What's in your fleet...and why?

[Garry]

So theres' been hundreds of ''what have you got'' threads, lets delve into the why you have what you have aspect. My list is still long despite a huge clearout, the whys might be a surprise and might not.

 

Xray T4 '20.

I race touring cars primarily, I've ran Xray on and off since 2007ish.  I get bored of the reliability and effortlessness and try other brands yet always come back to the Slovakian manufacturer. I had my eye on another unreleased car for 2021 but it looks to be cancelled so I'll run this year with the old 20 model before looking at the 22 which is probably due towards the end of the year. X-rays are cars you build to the manual and doesn't need any upgrades at all.

 

Tamiya M07.

I love m-chassis cars, always have, always will, Fun to hoon being front wheel drive. This one was going to have ''a few hop ups'' during the build, that turned into many hop  ups. All good fun and likely that only a handful make any difference, but bling is nice. Its just the normal one but in hindsight I should have started with the the M07R I would have saved a few quid!

 

Tamiya TT0E MAN Euro truck.

#hillarious racer, the class says build as kit, add bearings and centre propshaft sand no other mods allowed, Kit tyres and kit bodies look great, they are slow and lean like a tanker stuck in the Suez canal. But they are all like that so its fun. get 10 on a track and its guaranteed smiles. 2 winters of racing and I've only broken 1 rear wheel (the centre punched through) and 1 body, an aftermarket BittyDesign Iron Knight. Highly reccommended. I might move it on though as the class has an uncertain future.

 

Mardave Assassin  stock car.

Full contact oval racer, buuilt for the 1300 class which is bodies reflecting that type of car (engine cc),  4 cells and slow motors, nudge bumpers there to be used to remove the car in front from your path. Built as an Escort mk1 (narror arch) but #i've got an escort mk3 and Vauxhall Nova body to go on in future.

Kamtec  stock car.

See above, recent purchase to enable someone else to race with me. Except this has a Honda CRX body.

 

DOT Black Widow F2.

Another oval racer, a hand built car as in genuinely hand built not assembled from a kit. Lots of carbon fibre and clever engineering to replicated a BRISCA F2 hot rod. I bought it as a wreck and spent the winter rebuilding it and learning about it from the designer David Tomlinson, very knowledgeable and helpful bloke! Looking forwards to finishing it and getting stuck in on the ovals.

 

Tamiya TA01.

Bought during lockdown last year, it was cheap sand I had one as my first RC car I raced, the plan with it is to replicate my first racecar from way back in 1998. It'll be a long process but thats half the fun. Its got a Toyota Chaser body on right now but I've got a Cavalier being painted in special colours.

 

Kyosho Ford Sierra RS500.

A replica of the first hobby grade RC  I ever drove,  had no idea what it was at the time other than a Sierra belonging to my Uncle. Years later the penny drops and I begin a search for a rough one to restore. Then a near mint one turns up on French eBay. I buy it and its less than mint, but that means I'm not precious about running it. Lovely! Its in Steve Soper Texaco colours and looks a beauty. Brushed electrics so in-period performance. Standard apart from dampers and driveshafts ( I busted one on the first drive).

 

Schumacher Big 6 EP.

My most favourite car ever. 1/6th Lotus Elise. I bought it new from Modelsport in 2002 and raced in the Schumacher BTCC in the early to mid 2000s, taking two round wins, one TQ, one track records (still standing) and two 3rd places in the championship. Lot of my race trophies came with this car. I'll never be sold, its a keeper that I'm restoring back to runner spec, unsure if I put modern electrics or a 12t brushed as I raced back then, its a car which means a lot to me and has years of battle scars to show for it.

 

Schumacher Big 6 GP.

A second Big 6, this was the cleanest  nitro one I've ever seen. So naturally of course I pulled it apart and sold off the engine to.....convert to electric. Really easy conversion, 25mins with a Dremel and drilling 4 holes and its done. Its not  the same as the factory electric one, the motpr is mid mounted now so I look forwards to comparing the two dynamically in future.

 

Traxxas Stampede XL5.

In need of a huge rebuild, its missing loads of bity and I'm not really sure what the future holds for it. I like the idea of lowering it and converting it into a ''No-Prep'' drag car, I don't have much love for Traxxas cars they are tough but have very little else going for them in my opinion. I don't even remember how this came to me, probably as part of my wheeling and dealing.

 

Schumacher Wildcat Touring.

Once billed as an indestructible touring car with a parts replacement guarantee. Ultra simple yellow plastic chassis, Mercedes C-Class DTM body. I actually swapped a mobile phone for it , Fun to rag around now and then.

 

Mardave V12.

Bought to pull apart to convert to 1/8th but stretch the chassis longer and widen the width to fit a 70s Vauxhall Firenza body. I just need to make a drive axles at the rear  then assemble. 

 

Carisma SCA-1E Range Rover.

Christmas treat from me to me, love me, still yet to build it though, got all the electrics, spare modern RR Sport body, optional tyres and light set, but time is difficult to find for this one, Looking like a summer car now.

 

HPI E-Savage.

Rescued from Facebook marketplace, came with a popped ESC, I've put a Hobbywing 880 in it to power the dual 550 motors but I'm considering releasing it back into the wild soon as its a big thing to store and as you can see above I've got a considerable project collection already.

 

Hot Bodes Cyclone.

The *actual* touring car used by former world champion Atsushi Hara at the  2005 International Indoor Championships at the Stardust hotel  in Las Vegas. It was built by Hara specifically for that event using prototype parts still on the car today.  Its got the very Ride Honda Accord body painted by Brain Speed Graphix in Hara's famous black/pink/white colours which he used to win the Modified rubber tyre class but the body is the one he used to finish 3rd in the Modified foam class. Its even still got the foam tyre dust on the inside of the rims. After the event it sat in HPI USA's offices for over a decade, if you look on Google for the SpeedHunters tour you can clearly see the car on display. My plan is to install all the same electrics Hara used to win to make it a one of a kind ''real replica''. Some of the electrics he used are no longer available anywhere but I'm going to make dummy display parts. Absolutely priceless. I'll do a thread on it one day.

 

So what do you have and more importantly...why?

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by Garry

[J.K]

6 minutes ago, Garry said:

Hot Bodes Cyclone.

The *actual* touring car used by former world champion Atsushi Hara at the  2005 International Indoor Championships at the Stardust hotel  in Las Vegas. It was built by Hara specifically for that event using prototype parts still on the car today.  Its got the very Ride Honda Accord body painted by Brain Speed Graphix in Hara's famous black/pink/white colours which he used to win the Modified rubber tyre class but the body is the one he used to finish 3rd in the Modified foam class. Its even still got the foam tyre dust on the inside of the rims. After the event it sat in HPI USA's offices for over a decade, if you look on Google for the SpeedHunters tour you can clearly see the car on display. My plan is to install all the same electrics Hara used to win to make it a one of a kind ''real replica''. Some of the electrics he used are no longer available anywhere but I'm going to make dummy display parts. Absolutely priceless. I'll do a thread on it one day.

 

Now THAT's cool Garry! Being a bit of a modern-day HB Racing (formerly Hot Bodies) fanboy, this paragraph is loaded with nostalgia for me! Hara is an absolute legend and the reason I first got into TC's. Sadly that was a very short-lived journey as I just don't have the reaction times required - 1/8 off-road is much more suited to my "skills"

 

I'd be interested to hear how you came to own the Cyclone?

[Ninetiesbeard]

Sweet thread Garry, good idea!

My fleet currently consists of;

Hpi savage xl brushless;

I bought this cheap from ebay as a nitro "x" savage. Got scammed on it really, and decided to build it into a basher. Quickly snowballed into a fully aluminium show truck which gets used occasionally on large open grass areas. Really happy with it, going to 3d print a set of wheels ive been designing over the past year soon and want to get a custom airbrushed bodyshell for it so that i dont end up trashing it over large jumps like my mind is telling me to. I had a savage way back when i first got into rc with my dad, and having this one keeps that nostalgia alive for me so i guess thats a large part of why i have it. I know them like the back of my hand as well so that helps with maintenance.

Hpi Baja brushless conversion;

 

I bought this on a spur of the moment thing from ebay, it originally had a kingmotor 30.5 engine and a few upgrades but was largely stock. I ended up pumping wayy too much cash into it to make it a really nice petrol basher. Unfortunately the area that i live in doesnt really support a large, fast and loud rc buggy so i decided to convert it to brushless a couple of years ago when someone on here was selling a 1/5 combo cheap. Since doing that ive run it a good few times and it really hauls. Cant imagine anything id ever need to change about it, i do however need to cut the grafil body out still and get that painted as well as my savage body. I used part of an ancient speed passion conversion kit as well as many hand made components to convert it, and im particularly proud of that build. It took ages but now that its pretty much finished i look forward to enjoying it in the summer. I dont look forward to buying more 4s lipos though. I guess you could say i still own it because its huge, and seriously tough. I love thrashing it around the fields and really wouldnt mind throwing it over some large jumps but again, my local area doesnt support that; and im damned if im carrying the thing for more than 20 feet!

Hotbodies D812;

Ebay strikes again. I really need to remove my account. Bought as a cheap roller with the intention of a basher buggy but i cannot leave things alone and it came to me in a lot worse condition than i had initially thought. Ive made good all the issues, installed the d819rs driveshafts with modification as they are not a straight fit. Im using an OS21RZ motor from the 90s which i found on ebay brand new for dirt cheap. Its on its 5th tank of run in at the moment and will be getting tuned for power in the summer. Ill have to do a build thread on that at some point. Would like to try some grass roots racing with it at some point with the old man, mainly to see who the better driver is between us two. I think he has more track experience so we will see about that. Id like again a new body for it, and probably just to use the thing more. I own it because i started the hobby with hotbodies buggies so again nostalgia factor is huge there for me.

Team Losi 8ight 2.0 EU;

I bought it because it was £30 on ebay, And couldnt resist it. I did a custom bodyshell, fitted a mugen ninja jx21 engine and the thing absolutely rips. A huge downside of it is that the hardware is all imperial which is strange considering its an eu buggy. Got this before the d8, and now i have the d8 the losi will never be used so i think i need to move it on at some point. I own it because it was cheap and i wanted a buggy at the time, but have no current reason to own it.

 

Vaterra Ascender;

My only rc that ive ever bought brand new! I got it a few years ago because i wanted to try the scaling scene which i actually really enjoy. I have built it and rebuilt it so many times (theres a thread somewhere on here) but currently im very happy with it. It has had the most custom made parts on any of my trucks, mostly steel panelling to keep dirt out of the chassis and things like that. Its capable, and looks realistic as far as im concerned, i would like to use this more often for sure. I own it because im fascinated with 1:1 offroad vehicles so, this little one is an easy way of me living vicariously i guess. Its also a huge laugh any time i take it anywhere. As it isnt fast, it isnt stressful to operate so i use it mainly for calming sessions in the woods.

Traxxas nitro sport;

This was mine and my dads first ever rc car. It has a traxxas 2.5 engine which is really powerful for the size and weight of the thing so its a blast to drive. Weve owned it since 2004 so, shes got some miles on her. Its got a lot of vintage upgrade parts which add to its charm, but the last thing i did to it was try my hand at engine porting which to be honest really ruined its performance lol. Have to start somewhere. It needs a new piston/liner and then itll be good to go again. I own this because i have memories with it and my dad as a youngster which i cherish, and every time i use it i am reminded of how it felt to finally drive one of the rc cars id seen so many times and wanted so much. A world of difference to the toy grades i had and was used to. It probably helped to give me an interest in engineering/manufacturing too.


 

[Garry]

56 minutes ago, J.K said:

 

Now THAT's cool Garry! Being a bit of a modern-day HB Racing (formerly Hot Bodies) fanboy, this paragraph is loaded with nostalgia for me! Hara is an absolute legend and the reason I first got into TC's. Sadly that was a very short-lived journey as I just don't have the reaction times required - 1/8 off-road is much more suited to my "skills"

 

I'd be interested to hear how you came to own the Cyclone?

 

Really just the right deal at the right time from the right people. It was at a price I'd be silly to ignore with the history being so easy to document. Roughly double the cost of any other Cyclone but try finding another with the provenance? I have a genuine Hara Twister ESC and Hara motor to fit this year along with real radio, real cells and replica transponder, replica servo.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Garry

[Alex97]

My fleet is only small as I had sold up but once lockdown started I took it back up.

 

X12 2020 - MB had these on offer last year and for the price I ordered it. I designed a new chassis and some "aero" bits for it. Plan is to run it as a speed car. It's got a 9000kv motor that will be run on a 2s lipo, I think 100mph is too much to ask for and it's just going to be a fast car. 

 

X1 2017 - I picked this up last week for £65 posted and it's in mint condition, I've always been a fan of F1. There's a few tracks that run them so might do the odd practice day. 

 

I've enjoyed the design and playing around aspect of them rather than the running side of things. 

 

 

 

[PraetoR]

Lovely read, especially the part about Hara's Cyclone! Thanks for sharing.

 

Losi XXX-S

Joined a TC racing club in 2002, racing on wood and carpet floors, running a heavily modified HPI Sprint. It went well and handled alright, but it was by far and away the worst TC at the club (they also raced Mardaves, so not the worst car, technically). At the time, the Losi XXX-S was the best car out there, so I got mine for Christmas of that year. I had never won a race, up to that point. The Losi lifted me up several rankings and I was regularly taking part in A & B Finals, rather than D & E. My proudest moment was in 2003, when I finished around 1 second (after a 5 minute race) behind British Champion and Losi Team Driver, Martin Wallace. It's currently sporting a Bitty Design Ascari body shell and still running the old Trinity Revenge of the Monster Pro 27t brushed motor and a no-limit Mtroniks M-Sonik 4 Dash ESC. It's had almost everything replaced with the graphite upgrade parts, as well as red anodised metal bits. My very favourite RC! I have earned multiple trophies with it and will never sell it.

 

Losi JRX-S Type R

I was hoping to get back into racing, maybe 8-ish years ago. After the success I'd had with the XXX-S, I really wanted another Losi and the JRX-S Type R was the last racing TC that Losi ever made. I'd heard that the latest-and-greatest wasn't necessarily needed, liked it used to be, as the development had plateaued off and a well driven older car could still be competitive. There was a club in Dundee, which was only about half an hour from where I was, at the time. They still raced TCs, indoor, on carpet. Unfortunately, I never got round to it and nowadays they only race GT12s, so I missed my opportunity. As it turns out, basically nowhere in Scotland runs indoor TC, anymore. Which is a real shame. I got the car almost brand new, having been used for only a couple of indoor practice sessions. It's immaculate! It's running a Tekin RS ESC, a Speed Passion MMM V3.0 13.5t sensored brushless motor and a Parma Type M body shell. I have never used it.

 

Tamiya TL-01

My first hobby grade RC was a TL-01 Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti Bosch. I sold it many, many years ago! However, browsing ebay a few years ago, I saw a brand new, unbuilt TL-01 Alfa Bosch for sale, in America. It had the body shell already done and the photos looked good. The price wasn't bad either, so I bought it, for nostalgia's sake. Unfortunately, the body shell was done extremely poorly. I've done my best to improve it, but it's a bit scabby up-close. I might eventually replace it. The car is still brand new, though! It's built with a bearing kit, adjustable links and oil-filled shocks. Running a Hobbywing 1060 and Tamiya GT Tuned brushed motor.

 

Tamiya TT-01 Type E

This was the car that got me back into RC, after around a decade away from the hobby. I actually only bought it, because it came with a beautiful Mercedes 190e 2.5-16 Evo II body shell! I'm a massive 190E fan. This thing has had so many upgrades thrown at it! It goes great and handles a treat. In 2011, I founded a small, local RC racing club, mostly among friends. We counted the laps by hand and recorded qualifying times with our phones, but it was great fun. I won the 2011 & 2012 Championships with the TT-01E, before swapping it out for my old XXX-S for 2013, 2014 and 2015, because the competition had gotten to the point that the Tamiya just wasn't enough, anymore! We last raced in 2015. We'd love to start up another club, but don't know when we can. My brother-in-law is desperate to go racing again, as he finished 2nd to me, all 5 years! The Tamiya is currently using an HB Subaru Impreza Type C body shell and running an old MRT VX Sport no-limit brushed ESC (with launch control!) and an Orion Revolution V2 12t brushed motor.

 

Yokomo MR-4 TC Custom

Back when I raced my XXX-S, my Dad and I wheeled and dealed in RCs. He had a pretty decent collection going, including this Yokomo, which had had much success in the racing scene. We had it fitted with a hot 17t motor and I used to bomb it around the street. Eventually, we sold it to a friend of mine who wanted to race it at the same club I raced my Losi. After we gave up racing, I never saw it for about a decade. In 2011, when we started up the little RC club, I bought it back off my friend, as well as his old Losi. Just so we had a few more cars available for people. The Yokomo was passed around and was eventually smashed up and in a bad way. I fully restored it, a few years ago. It's running a Leopard 17.5t sensored brushless system (will be changed to 13.5t) and sporting a Tamiya La Ferrari body shell.

 

FTX Outlaw

Looks great, is entertaining, but is as fragile as a wine glass and handles like a constipated donkey! This car breaks near-as-dammit every single time I drive it! It's had many upgrades, to try and strengthen it, but... it still tastes a little citrusy! Running a GoolRC 3500Kv system, 2s lipo.

 

Corally Triton

Got this to replace my wonderful old Pro-Line Pro-MT, after the Pro-MT was discontinued and replacement parts started to cost the earth. This has been an absolute TANK! Possibly even tougher than the Pro-MT, which is saying a lot!! Wasn't all roses, though: The wheelie bar didn't adjust enough for brushless power, so I'm running without. The servo saver was a complete joke, so I've fitted the Corally HD version. The shock pistons weren't formed properly, so I had to fix that and then service the shocks. Finally, the body shell is as thin as paper, so I had to shoe goo it. It's now a beast, though. Running Pro-Line Trenchers and a 4600Kv Castle brushless system, 2s. It's bonkers!

 

Tamiya Lunch Box

Do I really need to explain?? It's a Lunch Box! It's brilliant. And rubbish. It's had many upgrades, but they don't do anything! Love it! Running a classic Trinity P2K Pro 27t brushed motor and Etronix Probe WP ESC.

 

Actual Lunch Box

Many years ago, when I asked for a Lunch Box for Christmas, my Dad thought it would be OH SO FUNNY to mount an Lunch Box onto a Mardave Meteor chassis and have me open THAT for Christmas day! I've never been so confused. Still have it. It's probably more capable than the Tamiya...

 

Ansmann Mad Rat

I bought it, because my friend and I were offered a free ice-cream if I did! No joke! To be fair, I was already humming and hawing over it. It's a wonderful little buggy and is easily the most reliable and dependable RC I've ever owned. Fantastic little thing! It's been fully upgraded into the X2 spec and has a stronger gearbox. Running a GoolRC 2900Kv system, 2s.

 

Exotek Losi Mini 8ight T

AJ built it. Bought it from him, unused. Full Exotek conversion and about as many upgrades as a Mini 8ight can possibly have! It came with a 60A Hobbywing ESC, but needed a motor. I spent a fortune on a Castle Neu Motor 11101y, which is a hand-wound 4550Kv motor. It goes like a missile! I don't use it enough, but I really should!

 

Basher Pitbull

Best value RC of all time! No arguments! The Pitbull is no longer available, but in a nutshell; it's a Maverick Ion DT, with a green and black colour scheme, brushless system and a 2s lipo included... oh, and the retail price was £28.30!! Ridiculous!

 

Gmade Komodo Double Cab GS02

In recent years, I've gotten right into scale crawlers/trail trucks. I initially built my own, using a Maverick Scout as a basis, but last year I bit the bullet and bought this. I've set this up to be a rock/obstacle crawler, with massive front-bias and 121mm tyres. I absolutely adore this truck! It regularly leaves me aghast with how capable it is! It's running a Hobbywing 1080 ESC and a Holmes Hobbies CrawlMaster Sport 12t 5-slot brushed motor, on 3s.

 

HPI Venture

Venture Scale Builder Kit. Bought it to be more of a trail truck and less climber-orientated (like my Komodo). So this is lower, more planted and more realistic. This is a great truck and it's criminal how poorly this has sold.  I love the way this thing sits and moves, especially with the classic Chevy C10 body shell (Axial). It's running a Hobbywing 1080 and a Yeah Racing Hackmoto 35t brushed motor, on 3s. I might replace the motor to a Holmes Hobbies, though; as the Hackmoto isn't that smooth off the mark.

 

Tamiya King Yellow

It's still incomplete. I'm about 75% through the build. I got this for Christmas... 2 years ago! My brother-in-law got the Konghead and we were supposed to build them together, but he's about as reliable as my Outlaw!

 

Tamiya TT-02 White Special

My only shelfer. It has no electronics. It's fitted with a white Lancia Delta Integrale shell and fake Brembo brakes.

 

Heng Long Military Truck

Fully converted into hobby grade and painted to look like a farm truck. It's still rubbish.

 

Also, my girlfriend owns a Tamiya Midnight Pumpkin and a brushless Team C Jekyll buggy.

 

This took me ages to type!! 

Edited April 13, 2021 by PraetoR

[J.K]

Cracking idea Garry!

 

Sorry for the long post - i'm a sucker for a photo or two! Bit of a mix of race-spec rigs and bashers:

 

HB D817v2

I've followed 1/8 rallycross since my mid-teens watching the likes of Hara, Tessmann and, in recent years, Ronnefalk. The main thing these guys all had in common was the team they drove for - HB Racing. Since then I've become a bit of a fanboy. Up until a couple of years ago I was mainly into "track bashing" - running around tracks with bash-spec buggies. Realising they couldn't really match the tunability and handling of the race-spec rigs I decided it was time to bite the bullet and jumped head-first into nitro. I started with the HB D812, followed by the HB D815 and i've naturally now ended up with the D817v2. I absolutely love the thing though it'll almost certainly be replaced by a D819 some time this year:

 

 

HB E819 - my prized RC!

So while I was hooked on nitro buggies, E-buggies became a thing. Initially I crapped on my own doorstep and tried a rival brand - Tekno - and bought a EB48.3. Couldn't gel with it and found it difficult to get the setup right being a bit of a noob. Back to HB I went and bought a E817v2 to sit alongside my D817v2. Now we're talking! Last year I was hanging out at the track with a couple of mates (both members here) and one happened to own a box of bits which turned out to be 98% of the new HB E819. At the same time the other chap was interested in my E817 and the deal was done! She's running some monster electrics with HW RX8 Plus ESC, Savox HV Servo and Performa LiHV Lipo. I've got the parts to convert it to the new E819RS but haven't had the chance to fit them. My absolute favourite RC:

 

 

 

Schumacher Cougar KC

At this stage i'm slowly getting the hang of getting around complex tracks so felt it was time to dive into 1/10 2WD. Modelsport had the Cougar KC on offer since it was about to be replaced by the new Laydown. I snapped one up and have now been running it for nearly 3 years. I'm not quite as hooked on 1:10 as I am 1:8 - the latter is far more forgiving while you need a lot more finesse for 1:10. They're super light and incredibly quick. On astro they turn on a dime and handle like darts. I need a lot more practice! 

 

 

HPI Firestorm 10T

My first "hobby grade" RC bought for my 16th birthday and also my first nitro. I'll never sell it just for those reasons alone. I'm 34 now making this an 18 year old RC and it's only on it's second engine!

 

 

Arrma Kraton v4 6s

I sold all my bashers thinking I'd only race but then realised that wasn't the case! Desperately wanted another X-Maxx but just couldn't justify sinking £1k on an RC at the time so ended up with the Kraton. Haven't looked back since, I absolutely love it! It's not quite as "Arrma Tough" as I was expecting - i've broken both rear arms, bent a couple of shock shafts and broken the wing mount without much effort. A monster on 6s so I usually stick to 4s:

 

 

Traxxas TRX-4

Didn't think i'd ever get into slow RC but that all changed when I bought an Axial Wraith which I then replaced with an SCX10.2 builders kit. I really wanted to gel with it but I just didn't find it particularly capable. Sold it then get blown away by a mate's TRX4. The portals, 2 speed, front and rear locking diffs and the Defender body had me sold. Probably my most used RC as it's just so capable. Wether on the trails or the crawler track it just wipes the floor with the SCX10 (sorry!). Bone stock apart from a Quicrun 1080 ESC, SSD deadlocks and brass weights up front:

 

 

HPI RS4 3 Evo

My most recent purchase. My RC poster girl from my late teens. Always wanted one but it just never happened. Having now been on furlough for 13 months I was in need of a cheapish project to keep me sane. A week or so surfing the 'bay and this almost mint example came up and I threw in a cheeky bid not expecting to win. And here she is! I've already done a few small bits to tidy it up - new fuel tube, glow plug, exhaust gasket, hump pack and Spektrum RX. I stripped the engine and rebuilt it while sealing it along the way. 15 years old and looking amazing! A 2 speed, screaming, nitro tourer capable of 50mph stock? Yes please!

 

 

Proboat Blackjack 29 v3

My first "proper" boat and what a thing! Looks awesome and super quality. Very fast on 6s. A completely different driving style required compared to cars - bare in mind they barely turn unless you're on the throttle, something to consider when it's racing towards the bank at 40mph! Being a Cat it lacks a self-righting system. I've been in 3 times to get it which gets boring VERY quickly especially in winter without a change of clothes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hell horn.]

Cut down my fleet a fair amount now. 

 

Maverick quantum flux Mt. 

A cheap basher.  Fantastic little car. Small enough to pop in a back pack to take out.  Cheap enough to bash the hell out of it and fix it if necessary.  

I got it after my stroke to give me a car to use and mess around with.   Got it with the money I didn't spend while I was in Hospital.  Been brilliant fun. Can definitely recommend one. 

 

Axial smt10.  

when I was stuck at home after my stroke I was told to find stuff to help improve my right hand. So decided to get a kit to build.  And monster trucks are cool.  End of.  Can take it down to the garden. Get the little ramp out and have fun for half an hour.  

 

My hard body rock crawler project 

Building a scale Toyota 1984 pick up. As I was born in 84. Slow project but its getting there. Leaf sprints. Full interior.  Working lights.  

Set myself a challenge to get it as real as possible. It's coming along nicely but slow. 

 

 

30dn sdt 

I wanted something bigger again.  Not petrol. To much messing and no where to run one.  After a friend pointed it out.   Looking in to it. Bit of research I got one. Brilliant car.  Redid all oils and checked it over. Ordered a few sets of batteries for it. 

 

Lrp s10 project 

The car that got me back in to rc 4 years ago. 

Modded it loads.  Its changed style loads since I had it. Speed run car. Basher.  All sorts. It's sat in a box waiting for me to rebuild it. 

Not a brilliant car now. As the design is over 10 years old now and not that good.   But it's brilliant fun. 

 

Ftx comet rat rod. 

Again I wanted a project to work on.  But cheap. So my ftx comet ended being modded loads to become a rat rod. Suspension cut down to around 10mm.  Chassis cut to remove battery tray and replaced with an internal one.  Body from kamtec.    Its a banger body but works well as a rat rod as its got the right style for one.  It's a shelf queen. For now. It might get used in the summer. 

 

My shafty rock crawler project. 

I'm designing my own chassis for this.  Been on and off for a year now. But getting close to being finished now.   Lots of work involved developing the chassis for it.  It's almost right now. Few bits to adjust still. 

Full carbon fibre chassis. Simple and as small as possible.  Keep it light for a  better cog. 

 

 

 

A box of random small scale cars to look at at some point. Probably 5 cars in it. Again summer projects

 

I'm always looking for a new car to mess with. Lots of ideas for them.  But no money. 

 

[lorrylemming]

On 13/04/2021 at 10:25, Hell horn. said:

 

Ftx comet rat rod. 

Again I wanted a project to work on.  But cheap. So my ftx comet ended being modded loads to become a rat rod. Suspension cut down to around 10mm.  Chassis cut to remove battery tray and replaced with an internal one.  Body from kamtec.    Its a banger body but works well as a rat rod as its got the right style for one.  It's a shelf queen. For now. It might get used in the summer. 

 

Do you have any pictures of this? Sounds cool. 

[Hell horn.]

3 hours ago, lorrylemming said:

Do you have any pictures of this? Sounds cool. 

If you want more I can get some. But there you go. One crazy ftx comet project 

[Nitroholic]

What's in my fleet.....hmmm...

 

Kyosho Madforce.

Converted to brushless, with a now unobtainable set of alloy axle housings and the axles swapped to HPI Savage items with proper sized hexes fitted. Servo mounted on the front axle to remove the crazy linkage and hte suspension arms braced and supported with extra rods make this a fairly tough basher. I like it for being a proper solid axle monster truck. I may convert it back to nitro ( I have all the parts still ). It's got a charm all it's own....and I don;t want to sell it even though my cars have seen virtually no use recently.

 

HPI Savage.

Beefed up chassis plates, bulletproof diffs, mid tank conversion, big chunky wheels and a .32 motor. It's a brute. it's as tough as I could make a Savage. It's part of the family, and if I did sell it...I would miss it. Plus I doubt folks would want to pay what I would ask for an old fashioned truck like this.

 

Truckzilla.

Why is it in my fleet? Well...becuase I think everyone should own a twin engined XL sized nitro Savage. That's why.  Gearbox is a flux single speed unit ( the two speeds kept breaking) LST shocks, WIDE tyres, and a Kyosho GigaCrusher air intake that sticks through the bonnet, and actually feeds the carbs. It's one of thoise trucks that I don;t want to sell because, well, where would I find another?

 

HPI Baja.

It's still there because I can;t be bothered to sell it. It's a good car thats been used and given me a lot of fun.

 

KM Baja

Shortened, widened, fited with monster truck wheels off an FG. FG jeep shell. 28cc 4-bolt motor. I still have it because....welll...why not!

 

HPI Firestorm

A nitro car converted to brushless. This gave me a mid motor, rather than one hanging out the back, and a metal chassis. Its a nice car to drive on 2S or 3S, and with the ESC tucked in sat in a 3d printed housing, it's neat and compact inside. Shell is a Sand Scorcher replica bug in blue and white.

 

Also in the collection are a brushless Stampede 2WD, a Savage XS, and a Hyper 7 brushless buggy, well, you can;t have too many toys.

[BUDFORCE]

I am new but....

 

Hobby grade:

 

FTX Outlaw

 

First purchase, mid Jan 21, second lockdown, borred, thought I would give it a go. To be fair, this car is great for the money, when it doesnt break....

 

Hobao Hyper VS  6s 150amp ESC version

 

Becuase I took my Outlaw out, and the rear drive shaft snapped for about the 5th time, but this time dug into the gound and snapped the read diff housing and I said thats enough (I have subsequently fixed it and its running again now). But I took suggestions from this very forum, honestly its not the one I would have chosen but the thing is awesome no regrets now, built like a tank.

 

 

 

I also have several cheap/toy grade RC cars. I actually got into the hobby late last year, I have a 3 year old son and a neighbour was selling a toy car for £7. I bought it but the Nikko NiMH battery was knackered, so I hacked the plastic cover off a retro fitted it with new batteries. Then I dug out some old £40 cars that I had bought when my oldest (now 14) was younger, the batteries on those were completely knackered, but those ones were 7.2v NiMH, so I bought a couple of 18650 Lithium batteries, and battery modded it to run on lithium.

 

Next.....

 

I have spent about £800 since Jan so putting a freeze on any purchases for a while, if and when I get another one I really want a full off road buggy, like a Losi Lasernut or Rock Rey etc. I would have bought a Lasernut as it ticked all the boxed but after some reasearch I have found they are not very reliable, and I am struggling to find an alternative I would go for. Tanacity BD pro having the same transmission as the Lasernut, Rock Rey, cant find enough information to see how relable they are etc....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[walkbythesea]

Had a few cars as a kid in the 80’s - Tamiya Sand Scorcher and Porsche 959, Kyosho Optima Mid Custom Special - well over 30 years ago.  Just got back into RC this February to stop myself going stark staring bonkers during the winter lockdown.  Now I have a few, so much has changed!

 

FTX Outlaw - the first new car I bought, brushless lipo edition, brushless and lipo are both big news to me as my old cars were all nicad!  Absolutely love the ultra 4 look and wanted something scale’ish for sensible money as I didn’t know if I’d really get into it.  Maybe I’ve not pushed it as hard as others, maybe I’m just lucky, but while I accept I’ve broken a few bits I really don’t find it as fragile as other Outlaw owners seem to find them.  I adore this car. 

 

Kyosho Tomahawk - all my cars as a kid were secondhand so I never got to build a kit, wanted something vintagey as my very first car when I was 10 was an original edition Sand Scorcher - however I didn’t want an actual Scorcher as my friend recently built one and with modern eyes they’re actually a bit rubbish.  The Tomahawk is an absolutely beautifully engineered model and with a modern ESC and running brushless lipo it’s an absolute hoot.  Building my first kit was a real pleasure and when they eventually come back into stock I’m going to fit a Scorcher shell to it to enjoy a retro “Scorcher” that isn’t rubbish. 

 

WPL D12 Kei truck - because sometimes it’s raining and indoor drift action is hilarious. 

 

Carisma SCA1E Deluxe Range Rover kit - as yet unbuilt, this is next winters project car.  I really struggle with SAD and need to line up hobbies to keep me occupied and out of mental health trouble, this will be a Camel Trophy tribute and I intend to take some time over it. 

 

Element RC Sendero HD - for ages I had a Carisma F150 on back order as I fancied a trail truck for the summer as we have awesome terrain to run one on around home, but I got emailed to say it was discontinued at least for the time being.  The Sendero HD was my second choice and I have to say it’s absolutely brilliant, probably more capable than the SCA1E would have been, a fantastic little truck that I’m enjoying getting to grips with. 
 

Really loving being back into the hobby. 

[Redback]

Bit of the garage, doesn't include the bashers. I like each of my rigs to offer something quite different.

Trailing / Crawling

FTX Highrock: Wanted a trail truck / crawler, was my first choice due to budget and looks, performance out the box ok, with mods an excellent rig that performs better than more expensive rigs.
TRX 4: Expected amazing things, only selling point is the locking diffs thats a bit of a gimick when it comes to trailing and they are built like tanks, so a crawler you can lightly bash.
IFS Gatekeeper: Wanted a crawler that looked a bit like a outlaw, put IFS on it so its completely different to the other crawlers, pretty average when it comes to performance, loves to roll over due to the heavy cage.
FTX Outlaw: Highly modified with crawler transmission, massive tires and screaming fast brushless system. My favorite truck.

Speedrun Fleet

Limitless: Once i got bit by the speedrun bug, it was hard not to get a platform designed for bonkers speed, out the box horrible center drive shafts, so instantly swapped for titanium ones, its a lethal weapon and scary to drive = Fun.
DR10: Experiments in pushing a drag car beyond its limits, horrible handling and something completely different.
Banzai: Experiments in pushing a budget chassis to its limits.