TrailFinder 2 tips for first timer

[ad456m]

I just bought my first scale truck and am looking for some tips on things to do to it before I run it. I’ve got the V8 Blazer version. 

It’s eaten all my budget for the foreseeable future but I’m ok with that so zero budget things would be the way I’m going for the moment. Low tech fabrication and 3d printing is in my realm if things are really needed to be added. 

 

Super chuffed with it but zero experience with the platform or crawling/scaling in general is my starting point. 
 

Any must do things?

[Lone-wolf]

Is this the one you have https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/345205/?gclid=CjwKCAiA_vKeBhAdEiwAFb_nrd4U4dvTSIvyxRdHMtSWQerBwgkciy-QiXjs17A0T3edVd6dTkTSEhoCQ48QAvD_BwE

If so i see why it blew the budget, but very smart looking, not a lot to do other than run it and enjoy it, maybe add a driver figure to the cab, if it dont have lights then make a cheap LED light kit using a pair of warm white front led and a pair of red for back, if this is the model you got please post some pics, looks a stunning truck

[ad456m]

No, I went completely nuts and this is the one I got 

https://store-4t9e73st.mybigcommerce.com/rc-parts-accessories/amazing-rc4wd-trail-finder-2-rtr-chevrolet-blazer-body-set-limited-z-rtr0035/

 

I’ll get some pics up when I get home from work, it’s a really nice looking thing and feels solid.

Edited February 4, 2023 by ad456m

[Shergar]

If it’s pre-assembled I’d check the diffs and gearbox for grease, and maybe I’d add a Hobbywing 1080 esc for smoother control.

 

But in the meantime just enjoy it 👍

[ad456m]

Thanks folks!

So swapped out the esc/rx/tx for a 1080 and my Gt3c and a 6ch rx tonight, checked most of the V8 for grease, didn't get to the axles yet. 

I'll get some LED's wired up tomorrow and start checking eBay for a driver.

 

 

Had some Tamiya Pumpkin tyres on alloys and put them on for fun last night, would look good as a mudder but that'll be for down the road i think as I'll need lift blocks etc.

Edited February 4, 2023 by ad456m

[Stormbringer]

really like the looks of that mate 

[Lone-wolf]

Thanks for putting the pics up, its a lovely looking rig, do the mirrors swivel/fold in a roll? would be annoying if one broke of in a tumble.

Keep the stock wheels on as they more scale to a lovely truck, sadly one of these would be real nice but out of my spend limit by a fair bit

[ad456m]

Yer welcome, yeah the mirrors hinge thankfully indeed. 

It’s more than a touch out of my typical budget too but I made a deal with the devil/mrs to get it as I’ve been ogling one for many years now. The most expensive thing I had before this was my Kyosho USA-1 that I bought for my 40th last year. It was a very big moment when I pulled the trigger. 
Wheels will definitely be staying for a good while as there is no budget left and they do look great. 

[Kpowell911]

That looks amazing! Now go get it dirty!

[Redback]

Great looking rig, few tips If you plan to drive it, theres some mods needed to stop the leaf springs snapping due to torque causing them to "wrap" basically it needs a 3rd link "anti twist" bar to stop the axle wrapping around the leaf springs.
Threadlock, now id recommend this however, the rc4wd hardware (screws) are pot metal poop and strip right away, you need threadlock ideally but you wont be able to undo the screws, something to keep in mind...
My tf2 i drove 3 times and it broke on the 2nd outing, wasnt impressed for what was paid for it and their resale value is utter garbage, i truly hope you enjoy your rig.
 

[ad456m]

Thanks, I did wonder how important the extra link was. I’ve deliberately not removed any leaves from the stack so as to not wreck them before I get anywhere beyond the garden.  As for threadlock, I’ll be frugal and keep a soldering iron close when I pull things apart again.
RC4WD can be varying in quality indeed and sure enough some screws have that cheese vibe, I’ve a set of Clod XVDs that will never be used as they are 1mm too long and bind like mad, I went in with my eyes open on this one and part of the reason I posted so I didn’t make any dumb mistakes and wreck it before I enjoyed it. 
With any luck I’ll hopefully at least get a run around outside the house this afternoon as there’s finally a break in the wind and rain today. 

[ad456m]

LEDs fitted now, raised the dash 10mm (so it can be seen) and various little tweaks here and there. Found an old thread here with a lot of extensive stuff on this truck so used that as a starting point. Making bits and bobs to fill the bed and painting the interior are the next on the list.

 

Got out for a wee run round the garden etc today, its a cracking wee thing, lots of torque but feels like it could do with a 40 or 35 turn motor just to give me a little bit more top end. A 3s battery would do it but I've none that'll fit and can't see any that are right on CNHL(they are the only company I've found to deliver lipo to offshore UK).  Must mess around with the settings on the 1080 too but some are just baffling but youtube will fix that.

 

The tires desperately need stiffer foams as the tyres just fold under any sideways weight. I might just go for some different tires too but only getting to grips with all the sizes etc and what the max this will take is beyond me just yet so foams seems easier.

 

[Shergar]

 

[ad456m]

On 05/02/2023 at 09:34, Kpowell911 said:

That looks amazing! Now go get it dirty!

As requested, found a big pile of topsoil at my mothers house and her pond area was not very dry either.

I've added some bruiser shackles that i got for 8 quid on eBay as i didn't feel that there was enough height for where I'll be running most of the time. After 5 mins with it I decided I'd made the right choice. I think next is some larger OD tires, these grip fine but an extra few mm of height will again help, anyone got any suggestions? I'd like something chunky looking and quite grippy. I'm considering 1.55" as I've some stamped steel china fines laying around from a CC-01 i was messing with.

Otherwise a lower turn motor is a definite, probably a 35t and i think then it'll be cosmetic/weathering stuff. All in I'm really chuffed with the truck.

Edited February 19, 2023 by ad456m

[Lone-wolf]

Looking good mate, for 1.55 tyres take a look on the Injora website

[ad456m]

So a wee update on this thing. Got some Injora Mud Country copies on it, has made quite a difference but has introduced some rub on the back of the front arches so they'll get swapped out for something slightly smaller soon (probably go 1.55") as I don't wanna start dremelling the arches. Have also fitted some metal wipers, a push bar with some KC spots and stickered the back windows.

A mate was south recently and picked me up a 3S 2200mah lipo for a different project so tested it in this and its picked up the 45t motor to exactly the right speed and torque i want so I'll be grabbing more next chance i get. Took it to my local park this morning for a proper play and subsequent carnage, lost a wiper and K5 badge, broke a bonnet hinge mount and chipped the other corner from rolling the whole way down a big slope next to the slide but hey ho, gotta accept some damage sometimes. I did make some sliders from some 6mm brass tube, silver solder and M3 brass inserts but they need a few tweaks and painted before they go on.

Performance wise this thing is pretty fun, the leafs are breaking in more now thankfully and it's taking on most of what i'd expect from it. Only impending changes will be the body mounts, the screws are driving me mental! It's just not handy compared to other options so I'll likely do the grub screw mod. In time I'll get some Boom Racing ProBuild 1.55" and likely some Element Grabbers as they have a good look to them

Edited April 20, 2023 by ad456m

[Stormbringer]

Looking good and a looks a great place to use it 

[ad456m]

Thanks, yeah it’s a cracking wee park,  works great for the Blazer and is good fun with a monster truck too. Best part is it’s a 10 second walk away so can drive the trucks there

[ad456m]

So a "wee" update on this, I got completely distracted with everything else RC while I was working on my hot rod truck and basically burnt out on that project for a bit and moved onto this again. Last time i ran it I felt the truck wasn't right and that a bit of time to think about my next move was needed. So here's where i went,

Made some sliders at my mates house from some brass and M3 brass inserts.

 

Got the leaf reversal from RCBitz  to put the wheels where they look better and probably work better. Then I grabbed some Boom Racing 1.55" ProBuild wheels with the narrowest drive hub available and put some 1.55" General Grabbers on. Love the wheels but not sure they'll stay on this.

 

Started painting/weathering to make the truck look a bit less shiny, not finished, lots to be matched up along the way but its a first go and its likely not the worst ever. Broke out the styrene and made a template in Inkscape and made a visor based off a Fink Industries design then tried to get a match on the paint and added an RC4WD bracket to put more Daylighters on.

 

Fixed the bonnet and added some more wipers, this time I have moved the mounting point and filled the old holes.

 

Printed some better body mounts(from Thingiverse) and took some smooth shaft M3 bolts and cut the heads and extra thread off and changed the loathsome body mounts.

 

Went totally off the deep end and did the V8 bits, stupid really but it does look cool🤪

 

Clearanced the firewall for the distributor and added some moulding to the underside of the bonnet. 

 

Added a bench seat in the back along with some scale bits in the back, still all needs mounting more permanently once i decide what's gonna be stay where.

 

And made a CB antenna from some piano wire and sheet steel, not the cleverest thing ever but it'll bounce around pretty well.

 

Still got to finish up a ton of bits, mount radiator properly, wire distributor and decide on loom style, patch firewall, finish interior, blah blah but here's where its at now.

 

I also wired up all the LEDs with magnet wire to be easier to hide, the roof lights are run through a 1mm hole i drilled in the door seam.

Anyone have a shout on a decent scale light system that's better than the usual £15 "nearly there but still not quite right" eBay specials?

[Stormbringer]

Looks awesome mate 

[Shergar]

Thats just fabulous 👍 How about black heat shrink on that servo wire, its the only thing giving anything away at first glance!  Try these links, no idea if the kits are any good though!

 

https://nooxion.eu/product/nooxion-light-module-1-14-trucks/

 

https://modellightingsolutions.co.uk

[stupar]

That is one badass looking truck mate!

It's amazing to see the transformation from stock (which was already good) to now having your own stamp on it.

 

Welcome to the bottomless pit world of scale trucks and the endless things you can do to them 🤙🏻

[ad456m]

Its a bottomless pit indeed!

 

I wasn't fussed on the taillights of the Blazer, seemed like they could be a bit better so I grabbed some AmPro ones. What a difference! I also took a chance on the Boom Racing Kudu light kit for their BRX models. Very cool unit with plenty of options and since i got the one for the old Land Rover they were nice and warm. I got that test fitted and its pretty much exactly what i wanted from a light kit, it controls all the spots, has hazards, control of wether indicators are working or not and brake/reverse.

 

Here's a comparison of the rear lights once I'd painted them. They are pretty good.

 

 

Cut out the body to fit them up.

 

 

Test fitted and looking miles better.

 

 

So I didn't do any more with the lights as I'm still deciding where the box should sit and then i can do the routing and glue the rear lights in. I'm gonna order a crimper and plugs so its a bit tidier, its a rats nest just now. So I designed and printed a basic tow hook mount and bought the RC4WD anti wrap bar and got those fitted. I also put more leafs back on to stiffen things up.

 

 

In October I did the family birthday and xmas shopping and helped the Mrs by ordering her gift to me with no consultation, brave but she was cool about it. So xmas came and the gift was built.

 

So now i need something to sit on there. Enter my trusty Wild One that's been my runner for about 7 years. It needs a bit of a revamp.

 

 

After a wee revamp with a mix of styrene, FAV/Shark Mouth parts and a £5 Knight Customs engine we have a start. I also threw on my Scortched parts slot mags and some slicks. I'll get some paint on it once the weather better. I printed some bits to fill out the bed and prototyped a tyre rack.

 

 

Added some AliExpress ratchet straps and it seems the garage is a hair too small now😂

 

 

So I redid the tyre rack in CDS pipe and now waiting for the time to get it fixed together with more than magnets. I'm also making a battery box from some styrene and it'll give me somewhere to put the straps when there's no load. I'm also messing with the leaf spring mounts to swap the shackles from the outsides to being on a pivot in the centre, that way I won't end up with all the load on one axle. I'll add better pics of that another time when its closer to finished as I'm still messing with spacing and height. I've dropped the whole thing by 11mm so far, not sure i can do more and that may already be too much. Need a dry day and time to run it around the driveway and see if it functions properly. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stormbringer]

It all looks awesome mate and like what your doing with the trailer 

[Shergar]

A fabulous combo going on there 👍👍👍

Edited January 13 by Shergar