Thloftus’ SCX10 II father’s day build

[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by Steve g

Maybe add a scale dirt bike on the rear bumper? Might not fit right though

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Good chance it will fit, there’s a lot of space back there. Lego dirt bike fits fine with room to spare!




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[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by Traulus

Those bumpers(front and rear) look like...….bleah,from another dimension

Yep, one where you get a free pass on approach angles!


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[mcbartho]

Great job. Have u tried the axial springs on the trx4 shocks?

[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by mcbartho

Great job. Have u tried the axial springs on the trx4 shocks?

Thank you! I haven’t tried the Axial springs, but we have tried TRX-4 springs with nearly the same spring rates. The front is super nice; the rear is a little bouncy. We’re using the stock TRX-4 oil for both. We’re going to try softer springs in the rear next. We’re currently running TRA8042 springs in the front (1.26 lbs/in) and TRA8041 springs in the rear (2.57 lbs/in); plan to install TRA8044 springs in the rear (2.22 lbs/in) and see how that goes. I definitely recommend the TRX-4 shocks and you can find great deals for them on ebay.

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[mcbartho]

Are these the good ones?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TRX-4-Tacti...IAAOSwUchaAhT4

I am tempting to get them because I read that the axial shocks leak.

[Techno Duck]

Those are it. In fact i bought a set off that same seller.

[jason02ws6]

Originally Posted by mcbartho

Great job. Have u tried the axial springs on the trx4 shocks?

This is the set up I’m currently running. Sorts up from and the mediums in the rear with 35w shock oil. I’m pretty pleased with performance. The front sits a little low due the the weight of my large 3s pack so I may switch this over to mediums as well at some point.


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[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by mcbartho

Ok thanx

Same for me. Sorry I missed your question earlier!


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[Thloftus]

We tucked in the back bumper to match the 4Runner body by swapping the bumper mount with the front mount from a v1 SCX10. The v1 mount cane off parts tree AX80046E that we had leftover from a previous build.

I couldn’t find this tree online, so maybe Axial doesn’t sell it anymore? The same bumper mount is on AX80125, which is easy to find

The v1 mount is a drop-in fit. Here’s how it looks on the frame. You could use shorter screws, but we stuck with the originals.

And here it is with the bumper installed. We were able to draw the bumper in 1/4” or more with 1-2 mounting holes to spare. The stock v2 mount is on the right tire for comparison. The mounting is a lot more flimsy, but it should work fine for now.

And here it is with the body installed. Much better fit!

As an alternative, I really like the way this bumper looks, plus it retains the trailer hitch. Have any of you tried it?
https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/rra01rb.htm

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[mcbartho]

Looks a lot better

[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by mcbartho

Looks a lot better

No doubt and thank you!


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[new2rocks]

Great thread! I’m a huge fan of getting the kiddos involved (as you can see in my threads). Here are a few observations and suggestions, in no particular order:
- Mamba X definitely doesn’t need an external BEC. I run a couple of them, and they work great.
- I found stock gearing with a Puller Pro Stubby 3300 to be a tad tall in my first 10.2 (XJ). Temps ran a bit warm for my liking, so I dropped the pinion a bit (to 13T if I recall). It’s been great ever since.
- Try setting an expo throttle curve through Castle link. Low end will be even smoother without giving up the top end. It will also be a bit easier for the kiddos to handle.
- TRX-4 shocks and replacement rod ends were a good call from the start. Stock shocks and rod ends didn’t hold up well on either of our 10.2s (neither of which live an easy life).
- Stock servo mount probably won’t be up to the task. There are plenty of good options (I’m partial to ours, lol, but there are others).

Enjoy and keep the updates coming!

[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

Great thread! I’m a huge fan of getting the kiddos involved (as you can see in my threads). Here are a few observations and suggestions, in no particular order:

Thank you, it’s been a lot of fun so far! I’m looking forward to the next build, although my RC bank will need to refill for a while ... maybe a 6x6 like the Beast 2. Definitely open to recommendations

Originally Posted by new2rocks

- Mamba X definitely doesn’t need an external BEC. I run a couple of them, and they work great.

It’s great to hear, especially since I forgot to install the external BEC, Lol! I agree, though, it works just fine without it.

Originally Posted by new2rocks

- I found stock gearing with a Puller Pro Stubby 3300 to be a tad tall in my first 10.2 (XJ). Temps ran a bit warm for my liking, so I dropped the pinion a bit (to 13T if I recall). It’s been great ever since.

I didn’t think to check the motor / ESC temps. I’ll do that next time we run the truck. I think we have a 13T on hand already.

Originally Posted by new2rocks

- Try setting an expo throttle curve through Castle link. Low end will be even smoother without giving up the top end. It will also be a bit easier for the kiddos to handle.

Done! We started with John Holmes recommended settings. I agree, it’s fun to drive and has really nice low speed control. Makes me want to try a sensored brushless setup in my v1.

Originally Posted by new2rocks

- TRX-4 shocks and replacement rod ends were a good call from the start. Stock shocks and rod ends didn’t hold up well on either of our 10.2s (neither of which live an easy life).

Thank you, we’ve been really happy with both so far! I wish Axial made their links directly interchangeable with Revo rod ends (meaning without spacers) since so many of us must be making this swap.

Originally Posted by new2rocks

- Stock servo mount probably won’t be up to the task. There are plenty of good options (I’m partial to ours, lol, but there are others).

Good to hear, I’ve been looking for an excuse to upgrade!

Originally Posted by new2rocks

Enjoy and keep the updates coming!

I will and thank you for the input!

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[new2rocks]

Originally Posted by Thloftus

Thank you, it’s been a lot of fun so far! I’m looking forward to the next build, although my RC bank will need to refill for a while ... maybe a 6x6 like the Beast 2. Definitely open to recommendations

Glad to hear you're already starting to think about the next build. The Beast II is an interesting truck. Putting it together is much more like scratch building with pre-cut styrene than building a traditional hard body. Check out my build thread here and you'll see what I mean. I found it very rewarding, but it took a lot (a lot...) of time, and the truck's performance is limited by the approach and departure angles. It's fine on easy trails, but not much more than that.

If you're looking for a first hard body build, the RC4WD Trail Finder 2 (standard WB or LWB) and Gelande 2 (esp. D90 or Cruiser versions) are excellent places to start. The G2 D90 and Cruiser versions come with full interiors, and interiors can be purchased separately for the TF2. Both platforms can be turned into quite capable crawlers with the right upgrades, tinkering and tuning.

Enough thread jacking, lol. Let's see some pix and video of this one in action.

[mcbartho]

Originally Posted by Thloftus

We started with John Holmes recommended settings. .

Hi, where can i find these settings? These electronics will probably be the most difficult part of my first build.

[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by mcbartho

Hi, where can i find these settings? These electronics will probably be the most difficult part of my first build.

He goes through the settings here; worked really well for us!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6wvH4A_VqTs

The RCNetwork, RCSparks, and others have good YouTube videos if you’re looking for tips on soldering or other parts of setting up electronics; e.g., search for “RCNetwork soldering.”

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[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

Glad to hear you're already starting to think about the next build. The Beast II is an interesting truck. Putting it together is much more like scratch building with pre-cut styrene than building a traditional hard body. Check out my build thread here and you'll see what I mean. I found it very rewarding, but it took a lot (a lot...) of time, and the truck's performance is limited by the approach and departure angles. It's fine on easy trails, but not much more than that.

Good to know! We’ll likely wait for that level of difficulty, although it would be fun. Thank you for pointing out you thread, I’ll definitely check it out!

Originally Posted by new2rocks

If you're looking for a first hard body build, the RC4WD Trail Finder 2 (standard WB or LWB) and Gelande 2 (esp. D90 or Cruiser versions) are excellent places to start. The G2 D90 and Cruiser versions come with full interiors, and interiors can be purchased separately for the TF2. Both platforms can be turned into quite capable crawlers with the right upgrades, tinkering and tuning.

Done! The TF2 was my first build thread; almost a year in and there’s still a lot to do, Lol! It was a lot of fun to build and the Hilux body is sweet! I haven’t added an interior yet - could be a good project for this winter. The Gelande 2 is definitely tempting too.

Originally Posted by new2rocks

Enough thread jacking, lol. Let's see some pix and video of this one in action.

No worries, it’s great to have the feedback!




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[mcbartho]

Originally Posted by Thloftus

He goes through the settings here; worked really well for us!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6wvH4A_VqTs

The RCNetwork, RCSparks, and others have good YouTube videos if you’re looking for tips on soldering or other parts of setting up electronics; e.g., search for “RCNetwork soldering.”

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Thnx a lot!

[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by mcbartho

Thnx a lot!

No problem!


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[Thloftus]

Some more fun with the truck over the weekend. We started by installing the sliders. I really like how they look and the plastic is great; wish they’d used his formulation for the v1:


Next step was switching up the shock springs. I realized that I’d listed the kit / TRX-4 rates correctly a few posts back and then we installed the springs backwards - parent brain, Lol! We switched to TRA8044 in the front (2.22 lbs/in) and TRA8042 in the rear (1.26 lbs/in). Much better ride, although we may soften up the front some more. Took it out for a drive



And some more curb jumping. Nearly perfect landing by the kids!







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