RE: Duratrax evader D
The DT is a fun truck but it still suffers from the weak gearbox problems of the earlier models. The DT is also considerable cheaper than the baja they replaced it with. My guess is the DT was cutting into the Baha'is sales.
Posted on: 7/19/2012 7:16 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11161885

RE: classics i saw
Top one is a futaba FX10. Bases on the tamiya striker
Posted on: 7/19/2012 7:13 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11161880

RE: How's the 2WD SCT class going at your track?
Largest class around here is still spec Slash followed close by stock SCT 2wd, mod SCT 2wd. The 4wd trucks haven't caught on really. Like someone else said. Nitro is also dead here. Most nights there are only a couple of Nitros that show up.
Posted on: 7/18/2012 4:49 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11159652

RE: How often do you lose body clips?
So many that I bought a box of 500 from Ace hardware. LHS get $3.95 for 20. Ace wants $8.95 for 500... Kind of a no brainer...
Posted on: 7/14/2012 7:32 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11154822

RE: Tamiya Subaru Brat Build Thread
I am still planning to build. I've been crazy busy with work and Real cars so I haven't had much time for rc lately.
Posted on: 7/13/2012 3:52 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Classic Cars & Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11154232

RE: Ezrun 9t motor getting very hot
Gearing is the problem. We need more info... What is the car? What is the KV of the motor. What tires are on the back of the car? How tall are they? Where are you running this car. Stay out of the grass.
Posted on: 7/10/2012 11:44 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11150187

RE: Would you be willing to pay a membership club fee for a dirt track at a club
I'd consider $100 a year if the track was maintained and there was vending machines etc. Anything more than that and i'd most likely pass. There is a guy up near the WI boarder that has a track on his land. He charges $2 a day and has drinks / chips for sale in his garage. I only make it out about 10-20 times a year so this would more than double what I spend currently so $100 would be my limit. There's or was also a free track in round lake so you'll have to compete with that.....
Posted on: 7/10/2012 11:41 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11150185

RE: Bought a tamiya Grasshopper what brushless should I drop in?
The grassHopper is an old school solid axle buggy that handles like a turd but it’s a blast to drive. The Hopper and Hornets are my favorite cars to just go out and run for fun. We had a Solid axle vintage class at our local track a coupld of years ago and it was the most fun I’ve had in years. It was also the most watched class as everyone would crowd the track to watch these old relics run. The DT02MS chassis is a more modern buggy. Independent suspension, Oil shocks, and 25+ yrs of design advancement. It handles well, stop well and goes well with the right motor. If you like old school tamiya cars then you’ll love the Hopper. I personally feel everyone should build and own at least one in their life. If you want something that handles well or will be your only RC car then go with the DT02 as it’s a more well rounded modern car.
Posted on: 7/10/2012 11:29 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11150166

RE: rustler or evader
I have owned a large number of Traxxas cars and truck over the years inducing a couple of Rustlers. The Rustler is a VERY stout truck that will take one hell of a beating. In all the years I beat on them I can’t remember a major failure or break that wasn’t completely my fault. I ripped both left side wheels off once after misjudging the amount of room I had and clipping a light pole at 60+ mph. Other then that I really didn’t have much trouble with them. I also have to disagree on the VXL ESC problem. I’ve run that setup in a dozen cars and other than one esc refusing to stay in LiPo mode I’ve never had a problem. I will admit that they are not the best handling trucks in the world but they can be made very track ready with a little work. I know the Brushless Evader is different than the older EXT and original ST and I’m hoping they have addressed the gearbox issues. The early trucks would strip out the gears even with mild motors. I once killed one with a 12T titan on dirt and I know these problems are still present in the DT that I have today. If they addressed the gearbox then you should be fine. The rest of the truck isn’t too bad really. It certainly handles better than the Rustler and it’s lighter as well. The stress guarantee is a joke as they don’t want to talk to you after the first time you use it and will openly tell you they are not going to replace the part after you call them the third time �. My response was build it correctly the first time and you won’t have to send out so many parts. Do some homework on the gearbox on the Evader. If the problems have been fixed then buy it. If not then get the Rustler. Either one will make a fun truck for bashing.
Posted on: 7/10/2012 11:17 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11150152

RE: King Cab?
I had a king cab a couple of yrs back. I sold it and all Tge spare part. Theyre nice trucks when done right.
Posted on: 6/30/2012 12:44 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Classic Cars & Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11137820

RE: cheap chinese batteries
Having owned a few maxamps packs over the yrs I can honestly say they are NOT worth the money. I've run them back to back with zippy and turnigy packs and can't see any difference. Buy turnigy packs and save your money.
Posted on: 6/30/2012 10:56 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11137721

RE: Buying Beater and Fixing it Up
[quote]ORIGINAL: thehuntingterminator So I;m looking to make some money involving RCs. Do y'all think that there is any money to be made by buying old/dirty/only partially working/really used RCs off ebay and then fixing them up and cleaning them up to make them run and look decent and then re-selling them on ebay? I've been wondering about this for a while, because I know people do this with all kinds of other stuff, but didn't know about doing it with RC. For example, there is a Losi Mini DT that I could probably get for $60 max, which the seller says has a bad motor. It looks to be in great condition besides this, and the motor is like $10, right? So if I could get the car and the motor for under $70, then would there be any money to be made, by selling it for around $100? Just wondering guys, looks like it might make me some dough to start doing this and might be kinda fun, too. [/quote] If this was posted 4 yrs ago I would tell you that you could do it and make a profit. Today there is little room to make anything and often times you break even or end up upside down on a car. For a few yrs I had one of the RC chop shops on Ebay. I would buy used cars and either fix them up and resell or part them out. I would also part out new cars IF I could get a deal on the cars to begin with. Here's an example. I bought a used Slash 2WD. It looked dirty and beat but I asked for more pics and could tell it was just dirt. It Came with a spare body unpainted, Extra wheels and tires, Had a few Rpm parts here and there but included all the original parts including a couple of batteries and a charger. This truck ran me around $125 shipped to my door. Knowing I could flip it pretty quick I removed the electronics and sprayed the thing down with super clean then hosed it off and dried it. Replaced a couple of bearing and lubed everything up. After about 2 hrs of clean up I swapped an old Slash body I had laying around that was really nice and shot a quick video of the truck running. I posted it on Ebay RTR for $190 with the batteries and charger. I got an offer if $180 plus shipping and took it. I then sold off the extra body, suspension arms, shocks and batteries for around another $75-80. All told I made around $140-150 on that truck. This was the exception. Other deals were not so good. I bought an old RC10 that t looked to be in excellent condition. Once I got it I realized the tub was bent, dog bones where twisted and the trans needed a rebuild. The wheels, tires and body were really nice. I spent $75 or so on it and put another $75 into it in parts. By the time I was done it was a really nice car that sold for over $200 but I had maybe 10 hrs of time in finding parts and labor. In the end it wasn't worth the effort. One last positive post. I bought a "BOX" of misc tamiya car off a guy here on the forums. They were given to him by his brother or something and he just wanted them gone. I asked for pics and he just dumped the box an took pics. I could identify a number of cars and a ton of parts. We agreed on $50 + shipping which was another $30 as the box was huge. Once here I opened it up and found a pair of lightly used Grasshoppers, a Hornet in pieces, tons of part for these cars, a Falcon, a 959, most of a lunch box, a complete king cab minus the body in piece and a ton of misc parts. I bring this up as I was able to rebuild and sell 4 hopper / hornet cars, 1 lunch box, 1 king cab, a 959 and an almost new falcon that I kept and sold off dozens of misc parts making several hundred dollars. The 959 alone sold for over $300 with a repo body. IF you can find cars like examples one and three then there is money to be made. However Ebay has raised their fees to ridiculous levels that basically forced me to stop as I was no longer making money. Here's a list of fees and costs you need to consider. Ebay Listing fee Ebay final value fee. Paypal fee. Cost of packaging materials like boxes, bubble wrap and tape. Shipping cost.
Posted on: 6/28/2012 6:16 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11135789

RE: Very hot motor.
The ESC getting too hot is not really true anymore as newer esc's can handle much more load without over heating. Take a castle esc for example. I have run 15 turn motors in a slash geared 21/87 for speed runs. After 10 or 15 mins of running the motor was well over 200f but the esc was cold as it had no problems with the load requirements. What you need to find out is how hot the motor actually is. 160f is normal. Anything above that is getting too hot. By 200f you're already hurting the motor.
Posted on: 6/27/2012 11:37 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11134010

RE: Hpi blitz vs. losi xxx-sct
I have a pair of blitz's and they are great trucks. You will need to replace Tge steering servo as its junk but otherwise it's a great strong truck and handles very well. That said I have been eyeing the XXX-SCT as my new racer for mod. If it proves to be reliable I'm gonna grab one in the next couple of weeks.
Posted on: 6/26/2012 9:44 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11132466

RE: Bringing back a NiMH to life
[quote]ORIGINAL: cumminspower5.9 Well it's also the fact that he wants a decent charger as well. He like my charger, but that was I think $85? Lipos are cheap though. I bought a Duratrax 2s 5000mah for $40. I kinda want him to upgrade just so he can see how fast a light, 2wd stampede with a Castle system will go. But then again, it is ultimately up to him if he wants to upgrade, which is why i have been figuring out how to bring the NiMH back to life. [/quote] Look at hobby king. A pair of lipos and a charger under a hundred bucks. I bought one of their chargers as a back up and other than the color I can't tell the difference between it and my venom I paid $100 for. Even opened them up and they look identical. It wouldn't surprise me if it's the same piece from the same mfg.
Posted on: 6/26/2012 9:41 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11132461

RE: Worst Hobby Grade Rc you've ever owned?
This is a little tougher than the best car thread as there are some really bad cars out there. For me Tge original E-Maxx and the original SC10 would tie for worst car with old Hirobo celica a close second place
Posted on: 6/26/2012 6:29 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11132229

RE: Bringing back a NiMH to life
Cycle the packs a few times. If they cOme back then great. If not then trash them. I personally wouldnt waste the time as lipos are so affordable now it's not worth the headache of owning nimh.
Posted on: 6/26/2012 6:21 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11132217

RE: What's the BEST hobby grade RC you've ever owned?
My favorite cars to run are still my old school tamiyas. There will always be a place for the hoppers and hornets. NO they don't handle we'll but that's the point. Just plain fun and simple. Most reliable by far is my stampede. I have a couple of them for myself and one for the kid. My basher that I carry with me is a old black chassis that has vxl gears and carriers and a S600 for power. I carry it with me. In the truck and run it whenever I have a chance. It has well over 1000 runs. The only thing I've ever broke are one rear arm, a couple of stub shafts and few spur gears. Otherwise it's been flawless. The kids is a pede I built from parts. Basically all stock except for 32p gears and 6 in imex tires. It's been through a few motor as the lid had learned to control it. We started with a crawler motor and it's currently running an S600. He's run that truck for almost 4 yrs without breaking it.
Posted on: 6/26/2012 6:17 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11132214

RE: Scaler/rock crawler ideas
[quote]ORIGINAL: the.fastest.milkcart Hey there all, I've been looking to buy a scaler/crawler and am not sure what to go for. I looked on the Rc4wd website and was interested in the trail stomper but was unsure of how practical it would actually be... The scale side of it looks really nice but i want something that is actually useable, so i'm looking for a good balance between rock crawler and scaler, any ideas? [/quote] I’m a big fan of the older Axial AX10. I’ve found them for as little as $90 running because they look bad from crawling. The nice thing about them is you can put a e-maxx shocks on to lower it a bit and add a Jeep Rubicon body for scale looks. With the the stock tires it makes a great scale crawler and it very capable. The only thing you might want to consider is limiting straps for axles so it doesn’t have unrealistic amounts of flex. I’ll post up a couple of pics of mine when I get home. Watch Ebay and you should be able to pick one up for well under $150 running.
Posted on: 6/25/2012 10:50 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Rock Crawlers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11131223

RE: Sometimes we pay too much
[quote]ORIGINAL: phmaximus Reminds me of people spending thousands on a turbo to keep up with a V8, why not just buy the V8 then turbo it [/quote] Truer words have never been spoken..... I never understood the 4 cyl crowd...
Posted on: 6/19/2012 2:14 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11124187

RE: Reconditioning Velineon B/L 3500.. does it make any difference?
[quote]ORIGINAL: Atlantiskiwi Hi, what difference does reconditioning my TRaxxas Vileneon motor make? It seems pretty easy to do, If I do it more often will it make my car faster? Appreciate your opinion. Cheers, Richard. [/quote] I rebuilt one after a couple of hundred packs had been run through it and didn't see any real change other than the fact that t was a little quieter after the rebuild. There were no obvious signs of wear or damage when I took it apart. I would look at the motor first and see if it looks like it needs a rebuild.
Posted on: 6/17/2012 10:34 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11121281

RE: looking for a few recommendations
Your choice to buy a tamiya is a good one. The grasshopper is a great beginner car but due to its 380 motor it's rather slow. I would recommend you have a look at the hornet as it is basically the same car but comes with a lexan (lite weight) body and the larger 540 motor. A good choice for radio gear on the cheap is the traxxas take out radios and receivers. They're everywhere on eBay and the traxxas site for $20. You can get a 2075 traxxas servo for about $15-20 as well so the entire radio system should cost less than $50 to your door. As for lipo batteries. The Turnigy 4000 packs fit the battery compartment but you will want a low voltage alarm as the tamiya ESC does not have a cutoff built in. Better connectors are also a good idea as well as a Lipo charger. If you do you homework you can be into a new hornet with batteries, charger, radio and car for right around $250. Btw. I'm in Chicago as well. In the northern burbs. We should bash.
Posted on: 6/5/2012 4:09 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11107798

RE: Is this a good deal? Traxxas slash
I would jump on the slash 4x4 but a word of caution. The stampede wheels and tires are larger than stock and when used the gearing should be lowered to keep the motor from overheating. Be sure to test drive the car before you buy it. Plan on buying a temp gun and a couple of pinions if you plan to run the stampede tires. You'll want to hear it so the motor does not exceed about 175F. I typically stop running at 170f and change gearing or let the truck cool off.
Posted on: 6/5/2012 9:40 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11107332

RE: First Crawler/Scaler
The SCX10 is a great kit. I bought the Tacoma (honcho) just before they discontinued the kit. It was a fun build and a great truck to run. No problems in close to 50 packs. My other crawler started life as an AX10. I ran it that way for a couple of years before changing over to something more scale. With an hours work and a jeep body you can have a very nice scale crawler for less than the cost of an SCX10. Ax10's can typically be found for well under $200 running on Cl and even Ebay.
Posted on: 6/3/2012 9:08 AM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11104744

RE: lipo cell Voltage difference.
What you're seeing is perfectly normal. What I recommend you do is find a stand alone balancer that you can hook up after a run and let the pack balance. I have a dozen turnigy and zippy packs and they're just fine. I have some that have over 200 cycles with no issues. Don't waste your mOney on the expensive packs. They're not worth it
Posted on: 5/30/2012 5:39 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11100558

RE: Hello HPI goodbye Traxxas, need some direction / reviews of my next vehicle
It's funny. I always laugh when I hear people talk about how bad the slash handles. My 2WD held The lap record in stock last year. You have to remember one thing. You are not racing RC champs at the club level. 99% of the people you're racing are weekend warriors. In most races simply keeping the car on all four wheels will get you a top three finish. It's not the car at the club level. It's the driver.
Posted on: 5/30/2012 5:19 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11100538

RE: The best off-road kit for me?
The largest tamiya clubs that I know of are Tamiyaclub.com and ultimatetamiya.com.. You might also want to check out TamiyaBlog.com for upcoming release info. There are a number of of other Tamiya forums but they are mostly foreign and aggravate me to read as some of the slang doesn't make sense to me here in the US. I'm not sure if it's still true today but a couple of years back I read an post about the largest RC mfgs and the most influential companies. Traxxas was clearly on top in sales but there was a dispute whether tamiya or HPI had larger RC sales for second place. You can find tamiya parts for years after the models are discontinued. I just picked up a pair of super hornet bodies and a grasshopper 2 body with decals direct from tamiya USA. Both of those cars have been gone for 10+ years. If you want a fun build I suggest the Frog or even the Hornet. A Hornet can be found for well under $100 in most places. Yes it's old school and has a solid axle but that's whats so great about those cars. Every Tamiya car or truck has a unique quirk about it. The Hornet and Hoppers have a solid axle that bounces around on almost every bump. The Hotshot has a Mono shock front and rear and they actually work. The Lunch box it a top heavy van with a solid axle that handles like a dump truck and wheelies 90% of the time but it's just great fun to drive. Buy a Tamiya. You'll love the build and the brand. Don't worry about parts support. It will be there. I can still get parts for almost every Tamiya I own and that list is extensive.
Posted on: 5/29/2012 4:36 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11099060

RE: problems with Integy support
Unfortunatly this is the case with most integy parts. They're either soft or brittle and support is non-existent. I wish you the best of luck but I seriously doubt you will get anywhere. Put the factory chassis back under it and try to sell the integy to someone building a shelf queen.
Posted on: 5/28/2012 7:26 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11097989

RE: The best off-road kit for me?
[quote]ORIGINAL: The_Shark [quote]ORIGINAL: john01374 I understand your need to build a tamiya kit. I've built hundreds of them over the last 25 yrs and they are the best builds on the market. That said. If you truly want to go 70mph I have one one suggestion. Bandit VXL. Yes it's a RTR and not a tamiya. What you do get is a car that's tough as nails, relatively affordable
Posted on: 5/28/2012 7:20 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11097983

RE: The best off-road kit for me?
I understand your need to build a tamiya kit. I've built hundreds of them over the last 25 yrs and they are the best builds on the market. That said. If you truly want to go 70mph I have one one suggestion. Bandit VXL. Yes it's a RTR and not a tamiya. What you do get is a car that's tough as nails, relatively affordable and stupid fast. The bandit VXL is Tge cheapest way I know of to go 70+ mph
Posted on: 5/28/2012 7:08 PM by Author "john01374" in the forum "RC Electric Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Truggies and more"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11097753