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Old 11-15-2019, 10:07 AM   #1
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Default topher gets the royal treatment

I haven’t been in this hobby for long but I was not prepared for the onslaught of great new rigs that happened over the summer.

The enduro, VS4-10 Pro, Capra, the new 6x6 rigs, and even the scx24 have all struck my fancy. Out of all of them, the SSD Trail King was one that I was most excited for. After going full sendero and raising a baby goat, it was time to go see the King.

Why, one may ask, was I so keen on the king amongst a group of several new contenders? Well, it starts with ssd’s reputation and first hand experience running their parts on various rigs. I knew the quality would be there and that corners would not be cut. I knew that all aspects of the design would be thought over and thought over again. I also knew the fit and finish would be top notch.

Looking at the details, there is a lot to really like about this rig. Offset axle, scale transmission, universals with plenty of steering, good shocks in the box, plastic and metal, used brilliantly together to save weight while increasing sturdiness where needed.

Then the price dropped and it was time to make it happen. Onto the build...
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Old 11-15-2019, 10:08 AM   #2
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Default Re: topher gets the royal treatment

I didn't take very many build pics, the whole build went quick and smoothly. I also used parts of axles from the TRX10.2 to mix in with the king's court. The TRX10.2 is now back to a bare bones chassis, I'm going to revive that project when I get a proper set of axles with an offset front for it.

Full parts list as it sits now:
SSD Trail King Kit
Mamba X & 2280 Slate
HH HV500V2 Servo
SSD Diamond Rear Axle (including metal tubes)
SSD Diamond Front Center Section (using plastic off set TK tubes)
Boom Racing OD Gears
SSD Brass AR44 Knuckles
Samix Brass Hexes
Traxxas Orange Springs on Front Shocks

Proline 78 K10 body with PL Classic Interior
SSD Chrome 8 Hole Beadlocks
Proline BFG Krawlers with PL Dual Stage foams

I'd normally go into what to look out for in the build here, things that challenged me or other changes I made, but there really wasn't much of that with this kit. Everything fit and went together well so instead I'll just go over my initial thoughts on the various components of the kit.

A song of plastic and metal - these materials are wisely balanced throughout the whole rig. Plastic where possible to save weight/kit cost, and metal wherever you would want it. Basically anything that sits on top of the chassis is plastic, including the shock towers and transmission housing. I'll eventually get the wide aluminum shock towers for the front to make room for headers, however there are little doubts that these plastic towers would not be up to the task. The plastic feels great in hand is sturdy without flexing. The pan hard mount itself is double sheer and aluminum so although the towers are plastic you still get the rigidity and sturdiness of a good metal design on the pan hard. All the other plastic on the rig follows suit and feels great in hand. I flipped my shock towers around to get a little angle out of the rear shocks.

Driveshafts are winners - this is the first time I've used SSD driveshafts but I do not think it will be the last. These mated up to the axle housings nicely, I have a small shim on the pinion but I don't think it was necessary. Installed it out of habit but they spin smooth and appear to be nice and beefy.

Shockingly good - This is my 2nd set of SSD shocks and I love them. The dual x ring seal in the lower cap provides a great seal, full aluminum body, O ring up top instead of a bladder, and clean finish. For $35 a pair on their own these shocks are worth every dollar. I've been using the stock springs on the rears of other trucks (capra and the jk 10.2) and change to a softer traxxas spring for the front. The traxxas GTS springs fit with no issues.

Transmission received - and it's a beaut Clark. Everything fit together easily it rolls smooth with minimal slop. The scale engine to cover the motor is the cherry on top. Adjusting gear mesh down the road is not an easy task with a design like this, but it is well worth it to run this unit IMO.

The servo mount - this is the only piece I'm not sure about. I didn't take a photo of it on its own to share, but it is plastic and has sort of an L shape. One section crosses and mounts to each rail (this is where servo mounts) and the L section kicks out 90 degrees and follows the bend of the frame rail while fitting into the C-Channel. Initially with the plastic L piece outside of the box I was worried it would flex and started considering what I could replace it with. However once it was installed on the chassis with a servo mounted I must say it feels solid and I'm not worried about it any longer.

Overall, the kit met all of my high expectations. Once assembled it's pleasing to the eye to watch the driveshafts spin so smoothly while watching the links moving up and down close to but still clearing everything. Remarkable that the driveshaft, top link, and lower link all come out of the same small area but clear each other throughout the full articulation. There isn't much left to upgrade on the kit either. I opted for the SSD Diamond Rear Axle as I wanted the weight of the metal tube, and I already had the whole rear axle assembled. Similar story with the SSD Diamond pumpkin up front. I already had it assembled with the OD gears installed so it was very easy to swap in the offset plastic tubes and aluminum chubs (normal AR44 chubs with splines do not fit the TK tubes). I may go back and swap out the plastic rear axle tubes down the road to see how it affects performance. Future additions will include aluminum front offset tubes and the wide shock hoops, after that it will just be dressing up the engine and enjoying the rig. It's great to have a build that I don't feel like I need to pour a bunch of money into out of the box to get it to perform.

I will make some body changes down the road, I'm working out how to mount a lexan body with being able to cut the hood and display the engine so the K10 is temporary for now. I'm thinking on staying Chevy here and have a 66 proline C10 that I want to deck out with RC Nerds pieces to put on this rig. That's what I'll be working on for the rest of the year.


I'll have it out on the trail this weekend and will get together some video of it doing its thing to share. Thanks for reading along
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Last edited by Topher Builds; 11-15-2019 at 11:21 AM.
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Old 11-15-2019, 10:54 AM   #3
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Default Re: topher gets the royal treatment

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Originally Posted by Topher Builds View Post
I haven’t been in this hobby for long but I was not prepared for the onslaught of great new rigs that happened over the summer.

The enduro, VS4-10 Pro, Capra, the new 6x6 rigs, and even the scx24 have all struck my fancy. Out of all of them, the SSD Trail King was one that I was most excited for. After going full sendero and raising a baby goat, it was time to go see the King.

Why, one may ask, was I so keen on the king amongst a group of several new contenders? Well, it starts with ssd’s reputation and first hand experience running their parts on various rigs. I knew the quality would be there and that corners would not be cut. I knew that all aspects of the design would be thought over and thought over again. I also knew the fit and finish would be top notch.

Looking at the details, there is a lot to really like about this rig. Offset axle, scale transmission, universals with plenty of steering, good shocks in the box, plastic and metal, used brilliantly together to save weight while increasing sturdiness where needed.

Then the price dropped and it was time to make it happen. Onto the build...
Glad to see you joining the King Team!!!
Ernie
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Old 11-15-2019, 11:16 AM   #4
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Default Re: topher gets the royal treatment

Good to see this Trail King build thread getting underway.

You can't let the people on Instagram have all the fun.
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Old 11-15-2019, 11:34 AM   #5
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Good to see this Trail King build thread getting underway.

You can't let the people on Instagram have all the fun.
Haha! Touche.

I wanted to be sure to post more than just a half baked caption for y'all over here though, so I took some time to formulate thoughts and give some feedback since there aren't enough of these builds happening yet.

Can't wait to wheel and see what the king can do this weekend.

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Glad to see you joining the King Team!!!
Ernie
Thanks Ernie!
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Old 11-15-2019, 12:00 PM   #6
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Default Re: topher gets the royal treatment

Its nice to see another Trail King build!

You're gonna drive it this weekend! Man... you've got me all jealous, I really need to get into high gear finishing mine up
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Old 11-16-2019, 12:16 AM   #7
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Default Re: topher gets the royal treatment

Nice read and good looking build!

Can’t wait to see it out on the red rocks!


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Old 11-16-2019, 03:09 PM   #8
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Got out today to see how this little fella does and boy was I happy. It can climb, very stable, smooth driving, and possibly the most predictable truck in my fleet.

I’ve realized this truck is too good of a performer to use a big bulky body. The bumper on the k10 was getting in the way so I may rethink what body I put on here.

Here’s a clip of a climb that it made easy work of:



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Originally Posted by HumboldtEF View Post
Its nice to see another Trail King build!

You're gonna drive it this weekend! Man... you've got me all jealous, I really need to get into high gear finishing mine up
Haha. I’m a quick builder but don’t do anywhere near as much custom work or design as you all. I’ve been enjoying following your build

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Nice read and good looking build!

Can’t wait to see it out on the red rocks!


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Thanks BMow!
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Last edited by Topher Builds; 11-16-2019 at 05:41 PM.
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Old 11-16-2019, 04:24 PM   #9
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Default Re: topher gets the royal treatment

Great to hear your thoughts so far. Just got my hands on a second-hand built-but-never-run TK. My thoughts on the kit quality echo yours. Tore it down to the first screw yesterday, gonna go back and build it with my 9yo daughter. Should be great. Impressive climbing. Can’t wait to see it in person out in the trails.
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Old 11-18-2019, 08:13 AM   #10
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Put together a short video from the weekend. I can’t put into words how enjoyable this truck is to drive, but I will say the wheels are already turning for a 2nd king build for 2020.



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Great to hear your thoughts so far. Just got my hands on a second-hand built-but-never-run TK. My thoughts on the kit quality echo yours. Tore it down to the first screw yesterday, gonna go back and build it with my 9yo daughter. Should be great. Impressive climbing. Can’t wait to see it in person out in the trails.
Thanks! Smart move snagging that used TK. Good to hear you’re happy with the quality of yours as well, should be a fun build with your daughter.
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Old 11-18-2019, 09:51 AM   #11
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Default Re: topher gets the royal treatment

Yeah, cool video!

Great pics too! Always love to see tiny trucks on them red rocks!

Glad to hear the Trail King is King! Since I hit my limit of rigs this year, I'm hoping to pick up one of the King's next spring. (or maybe I'll try to sneak one in this year for a Christmas present to myself!)
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Old 11-18-2019, 10:31 AM   #12
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Is this truck stock with no weight added to any of the axles? This truck climbs like a stinking goat. It just looked planted. Honestly, of all the trucks you have, this truck looked the smoothest climbing up those rocks

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Old 11-18-2019, 11:06 AM   #13
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Yeah, cool video!

Great pics too! Always love to see tiny trucks on them red rocks!

Glad to hear the Trail King is King! Since I hit my limit of rigs this year, I'm hoping to pick up one of the King's next spring. (or maybe I'll try to sneak one in this year for a Christmas present to myself!)
Thanks B! Lol at the Christmas present. I told myself the Capra was my last build for the year, but here we are #noregerts

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Is this truck stock with no weight added to any of the axles? This truck climbs like a stinking goat. It just looked planted. Honestly, of all the trucks you have, this truck looked the smoothest climbing up those rocks

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Hey thanks Max. As far as weight and upgrades, the front axle is OD and has ssd brass knuckles, the rear axle is an ssd Diamond (which has metal tubes), and it has samix brass hexes to give a little width. The front two wheels also have ssd brass wheel hubs.

It certainly is a smooth driver, instant favorite. It’s almost like what I would have wanted out of an scx10iii and with outstanding quality.

Last edited by Topher Builds; 11-18-2019 at 11:08 AM.
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Old 11-18-2019, 11:57 AM   #14
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I might have to forgo buying a trx4 sport, and buy the Trail King instead

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Old 11-18-2019, 12:31 PM   #15
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Great Video Topher!

It sure looks fun out there in your neck of the woods
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Old 11-18-2019, 01:07 PM   #16
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Nice man! I still need to check out the video. Man I'm so behind on my build threads.
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Old 11-18-2019, 01:09 PM   #17
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I might have to forgo buying a trx4 sport, and buy the Trail King instead

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That is what I did yesterday!
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Old 11-18-2019, 02:38 PM   #18
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Thanks y’all! Sounds like some good decisions being made here.

@humboldtef these rocks out here spoil us for sure. Endless lines and views.
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Old 11-20-2019, 04:11 PM   #19
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I love the Trail King. I hope SSD is selling plenty. I want it to stick around for a long time. SSD deserves it because they have great, innovative products backed by great customer service.

Great looking build!

How would you compare this to your Origin Pro?
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Old 11-20-2019, 06:15 PM   #20
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I love the Trail King. I hope SSD is selling plenty. I want it to stick around for a long time. SSD deserves it because they have great, innovative products backed by great customer service.

Great looking build!

How would you compare this to your Origin Pro?
Thanks Tim! I don’t have an origin pro, yet. It’s on the want list but that will be a 2020 project for sure.
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