Johnnyluv's First Scale 4WD RC truck (SCX10 Deadbolt)

[johnnyluv]

Well, here it is...my first scale truck! I got it yesterday, clipped the useless Tamiya connector, soldered on a Deans, installed my beadlocks (using Trepadors from a JK kit, which I plan to use in the future, as a short-wheelbase conversion, to mount toy RC hard bodies), and finally experienced, firsthand, what I had only been able to read about, or see in videos, for the past 10 months. I am really going to like this aspect of the RC hobby, because I've enjoyed hiking and being outdoors, in general, since I was a kid, and being able to integrate that with RC is just plain cool! Now, of course, I can't wait to upgrade the steering links, and get some lights on it, because it gets dark in the woods at my local park, even before sunset. I have some metal bumpers w/LED's coming today, as well as a full light kit (12 LED's/$12, from Amazon), with enough white LED's to fill the five overhead light buckets.

I'm astounded at how well this truck can climb, and since I'm new to crawling, I'll be content with the Trepadors, based on how well they performed last night. There's a rainwater runoff ditch that runs along the property where we rent, and a short, but steep, embankment that leads down to it, and ever since I got into RC, last summer, I've wanted to try a 4WD truck on it, because neither my 1/18 ECX Smash or 1/10 Traxxas Son-uva Digger could make it up the embankment. Well, once I was able to get my truck out for a quick test, that was the first thing I did, and it managed it well, like it was nothing! LOL! Well, the front end came up just an inch or so, but my 4000mah 2S LiPo hard pack was still in the rear, and I have a relocation kit coming from TheHordeRC to remedy that. Chances are, it would've struggled, had I run it with the stock Trepador/Walker Evans wheels. The RTR SCX10 runs more quiet than I expected, too, since I figured it would sound like my Son-uva Digger sounded, when it was stock/brushed.

In the interim, I'm going to paint up the Rubicon body from my spare JK kit, and swap out with the Deadbolt, for whenever I need a change of scenery. Also, I might strip the green off the Deadbolt body and repaint it with either a blue or red. Too much green, considering all the green we have here in the Northwest, as you can see in the pic. It is a nice body, though, i.m.o. If I intend to keep the green, I'll spray a layer of Liquid Elec Tape underneath, to block out all that light shining though. Makes it look toy'ish.



Cheers!

[mudbeast2]

You got yourself a very nice money pit! welcome to the club!

[rc crawler builder]

I got mine last week and think the paint is one of the coolest parts of that truck. It's not to often that you see a Rc truck with a pearl paint job. Out of the box the thing does damn good, almost as good as my other way more modified ones do.

[rc crawler builder]

you will definitely want to get better links for it. The first day I ran mine I bent the shit out of a rear lower to where the tire was touching the slider.

[chuckster12]

Originally Posted by rc crawler builder

you will definitely want to get better links for it. The first day I ran mine I bent the shit out of a rear lower to where the tire was touching the slider.

I did the same thing to my g6. Picked up some all thread today do I can make my own! Good luck man!

[johnnyluv]

I'll be using all the links that came with my JK kit, since they won't be of use in the short wheelbase build I plan to use the kit for. Those plastic steering links really are super flimsy. Luckily, I've only gone trailing, and having gotten into a binding situation, yet. I plan on assembling the links, tomorrow, and pretty soon I'll assemble the Icon aluminum shocks, from the same kit. Anything from my JK kit that was meant for the Rubicon, will be going to the Deadbolt. The rest will be used for a separate build. This was the plan, in getting the Deadbolt, instead of building my JK, first. I have some toy RC hard bodies I want to devote a chassis to, but I wanted to get out and start crawling, before summer was half over, thus, the RTR SCX10 Deadbolt. Diggin' it!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I527 using Tapatalk

[johnnyluv]

Originally Posted by rc crawler builder

I got mine last week and think the paint is one of the coolest parts of that truck. It's not to often that you see a Rc truck with a pearl paint job. Out of the box the thing does damn good, almost as good as my other way more modified ones do.

I'm not downing the paint job, in the slightest, and I like green, in general, but where I live there is so much green that when it comes to snapping pictures of it, or making a video, it almost seems too much. That's okay. My wife thinks I'm a little weird with my color obsession, as well. I tend to prefer contrasting colors, that's all.
At the same time, I really don't want to ruin a good, factory paint job. Maybe I could sell the body w/o the cage, and just get a clear lexan body, to paint my preferred color. That green will look good for Halloween, I'll give it that. I was actually thinking of dressing it up, accordingly, for that occasion.

[im gunna crawl]

I'll buy it.

[The DC]

Nice score,my friend,welcome to the fun club!

[johnnyluv]

Originally Posted by im gunna crawl

I'll buy it.

Thanks, man. I'll think about it.