BlackSeaRC

You have to appreciate the lengths Gmade go to with their box art...😁

Yes, as @Bajadresays. I reckon it is a Brat. The ORV chassis was used for the Subaru Brat, The Frog and the Lancia Rally. The Frog has different front and rear tyres, low front body mount and twin antennas. The Lancia Rally has different tyres and front bumper. So that leaves the Brat which uses a high front body mount and block pattern tyres as shown in the image.

If I was going to get another mini-crawler, I'd go for something a bit different and choose the Traction Hobby Tank 300 in 1:24...

I think the only chance you've got is to try to order from a supplier in the same country as the original manufacturer. Then there are sometimes opportunities to save money. For example, I have found that AsiaTees or AliExpress may offer good deals for products originating in China or Japan.

The only issue is that the black finish on the brass diff covers gets easily scratched up by the rocks but no point to have it and not drive it like it should be driven!

I found some proper rocky conditions this time to drive the AT4V. The portal axles provided excellent ground clearance and despite some large rocks the truck rarely got stuck. Stability was also very good but then I have quite a lot of metal parts on the chassis and wheel hubs. I wanted to try a full river crossing but the water level was too high after heavy rain so just a bit of paddling instead. Overall, I really like the way this truck drives. BlackSeaRC

I still have mine. Will have to charge up the 6V NiCd battery and see if it still runs.

I bought a GT5 to use with my crawler because I wanted 6 channels. I have found in the past that transmitters are a bit like car interiors. There is a lot of plastic but some manufacturers do a much better job than others to make it feel nice. For the price, the quality and finish seems pretty good on the GT5. There are much more expensive transmitters that feel inferior but I still have a desire for something that feels a bit more special. The GT5 is easy to set-up and use though and has done everything I needed it to do reliably.

Hello Theo, It sounds as if you have an interesting project. There are so many different types of RC vehicles nowadays that you probably need to choose a specific area of interest and concentrate on that. Otherwise you will get totally conflicting answers to the same questions. The main priorities of one vehicle type will be completely different to another vehicle type. For example, if you wanted an off-road high-speed large scale basher, the requirements would be completely different to that of an indoor mini scale-realistic drift car. So my advice is to choose your specific niche and then the questions will be more refined and the answers more useful. Consider these: - What experience level will the product be aimed at (beginner/intermediate/expert)? - Ready-To-Run, partially built or assembly kit? - What is the budget/price range? - How will the RC vehicle be used (on-road/off-road/indoor/outdoor)? - Specific type of vehicle (on-road/off-road/racing/competition/heavy truck/big rig/construction/agri/industrial/military/wheeled/tracked/motorcycle/special)? - What scale? Answering these questions in your mind will allow you to focus on the real design issues. Good luck, BlackSeaRC.

That is the result after one night of snow...unfortunately, the downside is that we have been without power for 9 days because the snow brought down all the power lines. I did manage to get this photo before the heavy snow and before the slipper clutch decided to malfunction.

Removed the gearbox assembly from the AT4V...

Broke the AT4V! I'd been waiting all winter for some decent snow and last night some arrived so I got the AT4V out. 2 minutes in and the truck suddenly stops. I hear the motor spinning but no drive. First thoughts are that the pinion gear has come loose but removed the inspection cover and it seems fine. I suppose the slipper clutch nut could have loosened but that seems unlikely. It also could be a stripped gear but again that seems unlikely considering the light use to date. I guess I'll have to remove the gearbox and strip it down which will mean a lot of work as it is not easy to access...

I wonder whether orders from Tamico with big boxes usually get delivered without having to pay duty?

Just a comment really on your set-up. You say you are building this truck with speed in mind but please note that this off-road chassis in combination with 4 wheel steering is likely to be quite a handful at high speed. I had a monster truck with 4 wheel steering where it was set up to steer both axles permanently to reduce the turning circle. This is fine at low speed but just the smallest amount of steering input at high speed would result in a huge roll-over crash.

I see that the expected date has gone back from June to 31 August now!

Fantastic! Love the scale garage as well.

Finally, some decent snow arrived and I was able to get the WPL E-1 out for some performance testing in an environment that the real vehicle was exactly designed for. In the video below, this tracked transport vehicle is tested on ice, in cross-country conditions and deep snow to see how it performs. BlackSeaRC

It is really tempting me and I haven't thought that about a Tamiya product for quite a while...

You could look at it this way. The Fighting Buggy (Super Champ) re-re is 379 GBP and has vintage appeal, some metal parts but the overall performance is somewhat limited. Alternatively, the new BBX has similar vintage styling and is hopefully more durable and usable with a higher level of performance. For further comparison, the TD2 Astute also used a brand new chassis but the overall concept is a modern buggy. It also does not come with a motor or ESC and is priced at 269 GBP.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets frustrated when companies such as Tamiya and Kyosho give us super detailed bodies and then ruin them with details like this. Also, why don't they use magnetic body mounts on cars like this? The Kyosho Fazer series is another example. Some stunning bodies with body posts protruding right through the bonnet.

Most of the Kyosho bodies have been released in a variety of colour options so maybe there will be other colour choices in the future.

I think I might investigate this option myself. When you see the prices for Tamiya at AsiaTees you realise how much difference the cost is on the opposite side of the world.

For a moment I thought you were going to say you had pre-ordered the BBX...

Disappointed that they knocked 51 GBP off the RRP? This will be a 500 GBP kit to get up and running and that is before any upgrade parts. The wallet is in for a "rough ride"...