Interested in the TF2 LWB and have a few questions as a first timer here.

[RW413]

Hi there, new here but have been doing a lot of lurking lately gathering information and checking out rides. They're totally awesome btw! I'm really into the idea of the leaf spring suspension and general scale looks. I'm not not going crazy rock crawling or going to comps, just some scale trail driving.

My biggest question is that if the LWB is not worth the investment as compared to the Marlin or other models. I really like the looks of the four door and have some ideas for a scale look I'd like but I see mostly standard WB rigs. Is there any reason for this other than just wanting a shorter WB or going for the classic Toyota look?

I have plenty of varied wooded terrain I'm building my own trails on so the longer wheelbase isnt an issue for me. If needed I can adjust obstacles to fit my needs.

Also, I'm a shameless noob looking to get an RTR. I figure my next can be a kit lol. The choices of electronics and such intimidates me much more than building a kit. That being said, getting an RTR, is the stock ESC capable of handling a 2s lipo in any of these models? I can switch the plug to a deans easy enough myself.

If you got through that all then I thank you for that alone. I searched through 20 some pages and didnt feel like it answered my questions, sorry if they're foolish ones and have been answered before.

[benster]

Hello, I'll give you my opinion on your questions. The LWB kit does look nice, difference between that and shorter ones if you're not looking to comp are up to you, LWB will climg up and down easier due to being longer but you'll need more space to turn and it'll belly rub quite a bit more. Shorter will be more nimble but will tend to flip easier. I have the Marlin and i think it's the best version you can get of the TF2 RTR. You get a bunch of upgrades right off the bat, good suspension if you tweak it, tires are amazing, you get a metal front bumper, the longer Gelande 2 shock towers and 80mm shocks front and back. Everything is assembled, my axles were already shimmed perfectly. There were a few loose screws but nothing you can't find if you take your time. It cost me nothing to go from 1/2" of travel stock to almost 4" with the tweaks mentionned in this forum. I have a Ridgecrest(ax-10 2nd gen) and there are some areas I struggled and this one went right up. It's not better overall but it did impress me A LOT for a leaf sprung truck. I was not expecting it to be so good right off the bat.

Even the RTR is good for 3S lipo, although my 2S is good enough, if only to preserve the stock driveshafts for now. The stock ESC is decent enough for a trail rig but you can feel it's a cheap one, the throttle controls are a bit twitchy but otherwise it's waterproof and hasn't given me issues. It has an auto-voltage protection for lipo as well and will differentiate between 2 and 3s by itself. For trailing though even the stock tires on the other kits are decent so you won't be stuck with crappy stuff even if you don't go with the marlin RTR.

In the end, go with what you really like, you can modify it to suit your driving style. Don't buy something because it's cheaper or almost what you want, made that mistake with the Ridgecrest(although a really good RC it wasn't my first choice).

For the electronics, everyone here will give you options if you decide to go for a kit, there are cheap options that are very good, like the 1080 ESC from horizon hobby i think? A good brushed motor around 35t will be more than enough to have fun with thi truck, like the boost rebuildable one that rc4wd sells. Steering servo, savox is pretty good, go for at least 200oz torque and waterproof. If you get the 2 speed trans you should look for a mini servo with around 30-50 oz torque so you can eventually put an interior in it, there is a mod for this, you probably have seen it here already. The axles are pretty strong but not bulletproof so take good care of them. I greased the heck of the axleshafts in the xvd pocket, it also keeps water out when I go mudding.
For a radio, flysky's 6 channel is apparently decently cheap and a very good radio for the price, worth to take a look for sure.

Feel free to ask questions, myself and others will def try to help you out in making the right choice bud.

Welcome to the hobby.

[fourocker]

https://youtu.be/s1NLmFyf0xk

A short clip of my LWB on a local trail, you'd be surprised how well they can perform, I ended up building mine from a kit as there wasn't a RTR available but now I'm really glad I went the kit.....so glad, what a good experience, long but good.
They say you should just about rebuild a RTR anyway so you may as well do a kit from scratch.
I love the LWB and was so glad to be able to get one over here in Australia, they're not as easy to get....any of them actually.

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk

[fourocker]

Btw, I'm using a 45 turn brushed motor so with the two speed in low it gives really slow crawling control and in high enough wheel speed to be fun, this was the recommendation by the hobby shop tech who owns two of them.
I have a 5200 lipo 2 cell battery which gives me hours of run time, a Hobbywing 1080 esc that's working great all on deans connectors, don't be afraid of doing a kit as at least you get to know the vehicle as it goes together and you're in control of the assembly quality.
I disassembled the tranny, transfer case and both diffs to check shimming and packed them with good quality automotive water resistant grease, my rear diff needed re shimming of the pinion, you can build using mild loctite on all the screws and I thoroughly recommend that.
The downsides to the LWB are obviously the ramp over clearance and horrendous turning circle but I don't care as I love the size of the double cab body.
I believe the springs are longer on the LWB too and can be set up to work almost as good as linked, I have Gellande 2 front shock hoops in with the original 90mm shocks from the rear on the front and 100mm Bilstein ultimate scale in the rear with the terraflex shackles and also upgraded to the steel punisher drive shafts....you're gonna need them as it's a heavy rig and the original plastic shafts fail in no time.

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk

[Big Bill]

Welcome RW413, bensters response is pretty spot on IMHO. I have had 3 different TFs over the years and liked all of them but never gave them a chance the show what they can do with just a little work. If the Marlin was offered as a kit I would have gotten one but got a TF2/Mojave kit. And now thinking back I should have just purchased the Marlin. The LWB RTR will probably be a great way to start out in this hobby, I really like the looks of that body too. Lastest TF2 for me.

[Natedog]

Originally Posted by RW413

Hi there, new here but have been doing a lot of lurking lately gathering information and checking out rides. They're totally awesome btw! I'm really into the idea of the leaf spring suspension and general scale looks. I'm not not going crazy rock crawling or going to comps, just some scale trail driving.

My biggest question is that if the LWB is not worth the investment as compared to the Marlin or other models. I really like the looks of the four door and have some ideas for a scale look I'd like but I see mostly standard WB rigs. Is there any reason for this other than just wanting a shorter WB or going for the classic Toyota look?

I have plenty of varied wooded terrain I'm building my own trails on so the longer wheelbase isnt an issue for me. If needed I can adjust obstacles to fit my needs.

Also, I'm a shameless noob looking to get an RTR. I figure my next can be a kit lol. The choices of electronics and such intimidates me much more than building a kit. That being said, getting an RTR, is the stock ESC capable of handling a 2s lipo in any of these models? I can switch the plug to a deans easy enough myself.

If you got through that all then I thank you for that alone. I searched through 20 some pages and didnt feel like it answered my questions, sorry if they're foolish ones and have been answered before.

Welcome to RCC, reading around peeps threads is a great way to get ideas and a feel for what new crawler you might want! Nothing wrong with an RTR or being a noob, read, learn, ask questions as needed, buy the truck you like and enjoy.


https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?I=LXGNEJ&P=ML


https://store.rc4wd.com/RC4WD-Trail-...et_p_5379.html


Many great builds/re-build threads here in the TF2 section, here's mine that I started when I wanted something completely different than links, lexan body and big tires. Really enjoy mine on 3s with stock motor so far, 2s is just too slow for me, but 2s will work. I was inspired by many other peeps great threads here on RCC!

Natedog's Trail Findering TF2 Tiny Truck

Edit: Bill, wassup? Great to see you jumping in here too, nice Yota!