Wranger YJ on MST CMX

[aircooled]

Seems the MST CMX is not available in the US yet, so here is what I found during my build

At least in Europe, the MST CMX is available only as a kit, with either just the chassis, chassis with motor + ESC (looks like a rebranded Quicrun 1060) or chassis with motor, ESC and a choice of Tamiya Unimog, Bronco or Land Cruiser bodies.

With a width of 195mm and adjustable wheelbase (242 and 252 out of the box and 267 mm with optional parts), it seems the perfect fit for lots of the Tamiya hard shells as well. I selected the chassis-only version and a Wrangler body.

The chassis-only box is small and contains all the parts in smaller bags, all packed to match the single steps in the manual.



There also some 1.9 wheels and 90 mm tires included, with 2 different wheel designs available (but not selectable at order)





The tires look and feel much better and softer than the stock Tamiya bricks, but are a little too small for my build, but others will love them!

To get started, the kit also contains the usual set of tools, grease and shock oil - but I prefer my own

Anyway, the first step: Links

As mentioned before, the kit includes parts to build links for 242 and 252 mm wheelbase, for 267 mm you would need 60,5 mm/72,5 mm long parts for the upper/lower links.

Unfortunately, the manual is not very clear on this, even for the 252 mm wheelbase it tells you to build 2 sets of short links and 2 for the longer wheelbase, but it won't tell you which set goes to the front or back.

As I wanted to get 252 mm, I just build all links the same length, using only one spacer each.





The steering links are made at the same time and the manual tells you to leave a small gap between the rod ends. I "filled" those gaps with spacers I had available.



Next up is the chassis itself.

Two metal rails are connected to the skid, plus a couple of staffers for the front and the back, nothing exciting...

The shocks mounts have different shapes for left and right and can be switched around depending on the wheelbase chosen. Much easier than adjusting wheelbase on an Ascender ;)




After that, the gearbox. Again, nothing special here, very similar to what we have seen from Axial or Vaterra. Gears are plastic, just like anything else in the MST, but the plastic looks pretty good.



Please note: the MST CMX doesn't come with any ball bearings, only bushings.

You can go through the parts listing yourself and write down what you need, or trust my list ;)

16x 5x10x4 (I picked 10 hybrid bearing for the axles, plus 6 normal bearings for the rest)

2x 8x12x3.5

4x 10x15x4

All put together



There is also no pinion in the kit, I chose the smallest possible (according to the manual) 17t/48p at first, but got another 90t spur from MST and a 15t pinion which is a tight fit under the cover



to be continued...

[OSRC]

Awesome, interestingly, I got word mine shipped today.

Thanks for the bearing list, I'd like to have them in place before it arrives, and finding out the sizes has been all but impossible.

Very curious to see how you build yours.

[doublej]

Subscribed - I never realized how small this thing is. How wide do the axles come out to be compared to SCX10?

[BadWagon]

This looks interesting. Subscribed!

[aircooled]

Originally Posted by OSRC

Awesome, interestingly, I got word mine shipped today.

Good on you, it's a great kit

Originally Posted by doublej

Subscribed - I never realized how small this thing is. How wide do the axles come out to be compared to SCX10?

Not too sure how it compares to a SCX, but hex to hex, the MST is 165 mm

[aircooled]

Some remarks so far...

There is no slipper clutch - hope this is not going to be an issue in the future...

And, I really love the plastic MST is using. Probably the best quality stuff I have seen in years. Axle housings or gear box halves just snap together, perfect fit.

The only cosmetic issue is the in the construction of the gear box. With all the screws in, to bottom part separates slightly



Not a huge issue, as it will be pressed together once it is connected to the skid. Still bugs me a little

And here it is, with my favourite Team Brood motor



Next step are the axles...

Some might not like it too much, but the lockers are plastic as well. Lets see how they hold up



The gears are metal and look pretty good (at least compared to the ones in an Ascender)





And the closed front axle



Front CVDs are standard and are only help together with a small g-clip. They have to be mounted differently left and right and I secured the clip with a drop of super glue (just to make sure)



Servo on axle



And all done



The rear was much easier, so here are both



Drive shafts are pre-assembled and come next. Of course, plastic! But they look pretty stable...



All done...

[aircooled]

The shocks are 70 mm eye to eye and pretty standard.



But at least the kit comes with 3 different sets of springs.



Nearly done, with those China Methods mounted



And the mandatory flex shot



Steering angle is not too bad either...



The pic is probably not good enough, but depending on the servo used, it might hit the cross member above. Nothing a Dremel can't fix ;)

And the final step

The battery tray also hold the front bumper (for the Unimog) and a splash proof receiver box. The ESC is mounted between gear box and rear axle.






Alright, this is what I have on the chassis. Let me know if you need anything else

[aircooled]

Now the body...

I didn't want to go for a standard Wrangler and quickly went from this



to this



I already designed a dove tail and got it printed at Shapeways...



More Dremel action and some super glue later...







Made a fuel cell as well



The body sits too high and I still have to figure out how to mount it, but this is where I am right now. From now on, progress will a bit slower ;)

[Oh How Original]

That looks cool, I didn't actually realise it was so thin.
What's the wheelbase on that buddy?

[Atchley]

Thanks for the build thread. I never could find where to get anything MST in the states. I had to order my drift car from Taiwan iirc. I'd love to pick one of these up though, just to see how good they are.

[XSRCdesign]

I'm intrigued, all that plastic is scary. But if the price is right and hop ups become available, that could be a neat little trail truck.

[Dextroyer]

This seems appropriate for a proper tiny trail truck. I wonder if that 7950TH has enough power to shred the front end by itself with all that plastic.

[fleetside]

Hey, thanks for the build thread!

If the kit is in stock next month I´ll get one also.

looking really nice!

[aircooled]

Originally Posted by Oh How Original

That looks cool, I didn't actually realise it was so thin.
What's the wheelbase on that buddy?

The stock wheelbase for the Wrangler body is 242, but I set it to 252 mm

[Leprasol]

Is that a servomount on the front bumper for CMS or servo winch?

[Lost_Frequency]

I like this chassis set up an price point isn't bad at all where did you pick it up from? I'm curious to see how well it preforms

[aircooled]

Originally Posted by Leprasol

Is that a servomount on the front bumper for CMS or servo winch?

Not sure, I will have a look tonight

Originally Posted by Lost_Frequency

I like this chassis set up an price point isn't bad at all where did you pick it up from? I'm curious to see how well it preforms

I've ordered from rcroller in Taiwan

[hotwheels000]

Thanks for the insightful build thread. Would you mind answering a few questions ?

What is the tooth coumt on the ring and pinion in the axle ?

What diameter is the output shaft on the axle pinion gear ?

Thanks in advance.

[OSRC]

Liking what I see so far.... great job on the body!

Not worried about the plastic for the most part - this is a small truck, can't be too heavy, and doesn't require a ton of power.

Lockers would be the only part that concern me. I did see upgraded lockers on the option list - assume that they would be steel.

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

[Microgolf]

how long did the kit take to put together?