I modify it, he drives it!

[J.DUKE]

My 10 year old son wanted a Ridgecrest.
(Me too...)

We got it, unboxed it, and got to work.

So, our first agenda item was to remove all items we weren't going to use...

[cooterwrenchen]

well, lets see it

[J.DUKE]

Ok, first mod...

-Wraith kit wheels with Losi Carvers

Now you might be thinking """Did he just mount up old crap he had laying around?"""

Actually, NO...

The Losi Carver may not be at the peak of popularity, but it crawls like a beast.
I have run several sets on 2.2 Honcho's with great success.


Haulin': They are very stable for high speed fun. After 2 hours of testing, the Ridgecrest didn't roll over once.

Crawlin': Though they grip well and pull tough lines, they are too short for such a wide axle.
My Wraith with ripsaws had much less diff hangups with the taller tire.

Final verdict: Stick with taller tires for AR60 axles! These will be swapped out shortly.

[J.DUKE]

Here's a few shots.
My son, Grant, set them up.
I took the shots and he ran the rig.

[jmecmore]

For some reason it looks good in flight. Nice!

[J.DUKE]

Another key mod is the Axial universals.
DO NOT run your ridgecrest before doing this mod.
If you have to, reduce your steering rate dramatically.

Everybody whines, "I busted a knuckle, I busted a C-hub!"

The truth is Wraith/Ridgecrest knuckles and c-hubs are quite durable.
Mine have been beaten severely on jumps, crashes, tumbles, and landing on ONE front corner.
They are still totally solid.

SIDE NOTE: The keen eye will notice that some stock coarse thread hardware has been replaced by machine threaded M3! More solid bite, and less loosening over time.

[J.DUKE]

The remaining changes are:

-Battery tray forward, electronics to the back
-Holmes BR-XL speed control
-Traxxas 21t Titan Motor
-Hitec 7955tg servo - 333oz, titanium gear

-Losi 4-inch crawler shocks
+ 1/4 inch internal limiting
+ Traxxas Jato Swivel balls with larger flanged outer edge
+ 30wt oil
+ Axial Purple springs up front, Axial Reds out back

[J.DUKE]

Hate is a strong word, but...
I HATE THE RIDGECREST BODY.

So I've been searching around and here's a couple options.
KEEP IN MIND that I want to do a Scale Realistic paint job , not a Flashy RC paint job.

What do you think?
Please suggest any others you think fit the bill of scale realism, or at least leaning that way?

[slim jim]

The Jeep is the least "generic" looking.

[lowridinjuggalo]

I like the first one any one no if its comp legal

[J.DUKE]

Couple changes.
The Losi Rock Carvers were excellent performers, but too short.
I wanted a scale looking tread pattern, but already have the ripsaws, so...
I threw on a set of Proline TSL's.
Rockthrasher's gonna be painting up a body for it, but in the meantime, trimming the stocker was adequate.



I did the XR-10 beadlocks, and glass beaded the orange anodizing off the rings.



Here's a comparison shot of the TSL's vs. the Ripsaws.
VERY similar on height and width, both running their own stock foams, both mounted to XR10 wheels.
Only difference to consider is that the Wraith is 1lb heavier.

[rob5059]

I like the 1st body. Have you thought about the Axial Betty body?

[Natedog]

I like where this is going, keep the updates coming!

[J.DUKE]

I've been trying to close escrow on a house for the last 4 weeks, so not many updates, but one...

ROCKTHRASHER IS PAINTING UP A BODY FOR IT!!!

I chose one of the three above. You'll have to wait and see which one...

Can't wait!

[Expert Failure]

I was just looking at this thread today and hoping there would be an update soon. Wish granted, can't wait to see it!

[J.DUKE]

Here's some pics of my new Ridgecrest body, painted for me by Rockthrasher.
Its the old Axial XC-1 body from the ARTR and RTC version...
Whats awesome is with the wider AR60 axle, no cutting is required!




















THE JUICEBOX CHOICE OF CRAWLERS IS "KING OF HAMMERS" COCONUT.

[J.DUKE]

Major internal carnage!!!

The three internal screws combining the two halves of the tranny output gear slowly backed out over time and turn the rig into two wheel drive.

BE WARNED: Loose screws are common in a factory RTR...

So, complete disassemble and rebuild of the tranny.

The backed out screws carved a deep groove into the tranny case, but after cleaning it out and rebuilding, it works great.

TOTAL WORK TIME = 1hr 15min. Not bad considering that would be the most invasive repair I could ever do to the Ridgecrest.

I love Axial stuff! So easy to work on!

[NewboySF]

What body post did you use for the xc1 body?

[J.DUKE]

I used the stock body posts from the older ax-10 ARTR.