Reflektr builds a TF2

[Reflektr]

After finally completing my Gelande Cruiser and more or less falling in love with it... I bit the bullet and picked myself up a TF2! I have adored these things since they first came out, so I was more than excited to see one on the shelf of the LHS lol.



Trailfinder build by fireside... How romantic...



No turning back now!



...Nicely packaged...



n00b said these were snacks...


...Don't believe that guy...



My toy-truck helper! He does all the hard stuff... I just sit back and supervise.




Almost a roller!



...This may need some playing-with...



A little mock-up with "Penny's" Tamiya body. Lookin' factory-fresh lol.



We'll work on that suspension...lol. Maybe Chino-mod the springs. Add some Gelande hoops. I also have some goodies that should be arriving tomorrow. A set of 1.55 Growlers, some Old Man Emus, XVD's, and a helical gear set.

The body remains a mystery, but you can bet it will be OEM-Ooglay ; ) Stay tuned!

[new2rocks]

Nice work. Hard to find good help these days. Looks like yours is a keeper.


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[Reflektr]

Thank you Mr. Rocks! I've been keeping a close eye on both of your TF2 builds and taking notes. I just hope mine could turn out half as good as yours. Yeah, Whiskey J. can be a good help when he's not batting around the parts bags, but he's certainly no Roo!

[Reflektr]

No huge updates, but these did arrive today...



Yeeeeahh... Now that's more like it ; ) I don't know what it is about these tires, but I love them!

Hopefully more exciting updates in the near future lol.

[Reflektr]

A few minor updates to tie us over until my Gelande hoops and second pair of 90mm OME's arrive tomorrow...



Out with the old...



...and in with the new!



...heard these were a pretty wise upgrade...



...and a mock-up shot with Penny's hot-bod and the Growlers. I'm kind of diggin' this look...

[Natedog]

Off to a nice start and Whiskey J, the kitty looks like a good helper. My helpers usually want to sit in my lap, so now they have their own chair. Truck looks great as a roller!

[Reflektr]

Originally Posted by Natedog

Off to a nice start and Whiskey J, the kitty looks like a good helper. My helpers usually want to sit in my lap, so now they have their own chair. Truck looks great as a roller!

Thank you sir! I got an actual designated "hobby table" for Christmas that's plenty big, and he laid on the corner last night the whole time I worked on the Yota. Never had a cat before him, but he's pretty special!

Gelande shock hoops and 90mm OME's showed up today, so hopefully those will go on tomorrow night. Then there's just the body and interior to deal with! Saved the best for last ; )

[SteveC6R]

Nice start, congrats on your purchase! I also have a Whiskey, he's more of a build blocker though, he likes to lay on the instruction manual.

[Reflektr]

Thank you Steve! Nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks Whiskey is a fitting cat name!


I finally got ahold of my G2 hoops and OME 90mm front shocks.



...and the rears...



Really loving this stance...




No running gear installed yet, as I'm trying to find out what's up with these helical gears. It's like the ring gear of the rear axle is all crooked or something. Maybe I'll crack it back open tomorrow night and see if I can get a picture of what I'm talking about.

[Jeepfixer1]

Cool upgrades, nice truck! Color?? Maybe will grow on me. The stance and tires are killer! Do you have a photography background because your photos have a professional look?

[Reflektr]

Originally Posted by Jeepfixer1

Cool upgrades, nice truck! Color?? Maybe will grow on me. The stance and tires are killer! Do you have a photography background because your photos have a professional look?

Thank you! The color was actually a last-minute hoorah that I eventually fell in love with lol. It is Testors Copper. I bought it intending to use it for a stripe on my other Hilux and never ended up using it, so thus "Penny" was born! It's actually my other rig's body and I have yet to do anything with the "Mojave" body the TF2 comes with.

While I do have a little background in photography, none of these were taken with my good camera...lol. These are all iPhone 4s Toyotas are just photogenic

[robvbro81]

On the shock hoops and shocks. Which length and hoop are they? I really like the stance of your truck

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[Reflektr]

Originally Posted by robvbro81

On the shock hoops and shocks. Which length and hoop are they? I really like the stance of your truck

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Thank you! The front shock hoops are from a Gelande 2, and front shocks are the 90mm Old Man Emus. Rear shocks are also 90mm Old Man Emus - Which I believe are the same length as the factory 100mm scale shocks...

[robvbro81]

Which shock hoops front of rear

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[Reflektr]

Originally Posted by robvbro81

Which shock hoops front of rear

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The fronts for sure... $18 from RPP

[Reflektr]

I got my gear issue straightened out So we're almost to the test-driving stage! Just for the heck of it I figured I'd post a pic of the new front setup...



G2 front hoops and 90mm shocks will get you this far...



"Flex" isn't really what these little guys are all about, but every little bit helps!

[robvbro81]

Thank you for your help. I placed my order at RPP for my shocks and shock hoops!!


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[Reflektr]

You're quite welcome!


Took the Trailfinder for a little shakedown run today! I was really pleased with the way it handled about anything the spillway had to offer. I cannot believe how fun this little truck is! Reminds me so much of my old Bruiser turned scale-rig. If anyone's on the fence about getting one of these amazing little trucks...

Get off the fence and get one! You shouldn't be up there anyway...






Little shot with a buddy's monster-Jerp scx10 lol. I loved the Growlers on this little truck as well. They did particularly well on the wet rock.

Everything went great for awhile, then something bound in the drivetrain and she was done... My guess? Front axle. I thought I had it shimmed pretty well, but apparently not...

Gonna pull 'er apart and see what's up!

[Lost_Frequency]

Originally Posted by Reflektr

You're quite welcome!


Took the Trailfinder for a little shakedown run today! I was really pleased with the way it handled about anything the spillway had to offer. I cannot believe how fun this little truck is! Reminds me so much of my old Bruiser turned scale-rig. If anyone's on the fence about getting one of these amazing little trucks...

Get off the fence and get one! You shouldn't be up there anyway...






Little shot with a buddy's monster-Jerp scx10 lol. I loved the Growlers on this little truck as well. They did particularly well on the wet rock.

Everything went great for awhile, then something bound in the drivetrain and she was done... My guess? Front axle. I thought I had it shimmed pretty well, but apparently not...

Gonna pull 'er apart and see what's up!

Nice to see some dirt on the tires, once I got my truck out on the rocks I fell in love with the tf2 an you can run just about any suspension idea that you have!! Keep up the great build an that color is amazing

[Reflektr]

Thank you sir! They are amazing little rigs once you get them out and see what they're all about. The forward weight bias already has an advantage on the scx10... It felt super stable even on sketchy terrain (i.e. the whole place lol)