Finally got my beetle body painted for the DT-02 that was a holiday buggy.
Second body I've painted and first time using window masks and also the window surround stickers. It came with a lot more stickers but I decided to go without them. The tamiya metallic purple looks really good in the light. It looks like it's sat a little bit far back on the chassis when you look at the arches but it wouldn't fit any further forward because of the motor. I still think it looks great!
Another Escort!
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Incredibly good as always!
That looks ace
This is a good place to plug an event I went to, although not on again until next year.
I went to the Southern Scale Trail in Somerset a couple of weekends ago, was a busy weekend combining Goodwood Revival and that event. It's an event for RC crawlers, from scale versions to one off specials. It's ace, basically a weekend of blokes and their crawlers messing around in a quarry. Yes there were some women there but mostly not, and a few kids but not many
I went with my 12yo son and we shared driving an Axial SCX10. We both really enjoyed it. Friendly atmosphere and no competitiveness, just a bit of fun. There's a marked trail, plus a load of gated trails and some areas just to mess around in.
We broke a servo horn on the day and couldn't get a replacement to fit it from the traders on site, was gutted and thought that was the end of the day. Managed to get one from another attendee, what a result. Also came away with an Axial SCX24 because I fancied something on a smaller scale to mess around with
I've been enjoying crawling more than blatting around at speed. Both good, but there's something satisfying about the slower speed technicality, plus batteries a lot longer and there are less breakages
Some deals about for rival mt8s rtr bar batteries for £289. Now the mt8 is, it seems, made of tissue paper but I saw Tomley recently fixed his with redcat kaiju a arms. Great.... except he bought those arms months ago and no one seems to stock them anymore as the kaiju is discontinued. However rpm also do upgraded A arms, a front and rear set can be found for just over £30. A bit more research and it seems it is also worth upgrading the turnbuckles to 5mm, I think its buy some arrma parts, drill out the support to 4.2mm and screw in the better turnbuckles. I've not looked up the turnbuckles price but I'm guessing £20_30. So £350 plus batteries and charger and you've then got, it seems, a capable 8th scale 4s to 6s monster truck. I've got 3 matched 2s batteries....I just need a W or Y lead....
Hmm.
Any recommendations for a 1/10th scale trailer to fit a TRX4 ?
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Flipping heck merak. Show off! 😜
More rival mt8 research. To fully fully beef it up some people upgrade the hub carriers too, to alloy. No one does alloy mt8 carriers, you need to fit the redcat kaiju carriers. Not cheap though. I've found 2 ebay sellers liquid rc and rc express, both us based. After shipping (both combine shipping at least) a set of front and rear carriers will be £80-90.
Still tempted.
2 sets of 5x50 arrma turnbuckles
1 set of 5x65 arrma turnbuckles, £32 from appliance electronics, after postage
Front and rear redcat kaiju alloy hub carriers, £74 delivered from the us, from liquid rc on ebay.
Rpm upgraded a arms, front and rear, £27 delivered from Rochester rc
Rival mt8 4-6s rtr, £289 from at model's, kings Lynn models, maybe more.
Deans y cable (to make 2x2s run 4s) £3
Total £425. I shouldn't, but
Well my 'adventures' with the Typhon are over. Took it out a few weeks ago with the local bashing crew and it shat a centre driveshaft, rear differential, both rear driveshafts and the slipper clutch assembly cracked too. Rebuilt it all only for the front differential to die as well as another centre driveshaft 5 mins into the next run! Went to the local hobby shop to get a differential casing as I have the other parts already (bulk buys come in handy some times) and was so fed up and in need of some retail therapy that I walked out with this:
The MT10 that I was going to buy originally, well the V2 version of it! Haven't run it yet in anger (just a squirt round the living room to check it all works on a 2S) as it has the wrong connector for my big batteries - Deans on a 3S truck, really?! - so that needs to be swapped plus I want to Drywall tape and ShooGoo the body before I get carried away.
Have done a bit of work on the crawlers too. The Gatekeeper now has a 1800kv Fusion SE, such a good motor/ESC combo for the money, and the Sendero is now blue. I do plan to switch the Gatekeeper to do dual duty with the original body and the Sendero shell, making it a trail truck and a rock bouncer with just a switch of body and wheels. This will allow the Sendero chassis to be switched to a LCG one, but this is a just a plan so far. Had a go with a mate's LCG build and it's a ridiculous amount of fun on tough terrain but his is worth well over £900 with carbon chassis, Furitek Outrunner motor (£££), silly powerful servos, 4 wheel steer with Dig and full carbon headlock wheels. Need to sell a few cars first though as the collection is still growing despite my best efforts.
@neilnevill - the MT8 is on offer everywhere as it's selling really poorly, the initial reviews did it no favours, and a V2 is mooted for the New Year. Not saying don't get it but might be something to keep in mind.
Seems to be a lot of talk around a make from china called MJX hyper go: http://www.mjxrc.net/goods/hyper-go.html
I just ordered 2 from aliexpress for £52 each (for my 2 boys)
comes with metal axles, chassis, oil filled shocks, spare tyres and LED lights. Total bargain
http://www.mjxrc.net/goodshow/14209-14209.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBWENVp77Sc
Any chance of the aliexpress link?
Cheers
Those MJXs look brilliant.
Are they a better option than something like this that I was about to buy for mini-a11y#2's Christmas: A959-B off-road buggy. She's 8 so the requirements are tough and ability to run on grass/off-road.
I just watched that video shared by @trickydisco and utterly amazed at the robustness of those! Especially compared to how fragile the Tamiya R/Cs were when I was a kid...
looking purely at specs the mjx is better specced: metal chassis, brushless, lipo batteries, waterproof receriver cases, metal axles, spare tyres, extra springs and oil filled shocks. THe MJX is 1 /14 whereas the buggy is 1/18th
I guess the worry i have is it being too fast. I went with the s2 battery which isn't as fast. the s3 lipo is 45mph!
the controller does have a speed restricter to 70 or 75% but think i might have to sellotape a stopper for my boys (6 and will be 9)
Thanks @trickydisco
I'm so far out of the loop with R/C cars and arrived at the same conclusion of what you've just posted about the specs.
Well I was just innocently getting out of my shower and I fell and landed directly on my phone which was forced right up into my aliexpress account and ordered me a 3S MJX 14210.
Am I missing something between these 2 - they look the same but the price difference is significant;
I've just seen the reviews on the cheaper one saying it's a scam, I guess trickydisco's looks like the one to go for.
Now spotted a review has appeared on trickydisco's link saying it's a scam too! 😬
The review shows the cheaper model that's in the multi-listing, I wonder which one they actually ordered?
Aliexpress customer protection is actually surprisingly good, in my experience, pretty much always leads to quick refunds but still. How much should these cost? Like, at what point should you look at a listing and think "that must be dodgy"?
Well spotted, hopefully that's what they've done by mistake
Now spotted a review has appeared on trickydisco’s link saying it’s a scam too!
Eeeek
Well i'll post up findings when it arrives - something has been shipped
@trickydisco I have nothing to add about RC vehicles, but excellent user name.
@Northwind the link from the Tomley video (to AliExpress) has these priced up at £133.80, so I'd guess anything showing half that price might be a bit too good to be true.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005623978907.html
there are 2 versions of the MJX
v2 is the newer version which is more expensive. Also some come with 3s batteries
Have noticed a UK seller stocking them
https://www.seriousrc.co.uk/collections/electric-monster-trucks
Also lists lots of spare parts
I found these from what claims to be a R/C car store on Aliexpress. Don't appear to have the metal chassis etc so I'm wondering if they're the v1 version? Inbetweeny price at £77.
And also noticed that first/cheap seller link posted by @versus above (with the 1* reviews) is no longer for sale.
I bought 1 x 14209 and 1 x 14210 from @trickydisco's link yesterday morning, so will report back on what arrives. If they're legit then I might buy another, for me...
The review shows the cheaper model that’s in the multi-listing, I wonder which one they actually ordered?
Yup! mine arrived today and it's definately not the mjx hyper go. Its the really small one. Too good to be true (sorry folks for getting excited and posting links)
Can't request a refund until another 5 days for some reason
Will be interested to see how the returns procedure is. It does state free returns after 15 days
Yeah, me too, thought it was likely but was worth a flutter. You can start the process right with the seller right now if you want, but since it's definitely a scam rather than an error you might not get far with that. Probably easier to wait and get aliexpress to step in though
For anyone intersted. There is an official UK reseller of the MJX
i've spoken to them and they stock every spare part for it and offer free 30 day returns policy
My Alixepress ones (same as @trickydisco's link) have estimated delivery of 11th Dec. Given they're supposed to be Christmas gifts for my mini a11y's, I think it's prudent to start looking at alternatives - I'm not holding out much hope for what's going to arrive now and it wouldn't go down well if I Santa don't deliver on these...
I'm looking at the cheap/slower MJX and HBX offroad trucks/buggies on
https://www.seriousrc.co.uk/
but TBH don't know the good from the bad. Now I realise how non-cyclists must feel when navigating the cheaper end of the bike market.
I’m looking at the cheap/slower MJX and HBX offroad trucks/buggies on
https://www.seriousrc.co.uk/
but TBH don’t know the good from the bad. Now I realise how non-cyclists must feel when navigating the cheaper end of the bike market.
the v2 has got uprated/thicker steering parts and hub carriers.
not sure on the others but the mjx does seem better than a lot of models onn modelsport from the point of view of metal parts/chassis,oil filled shocks etc
Thanks. TBH given their age and these just being toys, I'm tempted just to get my mini-a11y's a MJX MEW4 M163 model each. They won't appreciate the difference between one of those at £70 and a Hyper Go v2 at double the price, I imagine it'll still be awesome to 8/11yr olds on Christmas morning.
But I'll await the inevitable with next week's delivery first!
@a11y very good reviews on amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B0CKPCPDSG/
hmm then again they all say "Vine Customer Review of Free Product"
I’ve gone and ordered a HBX 16889 pro and a MJX MEW4 for my 2 boys (from UK sellers this time!)
I ordered 2 x MJX MEW4 M162s from www.radio-controlled.co.uk yesterday - delivery due later this afternoon. Although my Aliexpress ones haven't arrived (were due yesterday but tracking shows them still in China) I'm 99.9% certain they'll not be what I ordered, going from the reviews and what you've all received. Couldn't take the risk of 'Santa' not having the presents for the mini-a11ys on Christmas Day...
Spare batteries - any thoughts/ideas?
Look decent in this unboxing/review:
@trickydisco good choice, mine has been faultless despite my best efforts. Mine cost the same as the Tracer equivalent once they released it.
Talking of Chinese deliveries I had this arrive a week or so ago:
A LCG conversion chassis for one of my Element crawlers. The only issue with it was that the gearbox mount it came with only had half the holes for the bars drilled in it so I've put a spare original one in, actually works better as it has smoother edges and gets the gearbox a few mm lower too. Be a few weeks before it's all switched over as I need a few other bits but it's only an experiment so a £40 chassis is much easier on the wallet than the £100+ for a GCRC or similar one! The geometry is close enough and I've seen some people get very good results with the previous version, very little has changed so bodes well. Hoping to have it all finished in time for a small event in mid-January a localish club is running.
The overall plan is to make my Gatekeeper a dual use truck: the standard cage body for using at a few of my local crawling spots but have it so that a quick swap of wheels and unbolting the cage hinge at the front means the Sendero body can go on it to use it as a trail truck. This then frees up the Sendero chassis as a donor for this. Three different trucks for the price of two and simplifies spares too. All part of my rationalisation of my collection, have far too many RC's so hoping to get the collection down to 4 by Easter.
@ally
Mine arrived yesterday
Pretty impressed tbh. Thick metal axles, metal gears, oil filled adjustable shocks
Spare batteries – any thoughts/ideas?
On the battery front I'm going to get a spare from here
So interestingly, after returning the "MJX" I've just got a message saying a replacement is on the way. Will it be the actual MJX? Will it be another piece of crap? A box with a jobby in it? Who knows?
Something I guess I'd not considered about the aliexpress process before is that while I've always found it safe, and always got the result I want at the end, it's kind of difficult to actually report a scam. So in this case, while the individual customer should be protected there doesn't seem anything to prevent the seller from doing it again.
Seeing as the weather has been so bad over the last 48 hours I've cracked on with the LCG build.
Most of the parts from the Element crawler swapped over easily enough, the only minor issues was I had to get a different input gear and shaft for the gearbox so that it could run the other way round and having to fight a few rounded screws while disassembling. Took the opportunity to fit screws with 3mm hex heads rather then the 2.5's, should make maintenance easier as they're more substantial and also not domed so easier to deal with if I do round one off.
Upgraded the brushed motor setup to a Hobbywing Fusion SE while it was apart plus some +20mm spacers on each hub to widen the track. If they improve the handling (will test against the standard ones) then they'll be replaced by some high offset wheels at some point, keeping costs low right now plus the original plastic wheels are decent and light which is a goal of the build. I'll add weight to improve the performance if it needs it but hoping that the limiting factor will be tyre grip rather than centre of gravity issues, the draw to put some copper alloys on it is rather strong though! Will need to find a shorter steering link at some point, it's about 10mm too long but works fine. Just means it steers better right than left and has the possibility of pushing the servo horn too far but works fine as long as I'm wary of binding the drivetrain up.
I ordered a JConcepts body for it too but that got damaged in the post and I'm awaiting a replacement to be sent in the New Year, have used the damaged one to try for fitment though. The damaged areas means it sits too far back and too low at the rear to be perfect once I had cut them out but it works and means I can at least run it for the time being. Took the opportunity to try a bold colour too, sort of like it so might be the colour I go for rather than something a bit more subdued that I normally favour.
Can already tell it's much more capable than with the original chassis, can climb steeper and side hills better trying it on a cardboard box. Hopefully get it out and test it back-to-back with the Gatekeeper over the next weekend.
How did you get on @a11y
got to be honest the MJX MEW4 is much better than the HBX 16889 pro i got for my other son. I got the hbx as it had full speed control on the controller but then MJX is really well built. It's been crashed into kerbs and jumps, wheelied, crashed everywhere and it's still running fine. Battery is a decent size and lots of spares available if needed.
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@Merak, I love that. A bit cheaper than the real thing that sold last year for £415k: https://www.iconicauctioneers.com/1992-subaru-legacy-rs-rec12351-3-silverston-0823
How did you get on @a11y
@trickydisco, all good! The aliexpress 'mjx' arrived after Christmas and were the same crap/cheap ones that the seller's been scamming others with, so I've a return for a refund on the go. Thankfully I'd also ordered those two MJX MEW4 M162s from a UK seller which my girls got on Christmas morning, and they're superb. Appear suitably robust and yet to empty the battery in a single use - kids had had enough after 35mins (admittedly not razzing around at full speed the whole time). Really impressed. I'm waiting on restocking and might buy myself one too...
Excellent @a11y. I got the refund for both cars in the end through aliexpress. Not going to make that mistake again. Like i said in th epost i bought the HBX 16889 pro and a MJX MEW4 .Out of the both i'd day the MJX beats the HBX. It's built a lot better, thicker metal axles, nicer layout. The pros of the hbx is the controller is better. It has full speed control so you can turn it right down for indoors. THe MJX has a 70 and 100% setting.
Really chuffed. My boys have been sending them in the air, crashing into kerbs and they've held up well.
Excellent @a11y. I got the refund for both cars in the end through aliexpress. Not going to make that mistake again.
By coincidence I had e-mails from Aliexpress a couple of hours ago issuing full refunds for both cars - that was after me raising the case on 28th Dec. Lesson learnt. I've ordered plenty of bike stuff on Aliexpress and this was the first issue I've had.
Yeah, ours have rattled more than a few kerbs accidentally and holding up well. I've tweaked the front toe as the wheels had significant toe-out and made them a bit twitchy in a straight line. Improved now that I've gone very slight toe-in.
Hoping someone can offer some advice.. I recently picked up an LDARC X43 micro crawler for a bit of fun, and it came with a spare plain white shell. I quite fancy a Jurassic park style shell (cheesy I know) and wondering if it’s going to be possible to paint the white shell in a nice way? Everything I read says to paint the inside of a clear shell, which I obviously do not have (and also this thing is tiny so I think painting the inside would be rather tricky).
No reason why you can't paint the outside of a shell provided you use Tamiya Polycarbonate spray paint.
If you don't fancy it I'll paint it for you.🙂
My only experience of painting stuff like this is decades old painting airfix with paintbrushes. Do I need anything special or do I get teeny tiny rattle cans? I imagine if I tried a normal spray can on this, one quick squirt and the whole thing will be covered!
I would quite like to have a go myself though it’s tempting to have it done for me 😂
I would quite like to have a go myself though it’s tempting to have it done for me
Buy two so you’ve one to send to Metak once you’ve had your own attempt. Most hateful part of RC hobby for me. So jealous of Merak’s talent for it.
Just bought a MN99s crawler for my 'kids'. Seems pretty good fun if a bit bouncy. Is there any thing similar for less than 100 quid that I can get to stop the civil war that's broken out over who gets to play with it (luckily I'm the biggest so tend to win).
thought i would post here as it might get me off my backside and get it built but i have one of these on the shelf from Xmas still not even opened
built the optima turbo a year or so back and it swiftly became my favourite car
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if you have the patience and good eyesight, the 1/32 scale rc trucks from Orlandoo Hunter are good fun to build.
not sure how to add photos, so a link to instagram.
@Ewan add £94 FTX Ravine to your shortlist for consideration
Discount code = “payday” May still work
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Another Escort @Merak ? How many is that now? Must be able to do them in your sleep.
I always open this thread when I see a Merak update, loving your work on these shells.
Do you actually drive them, or is this just for pleasure and display? I think I’d weep with the first rollover or scrape!
Have you seen the Jäegermeister model,
I love the look of that one.
Hi folks, Looking for 1/10 size ish rock crawler. Would prefer a kit to build rather than something ready to run. Would prefer lots of spare parts, upgrades available. Not bothered about extreme performance or perfect detail scale, just some middle of the road. Is there a consensus on what is best?
Hi folks, Looking for 1/10 size ish rock crawler. Would prefer a kit to build rather than something ready to run. Would prefer lots of spare parts, upgrades available. Not bothered about extreme performance or perfect detail scale, just some middle of the road. Is there a consensus on what is best?
No idea if it's anything like 'middle of the road best' with the guys that know their stuff and it's RTR, but I've always fancied a Traxxas Defender
@rockhopper70 Hell no! My OCD is off the scale when it comes to scratches. All of my pleasure is derived from the creation of the bodyshells from a bit of clear plastic. 👌
@db I built a G Made BOM and really enjoy it. Haven’t abused it, but seems to be pretty robust. Decent spares availability from what I’ve seen.
Hell no! My OCD is off the scale when it comes to scratches. All of my pleasure is derived from the creation of the bodyshells from a bit of clear plastic.
You should have at least one that you rag the shit out of and has real life rally battle scars and muddy tyres
.
https://m.traxxas.com/news/trx4-sport-kit
Traxxas TRX4 is THE model for 1/10th rock crawling, and comes in kit form so you can select what components you wish to use
More progress today, whites on. It's a nightmare trying to eliminate overspray from that first dark colour when blocking into white.
There's always a tiny speck you miss...
Spoiler painted too, utterly impossible to mask inside the shell, the white and red are bad enough, so it goes on top.
With that the paint is done, always nice to get over this stage without disaster.
Decals next...
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Obviously it's not radio control as Yellow himself is driving it....
Very good!