grumpygramps

Hmmm... Thats a downer about the shock towers. Hope mine comes as I ordered it ages ago now.. Kinda figured the Bandit shell was quite obvious as a mod but hadn't seen it done before, honest!! Do people usually cut it up like I have? Had no probs with the MM esc when I've been running it so far under there and its stuck right under one side with no cooling fan, was only getting up to about 75 oc yesterday even with the 3 cell lipo.. Saying that the car broke after about 5 mins after putting it in there!

Thats funny.. Just waiting on an RPM rear shock tower myself! If it was from Modelsport then it should've come through today according to their site. Everything else is already RPM. Got a new bodyshell through the post today and some other bits. Going to order the BBs tomorrow (unless someone has a better idea!) along with RPM wheels and the new tyres. Will post some pics up when its all done too Just as a possible point of interest,- I've had the Bandit shell on the chassis, secured around the edges with velcro (as I snapped the front body-clip post off the chassis..) and hardly a spec of dirt got inside. The shell did get a bit knackered yesterday, so I've cut much of the top and back off, so you can get access to the battery etc inside but still seals completely around the edges/top at the front and fits under the Rustler shell. At £23 for a new Bandit shell it might be a slightly expensive mod for what it is, but works really well and keeps everything in the car clean and pretty much free from water.

@ Gavin,- think it might be a week spot in the design, just been looking at the FLM stuff myself and thinking about replacing most of the car with it next payday instead of getting a Savage flux now! Those chassis look the business I'm going for the gladiators tyres wise, give Sams recommendation a go and see how it drives. The Traxxas Big-Bore shocks are on the shopping list as well, unless anyone has a better idea? I saw Sam uses some from an 8ight on his, but has different arms so they wouldn't fit on mine at the mo. @ Windmill,- I do have fun when I go out bashing, most of the time... Unfortunately its my terrible driving skills which mean the cars end up in the state they usually get into!!

I don't know of any paints that would stand up to the job and last to be honest. The chassis on mine was dyed blue to try and match the RPM arms, but with everything standard like the arms on there being black, dye wouldn't make any difference I don't think. He could dye all the grey plastics though (main and upper chassis/bulkhead/gear box/gear cover) which would look a bit different.

Right.... Just finished cleaning and fixing up the Rustler "thing" I've got after Sams bash today, which was great btw, thank you very much Sam Broke a few things today, helped a little by someone else (mentioning no names as I can't remember it!), and all is repaired very nicely now after fitting in a new shock tower, gear box and diff apart from needing some new shocks. I tried fitting various 1/8 buggy shocks on there this evening without much success as they are either to wide, long or stiffly sprung. Just had a look at the Jato hop-ups and you can get these http://www.modelspor...on&ItemID=29591 but don't know if they'd fit or if they're any good, also at

I'm going to try and make the next one, looks like a great site. I'll be bringing my Traxxas "thing" (Rustler/Bandit/Stampede mutant!), Losi 8 and an FG Monster. Will be on 2.4ghz btw. Cheers, Lawrence.

Would be well worth considering going for lipo as well as a brusheless motor. Your run times and cars speed will increase, along with the handling of your car getting better as lipos are so much lighter...

Have you got any pics of the finished car for us then? Your review on the EX-1 inspired me to sort mine out btw... Waiting for a pinion gear at the moment and then we'll see what it can do! Got a Speed passion 2350kv motor/Ezrun 80a esc and power from a couple of 2 cell 5400mah 25c lipos running in parallel, so should be quite nippy

Come on and grab a right bargain!

I go on a couple of others that are UK based that've been mentioned and occasionally some in the States. The ones in the US quite often get a bit abusive though and it seems like there's lots of people trying to shout over each other, funny that being there's lots of Americans on there... This is by far the best IMO. Loads of friendly knowledgable people and I've always been able to find out exactly what I've needed and a great deal more besides. Top forum

Would be good if you could get the shell unpainted and do your own design on there as its a great shape... Shame about the stickers (especially around the windows, they really don't do it for me) and the rest of the car though, really spoils a nice shell!!

Very strange indeed that Sam, not sure what the story is. Could be that they were swapped by the previous owner of the esc, as it wasn't new when i got it, but they did look like pro/factory fitted connections. All done now anyways!

Erm.... Interesting question that! For the moment its out of action as the motor has gone into the "thing", along with its wheels and tyres. It will be back in action soon, but I'm going to have to save up for a decent brushless combo and wait until Modelsports next shipment of RPM bits come through first.

Glad you like the "thing" Joe! You wanna try driving it though!!! Got a 3 cell in there today for the first time and its slightly tricksy to say the least.... Can't wait till Sunday

Thanks Carl! Some great cars and some clangers as well.. Wish I'd left the 2 TTs out, they really lower the tone!! Can't make my mind up about the looks of Losi shell (it came to me seconhand like that, so no good for painting now really), kind of like it being transparent but tempted to get another one and have flashy paint job done on it..

Cheers James! Going to be bringing the 8ight and the Traxxas "thing" (got the MM installed now, Futaba 2.4ghz receiver and a barrage of lipos to throw at it ) . Was going to bring the FG as well but my lift there has just got a new car with leather interior that it might spoil. Might see if I can get away with putting it in a big box and hope he doesn't notice!!

Thought it was about time I got pics up of some of my cars, its beautiful day so got a few out in the garden.. Hope you like them 1st up a group shot:- In the back's the FG Jeep. Middle row L-R: Thunder Tiger SSK V2, XRAY XT8, Caster EX-1, Traxxas "thing" (part Rustler, Stampede and Bandit!), Losi 8ight, Thunder Tiger EB4 S2. Front row L-R: FTX Blaze, Carisma GT14 BMW GT2, Tamiya TG-10 MK1 Mini, Carisma GT14 Ferrari FXX, XRAY NT18MT. (click on images to enlarge) My new Losi 8ight, with Nova Rossi N21R engine. Xray XT8, just fitted with new XTM457 engine, yet to be run-in. FG Monster Jeep, finally got it running properly! Still some fettling to be done though and new shiny bits to come (completely new set of alloy shocks on their way next month, along with whole new alloy front end) Lovely little Carisma GT14s, think they look stunning, handle amazingly and really good fun to drive. Suprised they don't seem to have caught on a bit more. Oldschool TG-10 MK1 Mini Cooper, my oldest car and been with me for some years now. Still runs very nicely and looks almost as lovely as the day she was born!! Thanks for looking! Lawrence

BTW Sam... Hope you're proud!! I've just spent nearly 2 hours in a slightly deranged, sleep deprived state putting new 4mm bullets on everything after what you said! The Traxxas ones actually fitted fairly nicely into the Mambas, but wouldn't have taken much to pull them out. The 4mm bullet connectors I've just put on both sides wouldn't even vaguely fit in the Mambas though. Weird.. Must be bedtime now

Nice one, cheers Sam!

Hi! I'm just hooking up a Mamba Max esc to Traxxas Velineon motor and want to be sure I'm doing it right before I damage something, as they have different coloured cables.. The MM has a white, black and red. The Velineon has a white, blue and yellow. My instincts tell me to connect white with white, black with blue and red with yellow. Can anyone clarify if thats right please. Many thanks, Lawrence.

I'll have a look at the Geolanders, thanks James. The Stampede wheels have got to go!! Just been out for a long play and the handling is generally not good, the only thing that they do well is cushion knocks against hard stuff very effectively and soak up big bumps a bit better. The Bandit shell is great though, got no crap inside the car at all and the whole thing is plastered in mud

Just looking at new tyres.. Can anyone recommend some alternate wheels/tyres to the standard Traxxas ones that might be a better option for running on grass and dirt? Cheers, Lawrence.

I got a Rustler today!!! Its loaded with RPM all round, alloy shocks, metal diff and cups, MM ESC and Velineon motor at the moment. Only thing is that the wheels/tyres and Rustler bodyshell it came with are knackered, so I had to improvise a little for the time being with other bits... Like a Bandit shell and Stampede wheels.. Actually drives suprisingly well, much better than the Stampede anyways (unsuprisingly)! Here's the result... Sorry its not really a Rustler anymore Click on pics to enlarge I will be buying a suitable Proline body in the next few days and the right tires, along with another motor so I can return the Velineon to the Stampede along with its wheels. Will put some pics up when its back in proper shape!

Personally I'd go for a hyper, simply because it'll work out loads cheaper in the long run. I've never driven one so can't vouch for the handling, surely so many people owning one is a good indication about its performance though!?! Just out of interest, why are you getting shot of the EX-1? I'm just about to get mine up and running (with 2 batteries though, one either side, unlike yours which you ran with a single battery to one side I think) and it would be good to know what there is not to like about it! Cheers, Lawrence.

I'd go for a LiPo and charger to go with it if you can afford them,- the much longer run times and speed from the car make it so much more fun! Look for a 2 cell, 5000mah 20c one. That will fit straight into the chassis, give you run times around 40 mins and with the 25T pinion gear fitted (comes with the truck in the box, you just have to take the other one off and pop it on) you'll get pretty serious speeds. When you fit the 25T pinion gear watch out you don't over tighten it, as I found out today that they are not made from the strongest of metals! Hope thats of some help, Lawrence