through the slick turns.

Side-by-Side Racing
The side-by-side racing is easily the biggest the two was used to set up the racing brackets.
event of the weekend, and it all starts off on Racing started late on Saturday after some
Friday with qualifying. Racers in short course, last minute qualifying was taken care of. The
nitro monster truck, electric monster truck, No Limit RC crew runs the racing just like they
monster jam replica and solid axle race against do in Monster Jam: with brackets. A fast truck
each other on the track. Each truck was able is put up against a slower truck and once the
to run on both the right and left lanes to post race is done the loser is out of the race while
a time during qualifying. The best time out of the winner advances to the next round. So you

How awesome is this trick pulling truck? You can’t


go to the hobby shop and pick one of these up. Te
trucks here were all custom built.

Truck Pulling
Truck pulling also takes place during the weekend. You can’t go to your local hobby shop
and buy one of these rigs, all the trucks are custom built and designed specifically for
pulling. They are basically stretched versions of trucks such as the HPI Savage or Losi LST.
They are geared low to give them plenty of grunt to easily drag that pulling sled out of the
hole. The electric guys are running 1/8-scale power systems while the nitro guys are using
big block engines and in some you’ll find a pair of engines. They are capable of pulling well
over 100 pounds and put on a great show.

86 RCCarAction.com
Beauty on a
BEAST
You had to be on your toes to beat the other guy.
Racing during the weekend was very close. • Made of high quality steel
• Extra welds and reinforcements for
added strength
can have a bad round 1 and be done for the
weekend, but if you advance you get more • Protects internal parts
track time. With this type of racing you have • Factory body ts over roll cage
to hope that everything on your truck is good • Competitively priced
to go because there is little to no time to work
on your vehicle before you’re up again. The big-
• Easy install
gest class of the weekend was the solid axle • Quick ship
trucks with over 80 in attendance.
Manufacturers of roll
cages, chassis braces,
springs and more!

facebook.com/
vgrhobbies.com

Tis pulling truck is a replica of the full-size Orange


Blossom Special. Many hours and a lot of custom
parts went to making it what it is today.
VGRACING.COM
VG Racing, 810 E. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90011 877-984-7872

september 2015 87
Tere are so many
things to do and
see while you are
at the Digger’s
Dungeon. My
favorite was all the
old Grave Digger
trucks.

Yep, there are trucks under all that mud. Tey are work-
ing their way through the Hill and Hole course.

Hill and Hole


This is one of the last events of the weekend and that’s
because all the trucks involved end up completely cov-
ered in mud. The Grave Digger monster truck started
life as a mud truck, and to honor that at Dennis Ander-
son’s property the No Limit guys put on their own mud
bog event called the Hill and Hole. It’s similar to what
happens down the road at Dennis’ Muddy Motorsports Exploring the Dungeon
Park. The guys start side-by-side and run through a One thing that I really like about the No Limit RC World Finals is that it takes place at the
mud pit then over a large jump and back into a mud pit, Digger’s Dungeon. I am a big monster truck fan and it’s amazing to see all of the Grave
come back, criss cross each other and end up doing it Digger trucks on the property, and seeing the trucks being worked on in the shop. But
again. The fastest time wins. there’s a lot more to see while you are there. Along the woods are lots of monster truck
parts including old tires, beat up chassis, axles and body panels from today’s hottest
trucks. You can also check out the petting zoo, diner, monster truck rides, the farm stand
and more. There’s always plenty to do all weekend long.
Left: I managed to fnd the
time to get three trucks
together for the fnals and
was able to get some track
time in during the weekend.
Below: It doesn’t matter
how old or young you are,
you can bring a truck to the
World Finals and drive it
around the course.

See You Next Year!


This was the 10th year for the No Limit RC World Finals and there were rumors floating
Dennis Anderson’s youngest around at the beginning of the weekend that this would also be the last World Finals.
son Weston “Teeny Man” An- Saturday morning Dennis Anderson announced that there will always be a World Finals
derson wasn’t busy racing his at the Digger’s Dungeon for as long as people want to come and make it happen. So get
full-size Bog Hog mud truck
so he got in on some of the RC working on your race trucks, mud trucks, pullers and whatever else they are running at
action during the weekend. this event and make your way to it next year and get in on the action.

88 RCCarAction.com
LIKE.
FOLLOW.
JOIN.

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your ad in

Email us at sales@airage.com
How to
8 ways to make
lexan bodies last
Easy tricks to keep your plastic looking fantastic
words & PHotos by lito reyes

l
et’s face it: you can’t always keep the shiny side up. You
can’t experiment with diferent lines, jump approaches
or rhythms without ending up on your lid once in a while.
Or maybe your car somehow became the randomly
designated crash magnet for one evening. In any case, your
body will get banged up and beaten on. Here are a few things you
can do to extend the life of your Lexan body and keep it looking
its best.

1. RepaiR
teaRs Preventing cracks
One thing I always beats fxing them.
keep in my toolbox is
a roll of 2-inch-wide
clear packing tape. 3. Beef up joints oR
For trackside repairs, stRessed aReas
nothing beats it. It’s Tere are times when you need to reinforce a
cheap, it’s light, it’s stressed area, such as around body mounts,
easy to use, and if or just beef up an area that might be a bit
you’re going fast weak. Shoe GOO, or an equivalent RTV
enough, no one will silicone compound is the tool for this job.
even notice the repair. Apply a dollop of RTV, then spread it around
Just clean of the area the area with a wet fnger (keep a cup of
you are going to repair water handy). Prop up the body, so the RTV
with a plastic-safe doesn’t drip where you don’t want it. Let
degreaser (no motor it cure overnight. For extra reinforcement,
spray on bodies, apply multiple layers of RTV over the course
please), and apply of a few nights.
tape on the outside
and inside of the body. Clear tape makes an invisible repair.

2. BReathing Room foR Body


posts
Some cars and trucks are designed to fex,
yet they have strong, unforgiving body
mounts that can tear body holes over the
course of a run. Elongating the rear holes into
an oval shape will let the body “foat” just
enough to prevent tearing. And if you use
RPM’s classic Body Savers, elongate the holes
a bit anyway, so the body can foat inside the
Body Saver.

A cone bit is perfect


for hole work.

90 RCCarAction.com
No more skid Double the bumper,
marks! twice the body life.

4. prevent paint scuffs from tires 7. mega-reinforced front end


Most covered-wheel cars are susceptible to paint scufs in the wheel Some pro racers, especially in the touring car realm, double up on the
well area, especially short course trucks and touring cars. Prevent front end of their bodies. Basically, they take the grille and part of the
these from happening by applying vinyl tape to the area inside the hood area from another body of the same type, and adhere it inside the
body after the paint has cured. It will be easy to tell when it’s time to prepared race body. If you have a used version of the same body, that
replace it by the scuf marks on the tape, not on your paint. In a pinch, will do just fne, since no one will see it anyway. Use servo tape or RTV to
use extra stickers; if you’re like us, you’ve got tons of old stickers in a afx the reinforcing piece. If you use a foam bumper, you might need to
box somewhere. And if you want to camoufage paint damage already shave it a bit to accommodate the extra thickness of the front end.
done, just use more of those stickers applied over the scufng.

A little trimming 8. remove


prevents rubbing. board rash
All it takes is one
enthusiastic qualifer to
get a brand-new body
covered in yellow, red,
or white rash marks
from being banged
up against the boards
by the other drivers. I
keep a can of Testors
Easy Lift Of (ELO) in
my pit bag to remove any scufs. It’s also the Fact: clean cars go faster.
only product on the market today that will
remove lacquer paint from Lexan without so
much as fogging it up—it’s 100% polycarbonate
5. larger wheel wells safe. In fact, you could use it to strip of a
If you fnd that the molded cut lines are still a bit too small to give a full completely cured paint job. ELO leaves an oily
steering range without getting caught on a tire, consider trimming residue, though, so use a cleaner on your body
an extra 1/8 inch of the wheel well rather than raising the ride height. afterwards. You can also use Whipz RC Gloss
You’ll keep your slammed look but will still be able to steer. And while to shine up that body.
you’re at it, rounding of the wheel well corners will prevent a sharp
edge from cutting your tires in a crash. Just use a pair of scissors to
turn the sharp point into a nice round (and tire-friendly) corner.
wrap up
Your car or truck needs maintenance to keep it working, so why not
6. better body posts give a little bit of love to your shell to keep it at its best. Tere’s no
Using a bit of foam from electronics reason a body can’t last an entire season or even longer. Even if you
packaging between the body and the body have to buy a few materials, you end up saving money by stretching
posts will prevent the mount from scufng out the time until you need a new body. So try to keep the shiny side
the paint. If you would rather use an of-the- up, and we’ll see you at the track!
shelf product, Dan’s RC Stuf sells adhesive-
backed foam just for this purpose. Parma also
makes body hole posteriors as well as other SOURCES
Dan’s RC Stuf speedclean.us
body protection and repair items.
Parma parmapse.com
RPM rpmrcproducts.com
Shoe GOO eclecticproducts.com
A bit of foam can work
Simple Green simplegreen.com
wonders.
Testors testors.com
Whipz RC Gloss rcgloss.com

september 2015 91
Q U I C K S P I N

1/10-SCALE 4WD MONSTER TRUCK | RTR

HELION INVICTUS 10MT


Big brushless power meets econo monster fun
WORDS & PHOTOS BY JOEL NAVARRO

Monster trucks are the preferred weapons of choice for serious all-terrain fun,
and more manufacturers are stepping up to the plate with big-tire machines to feed
+
3S LiPo compatible speed
the need for high-riding mayhem makers. Helion is answering the call with their 1/10 control

scale 4WD monster truck, the Invictus 10MT. The Invictus was originally offered Excellent all around power

with a 2-pole 3500Kv motor (as reviewed in our August 2013 issue), but Helion has Waterproof electronics
High ground clearance
upped torque for the latest version of the truck, and now includes a 3000Kv 4-pole
powerplant. An 8-cell NiMH pack unloads 9.6 volts to top 30mph, and the truck’s
metal-gear 4WD system can handle even more power (good thing, since the brush- -
Included battery is only
less system is rated for 3S LiPo power). Waterproof electronics and fully-adjustable 1800mAh capacity
suspension complete the RTR package, which ticks off a lot of boxes for a $310
truck. Let’s see how the Invictus 10MT does in the dirt.

92 RCCarAction.com
{
BEHIND THE WHEEL
When it came time to drive the Invictus, I aimed for obstacles that might impede it and soon real-
ized that not much is going to get in the way of this truck. Its big stance, big tires and big power on
tap begged me to take on the rough stuff. Even though the Invictus is ready for any extreme con-
dition you’re ready to throw at it, at slow to medium speeds, its tame behavior makes it a perfect
vehicle for some one new to RC and learning to drive. When I started to get on the throttle more,
the Invictus exhibited surprisingly nimble handling. Helion’s servo ratings must be conserva-
tive, as the truck felt like there was a lot more than 83 oz.-in. pulling on the tie rods. Te squishy
chevron-style tires aggressive turns at high speeds without upsetting the handling. Te high-
riding chassis gives that Invictus 2.5 inches of ground clearance, which doesn’t sound like a lot,
but it gives access to terrain that included tall rocks and deep ruts that would have most trucks
in the class scraping their chassis and getting stuck. Te Invictus could jump all day. Te heavy
tires and responsive throttle response allow you to achieve level flight with some inputs from
the transmitters trigger or do front/back flips by stabbing the brakes or staying on the throttle.
Returning to earth and sticking the landing was easy thanks to the plush suspension working
in conjunction with the fat tires to cushion hard hits. Te fully-adjustable suspension worked
beautifully and soaked up challenging terrain leaving the Invictus unfazed. Te only thing that was
leaving me wanting more of during testing was longer run times. Although the included 1800mAh
battery gives the Invictus monster punch and power, it delivers less than 10 minutes of run time.

3000Kv 4-pole
brushless motor

50A, 3S LiPo
compatible
speed control
Turnbuckle rear
camber links

6kg (83 oz/in)


servo

1800mAh 9-cell
NiMH battery

Plastic tub chassis


with metal skid
Pivot-ball front plates
suspension

Metal-gear
drivetrain

10mm bore
oil-filled
shocks
Turnbuckles set rear cam-
ber, but the front end gets
a pivot ball setup. Dogbone
driveshafts are used front
and rear.

Te Helion HRS-3.1 2.4GHz radio includes all the


basic controls and adjustments needed to get you
on your way, including steering and throttle digital
trims, steering dual-rate and end point adjustments
for both steering and throttle.

VEHICLE SPECS Te 3000Kv 4-pole is a


torque monster and has a
ton of bottom end for quick

32
Item no.: HLNA570 acceleration hill-climbing
Scale: 1/10 grunt.
MPH
Price: $310 INCLUDED BATTERY

Wheelbase: 10.8 in. (275mm)


Length: 16.6 in. (422mm)
Width: 13.3 in. (337mm)
Height: 7.7 in. (196mm)
Weight: 5 lb., 13.3 oz. (2645g)

CHASSIS
Type: Molded tub
Material: Plastic

SUSPENSION
Type F/R: Upper and lower wishbone with
pivot-ball carriers/lower H-arm with upper
camber link
Inboard camber link position: (F/R) 1/1
Outboard camber-link positions: (F/R) 1/3
Shock positions, towers: (F/R) 2/2
Shock positions, arms: (F/R) 2/3

SHOCKS
Bodies: Plastic, 10mm bore
Shafts: 3mm steel

DRIVETRAIN
Type/ratio: Shaft-driven 4WD/8.58:1
Differential: Bevel gear, oil filled
Shaft drive, ball bearings and metal gears get power to Te 50 amp speed control easily accommodates the volt-
Driveshafts: Steel front and rear dogbones
the ground. age of the included 9.6V 8-cell NiMH battery and is rated
Bearings: Rubber sealed
to use up to a 3-cell LiPo battery.
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels: Silver finish one-piece, 12mm hex
Tires: Helion V-tread Swampers FINAL WORD
Te Invictus 10MT’s combo of big power, solid
INCLUDED ELECTRONICS
Transmitter & receiver: Helion RC HRS-3.1
handling and overall brute monster truck at-
3-channel 2.4GHz/Helion HRS-3.1 titude brought its fun levels to heights that
Steering servo: Helion 6KG-WP
exceeded my expectations. Te low-capacity
included battery is one area where cost-cutting
Speed control: 50A Programmable, 3S LiPo
compatible
comes through, but for first-timers with no ex-
isting battery stockpile, it’s nice to have a pack
Motor: 3000Kv Radient Reaktor 4-pole brush-
less, sensorless
in the box. Te Invictus delivers where it counts
with quality electronics, a bulletproof drivetrain
Battery: Helion 8-cell 1800mAh NiMH
and all-around fun that’s easy for any beginner
REQUIRES to drive. For $310 bucks, you get a lot of truck.
4 AA Battery (For transmitter) Helion supplies an 8-cell pack that powers the Invictus
to over 30mph, but its 1800mAh capacity cuts run time SOURCES
short. Swap it for a 3S LiPo and you’ll see close to 40mph. Helion helionrc.com

94 RCCarAction.com
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RC car magazine. It’s loaded with the latest tech, product reviews,
personalities, how-tos and so much more. From high-speed sedans
and terrain-conquering trail rigs to dirt-roosting buggies and massive
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HOW TO
PAINT A “HARD”BODY
Prime, Paint, and Polish to a Showroom Finish
BY KEVIN HETMANSKI PHOTOS BY KEVIN HETMANSKI

W
hen building the ultimate scale rig, there’s nothing that compares to an injection-molded body.
Most often referred to as “hard” bodies, the type is preferred because injection molding offers
finer, crisper detailing and allows more complex shapes than the vacuum forming process used
for Lexan bodies. However, painting and detailing a “hard” body requires more steps and care
than spray-bombing a clear shell. Te body needs to be prepped, the paint needs to go down smoothly and
special care is required to get the details right. I’ve painted a lot of hard bodies in my time as an RC modeler,
and I’m going to show you how to transform your truck’s body from a piece of plastic into a work of art. Follow
these steps and you’ll have an award-winning paint job.
Step 1: Black It Out
Te very frst thing I do to all bodies is coat the inside with semi gloss black
to give the body a more realistic look. When you look inside the wheel
wells of a full-size truck you see nothing but black, and painting the inside
of your body will give it the same look. To make this step even easier I
completely skip any prep steps and simply apply the paint. You don’t
need a perfect fnish here but you do want to make sure you get as little
overspray as possible on the outside surface of the body.

A quick coat of semi gloss black is all you need to give your truck a more realistic look. No prep
work needed here; just spray away.

Tis Bruiser body has a pretty noticeable mold line along


the left and right fenders. A little sanding will make it
go away.

Step 2: Body Prep


If the surface below the paint isn’t perfect,
your paint is going to refect that. Prepare
the body by sanding away any excess plastic
with a fne-grit sanding stick. Remove any
bits of sprue, mold lines, and “fash” (thin
ridges of plastic formed where the plastic
sneaks past the edge of the mold). Sand
lightly and check your progress frequently
to avoid removing too much material. If you
do overdo it, use automotive spot putty to fll
in the area, then sand it fush.

TIP Anytime you have to


touch the body during the
paint process, make sure you first
wash your hands with soap and
water to reduce the risk of getting
Step 3: Prime It oils from your fingers onto the body
A base coat of primer makes it easy and possibly running your paint job.
to see any imperfections on
the surface and will make
certain you get a uniform As soon as you have full coverage of primer you
can stop applying coats. It will give the body a uni-
fnish when you apply color.
form fnish and let you see any imperfections that
Before priming, scuf up you may have missed when prepping the body.
the plastic with 800 grit
wet/dry sandpaper. Tis
knocks the shine of the
plastic and gives the
paint a surface to grab
onto. Wash the body
with soap and water and
dry it thoroughly, paying
special attention to any
nooks and crannies that
might be holding water. If
you spent the time to black
out the inside of the body, be
sure to mask it of to keep primer
overspray from getting to that black
surface. I prefer Tamiya Gray Surface Primer
and I warm the can before spraying to increase
can pressure and allow the paint to fow better. When
painting, apply enough coats to give the body uniform
coverage of primer. You don’t have to worry about your
spray technique here because you aren’t looking for a
perfect fnish; it’s all about the coverage.

SEPTEMBER 2015 97
How to Paint a “Hard” Body

Step 4: Prep for Color Step 5: Spray Color


Tis step is optional, but if you want a glass-like shine, it’s a must. Let the primed Unlike the priming steps, the color coats must
body sit for a few days to completely dry, then wet-sand the entire body with 1,000 be laid down carefully. For the frst coat, just
grit wet/dry sandpaper. Tis smoothes out the surface and gives the paint a rough mist the body, don’t attempt to cover it fully.
surface to stick to. If you happen to rub through the paint, reprime and blend the area. You should have a thin coat of paint with signs
When you’re done sanding the body, wash it again with soap and water and make sure of primer showing through. Te objective is to
it’s completely dry before applying paint. give the next coat of paint something to hold
onto. Allow about 15 minutes for the paint to
Light sanding with 1,000 grit sand- “tack up,” then apply another coat. Repeat
paper is all it takes to get the primer for a third coat. With each coat, apply enough
ready for paint.
paint to provide a smooth surface, and allow it
to dry before handling. If you’re using Tamiya
paints, you can touch the body after about
two hours. If you’re using Testors/Model
Master paints, wait a minimum of four hours.
Ideally, you should move the body to a warm,
dry, dust-free location and let it dry for about
a week—the longer, the better. Te harder the
paint is, the better it will sand and you’ll be
less likely to sand through to the primer.

After laying down your paint


the best thing you can do is let
it sit—the longer the better.
Te paint may seem dry but
most of the time it isn’t.

Step 6: Sand and Recoat


If you like the look of the body at this stage, you
can skip this next step and the polishing that
follows. But if you’re going for a perfect show-car
fnish, this is a must: when the paint is fully cured,
wet-sand the body again and recoat. For Tamiya
paints, repeat to apply six to eight coats. Testors/
Model Master paints spray thicker, and four coats is

TIP
usually sufcient.
When
airbrushing
acrylic paints, use
lacquer thinner to
Step 7: Polish thin them out. The
the Paint paint will spray
Now, you may be happy with the better and dry
fnish of the body at this point quicker.
and if so, you can give it a coat
of wax to bring up the shine and
call it a day. I like to take it a step further and polish the paint
out to give it a mirror shine using sand papers from a polishing
kit from Micro Mark. Polishing the paint removes the “orange
peel” texture often associated with sprayed paint. If you have
a lot of orange peel, start with 4,000 grit sand paper, but if you
have a pretty good surface then you can skip to 6,000 and start
there. Wet-sand the entire body until you have a uniform matte
fnish, then sand again with a fner grit sandpapers until you get
to 8,000 grit. Use caution around any corners and raised areas
because the paint is at its thinnest there and you can easily rub
through. If you do rub through the color, spray a little paint into
a mixing cup and use a fne paintbrush to blend in the area and
sand if necessary. All that’s left to do after sanding is to buf the
Polishing the paint removes any orange peel from the surface and will give you a glass like shine.
Here’s a shot of the roof after a quick sanding with 4,000 grit sand paper. See the diference in surface with wax and a soft rag to get that mirror fnish you’re
color? looking for.

98 RCCarAction.com
Applying grAphics
If you’re adding stripes or other graphics to the body, be sure
to triple-check your masking to make certain the tape is fully
adhered so paint won’t bleed under, and no areas are exposed
to overspray. When spraying the color, apply light coats. Don’t
overdo it with thick and/or too many coats of paint, or else
you will end up with a lip of paint on the edges of the graphic.
Pay careful attention to areas where the making
Once the paint has dried you can remove the masking tape tape passes over raised details and recessed panel lines.
and enjoy the custom look of your truck. In addition to tape, Silly Putty can be useful for masking. I used putty
to fll in the gap between the cab and bed before laying down the paint.

Step 8: Add the Details


Before painting any details, wash the detail area with dish soap to a hobby knife and it gives you a nice crisp edge. Use the edge of your
remove any wax that was used to shine up the body. Wax on the fngernail or back of a fne tip paintbrush to rub it down into place
surface will keep the paint from sticking properly and it will fake of before trimming. Only apply paint until you have full coverage and
later. When masking a detail part such as a door handle or window stop to avoid building up a large unrealistic lip on the edge of the paint.
trim, I like to use Tamiya or Parma masking tape because it’s thin With the paint applied, let it dry for about an hour then remove the
and easily conforms to the surface you are masking, cuts easily with masking tape.

When applying the masking tape, make sure you press it down along the edge of what Paint can be applied with a brush, spray can or airbrush. A paintbrush is the least time
you are painting. Your fngernail or back of a small paint brush will do the job. consuming method.

Wrap-Up
It’s not difcult to get a high-
quality fnish on an injection-
molded body, it just requires
patience. Most goofs happen
when people get impatient
and handle a still-tacky body,
or try to cover the body
with a single coat. Don’t
rush it, and if you do make a
mistake, don’t sweat it too
much. Unlike a Lexan body,
there isn’t really any mistake
you can’t undo with a hard
body. Runs can be sanded
out, imperfections can flled
… all the techniques an auto

Tip
body shop uses apply to hard
Use a block of wood, a servo
plastic bodies too.
box, empty paint cans or anything
else handy to elevate body components SourceS
for painting. That way, the paint won’t stick Tamiya tamiyausa.com
them to the work surface. Testors testors.com
Test Bench tried • tested • tortured
Testing
Once you unwrap the protective packaging
from the case, the only thing required from you
before using is to remove the various cutouts
of foam in the large center block. If you aren’t

Futaba 4PX Metal going to be using some of the storing sections


provided, you can leave the blocks in place.

Carrying Case With the foam block back in place, I put my ra-
dio in the case and it easily slid right in with no
signs of movement once it was at the bottom
Bomb-proof protection for Futaba’s top gun of the foam. Removing the radio from the foam
wasn’t as easy. It’s not hard to get your radio

W
out but it will take you a few extra seconds to
hen you purchase a grab it from the steering wheel and wiggle it
out of the foam. It would be nice if there were
high-end radio, you want
cutouts around the handle area to help you pull
to protect your invest- the radio out.
ment. Your radio is the When going on a photo shoot or a test ses-
most vulnerable when transport- sion, I only need a few tools. Tanks to the extra
ing it to and from the track or your storage in the radio case, I have all the room I
need for those few items. With the lid closed
favorite driving spot. Te box it came
and the case full I was able to shake it up, and
in provides plenty of protection, but there was no damage to the radio inside and all
isn’t convenient to carry and open and components that I placed in the case were still
close, nor will it hold up to repeated where they should be. After about a month of
use. Padded bags use, the case has proven capable at transport-
ing and protecting my transmitter and related
are handy, but
gear, but I am disappointed that the “carbon”
don’t protect covering isn’t more durable. It scufs easily,
against crush- which is a bummer but does not afect the
ing. Te best integrity of the case.
way to protect
your radio is by
placing it into a
padded metal
case. Futaba has a PLUS
case specifcally for its + radio fts snugly
4PX radio and it’s designed + attractive carbon fber styling
for maximum protection and pro- + lockable
vides plenty of storage.
MinUS
Above: Te case has a great look to it and it’s constructed out of lightweight
aluminum. Left: Each clip features a lock so you can secure your radio when
- radio is a little difcult to get out
you’re not using it. Below: Te radio fts well but getting it out is a little bit of - expensive
a challenge. You have to wiggle it out a bit or manhandle the foam. Tere’s
lots of extra storage for any other items that you need to carry with you.

The VerdicT
Futaba’s 4PX case is as high-luxe as the radio
Te case is constructed out of it holds, and is priced to match. At $110, there
aluminum, which provides a are defnitely cheaper ways to tote your 4PX.
sturdy and lightweight platform. It’s doubtful any look as factory though, and
Faux carbon fber covers the if you’re a traveling racer, the investment may
panels and features attractive spare the much greater cost of replacing a
T-FHSS, 4PX and Futaba logos transmitter that arrives at your destination in
on the face and sides of the case. more than one piece. I’m not exactly careful
All the edges have a gun metal with my gear so I’m happy to have this case
fnished rolled edge and other to keep my 4PX operating the way it should.
metal touches add to the look. —Kevin Hetmanski
Rubber feet keep it from sliding item no. FutP1014, $110
when placed on a surface and fatter feet on the back side do the same when opening and loading
the case. Te clips that keep the top and bottom half together feature a lock so you can secure your SourceS
radio when it’s not being used. Inside the case are three pieces of foam that keep the radio from Futaba futaba-rc.com
moving around. Te bottom is covered by a thin foam pad, the middle features a large block of foam
with cutouts for the radio and other accessories, while the lid has an egg crate type foam to protect
any items that may bounce around.

102 RCCarAction.com
more online! MOST PRODUCTS AVAILABLE
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2015 RC BUYER’S TRUCKS 2015
GUIDE Item# MRT15PD print or digital
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160 PAGES!
Item# CBG15PD Features:
$9.99 ■ Axial Yeti Monster Truck
Te 2015 RC Buyer’s Guide ■ Traxxas MT Retrospective
is practically bursting at the ■ Tamiya Midnight Pumpkin
seams with over 1,000 of ■ Traxxas Revo 3.3
the hottest products in radio ■ TECH & HOW TOs
control, amazing projects, and ■ Behind Te Wheel
how-tos. Tere’s also tons ■ Pro-Line PRO-MT
of information for hobbyists ■ Losi/Horizon Hobby LST XXL 2
from beginners all the way ■ HPI Savage XL Octane
up to experts with plenty ■ Vaterra Horizon Hobby Hälix
of action-packed features ■ Test Gear
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Essentials of RC” and “How
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Print and digital available. Item# SCWI15PD print or digital
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Features:

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Item# 1021PD ■ Scale truck guide
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Tis is the must-have trackside project truck
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It will show you suspension-tuning
■ Truck reviews
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bound pages that can take a beating GO-TO
and is perfectly sized for GUIDE!
your toolbox.

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Download order form online
Test
Bench

PRO-LINE DESTROYER
MONSTER TRUCK TIRES
Scale looks and great performance for your
solid axle monster truck Testing
After cleaning the tire bead and rim I stretched

T
the tire over a Tamiya Clod Buster wheel and I
he solid-axle monster truck scene is growing, but tire options have had no trouble getting them into place, unlike
lagged behind. Te Tamiya Clod Buster wheel remains the standard other Clod tires that I have mounted. Te tire
size for solid-axle trucks, and the firm-compound rubber offered to fit bead fit perfectly into the rim and it didn’t take
just isn’t up to modern specs. Pro-Line is on the case with their new much working to get it fully seated. Once the
glue was set I mounted the wheels on my
Destroyer design, which has quickly created a lot of buzz. Tunder Tech Ripper Pro Clod to see what
these tires could do. I’ve raced my Ripper for
many years and have had just about every tire
It has a scale look, soft compound and the available for the Clod Buster on it, so I have a
performance that everyone has been asking PLUS good understanding of how the truck works
with the different tire types. I began testing on a
for. Te Destroyer tires come molded in Pro-
Line’s soft M3 compound and come with very
+ Looks like full-size BKT tire combination of short grass and hard packed dirt.
large and soft open cell foam inserts to support + Lightweight I mashed the throttle and the truck took off hard
the carcass and help soak up landings. Tose + Soft compound with a dirt and debris flying behind it. Te tires
who are familiar with Monster Jam will see really do a good job of digging in and propelling
that the tires have a design similar to the BKT PLUS the truck forward with greater authority than
tires used on full-size monster trucks, which - Limited side-bite on hard packed dirt other tires I’ve used before. Te Destroyers are
sticky, very soft and pliable just like Pro-Line’s
is great for scale builds. Te sidewall detailing
is incredible. Of course I expected to see the other race-type tires, which will allow them to
name of the tire and Pro-Line on the side wall conform to various surfaces. While bombing
but I was very surprised to see the wording that around, the tires soaked up the imperfections of
you would find on the full-size tire. Some of the the area very well. It was much more controllable
words are so small you almost can’t read what and required less steering and throttle input to
they say; it’s amazing how much detail Pro- keep it going where I wanted it to. On pavement,
Line packed into the mold. the tires showed no wobble and I was very happy
with the grip. My final test of the tires happened
at the No Limit RC World Finals at the Digger’s
Dungeon in North Carolina. Te dirt on the race
track was hard packed and very loose and a lot
of the competitors were struggling to find grip
all weekend long. My truck had plenty of forward
bite, but the low profile treads allowed more slip
when cornering. Jumping performance was im-
proved with the Destroyers. Te soft tires don’t
Te tires fit well on a Tamiya rebound harshly like firmer rubber, so I was able
Clod Buster wheel and easily to get back on the throttle quickly.
stretch and maneuver into
place.

THE VERDICT
Overall I give the new Pro-Line Destroyer tires an A+. Tey look the part and
provide awesome performance in the all-terrain conditions monster trucks
are most often subjected to. I would have liked more hard-pack side bite when
racing at the World Finals, but that’s a very narrow performance niche that
the vast majority of monster truckers aren’t worried about (and everyone at
the race had the same problem, so it’s hard to fault the tires for that). More
than anything, I really love the scale look of the Destroyer design and I can’t
wait to get them on other project trucks. —Kevin Hetmanski
Item no. 10114-02, $37

SOURCES
Te Destroyer tires are molded using Pro-Line’s M3 Pro-Line prolineracing.com
compound, which is much softer than the firm rubber
other Clod-compatible tires use.
Testing
My testing methodology was highly scientific:
drive truck, get truck dirty. My first session was
a thorough thrashing on a sand volleyball court.
Te powdery sand really gets into everything.
Some dust snuck under the elastic at the front
and rear edges of the chassis, but the shroud
kept the vast majority of the stuff off the car. To
up the challenge level, I poured handfuls of sand
directly onto the shroud. Same result, nothing
gets through.
Water and mud were also easily foiled.
Despite a full load of goop on the outside, a
peek under the zipper revealed a clean chassis
on the inside. Nice. Once I got home, I hosed the
Can’t stand gunked-up gear? whole car off with the shroud in place, and the
Outerwears chassis shroud is Terra-Flo material shed the mud easily. Other
the way to go. than a few drops here and there, the chassis
beneath the shroud was dry.

PLUS
OUTERWEARS GENERATION + Easy to install
+ Keeps dirt, water, and dust off the chassis
2 CHASSIS SHROUD FOR and electronics
+
TRAXXAS SLASH 4X4 Speeds up car cleaning

Easy-to-install chassis protection MINUS


- Not cheap

O
uterwears and its filter products are popular
with powersports and motorsports enthu-
siasts, as well as RC fans. In the RC car realm,
Outerwears chassis shrouds are an easy upgrade
and do a good job of keeping the chassis free of dirt and
debris, and even shed water.

Te Terra-Flo technology is impressive stuff.


Te material is easily breathable (I actually
breathed through it, so “confirmed”), yet water
won’t pass through it (also confirmed: I formed
the shroud like a bowl, and it held water without
so much as a drip). Once installed on your car,
dirt, dust and water aren’t getting through Left: Before installation, the shroud looks like
that stuff. Te latest shroud is tailored the weirdest underwear ever. Te breaks in
specifically for the standard-chassis the Velcro are there to accommodate the
nerf bars. Note the waterproof zipper and
Slash 4X4, and the “Generation 2”
reinforced antenna hole. Above: Te zipper
design adds a hydrophobic zipper to makes it easy to access the chassis for pack
the formula. Instead of removing or changes.
partially removing the shroud for bat-
tery swaps or anything else requiring
chassis access, all it takes it a quick zip THE VERDICT
to get underneath the shroud. If you can’t stand dirt and dust getting into
your gear, then you’ll definitely like having the
INSTALLATION Generation 2 shroud on your standard-chassis
No modifications to the chassis are needed to install the shroud, but you do have to make certain Slash 4X4 (or one of Outerwears’ shrouds for
the chassis sides are completely clean so the included Velcro strips will adhere properly. I cleaned other brands). It’s easy to install, and it works.
the chassis with rubbing alcohol as Outerwears’ instructions suggest. If you’ve got denatured alco- Downside: it’s not cheap. Te Gen 2 shroud for
hol on your shelf, that will work too. Outerwears supplies a full 26” of Velcro, and it’s the real stuff, the Slash 4X4 will set you back $42, which
not generic “hook-and-loop tape.” After sticking the Velcro in place, I followed Outwears’ sugges- seems like a lot. But based on what it does, how
tion to let the chassis sit for 24 hours so the adhesive could fully set. well it does it, and how much time and hassle it
When installing the shroud, I found it easiest to line it up over the nerf bars, then work out from can save you, it’s totally worth it. –Peter Vieira
the middle to secure the shroud evenly. Te front and rear edges of the shroud have upgraded, Item no. 20-291; $42
stronger, woven elastic edges that keep the shroud tight against the chassis. Once installed, it looks
pretty trick. And slightly weird since there’s a zipper on the car, but mostly trick. Of course, you SOURCES
don’t see it at all once the body’s on. Outerwears Outerwears.com

AUGUST 2015 105


Tailpipe

Te NSP-1 shreds just like a full-size trophy truck, and lights up the night
with a functional LED light bar.

Justin is 19 and hails


from Atlanta, where
he’s an art student.
Te NSP-1 definitely
qualifies as a cool
kinetic sculpture in
our book!

Completely Custom & Totally Tubular:


Justin Hilton’s NSP-1
There’s a huge variety of kit and RTR models out there to match just about any full-size dream
machine you’d ever want to wheel, but Justin Hilton couldn’t find the scaled-out, solid-axle trophy
truck he was looking for—so he built his own! Justin’s scratch-built NSP-1 looks like a tube-frame
truck because it really is a tube-frame truck. Or to be more precise, “rod frame”—those “tubes”
You’ll find Justin’s NSP-1 in our Trail & Scale
are solid steel! That adds quite a bit of heft to the big rig, but Justin dialed in the suspension for special issue. Plus an RTR trail-truck shootout,
the weight and installed heavy-duty Tekin power to carry the load. For complete build details on Tamiya Bruiser and Traxxas Summit custom
this impressive machine, pick up our Trail & Scale special—on sale now! builds, tech tips and how-tos, plus much more!
Get Radio Control Trail & Scale at your favorite
newsstand now, or visit airagestore.com.

Te chassis is made of welded 3/16 rod and


powder-coated for a much more durable finish
than paint. Note the threaded mounting tabs for
the body panels.
MODEL 49077-1
$489.99

FOUR-TIME
BEST
NITRO ENGINE
RC Car Action
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TELEMETRY
INCLUDED!
KING OF
MONSTERS
Nitro-powered 4x4 monster truck fun starts with T-Maxx. No other truck can top
T-Maxx’s versatility and performance. Thundering TRX® 3.3 power gives T-Maxx
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T-Maxx’s class-leading durability goes beyond ‘monster tough’ to
‘Traxxas tough.’ And nitro is easy with the Traxxas EZ-Start®. Traxxas
makes experiencing the brutal torque and searing horsepower
of the TRX 3.3 engine as simple as pressing a button. Power,
performance, speed, convenience...T-Maxx brings it all together
and unlocks a whole new level of monster thrashing potential.
Go faster, jump higher, and let your creativity find new forms of
torturous off-road pounding.
pounding It’s stronger, bigger, and meaner
right down to its monster core. Make no mistake, T-Maxx reigns
supreme as King of Monsters.

© Copyright Traxxas 201. 1P-49077-1-150618 Use Top Fuel Power Plus for optimum power and performance!

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